Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Square-Enix!
Pairing: SnowxHope
Warning: Contain Yaoi! Mature Content.
Thank you the-true-freya for reediting this story.
Chapter 3: Forging Bonds
The sun was already high above the rolling highlands before the party arrived at the Yaschas Massif. The group decided to stop for a brief moment to take in the sights after arriving to a more open, scenic area. From a distance, the party could see a flock of Svarogs flying in the sky which was followed by Fang giving the orders not to wander off if they valued their lives. Snow chuckled hearing the brunette giving out orders. He expected this from Lightning, not from her. He never thought he would live to see the day when Lightning met her match. Snow glanced at the serene panoramic view of the land and felt a sense of contentment wash over him. A smile crept onto his face as he recalled the previous night. Hope woke him up to switch shifts after he fell asleep, comfortable with the teen tucked away in his arms. The night then proceeded with him keeping guard and Hope slumbering quietly in his lap. He never expected the kid to be this forward with anyone, especially him of all people. He also noticed the younger male's interactions with the others members, but he seemed to be the only one to have physical contact with the teen and Snow gladly took every opportunity to have it. Despite his happy demeanor, the blond kept feeling like he was forgetting something, something important he should've remembered at all cost. But the sensation was easily washed away whenever he was beside the silver-haired youth. Snow returned his attention to the party only to notice that the atmosphere was very quiet. A pair of blue eyes blinked before widening in panic.
"Where are Hope and Vanille?" Snow asked the older trio, who were standing around, discussing some sort of plan. All three heads glanced at him before scanning the surrounding landscape. 'Great, just great...' Snow mentally cursed. Before the party could go into a frenzy and search for the two missing teens, Snow heard giggling and mildly amused yelps from a distance. He turned to the right, spotting Hope running away happily from Vanille. The blond l'Cie felt an unexpected flare of rage burst through him as he watched the teen happily interacting with the pig-tailed girl. He could only stared at Vanille, wanting that sweet, happy smile on the silver-haired l'Cie only for himself. The blond watched as Hope playfully ran towards him and hid behind him.
"Snow, keep her away!" Hope pleaded playfully.
"Hope, you think you're funny!" Vanille huffed, stopping at a small distance from Snow.
"Serves you right." Hope smiled, poking his head out from the behind the male's broad back. Vanille stomped her feet before charging towards the other two males. The other members of their group watched in amusement as Vanille chased after Hope who was, in turn, running around Snow, making the blond man dizzy.
"It's a surprise they aren't eaten yet." Sazh sighed, shaking his head.
"Let them be. It's not everyday they can be kids." Fang informed, watching her carefree companion happily.
Hope gasped when a strong and protective arm suddenly lashed out and wrapped itself around his middle, pulling him against a warm body. "Okay, fun's over." Snow stated, his possessiveness taking control as he distanced the silver-hair l'Cie from the evil Vanille. "Mind filling me in what's going on here?" Snow asked glancing between the girl and the teen in his arms. Hope whispered into the man's ear a brief insight of what transpired a minute ago when he and Vanille were sight-seeing. The man tensed upon hearing the silverette's confession to Vanille, but was relieved moments later after the teen said that it was just a prank.
"Let's get a move on. We got a lot more ground to cover before nightfall." Lightning commanded as she walked past the three l'Cie, ending their little charade. "And no horsing around!" All three stiffened, not wanting to be on the woman's bad side, especially Snow.
"C'mon, we're taking lead." Fang said, lightly pushing Vanille to keep up with Lighning. Vanille glanced back, her lips conveying: 'I will get you later'. The younger teen gave a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head, understanding those words from reading the pig-tailed girl's lips all the while knowing that their little squabble wasn't over.
"Keep walking kiddo, I'll bring up the rear." Snow said finally letting go of the silver-haired l'Cie in his arms.
Hope blinked at the blond before blushing. He didn't realized that the blond was holding him the entire time. It seemed like second nature to him, how his body instinctively wanted to be around the blond, welcoming the man's warmth and protection. 'It not like I hate his company or anything.' Hope thought, walking behind Sazh as his mind wandered in circles. 'Yeah, but last night, you certainly indulged in it.' A voice in his head said, causing a pair of green eyes to widen. The teen felt a wave of heat rush through his lithe body, remembering his night with the blond l'Cie. Hope flushed furiously when a certain mental image of a blond l'Cie sleeping soundly with his arms wrapped tightly around his body invaded his mind.
"You okay son?" Hope blinked, seeing Sazh standing in front of him. The man leaned forward to get a closer look before placing his hand against the youth's forehead. "Your face is red. You're not coming down with a fever, are you?"
"Ammm." Hope was speechless, looking baffled and flustered.
"Well, you seem healthy like a horse. They say with a face that red, you are either sick or... lovestruck." Sazh said, smirking as he hit the mark. A pair of green orbs widened again from the man's declaration. Hope quickly brushed passed the man trying to ignore the man's statement, only to feel a strange and warm coil in the pit of his stomach.
"What's going on?" Snow asked as he caught up with Sazh, seeing a perplexed Hope walk away.
"Ahhh the youth, kid these days." Sazh commented smiling. Snow gave him a confused look, not understanding the man's happy demeanor. Deciding not to question the man's behavior, Snow continued walking with the older man, trailing behind the silver-haired l'Cie.
Later...
"What do we do now?" Snow questioned as the party reached the end of the cliff. The entire group was looking out from the edge, searching for a pathway to continue their journey.
"There!" Sazh pointed to an open gap that lay behind the party, about a forty feet above the ground. "The pathway seems to continue there."
"It look like another ravine. Maybe it can lead us to the ruins?" Fang inquired.
"Well, waiting here isn't doing us any good. C'mon people let's get moving." Lighning commanded before using her acrobatic skills, leaping from one rock formations to another situated at base of the mountain as to reach to the opening.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Does she always expects us to do it exactly like that?" Sazh bemoaned.
"Chin up, old man. Complaining won't level the opening. You better start climbing." Fang said before following Lightning's moves, leaping into the open crevasse.
"This journey will be the death of me." Sazh sighed before he started climbing.
"Ohh, I know." Vanille said brightly, running in front of Snow and Hope with her Binding Rod in her hands. They watched in fascination as the pig-tail girl shot the hooks from the antlers of her weapon, impaling the hooks into the wall of the opening of the ravine. Both males quirked their eyebrows as they watched Vanille reel herself horizontally up the wall into the chasm. The girl did know some ways to get around.
"Start climbing kiddo before we fall behind. I don't want Sis yelling death threats at me. Your hero will follow right after." Snow said with a grin. Hope giggled at the blond's remark to their leader, knowing that Sazh and him would be digging a grave on the very ground they stood on.
"Hurry up Hope. Come see this quickly." Vanille called cheerfully at the opening of the ravine before running back to the group. Hope smiled in relief and excitement arose after hearing some good news. As the teen reached closer to the top, he grabbed onto a dried up tree branch sticking out from the dirt, pulling his entire weight to lift himself up. But knowing the cruelty of fate, the branch broke from the teen's weight. Hope gasped when he lose his footing and began to fall down the mountain's wall. Panicking, he instinctively reached out to an unstable rock which broke into little pieces. Fear washed over his form as the teen continued to fall. Hope closed his eyes tightly, receiving flashing images, his body waiting for the impact to come, but something reached out, stopping his descent.
"Gotcha." Snow said as he threw the younger male over his shoulder. The man continued his task of climbing, which became a bit difficult with the extra weight. He paused from his ascension when he felt a pair of trembling, slender arms tightly secured around his neck. He glanced at silver-hair l'Cie, seeing the teen's eyes clenched shut, his breathing rapidly increasing. "Don't you ever do that again. Shit, scared the hell out of me." Snow spoke softly before he continued climbing.
As the man reached the opening, he gently placed the Hope on the ground but the teen's grip around his neck only seemed to tighten more. Snow lowered his head to meet Hope's gaze only to see fear in those green orbs. "Come on. The others are waiting for us." Snow said sofly, pulling the teen to his feet.
"Snow?" Hope mumbled as he quietly looked down. Everything happened so quickly. His mind was still panicking and his body felt cold from its certain escape from death. Snow was watching the teen intently. The silver-hair l'Cie was in a mental battle with his thoughts, trying to calm his body and mind to the touches of reality.
"It's okay. Your Hero is here. Remember?" Snow conveyed warmly, pulling the teen into a tender embrace. "Let's get moving." He said, gaining a light nod from the teen. He decided not telling the others about the event that transpired moments ago for now, knowing that Light would blame herself for not being protective of the younger male.
Snow was irritated. He had been hoping for the surprise of seeing a lost civilization, some kind of ruins or anything that would've helped to get rid themselves of these funny looking tattoos. But here he was, standing beside the party, examining some stones.
"It just some piles of rock." Snow stated.
"Well yeah. Isn't it wonderful!?" Vanille chirped. The blond sighed, questioning the sanity of the pig-tailed girl.
"Look closer!" Lightning exclaimed. Snow got closer, examining the stones, but he didn't notice any differences despite a closer view.
"I don't get it." Snow concluded.
'Of course you don't get it...' Lightning mentally said, rolling her eyes.
"The edges? They are smooth." Hope said walking up to the stones beside the blond and examining them. "It looks like it was carved by a sharp blade."
The rest of the party nodded from the teen's observation, except for Snow who was embarrassingly scratching the back of his head. "These stones are probably remnants from the ancient civilizations, we're closing in on our destination." Fang said, leading the party into the ravine.
The group continued their journey through the fissure, passing similar stone remnants only to stumble upon the breathtaking sight of an advanced metropolitan city with towering skyscrapers. They all stopped and stood, couldn't find the words to speak as they stared at the once city. The most surprising element of the scene was that the entire city was still intact, unlike the other remains they'd come across. The party leaped down the cliff using the rocks that lay beside the cliff as stepping stones into the ruins entrance. The party noticed the air was quiet with only the hollow sound of the wind whistling through the cracked wall.
"I'm surprised that these pillars haven't collapse yet after centuries of being built." Hope said, examining the pillars.
"The inhabitants must have had some advanced knowledge of crafting if the city is still standing tall." Sazh claimed, too perplexed just like the young l'Cie.
"C'mon guys, let's see if we can find a way to get rid of these funny looking tattoos." Lightning stated, gaining nods from the party. As the group was about to set off, a sudden screech accompanied by other similar cries echoed throughout the ruin, sending chills down each party member's spine.
"We're not alone here!" Fang professed with her lance in her hands. The others reached for their weapons and formed a circle, scanning the area. Each l'Cie felt their blood pumping and their senses sharpening in anticipation for a fight. The calls and sounds of footstep and groaning sounds seemed to get closer by the second. The party's eyes were checking the area, trying to decipher where the sounds were coming from.
"There!" Vanille yelled, pointing to a dark pathway between two buildings. All eyes widened when a herd of Cie'th slowly appeared from beyond the shadows.
"Cie'th!" The word passing through the lips of silver-hair l'Cie with a shiver.
"Shit." Snow cursed. He wasn't expecting this sight.
To be continued...
A/N: I'll probably update the next chapter next week. Tell me what you think so far... I wrote another story of SnowxHope Protecting What's Yours, so check it out. The story is from a different universe though.