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Hero's Charge - Part Eight

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The journey to Oerba had been taxing. Taijin's Tower had been chalk full of strong nasties, and when they'd reached the top, a fal'Cie had stood in their way. They'd taken care of the weakened fal'Cie, and continued on their way; almost mechanically. Vanille and Fang's home wasn't what they had expected, the whole place lay covered in some sort of crystal dust. There were no people around; Oerba stood as a ghost town. Not only was there a lack of civilization, but there had been a lack of immediate solution to their problem. Lightning didn't think that they'd know a solution even if they saw it out here, so everyone was solemn, even Vanille and Fang. It'd been two hundred years since they'd last seen Oerba, but there was no joy in their homecoming. They decided to take refuge for the night; as darkness had been creeping up on them for some time. They'd get a start on exploring the ruinous town in the morning.

Fang and Vanille had explained that Oerba had been a village with everyone living together communally; like a great big extended family. Lightning wasn't crazy about the idea. She was a big fan of her private space and her own bathroom. Hope hadn't left her side much since she returned from the fall off the cliffs at the Palisades. When he would lose sight of her, he'd start to almost panic; and so he would keep himself in her path. She appreciated the concern he showed her, knowing that she was really the only one he wanted to situate himself around, except for Vanille. The redhead was very fond of Hope. So much so she'd touch him whenever she had an excuse to, and kept his attention whenever it wasn't on Lightning. Maybe Vanille just wanted to keep his mind off serious things because he was just a kid, but it wasn't necessary. Hope would have to grow up sometime. Lightning didn't coddle him; she'd never want that if she were Hope, but he was so near to her all the time that she was aware of what his footsteps sounded like, and remembered how feathery fine his hair was. He was so young to grow up so fast. It wasn`t fair that he never had a choice in this. In fact, it wasn`t fair that all of them didn`t have a choice, but Lightning felt particularly compassionate when it came to Hope. She chose to give up her youth but Hope`s was stolen from him.

Snow kept his distance from her, and only really addressed her when the need arose. She was silently thankful that he wasn`t making things harder than they needed to be. She half expected him to abandon rational thought and attempt to reignite their improper relations; that was something his heedless self would do. If she was being honest with herself, she half wanted him to. What an awful sister she was; secretly eager for him to cross that line again. Obviously she didn`t mean more to Snow than just an impetuous hormone-induced state of desperate need. He was obviously thinking about Serah now and what she deserved.  She`d already established in her mind that she was thoroughly unsuitable to be Serah`s sister, but she shouldn`t let her thoughts stray anymore. Thinking such things only served to sully her memory and Lightning rebuked herself.

It was Lightning`s turn to keep watch for the night. She was left alone with her thoughts early this evening; everyone was too tired for idle chatter and had fallen asleep already.

Hope`s behaviour of late was beginning to concern her. He was becoming quite attached. Lightning had been thinking of what she was going to do after Snow and Serah were reunited. She was unsure what the world as a whole would look like, considering they hadn`t found a resolution to their l`Cie problem. Hope had his father to go back to, but he'd been damaged in a way no kid should be; but in a way that was all too common in these last violent days. She was sure that there were more orphans today than there had been yesterday, and the day before that. It would have been terrible for Hope to lose his friends too, but there really only was one thing she could do.

"Light?" a little voice interrupted from behind her. She twisted around to see the boy standing in the doorway of the antiquated shack they'd used as their makeshift home for the night. He was without his bright orange and yellow coat, and had on no socks or shoes. She smiled slightly at him. Even though they were on the edge of something that would change their lives, he was still a kid. She'd seen the same look on his face that had been on Serah's quite a few times. When things were troubling her, she'd come to Lightning's room and asked if she could 'hang out' because she couldn't sleep.

"Come sit down with me, Hope." She patted the hard metal step beside her, turning back to look out at the inky darkness. He did as she asked of him and they sat comfortably beside each other until Lightning spoke. "What do you think you'll do once you get back home?"

"Uh. Go back to school, I guess. That's what I would be doing now if..." he looked down at his hands, trailing off.

She nodded. She realized how little she actually knew of the silver haired boy beside her. What was his favourite subject or his favourite book? What kind of music did he like? What did he like to do after school? He must have been like any other kid out there, but she didn't think to talk to him about normal things. She'd remedy that when they got out of this mess. He'd become quite dear to her, if she was being honest with herself. She saw some of herself in him, but she considered him more of a protégé than a little brother. He had a lot of growing up to do, but one day he'd make a fine man. He was clever and even if he didn't think he was strong, he was.

"What about you?" He asked quietly.

She was silent for a long while, and Hope thought maybe she didn't hear him. He opened his mouth to readdress her, but she finally spoke. "I haven't given it much thought." She lied. She had thought about it; at length in fact.

"Oh." He fidgeted; hands in his lap.

Again, silence. Then they spoke each other's name aloud at once, Hope blushing. "Sorry. Go ahead."

"I need to ask a favour." Lightning turned towards him, to look him in the face, her expression very serious.

He looked up at her, his face a bit apprehensive. "A-a-anything..." he stammered, meeting her gaze meekly.

"If something happens... to me. I need you to watch over Serah." Lightning took his hands. They were trembling. "I trust you, Hope." He may have been a kid, but he was developing the heart of a man beyond his years. Serah was not his burden to bear, and Snow was too stubborn to die, but Lightning had to show Hope what he meant to her; in a way he could understand. She had gone through all this with one goal; to save Serah. Hope knew what she meant to Lightning, so to entrust this task to him would show him how she felt.

Opening his mouth to object, Hope looked at Lightning almost desperately. She saw him falter and lightly squeezed his hands. He finally nodded. "Okay."

She put her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. "Did you have something you wanted to say, Hope?" She said, remembering he had started when she had.

"Nope. Nothing." He said, resting his head on her shoulder.

*
*
*

The ancient town had been overrun with aberrations, and the going was slow. They'd wanted to search everywhere to see if Vanille or Fang's memories could be jogged and if anything might come up that could be useful. They really had no idea what to expect or what to look for in Oerba.

They stumbled into what seemed to be a schoolhouse; there were desks haphazardly moved around the room with papers on them. At one end there was a chalkboard, and the other wall supported a dusty clock. They figured it had been a long time since the hands last moved. The fine crystal dust covered everything. In spite of the somewhat abandoned state that it was in,  Vanille had gotten very excited, and pulled Hope and Lightning along with her to reminisce about some of the familiar items in the room. The chocobo chick chirped excitedly and flew off to introduce himself to a stuffed chocobo toy on the desk at the head of the classroom; Sazh followed laughing.

Snow poked around the room and found some stairs. "I'm gonna go check out upstairs." Once up the long flight of time eroded metal, he found himself on the roof of the old building. It looked like there had been an explosion of nature.

"Whoa..." breathed Snow, stunned at the odd little garden. Bright blooms sprung up from everywhere, pinks and reds; oranges and purples and yellows. And green. So much green. Even butterflies fluttered, flirting with the long stemmed flowers. Oerba itself had been barren, and yet here was this little roof teeming with life. The crystal sands had bombarded it, but it withstood the ravages of time. A set of rocking chairs were on the far side, one tipped over, the other upright; both abandoned. Jagged glass adorned the broken out windows in the tented roof at his feet. He could hear the chattering voices of his companions below. Lightning's resonant voice hung on the air as she asked Vanille a question about her time on Pulse.

With the sound of her voice fresh in his ear, he walked over to the far side of the roof and stared into the near dry fountain. Blossoms adorned the surface of the water, and lily pads too. It was amazing a place like this still existed here. It was kind of a miracle. Reaching in his pants pocket, he pulled out a gil and regarded it for a second. If this place is a miracle, then maybe it will grant my wish. Closing his eyes, he tossed the coin into the standing water.

"What did you wish for?" asked Fang, stopping to stand a few feet behind him.

He smiled sadly to himself. "If I tell you, my wish won't come true."

"That's what they say." she noted, coming to stand beside the heavyweight falling silent for a moment. "So you two are just going to pretend nothing ever happened?"

"What do you mean?" asked Snow carefully, not looking at the obviously informed woman.

"Don't insult my intelligence. There's a reason I left everyone at camp and went to look for you alone. I figured you wanted to keep things quiet, considering the sensitive nature of your relationship."

"Oh." Was all Snow could come up with, and remained silent, staring at a bloom that jutted out of the water swaying gently with the crystal sand.  "Well, I love Serah, and I have every intention of making her happy." Snow finally said, sounding rehearsed.

"Yeah, I got that bit." Fang said wearily. "You sound like a broken record. I mean, rescuing Serah is very noble and all, but are you sure that you're the man to make her happy?"

The makeshift fence in front of Snow was unfortunate enough to be near his hands when Fang had started to speak. It cracked and groaned in his clenched fists. He knew Serah loved him, and they were so happy together all the time that he had never even considered not being the one for her. "Yes, I am." He looked at his clenched hands. There had never been doubt in the past, but now doubt plagued him. I want to make her happy.

Fang scoffed. "Maybe you should let Serah decide that, yeah?"

Snow looked at her blankly, obviously confused. Her face softened and she punched him in the arm playfully. "Sorry to get all serious on you. Gimme one of those coins." He tried to process what she had just said, and scratched his head reaching into his pocket and pulled out another gil, passing it to her.

Vanille erupted into laughter beneath them. Fang smiled at the spirited sound; set the coin on her thumb and finger and flicked it into the captive puddle. It rotated in the air, catching the light of day, and landed with a muted kerplunk.

"What did you wish for?" inquired Snow, raising an eyebrow.

"The same thing I always wish for." Fang scanned the horizon of her hometown thoughtfully. "For Vanille to be happy."

*
*
*
"Well, there's not much Oerba left." said Vanille, disappointment creeping into her voice. "If there's something to find here, we better find it soon."

"Serah?" Gasped Snow, unbelieving of image of his fiancee before him. His legs felt weak, and he wavered slightly.

Everyone turned to him as he breathed her name, and there she was walking towards them. Exactly how they remembered her.

"Where did you -?" She closed the distance quickly and embraced him; the remainder of his question caught in his throat.  Her petite frame felt so real as his arms reciprocated the embrace. She felt like Serah; she smelled like Serah. But Serah wasn't alive; not actively anyway. How can this be? This has to be a trick. Even so, he closed his eyes; she felt warm against him, and for a second he didn't want to let her go. She wasn't as tall as Lightning, and she was much more delicate against his body. He was rigid against her, almost like he had forgotten how to hold her. It hadn't been that long since she'd been in his arms, but when one has been shown a new way of doing things, one sometimes forgets the old way. He didn't have to be as gentle with Lightning; although he had been. Her flesh was more substantial under his appreciative touches, and he didn't feel like he needed to hold back with her. He looked down at the top of Serah's head; pink hair shining under the sunlight. The same colour as hers. He threaded his hand through the tresses, feeling a heat grow in his belly, as his grip on her became less suitable for the younger Farron sister. Serah had started to talk, but Snow didn't hear a word she said.

Lightning could see her sister's thin arms wrap around the strapping young man's waist as she pressed her head into his chest. Snow had his hand in her hair, holding her tightly against him. Her heart hemorrhaged guilt and envy and for a second and the perfect mask faltered. She curled her fingers into fists and set her jaw tightly; lips a thin line. Fang glanced over at Lightning, witnessing the reaction.

"While I was sleeping, I kept trying to think of a way to save Cocoon. Together." Just then Lightning saw her sister's eyes flicker; something, or someone sinister drove her. She extended a hand to Snow. Something was off.

As if he'd been shocked, Snow's eyes widened. The figure in his embrace turned cold and unfamiliar. This isn't her! Putting his hands on her shoulders he shoved her away from him, the fire in his belly still smouldering. He watched as she stumbled backwards. He blinked back the illusion he had created for himself; the illusion of the woman he wanted in his arms.

The figure regained her footing and slowly turned to them, clasping her hands together as if to beg. Her facial features were inappropriately cold. "Destroy Orphan. We'll save the world!"

Lightning's heart hardened against the form that stood before them. This wasn't Serah, she was sure of it. Serah wanted to save Cocoon, but destroying Orphan would surely destroy Cocoon. What was going on? "Stop it!" demanded Lightning.

"You can't do that. You love me too much, don't you Claire?" Serah taunted, an evil glint in her eye.

"Enough already! We want the same thing!" Snow came in between the two sisters, hand held out to create a line between them. Serah's form glowed unnaturally and Snow moved in front of Lightning, his back to the strange sibling, the light blinding now.

"Barthandelus!" shouted Sazh as the light faded, leaving behind no trace of beloved sister and fiancee; replaced with the visage of the old man they'd come to realize was pulling their strings.

They faced him, and he addressed them as the puppets they were. He spoke of the inevitable destruction of Cocoon; the Maker and his return at the price of the blood of it's people. He even spoke of the restoration of the  world. Snow and Lightning's faces were determined while their path was revealed before them; the path they would tread, shackled, leading to their destinies.

She didn't know then, that he would make the biggest sacrifice of them all.
An angst-ridden romantic Snow X Lightning fanfic.
My first written work in a long time.

Intended for mature audiences - adult themes contained therein.

If anyone reads it, I hope you enjoy it!

Hero's Charge is drawing to a close. A chapter, maybe two, and that will be it. I am planning to continue this path, and another in two separate sequels which will come later.

That being said, Chapter 9 is le here. [link]
© 2010 - 2024 AvyQuinn
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Gambit13's avatar
This still feels sad to me TT_TT looooove eaaaachother....

I always saw Fang as being very perceptive of stuff like that, I like her.