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 5: Heroic, part 2
Snow frowned, feeling disappointed that his offer was rejected. He only wanted some moments alone with Hope, just to see the teen get all flushed and bother like when they used to be alone together. But unfortunately life wasn't giving him what he wants, so that wasn't about to happen. He walked away from the campsite with Vanille, who was humming along beside him. 'Now I have to spend the night picking fruits with a cheerful Vanille'. Snow sighed wearily. He didn't want to ask Light, Fang nor Sazh for help. They were just too tedious. For a moment, Snow contemplated going alone, but he needed the help to carry the supplies back to the campsite.
"So Vanille, what is it the kiddo said... uhh something important you have to tell me?" Snow asked the cheerful girl strolling beside him. The girl gave him a confused look before her face lit up.
"Ohh, that!" The pig-tailed girl beamed. "We found a ballroom when we went exploring. I thought you might be glad to see it."
"A ballroom?" The blond asked, looking more confused. 'A ballroom isn't something important'. "Why would I be happy to see a ballroom?"
"You know. I thought it might give you some ideas about your upcoming wedding with Serah." Vanille said casually. She continued walking inattentively whilst lost in her own thoughts, not acknowledging her blond-haired companion. If the girl chose to turn around that very moment, she would've been surprised to see the shocked expression on Snow's face.
Snow felt as if the entire world came tumbling down around him the second Vanille mentioned his fiancée name. He quickly ran his hands inside his coat's pocket, pulling out Serah's crystal tear. Snow glanced at the blue crystal with wide eyes. He swallowed hard, feeling his throat becoming dry. He then realized the nagging feeling at the back of his head which he kept brushing away for the past days. He had forgotten about Serah. He had forgotten about his fiancée. He returned his attention to the crystallized teardrop in his hand. He hadn't held it for the past few days. It was his only memento of Serah. He used to talk to her through the blue crystal. Just looking at the item alone was enough to give him strength. But for the past few days, the woman who Snow loved like no other barely scrape his thoughts. The man closed his eyes for a moment. He wasn't thinking about Serah, he was thinking and having feeling for another person. Someone much cuter. Someone who he wanted to hold affectionately and never let go. Someone who he would never share. Someone so amazing that he'd never give someone else the opportunity and the pleasure to touch. Someone like Hope.
'Shit!' Snow mentally cursed. He never felt more confused about anything in his life before. He clenched his fists, feeling pain prickling like tiny, sharp needles in his heart. He realised he was at a crossroad. 'How can I think about the kiddo when I'm engaged to Serah?' He mentally conveyed to himself. Though he didn't feel any distaste thinking about a certain silver-haired teen. 'No, it's more like a feeling of comfort, contentment and hedonism.' A voice in his head spoke. A pair of blue eyes widened from those words echoing through his head. 'Well the kiddo do has some alluring qualities.' Snow contemplated. 'Yeah, those gorgeous green eyes, sweet and enticing lips, pale yet mysteriously soft skin begging to be touched, and those pants don't do any justice to that ass.' Snow's jaws tightened from his reverie. He could feel his body tense, warming up to the idea. 'Fuck!' Snow cursed again growling at his dirty mind. When did he start having these thoughts of Hope? 'But I do feel at peace when I watch that adorable face of his... Maybe this was meant to-Stop! Stop!' Snow halted his reflections. He was heading into a dangerous territory there. What was he supposed to do now? Before he could continue with his thoughts, a finger poked his face, breaking his concentration.
"Pulse to Snow. You still there?" Vanille asked worriedly. The man had been standing at the same spot and spacing out for some time now.
"Something the matter?" Snow blinked.
"Well it's dark." The pig-tail haired girl spoke, glancing around. "And I don't have any idea where we are…"
"Ohh... sorry about that. I was just reflecting on something. We're not that far. Let's get going and head back quickly. I don't want Light chopping our heads off for being late." Snow said. Now was not the time to deal with this problem. He had to sort out his feelings later.
"Guys we're back!" Vanille yelled cheerfully, carrying a sack of fruits in her hands. She and Snow were able to find some empty bags in an abandoned house, which made it easier to carry the provisions back to camp.
"It's late. What took you guys so long? We were getting worried." Lightning growled.
"Ohh, sorry about that." Snow said, unconsciously walking behind Vanille for protection.
Everyone was seated on the cold stone floor around a warm fire. Snow's eyes quickly glanced around the party searching for his cute little silverette. A pair of keen blue eyes fell on the sleeping teen who was laying calmly besides Lightning, his head resting against the woman's shoulder. 'Well there goes my night with the kiddo.' Snow sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"You guys should get your some sleep, especially you pretty boy. You need your beauty nap." Fang said with a smirk at the end. "Vanille and I will keep watch."
Snow collapsed his tired body on the stone floor, laying his back against a rock. He glanced at Sazh who was sleeping loudly beside him. 'The old man's snoring will keep me up all night.' Snow mentally grumbled heavily. He wanted a peaceful rest after an emotional and exhausting day like today. The only peaceful nap the blond could envision was with Hope, snuggling against his warm body. He turned his attention back to the youth sleeping beside Light. The only things separating him from the teen were a flickering fire that gave the sleeping l'Cie warmth and Lightning. His eyes remained gazing at the younger male's sleeping face. A smile slowly crept on his face noticing the graceful and peaceful expression on the teen whilst he slept. He tensed then, wanted nothing more than to unloosen Lightning's arm around the teen's shoulder and pull the lithe body against his own. But those goals had to wait. He didn't know when he fell asleep. He only remembered watching Hope, sleeping contently, until small patches of black spots began clouding his vision before everything turned black.
Northern Antrepass, Archylte Steppe
Three days later the group found themselves wandering the vast space that was the Archylte Steppe. Everyone was relieved to know that the Steppe was accessible for travelling after the heavy rainfall. The massive, lush land was filled with nothing but Pulse's wildlife, untamed and brutal in its struggle for survival. Before the party could traverse the vast land, Fang warned the party to avoid as much fighting as possible, with only Oerba as their goal.
"So what are we looking for again?" Snow asked, glancing around the surrounding. He was in a team with Vanille and Sazh, something that didn't please him at all.
"We're searching for the Mah'habara Subterra. It's an underground cavern. The tunnels inside can lead us closer to Oerba." Vanille replied.
Snow sighed and looked forward, seeing the other group up ahead. He needed some distractions to clear his mind. Ever since that fateful night at the Ruins of Paddra, Hope's behaviour had changed. Especially towards to him. The young silverette has been avoiding him and giving him the cold shoulders whenever he tried conversing with the boy. His only interaction with the green-eyed l'Cie was when the party left the ruins where the group caught a sight of the fal'Cie Dahaka. He vividly recalled the teen's comment, the coldness in his voice directed to him when he asked about the teen's health, the concern obvious in his voice. Regardless of the time and place, whenever his blue eyes made contact with Hope's green ones, the young l'Cie quickly glanced away, avoiding his gaze. And when he and Hope were assigned night duties the other night, Hope didn't say a word to him, not even acknowledging his presence. 'But the kiddo doesn't seems to treat the others any different.' The blond contemplated. 'It's just me. Like I have been shunned by Hope for some unknown reason. And Why now? Especially when we were starting to reconcile.'
Snow continued following his two companions when he felt a shiver run down his spine, stopping his reverie. It felt like someone or something was following him. His brain was on high alert. He felt his blood boiling, ready for a fight. He glanced at Sazh, seeing that the man placed his hands near his holster, also noticing the strange presence in the air. Snow quickly flashed his eyes around the surrounding area, noticing inconspicuous movements within the shadows.
"Guys..." Snow warned.
"I know." Vanille stated as she continued walking. Snow and Sazh noticed the girl didn't have her weapon in her hands. An imminent attack was near and the girl wasn't armed. Both men sighed. "It's a pack of Gorgonopsid. They have been following us for quite some time."
Snow glanced around, spotting the beasts near a hill in the distance. They were slowly crouching towards their group, but the fiend's attention seemed elsewhere. The monsters gave some sort of signal as Snow noticed more movement in the shadows from the corner of his eye. "Look like they are ready to attack." Snow warned.
"Don't worry. These monsters usually attack small and helpless prey. If we stay together, they wouldn't attack us." The pig-tailed girl informed, calming the two older men's concerns.
"And they are not attacking you, why?" Snow asked curiously.
"My skirt is made from a wild bear's furs. It gives away a strong and powerful scent which scares away unwanted predators." Vanille informed him.
The party of three continued their journey, keeping a close eye on the blood-thirsty, stalking fiends. "Hey, hurry up!" Lightning stated from a distance, snapping the three l'Cie's concentration. "We found the opening to the Mah'babara Subterra."
They didn't get a moment to rejoice seeing that the Gorgonopsids hidden in the shadows decided to take a chance and attack. "Watch out!" Lightning called. The party of three regrouped with Lightning with their weapons in their hands, ready for battle. They were surrounded by five Gorgonopsids in an instant. Snow felt himself size up, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The monsters were slowly stalking around the group, but their intention seemed elsewhere. The attack never came as a larger and more dangerous Gorgonopsids with its pack dashed past them.
'It seems like the mother is taking her children hunting and they don't want us to interfere.' Snow contemplated. He didn't understand the creature's mentally of hunting until the pack ran in the direction where Fang and Hope disappear to. His eyes suddenly widened in realization of the monster's target. 'Shit!' Snow mentally cursed. The monster weren't attacking them, they were attacking the others. Snow quickly broke away from the group's defense before following the other pack of wild Gorgonopsids. Two of the Gorgonopsids, which were surrounding the group, quickly charged after the blond-haired man, not wanting the human to interfere in their hunt.
"Snow? Where are you going?" Lightning snarled at the man for leaving the battle.
"It's the others. They're after FAng and Hope." Snow yelled back, upping his pace trying to reach Hope and Fang.
"What?" Lightning stated dumbfounded. She and the others were about sprint in the same direction of the blond-haired man, but were blocked by the remaining pack of Gorgonospids.
'What am I doing?' Hope contemplated. He was sitting on the edge of the hill waiting for Fang who'd gone into the cave to verify if the path was accessible for travelling. The silverette felt his stomach stir from the inside out. Despite his efforts to avoid Snow, the man still preoccupied his thoughts. He wanted everything to go back to normal between him and Snow, but that thought was a bit distant now. He just had to keep up this charade until everything is over. Hope breathed out a sigh from his nose. That was a long time from now. He wanted the aching pain in his chest to stop. The more he thinks of Snow, the more the pain lingered.
"Deep in thought, huh?" A voice said behind of him. Hope glanced back seeing Fang standing near him. He didn't notice the woman leaving the cave. He gave her a nod. "Want to share?" Fang asked carefully. She didn't want to impose her presence too much on the kid, knowing that the teen's emotions were very delicate. Hope was just like Vanille. They both liked to keep their emotions bottled up. And for the past days she noticed some changes in the silver-haired teen's behaviour. He seemed more quiet and distant compared to his first couple of days on Gran Pulse.
"I'm just thinking about Oerba. Whether we could find anything there." An obvious lie from the silver-haired l'Cie, but Fang didn't know that. He didn't want to tell her about his thoughts about Snow.
"Don't worry. Believe in lady luck. It never fails, not that I know of." Fang advised before taking a seat beside the teen. No more words were exchanged between the two companions. Despite the strange silence, the two l'Cie didn't need to agree that they preferred the quietness until a series of gunshot were heard at a distance.
"What's going- on now?" Hope's voice stammered as he turned around coming to face the sight behind him. His green orbs eyes widened in fear seeing a pack of blood-thirsty beast slowing crouching toward him and Fang. The silverette took a big gulp staring at glowing orange eyes of the grey feral beast, whose giant and sharp claws could easily tear him limps from limps. Bump, Bump! Bump, Bump! He could hear his heart rate in his ears. He was staring death in the face. His feet decided to back away, but one step was all he could take as the ground disappeared behind him at the edge of the hill. Hope was quickly pushed behind the bronze-haired woman who then took a defensive stance.
"Stay back!" Fang ordered. It looked like they wouldn't be leaving this fight with just scratches. Hope needed to focus instead of worrying over his personal trivial matters. He quickly pulled out his boomerang and took a defensive stance beside Fang. He gave her a nod before the woman hastily charged into the pack with her spear. He was following Fang's lead, casting spells against the smaller fiends and leaving the bigger fish for last.
They were outnumbered and Hope knew that Fang wouldn't last long. One of the smaller fiends pounced the woman with great speed, causing her to lose her balance from the creature's weight. Hope watched as Fang fell on the ground, still trying to hold back the blood-thirsty monster with her spear. He was about cast a spell on the feral creature but the grey blood-thirsty beast quickly jumped in the between them, halting his attack. The feral monster turned its attention to him, sauntering closer to him. He felt a cold shudder spike through his body under the gargantuan beast's hungry gaze. His mind registered Fang's cry to run, but his damned legs wouldn't budge. He heard a ravenous roar from the monster and the beast lunged at him.
"Hope!" A husky voice yelled. Hope felt his heart jump through his chest, hearing the familiar voice.
It was Snow. The blond-haired man charged into the beast, slamming himself against it, knocking the monster attack away from the teen. He then took an attack stance between the monster and him. Hope noticed the man was panting heavily, his body copious with scratches. A pair of green orbs widen in fear when he saw blood seeping from under the coat's left sleeve. The grey untamed creature didn't back down yet and it quickly got on its feet before lunging its large claw at his teammate, slashing his chest and earning a grunt from the man. "Snow!" Hope cried.
"Stay back Hope!" Snow uttered before charging into another attack.
"But..." Hope pleaded.
"Help Fang!" Snow ordered, dodging another one of beast attack.
Hope instantly turned his attention to the woman who was still on the ground, struggling with the small Gorgonopsid that was trying to skin her alive. With a strong grip, he took aim before throwing his boomerang at the creature. The aerial weapon struck the monster directly in the head, giving Fang the opportunity to impale her spear into monster's ribs. With the creature finally injured, she give it a swift kick, throwing the monster off her body.
"Took you guys long enough." Fang said, dusting off the dirt on her blue sari. She glanced at the monster on the ground, which groaning in agony from the sharp weapon still imbedded in its stomach. She pulled out the weapon before stabbing the beast in the neck, silencing its pain. She and the teen changed their focus to the grey feral creature that was giving the blond a difficult time.
Snow grit his teeth. His body was screaming in pain. The light grey-blue vest covering his muscular chest was soaked in blood. He could barely make out the outline of the monster from the black patches steadily growing in his vision. The blond shook his head trying to focus before charging another attack, but his attack was easily cancelled from beast's tackle.
Both Hope and Fang gasped as they watched the blond's form thrown aside like a broken toy. He hit the ground with a loud crash. They both hastily split, running in different directions; Hope towards Snow and Fang towards the monster. Snow was lying on his back, his chest heaving up and down from his deep breaths. Hope's eyes widened and he began to panic, seeing a pool of blood forming under Snow's body. He heard a gasp behind him as the other members caught up with the group. But they left him alone with the blond as they turned their attention to the fighting. Hope frantically began casting a series cure spells, trying to relieve the blond from his pain. He felt his chest tighten, seeing the blond in this motionless state. Snow was in this condition because of him. 'I would be dead if Snow didn't save me.' Hope contemplated feeling his breath catch from his revelation. The man had to go and do something this stupid. The silverette wiped his eyes, noticing that a cool wetness which began to form under his pupils. The tears were blurring his vision, distracting his concentration to mend the wounded man. But the tears still continued deluging in his eyes before a steady flow trickled down his cheeks. 'Stop it Hope! It's stupid. Everything is stupid.' The silverette screamed in his mind as he continued casting cure spells on the wounded man lying on the ground.
To be continued...