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 9: Believe and Doubt

The Narthex Throne

A menacing laughter vibrated within the blue and gold room where small fragments of crystals floated in the air. The heartless and sinister figure smirked, sitting on the throne which bore the engraved symbol of Lindzei. The self-proclaimed Lord-Sovereign of Cocoon's fal'Cie clenched his fingers in anticipation, seeing his plan coming into fruition. He was watching his puppet l'Cie through the eyes of his rukh, Menrva, as he plotted for his own and Orphan's demise. He looked on as the party of l'Cie chased hopeless dreams and shadows to find answers which would defy their focus. He gave a slight smile knowing that they were only delaying Cocoon's inevitable doom. Barthandelus was a patient fal'Cie. He waited hundreds of years for talented l'Cie like these to surface, only to be used for his own ploy.

So far, he had absolute control of the situation. He tapped his fingers against the stone armchair as he continued to study the group on Gran Pulse and contemplated which one of these puppets would be the quality candidate to become Ragnarok, the legendary beast-form of a Pulse l'Cie, in order to bring about the utter annihilation of Cocoon and to call forth the Maker. He looked on as days passed by and the wandering l'Cie continued chasing hopeless dreams on Gran Pulse. He quirked a brow when the tools for Cocoon destruction side-tracked from his plan when the party decided to travel south first, investigating some old ruins. A proud smile crept on his face, obviously realizing the futility of their journey. Barthandelus witnessed as the party's mood darken, still contemplating his candidature for Ragnarok. From his observation, he concluded that the rogue soldier, the blond man, and the older failed l'Cie showed promising result. The middle-aged black man also exhibited a favourable outcome, but was lacking in the strong-willed department. And the man looked like the type who wouldn't crack easily. He was sceptical about the two youngest. They were both possible candidates, having shown a great deal of potential through combat.

With every battle, the fugitive l'Cie came out victorious. They were getting stronger which only fuelled the end of Cocoon. His observation took a different focus as he started to notice the silver- and blond-haired l'Cie become closer during their little bath in the spring. He never understood the reason for partnership. Human's primal function was reproduction to his belief and with the fall of Cocoon, it would be a thing of the past. Curious of this new development, Barthandelus continued spying on the couple, searching for a weakness to benefit his own ploy. Then, suddenly, an image of girl who was currently in crystal stasis flashed through his head. Correct him if he was wrong, the former primarch recalled that the blond man harboured silly emotions for the girl. A sinister grin appeared on his face. He wondered what would happen if the girl would sudden shown her appearance to the transient group of l'Cie. Obviously he'd witnessed human nature at its ugliest form. Despair at it fullest.

In Oerba...

Warm sunlight grazed through the small sordid house, illuminating the narrow bedroom while providing warmth to the two sleeping figures. Snow stirred as the brightness in the room aroused his senses. He groaned contently, feeling refreshed and comfortable. There was something warm pressing against him and within his grasp, he only tightened his hold on the sleeping figure in his strong arms. He turned on his back to get into a more comfortable sleeping position, though his motion had caused the warm body beside him to shift, pressing their naked bodies much closer and a silver-haired head nuzzled under his chin. Snow suppressed a shudder at the feeling of his young lover's hot breath on his neck. Honestly, Snow could get used to this sensation every morning for the rest of this life. Suddenly, Snow flinched when he discerned footsteps walking on the outside steel stairs. The footstep pounded louder within the room as they approached and stopped on the other side of the door.

"Snow? Hope? Are you awake?" A high-pitched voice called and from the sound of the voice, it sounded like Vanille. He didn't respond to the call, hoping that the clueless girl would get the memo that he and Hope did not like to be disturbed. But the bubbling girl was persistent.

"Hello? Snow! Fang is waiting for you at the entrance of the village. She said that she'll give you ten minutes before she come and get you herself." The voice informed chuckling slightly, still knocking on the door.

"Snow make her stop." Hope groaned waking up to an unexpected loud knocking from the door. He buried his face inside the man's chest, hiding his features from the sudden luminosity surrounded him.

Snow chuckled. He placed a soft kiss on his lover's temple before throwing his trench coat off his body and standing up, searching for his clothes. He heard an objected groan from the younger teen who missed his body's heat. He wished to stay with Hope much longer, but the last thing he wanted was for a pissed off and impatient Fang to kick down the door and drag his naked and sorry ass outside for letting her wait. He winced, knowing that Fang could man-handle him more worst than Lightning. He quickly got dressed sans his trench coat, which was still spread over the young silverette on the mattress.

"You can have your coat back if you want." Snow shifted his gaze back to the adorable, yet sexy figure on the mattress. Hope sat up on his elbows before rubbing the sleep from his green eyes. The latter stretched his arms towards the heavens and the coat rode down low on the teen's hips, exposing the evidences of their vigorous activities from the previous night on the upper lithe body. 'And what a night it was.' Snow smirked triumphantly. Without giving a second thought, Snow leaned down and captured Hope's lips into an intense kiss.

"Keep it for now." Snow said seductively, biting on Hope's lower lips, and smiled when the teen's face turned bright red.

"Okay." Hope mumbled softly, bashfully looking away. Snow lifted his eyebrows, noticing the teen's quiet behaviour.

"Are you okay?" Concern leaked from his voice, but Hope only nodded. He gave the teen another quick peck on the lips before exiting the room. He stretched his refreshed body, feeling a sense of rehabilitation he hadn't in ages. The morning sun was rising over the ocean, brilliant yellow rays of sunlight glinted in the vast endless blue sky. His gaze flickered towards a humming sound and saw Vanille sitting on the stairs in her own world. He cocked his head, noticing the girl dressed in a bathing suit with a white towel around her waist and another one folded over her left shoulder.

"What's with the towels?" Snow asked. The girl tilted her head, meeting his gaze with a bright smile on her face.

"Hope and I are going swimming. Is he awake yet?"

"Um yeah... though give him a few second to get ready." Snow advised walking toward the outskirts of the village. Questions would spark like flies swarming around rotten meat if the girl walked in the room and saw a naked teen on the mattress.

Hope let out a suppressed sigh the moment he was left alone. He huddled the thick coat around him as memories of the night flooded into his mind. He flopped into the mattress, feeling a warmth buzzing in his chest. The night had been fulfilling. 'Oh God.' Hope moaned as flashes of their nightly activities made their way through his head. Snow had claimed him in every possible way a person can vow to another. As much as it had been fulfilling, there was an uncanny feeling at the depth of his stomach that everything wasn't as satisfying as he hoped. There was something missing and that something was love. His shoulders slumped. Hope spilled his heart to Snow, confessed his true feelings to the older man, but he didn't feel the mutual feeling in return. The blond did not even make an attempt to respond a I Love You Too back to him.

"Hope, are you done?" Vanille's voice called, breaking Hope's disheartened thought.

"Gimme me a second..."

"Okay, I'll be waiting at the boathouse." Hope heard footsteps outside ease away as the girl distanced herself from the house.

Hope tossed the warm trench coat, which smell nothing but of wool and spice, off his lithe body. He found his underwear on the floor before slipping on the fabric. He dressed in his green tea-coloured pants without his other attires. He grabbed the remainder of his garments and the overly large coat before exiting the old building and walking in the direction of the boat house. The air was chilly, but it seemed like something else was making the hair on the back of his neck rise. His eyes scanned the surrounded for any life or presence, but there was nothing other than a bird floating endlessly in the blue sky.

A loud shriek followed by a splash apprehended Hope's ears as he walked down the stone stairs of Oerba to the boathouse. He saw the pigtail-haired girl wading in the water near the construction. Beside the house, there were broken stone steps which led into the waters. Hope placed the pieces of clothing on a ground and walked towards the water. He dipped his toes beneath the surface and felt a chill run over his body. The water was cold.

"Hope, you made it." Vanille waded towards him. "Come on... the water... is ..." Vanille's eyes widened in shock as she drew closer to the teen, unable to finish the sentence at the sight of the teen. There were strawberry-shaped spots, almost prolific on Hope's soft, pale skin. She pondered for a moment as to where the teen could acquire all these lovemarks, until her eyes widened again in surprise at a sudden insight. Hope had spent the night with Snow. She felt a blush creeping on her cheeks at the sudden realization that Hope and Snow were having that sort of relationship. She was more astounded that she didn't notice Snow and Hope were having a relationship initially.

Hope cocked his head, looking at the girl in front of him who was doing a fabulous imitation of a fish. He glanced behind of him to see if there was someone or something there, but nothing. "Is something wrong?"

"Ummm... you." Vanille said with a flushed face, pointing to the youth.

"Me? What could possibly be wrong..." Hope said as his eyes fell on his own body. He gasped and turned entire red seeing his body covered with sweet, delectable hickeys.

"So are you and Snow are... a thing?" The teen's could not turn a deeper shade of red. A long excluded silence followed as the sound of waves crashing on shore grew in volume around them, Hope could not concentrate on anything. He was at a loss of words, unsure of how to reply to the girl's question.

"Umm... yeah." Hope muttered quietly.

A squeal erupted from Vanille as the girl launched herself at the young l'Cie, wrapping her arms around the teen into a tight embrace. "Oh God, that's so adorable." She gave a light smack on Hope's shoulder. "I need details, very specific details, Hope. Though now that I think about it, you and Snow do looked cute together. I can't wait to see yours babies."

Well that was an unexpected reaction. "Vanille, first of all. Snow and I are both guys. We cannot have babies. And also... do you think we look cute together?" At least someone thought they had a chance together.

"Of course." Vanille chirped before her eyes flickered to Hope's, and caught a glimmer of anguish that ran across his features. She frowned. "Hope? Is something wrong?"

Hope's expression fell, feeling an unsettling sensation in his stomach. He took a seat on the stone stairs, pressing his legs against his chest before wrapping his arms around them and resting his head on his knees. His green eyes glanced over the ocean before returning them to his companion.

"Well, he didn't really give me an honest answer about us. He said he'll think about it."

Vanille blinked, not really grasping the situation. She began to ponder what sort of relations Hope was having with Snow. And from the look on Hope's face, the relationship wasn't exactly mutual. Though the sweet markings on the silver-haired teen told a different story. So Snow hadn't given a full hundred percent to their relationship. Maybe the man was little vapid to the harbouring emotion to Hope or possibly the whole idea of dating the same gender still irked Snow? "So? What's taking him so long?"

"I thinks the reason is because he still holds strong feeling for Serah. He still loves her considerably. That is why he hasn't told me yet." Hope's voice cracked. He knew deep in his heart that Snow cared for him, yet Hope craved for something more. He wanted Snow for himself, but he could not move push forward if the man did not push forward too. Never in his life had he wanted something so selfishly. He did not want to lose that strong feeling inside his chest when Snow smiled only at him and made him feel so special.

"Oh yeah. I forgot he was engaged." Vanille stated. She crouched down beside the teen, wrapping a comfortable arm around Hope's shoulders. The situation just worsened. She had always thought that Snow and Serah were perfect together, but Snow and Hope, that was a surprise. Snow would care for Hope, Vanille knew that. But what about Serah? What would happened if she awoke?

"Is it wrong to be selfish?" Hope choked, tears deluging his vision. He didn't receive any more responses from the girl, though he was pulled into a comfortable embrace.

"No, Hope. It's perfectly fine." Vanille whispered softly. She felt two slender arms slide around her. The younger teen was hurting and she could not do anything to comfort him. Though she was a bit curious of Snow's behaviour. The man was acting like himself for the past few days, but much more happier. Probably because of Hope. Her gaze shifted back to the boy who looked so fragile in her arms. Hope's situation was different. There were problems he could not avoid if he sought a relationship with the blond-haired man. And Serah was stabbed directly in the middle. She herself had come to admire the love Snow shared with Serah. However, a third party, especially someone like Hope could only mean that this would end ugly. The situation was already so deeply wound to the point where Snow and Hope could not run away. The outcome depended on Snow's choice. Whether he chose Hope or Serah would not matter. The result would be the same on both ends. Lives will be tormented. Hearts will be splintered.

Whatever endeavours she anticipated in the future, Vanille knew that Serah could overcome it, but for Hope, he was too young. His heart was not ready for turmoil of the pain and agony that awaited from losing someone he cared about.

"Do you love him?" She cupped Hope's cheeks, bringing his face to meet her gaze. The girl felt a pang in her chest seeing those shimmering beautiful green eyes in pain and confusion.

Hope nodded genuinely.

"Okay Hope, stand up." Sturdiness in her voice. Vanille could not let Hope lose someone else he cared for, not after the loss of his mother.

Hope followed her command, seeing a faint glint in her eyes.

"Hope, you cannot let Serah better you." Vanille grasped both his shoulder, flames of determination burning in her eyes. "If you want Snow, don't ever give Serah a chance. One setback and you wouldn't have the opportunity again. If you want this to work, then you have to try your hardest."

Hope rubbed his teary green orbs. He pondered over the girl's word, realizing the certainty of his action. He was giving up too early on his relationship with Snow. When did Hope turn into a coward? He, surely, wasn't one. He would fight and protect Snow no matter the cost. Called him selfish but he wanted Snow for himself. He deserved this happiness and he wouldn't let some girl who was stuck in a crystallized stasis get the better of him. Hope could feel the pain in his heart soften with perseverance. There was still a chance. The silver-haired teen then gave a slight smile to dispel the heavy mood settling around him.

"Mmmmkay." He said hopefully.

"No!" Vanille practically yelled as Hope flinched, taking a step back questioning the girl's sanity. "I want you to say it like you mean it. Snow is mine and mine alone."

Hope took a deep breath. "Snow is mine and mine alone."

"I didn't hear you clearly." Vanille cheered.

He mindlessly chanted the phrase repeatedly, each time a little louder. His chest rose each time he repeated the phrase. He gasped and caught his breath, feeling the adrenaline rushing through his body. Hope could feel the motivation and determination that was running through his veins. He was not going to let anything stop him from getting what he wanted. Until his stomach roared and grumbled, wanting food and leaving an awkward silence. He realized he hadn't eaten much since the previous evening and all this encouragement was going to his stomach.

"Your stomach doesn't seem to agree with your heart for the moment." Vanille giggled, seeing the teen's expression swapped from determination to incredulity. She gathered her belongings as Hope's grabbed his stuff before heading back to Vanille and Fang's home, unaware of acrimonious eyes looming in the sky, watching their every movement.

To be continued...

A/N: Hope everyone had a wonderful winter break :) Unfortunately school began last week and my agenda for this week is already booked :( I'll tried to find time to write and update as quickly as possible. Also I'm still requesting Beta. Anybody interest in beta SnowxHope fic, send me PM.