Wow...this took a while to write.

So I've been entertaining the idea of writing this fic for a long time, and I somehow found out that this week is "Hoperai Week" on Tumblr. I took a look at the prompts and decided that this could fit under two of them. So you could say that this is my contribution for both "Protection" and "Alternate Universe". This story is set after the fall of Cocoon, and it ignores the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2 etc. I was pretty far out of my comfort zone while writing this (I even did actual research!) and I'm still not happy with the flow in some areas...but here goes.

This is my first time writing a fic for Final Fantasy XIII...I hope it turned out okay! Please R&R and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or its characters.

Stasis

Beams of sunlight filtered through the curtains of a whitewashed room, shining on the face of its sole occupant– a young silver-haired boy. Slowly, his eyes blinked open.

"Where am I…" he groaned, tilting his head to look around. He observed the white sheets and furniture, and noticed that he was in a hospital gown. 'My limbs feel so heavy…am I in a hospital?' Sighing, he lay there staring at the patterns the sunlight cast on the ceiling, until he heard the turn of a doorknob. Slowly, he rolled on his side as a familiar person stepped into the room. He smiled weakly.

"Good morning Light," he managed to say, and almost winced when he realised how hoarse his voice must have sounded to her ears. The woman in question did not respond immediately, but instead strode over and sat down on a chair that rested beside his bed.

"…Hope." His name was stated plainly, but there was relief evident in her tone. "You're awake."

"Looks like it," he said sheepishly. "Could you, um, help me up?"

She seemed to hesitate, but nodded and placed an arm around his back to support him as he sat up. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" she asked sincerely. He wanted to smile; Lightning didn't often show concern unless it was something concerning him or her sister. But all he managed was a weak grin.

"Like I got heaved by a Behemoth," he joked, and it wasn't far from the truth – he did feel terrible. He turned to look at Lightning, but she was staring at the mattress he rested on, lost in thought. He observed her features – her gaze lacked its icy blue sheen, and there were bags under her eyes. 'She looks tired...older, even.' But he said nothing, and they sat there together in silence.

Then, she stood up. "Do you feel well enough to walk?" she asked, holding out her hand. "I want to take you somewhere."

He nodded, and took her hand after a moment's hesitation. 'I probably seem so weak to her…' He felt the familiar steadiness in her arm as she pulled him up, and used the momentum to keep himself upright as he flung his legs over the side of the bed, slowly touching his feet to the ground.

Walking was another ordeal; his knees began to shake as soon as they were forced to support his weight. "What happened to me? I can't remember anything…how long was I out?" he asked almost frantically as they left the room. He noticed that she had slowed her pace so that he could keep up, adding to his embarrassment.

Her shoulders were stiff as she walked beside him. "…about two days," she replied curtly. "You'll need to get changed first."

Disappointed by her cold answer, he stared at his bare feet as he was led into a small room. Two nurses were present, who escorted him in and handed him a pile of clothes and his shoes before leaving him alone to change. He realised that the clothes in his arms were his own, from his journey as a l'Cie. 'Finally, something that isn't all white,' he thought to himself as he pulled off the hospital gown, dumping it unceremoniously in a heap on the ground.

In a few minutes he emerged from the room and managed to catch a glimpse of himself in a reflective pillar. The face that stared back at him was unchanged, but his complexion seemed paler than normal. "I even look weak…" he muttered to himself, placing a hand against the cool metal surface for a few moments. He then turned around and met Lightning's eyes. Something flickered in her gaze – he guessed it was familiarity, since he hadn't worn this outfit since Fang and Vanille were crystallized. But it disappeared as soon as it had come, and she nodded. "Let's go."

As they walked through the long corridors in silence, Hope felt the feeling in his limbs returning. He observed his surroundings - the sterile environment reminded him of Cocoon, and he watched people in lab coats walk past them, staring at clip boards or locked in conversation with each other. As they passed one particular door, a woman with long, dark hair stepped out, also wearing a lab coat. Her gaze landed on him and she smiled, walking in their direction

"Ah, Mr. Estheim! You're finally on your feet, I see," the woman said with a smile. He did not recognize her, but apparently Lightning did; her posture became more rigid and she stepped closer to him.

"Eida," she finally said. The woman, Eida, glanced in her direction and nodded, then turned her attention back to Hope.

"Ms. Farron has requested permission to escort you out of the facility," she told him. "Since you seem to be doing better, permission has been granted."

She seemed to be watching him expectantly, and he played with his hands nervously. "Thanks...uh, are you my doctor?"

"I'm just a researcher," she replied with another smile; this one was enigmatic. Lightning sighed impatiently and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If we're done here-"

"-wait, I have a few questions," he interjected. "This…facility. What is it? Are we in Cocoon?"

The woman shook he head. "No. This is a branch of the former Sanctum Laboratories. We act as a hospital and research facility, and we work to develop technology that can aid society in recovering from the events after the Fall."

"So what exactly do you research?"

"We research methods of life-preservation, medicine, technology, or otherwise. I specialize in cryopreservation techniques."

The word seemed familiar, but he could not remember what it meant. She seemed to notice his confusion and began to explain. "The process of freezing damaged human cells until ways of curing them can be found. Currently we're working on a way to preserve entire human bodies, similar to the crystal stasis l'Cie were said to undergo."

Hope wore a look of wonder as he took in this information. 'Preserving people in ice? That's amazing!'

"Has it worked yet?" he asked, trying not to show how excited he really was. The smile on Eida's face slowly faded.

"…unfortunately, no. As of now the technology cannot preserve human tissue for an indefinite period of time. We have been conducting tests, and there have been a few, um, volunteers-" She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "But so far, it has been unsuccessful. People don't last as long as they're supposed to, and they need to be taken out prematurely."

Hope glanced at the floor. "But still," he said, meeting the researcher's eyes again. "I think it's a great idea. I mean, think of all the people with fatal diseases whose lives could be saved in the future once cures are found! Don't you think so too, Light?" He looked up at the woman beside him, but her gaze was firmly focused straight ahead. There was a cold, almost hollow look in her eyes as she replied, "Yeah."

But the tremor in her voice told him that she was lying.

"Light?" He called her name, trying to convey his concern through his tone. This time, she turned her head and looked at him. Even now she seemed weary, and he wanted nothing more than to ask her why. But he knew better than that. Wordlessly, he allowed her to take him by the arm and lead him out of the facility.

The sunlight was harsh as they left the building, and Hope had to lift an arm to shield his eyes. Lightning strode ahead without hesitation, and he jogged to catch up with her.

The urge to ask her something was uncontrollable. Before he could control himself, he blurted out, "You seemed on edge back there, Light. Is something wrong?"

She stopped in her tracks and gave him a sidelong glance, but then directed her gaze at the ground instead.

"No…nothing's wrong," she told him. Almost as if she knew he could see through her lie, she sighed and continued. "I…when Fang and Vanille turned to crystal, so did we. I know what it's like to be frozen in time. But when they first woke up on Cocoon…" She shook her head. "The world around them was so different. Even on Pulse, their home had fallen into ruin. I'm just…not comfortable with the idea of humans mimicking that process."

"But you know it could save so many lives," he reasoned, taking a step closer. She clenched her fists and turned away.

"The only thing that process will do is bring false hope."

xxxxx

The building they walked out of was a part of a large cluster, situated far away from civilization. For reasons unknown to anyone, the new Sanctum Labs had chosen to place their facilities close to Cocoon's former shell. Why they even kept the name of the Sanctum was not clear – perhaps out of habit, or because it was still part of a fal'Cie conspiracy. Whatever the reason, Hope was grateful that he had been cured and discharged. Although he could not remember what had happened to him, the look in Lightning's eyes was enough to convince him that it had not been good.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he walked alongside her. She raised a hand and gestured towards a sign marked 'Airship Dock'. "There are some people who want to see you, so I'm taking you to them."

As they drew closer and approached one of the airships, Hope caught sight of an afro and a familiar green jacket. "Is that Sazh?"

She nodded. "He brought me here, and also offered to fly us to Palumpolum."

"What? Why Palum-" But he didn't get to finish. At the sound of Hope's voice, the older man turned around. When his eyes landed on Hope, his face split into a grin.

"Hey kid! Great seein' you on your feet again. Lightning was up for days worried about you." He ignored the glare that Lightning shot him and pulled Hope into a fatherly hug. "How're you feeling?"

Being in the presence of another familiar person somehow made Hope feel more comfortable. "A little better, now that I'm out of that hospital gown," he joked. Sazh laughed and clapped him on the back, albeit gently to make sure he didn't hurt the boy. Hope glanced around. "Where's Dajh?"

"Ah, he's on board. Pretty soon I'll be teachin' him how to fly this thing."

"…isn't he a little young to be flying such a big airship?"

Sazh laughed again, although this time more nervously. He placed a hand behind his head. "The earlier the better, right? 'sides, I'll start him out on simulations first."

"If you two are done catching up, can we get going?" Lightning finally spoke, stepping forward. Then she added in a somewhat softer tone, addressing the older man, "I hate to break up your reunion, but there are some places we have to be."

"Alright, alright," Sazh gave in with a sigh, turning towards his ship. He opened up a panel and pushed a button, activating a ramp for them to climb aboard. "Let's go. Next stop, Palumpolum."

xxxxx

An hour later, the craft touched down on a large makeshift landing pad. Even after the Fall, Palumpolum remained a centre for commerce, and many areas were evacuated to create landing areas for aircraft – the most popular method for cargo transport. Lightning and Hope stepped out of the ship and turned around as they heard the engines flare up. They looked up at Sazh in the cockpit – he gave them a wide grin before lifting the ship up into the air. They watched as it flew into the distance, growing smaller as it moved farther away.

"He's a good guy," Lightning muttered, a hint of a smile on her lips. Hope nodded in agreement – Sazh had always been an easy person to talk to. Dajh too, though he could swear that the boy was growing much faster than he had at that age. Both father and son had smiled warmly upon seeing him, but there had been a touch of sympathy behind their smiles. 'Probably because I was in the hospital for so long...'

He turned around, curious about where they were headed, but it only took him a few seconds to figure it out.

"Felix Heights? We're going to see my dad?"

"Yeah," Lightning replied. "He's been worried about you, so I thought it was only fair to bring you here first."

Hope felt a sense of gratitude welling up inside him. He hadn't visited his father in a long time, although they had kept in touch through messages and video calls. After the provisional government had been formed, Bartholomew Estheim had become a person of importance. He had insisted that his son stay outside of Cocoon for his own safety, so Hope had moved in with Lightning, Serah and Snow in the slowly growing town of New Bodhum.

But the thought of seeing his father in person now suddenly made him nervous. 'What will he ask about? Why I was hospitalized? Even I don't know the answer…'

Almost as if she could sense his discomfort, Lightning placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry," she told him. "I'll go in first and explain everything. You wait outside."

Obediently, he nodded. Although he was curious about his own injuries, it would be best if Lightning spoke to his father first. 'I guess I'll just ask her later. There's plenty of time.'

xxxxx

'...maybe I should have asked her earlier after all...'

Hope wrung his hands together in an attempt to distract himself. It was a habit he had picked up from their days as l'Cie – playing with his fingers had not been all that entertaining, but it had helped to keep his mind off their terrible fate. He sighed. 'How long is this going to take? I can't stand it...maybe I should just leave. I remember the area well enough...I think.'

But before he could give it a second thought, the door to his home opened and Lightning stepped out. "We're done," she told him. He nodded, turning to follow her in. The door closed softly behind them as they entered, and he looked around. Not much had changed since his last visit, although everything looked...dustier. "Seems like dad hasn't been living here for a while."

"You're right," Lightning said. "All the members of the provisional government were given apartments in Eden."

"That was fast..." he wondered out loud, but before he could think about it any further, he found himself face-to-face with Bartholomew Estheim.

"...son." He sounded calm, but Hope could sense the hurt in his voice. It was clear that he had been worried. He saw the bags under his father's eyes, showing the lack of sleep his new job had presented him with. 'Or...did he stay up late worrying about me?' More grey was visible in his blonde hair, and he wondered if it was due to the stress.

"Hi, dad," he began, and the conversation that he had carefully planned out in his head vanished in an instant. He shook his head. "I...um...sorry for worrying you," he finished lamely.

His father took one step forward, then another, and finally embraced his son. This was something Hope had expected, but hugging his father after so long felt almost...surreal. He slowly raised his arms to return the hug.

"Don't apologise. I'm just glad you're here," Bartholomew told him. Hope didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt a few tears fall onto his jacket.

Without releasing his son, the man looked up and met Lightning's eyes. She had been standing there, watching the reunion without saying a single word. "Thank you," he whispered, gratitude evident in his tone. She looked away, breaking eye contact, and nodded.

When they finally left the Estheim residence a few hours later, Hope felt like a burden had been lifted off his heart. Being able to talk to his father for so long in person was more than he could have ever asked for.

"Just one more place to visit." Lightning's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he realised that she was already a few paces ahead of him. "Where's that?" he asked, catching up to her as she walked towards what looked like a taxi stand, with a ticket counter set up next to it. A man was seated at a desk behind it, sifting through some papers. She fished through her leather pouch and retrieved a few gil, placing the money on the counter.

"Two for New Bodhum," she told the man, who stood up immediately. He took the money and handed her a pair of tickets.

"They've set up a shuttle service to and from New Bodhum," she explained to a confused Hope. "We could have rented a velocycle instead, but that probably wouldn't have ended well."

He laughed. "We always were better at destroying them," he replied, which resulted in a genuine smile from Lightning. 'Finally,' he thought to himself. From what he had seen all day, it seemed like she had all but forgotten how to smile.

After the Fall, while building settlements on Pulse, Lightning had begun to loosen up and show more of her warm side to others. She had even started using sarcastic humour, mostly at her brother-in-law's expense. 'The early days were fun,' he thought to himself. 'But things got a lot busier after that. I wonder how much I've missed in the last two days...I just wish I could remember what happened...'

At that moment, his head began to ache. It was a dull pain, but it felt like it reverberated throughout his entire skull. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drown it out. Lightning noticed his look of discomfort and frowned, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Hope, are you okay?" It was a simple question, but the pain made it difficult to answer. Within moments, however, he felt it subside. The pain was still there, but not as intense, and he finally opened his eyes to meet hers. Concern was reflected in them, and he felt bad for worrying her.

"I'm fine," he told her with a small smile. She took a step back but did not look away from him, eyeing him carefully to make sure there was nothing wrong.

"Don't worry, Light. I was just thinking, that's all." She didn't appear to be convinced, but at that moment a small air transport vehicle arrived, the words "New Bodhum-Palumpolum Shuttle" neatly printed on the side. She glanced back at the shuttle, then at the boy in front of her, and sighed.

"Alright, fine," she relented. "But if you feel sick at all, in any way, let me know. Got that?"

An uncomfortable feeling settled over him at having lied, but he nodded anyway. "Got it."

xxxxx

The seaside town of New Bodhum was small; smaller than the original Bodhum had been. However, that did not stop a large number of people settling in after the Fall. The houses themselves were smaller as well, and packed close together to form settlements reminiscent of those on Pulse. It seemed like new houses were constantly under construction in New Bodhum, in order to accommodate the steadily growing population, but the town and its residents were always cheery and welcoming.

This was the place Hope had helped to build after the Fall, alongside his companions. He always enjoyed watching the lights turn on in all the houses after sunset, knowing that each light represented someone who now had a new home to return to.

But the town itself did not appear to be their destination. Hope followed Lightning along a hilly path that lay beyond the outskirts of the town, along the coastline. Eventually they came to stand before a large white monument, overlooking the sea.

"Remember the monument they were working on, to honour the victims of the Purge?" Lightning's voice was soft, merely a whisper on the breeze. "They completed it while you were asleep in the hospital."

His breath hitched in his throat. The monument itself was nothing more than a large slab of marble adorned with a plaque denoting its purpose, but beyond it was the sea, glittering in the orange light. The water stretched for miles, reaching out to touch the great crystal pillar that stood tall in the distance, supporting Cocoon's shell.

"It isn't much," she said, stepping forward to place a hand on the gleaming marble surface. "But it's a place you can always come to if you want to talk to Fang and Vanille...and your mother."

Hope shook his head. "It's...it's beautiful," he managed to say, still in awe of the sight before him. Lightning smiled and sat down on a nearby bench. "We can stay as long as you want," she told him, and he turned around to face her. A lone tear ran down his cheek, and he smiled back.

"Thank you, Light."

xxxxx

The sun dove beneath the water as more lights began to flicker on in the nearby town. The area that housed the monument and the bench they were seated on had no lanterns or lights, so shadows began to creep along the cliffs, painting their surroundings black. But Hope was not afraid. Not long ago, they had trudged through the darkness in the Vile Peaks, fending off feral beasts and trying to stay alive while on the run as fugitives. It was there that he had realised his own weakness and begun to strive to grow stronger. At the time, Lightning had seen him as a liability. 'But now,' he thought, looking up at the woman beside him. 'She considers me a friend. A partner.'

He glanced at his hands, folded neatly in his lap. 'But I wonder if she'll ever stop seeing me as someone who needs protecting...'

Feeling the need to break the silence that had settled between them, he spoke. "So, when are we going home to see Serah and Snow?"

Inexplicably, she froze. He felt her shoulder stiffen beside him. "I-is something wrong?" he stuttered, confused, turning to face her, but she would not look in his direction. Her eyes stared blankly ahead for a few short moments before she finally let out a deep breath and composed herself.

"Serah and Snow…they moved out."

"…w-what?"'They made that decision in two days?' "Was it…because of me? Because of what happened?"

She stood up and knelt before him, looking him in the eyes. "No, it wasn't your fault," she insisted, shaking her head. "I-it was me. I did something, and…they left."

"But how-" He felt uneasy. Something was wrong.

"There's something you're not telling me," he blurted out. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back; to say that he had been joking and that he knew that she would never hide anything from him. But the look of fear and guilt in Lightning's eyes made him stop. 'It's true…she really has been hiding something from me.'

"Something's been…off all day," he continued. "You've been acting strange...now, when we were with Sazh, even at the hospital-"

He saw her visibly flinch at the word. 'This has something to do with me…with the accident that I can't even remember.'

"What happened to me?" It was a simple question, one that he should have asked sooner. He wondered vaguely whether she would have answered, whether she would answer even now.

"I…" She shook her head, but he gave her a pleading look. "I have to know, Light," he begged her. "It's been nagging at the back of my mind…I-I can't remember what happened two days ago."

She stood up and turned away, unable to face him. "The incident…didn't occur two days ago. I lied." Her voice trembled when she spoke again. "You've been asleep for two years."

Everything came to a halt; his thoughts and the world around him seemed to stop as Hope shook his head, his eyes wide with disbelief. "No...no, that's not possible..." he muttered, over and over again until Lightning placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I..." She cleared her throat. "The doctors, Hope...t-they said that you wouldn't make it...that you wouldn't even survive the night. So I made the decision. It was my fault that this happened."

He clutched his head. Everything made sense – small things, like Dajh's height and his father's older appearance, as well as the rapid development of a new government and the New Bodhum monument. And at the same time, it felt so wrong.

"I...don't understand..." 'To have missed out on two years of my life...' The pain was growing unbearable now, and he pushed himself off the bench and onto the ground. Lightning pulled away almost instantly and paled when she realised what was happening. Frantically, she dug through her pouch and pulled out a communicator, mechanically punching in a well-known sequence of digits.

"Hello...Eida, it's Lightning...there's a problem." She glanced at the boy in front of her; he seemed to be on the verge of crying out, and she clutched the device tighter in her hand. "You were right, he's regressing...no, I don't know...look, I...I don't know what to do." Her throat felt tight. "Please, just send someone...we're at the New Bodhum monument...yes, that's the one. And hurry, I can't-"

The communicator went dead, but the job was done. She breathed a sigh of relief. Someone from the facility would be arriving soon – she would just have to wait.

"Light..." she heard him groan. In an instant she was by his side. He looked up at her, his face streaked with tears. "It...it hurts," he croaked, and then clenched his eyes shut again, trying to drown out the pain. Helpless, she could do nothing but place her hand beneath his, allowing him to crush her fingers between lapses of pain. "It'll be okay," she tried to reassure him, but the words sounded shaky and uncertain even to her ears. She turned her palm and squeezed his hand in what she could only assume was a comforting gesture, thinking back to the words she was going to say before being cut off.

'I can't lose him again...'

xxxxx

Seven months after the Fall, New Bodhum was starting to look like an actual town. A gate had finally been constructed to separate the homes from the wilderness. To celebrate the accomplishment, they made plans to visit the crystal pillar. Everyone agreed that it had been far too long, that they had things to share with Fang and Vanille. Snow was the one to suggest the trip – during their journey, he had found solace in speaking to Serah's crystallized tear, and he believed that even though the two Pulsian women lay dormant within the pillar, encased in crystal, they could still hear their friends' words. "Might make them want to wake up, after seeing all the hard work we've done here," he said, but there was a sadness lacing his words despite their optimistic tone.

And so, they made the decision to set out the next day. Hope came out of his room wearing his old clothes, and the others smiled. The jacket was starting to look small on his growing frame, and the scarf around his neck was wearing thin, but he insisted on wearing it anyway. "Fang and Vanille may not recognise me if I wear something else," he joked, earning a clap on the back from Snow, who had also chosen to wear his old bandanna for the occasion. "Besides," he continued. "Mom picked these clothes out for me. If possible, I'd like to feel closer to her, too."

At his words, Lightning smiled. "We're planning to build a monument, you know," she told him, which earned her a look of surprise from the boy. "A tribute to the victims of the Purge. You could always honour your mother's memory there."

"Yeah, but who knows when that'll be completed," Sazh told her, and the others nodded in response. "If it makes the kid happy, I'm all for it."

"Alright then." She turned to Hope, giving him a mock stern glare. "But as soon as we get back, we're getting you some new clothes."

They all laughed as they headed out the front door. The sun shone brightly down on them as they rode their chocobos across Pulse, passing through other human settlements on their way to the pillar. They arrived within a few hours and dismounted, looking up at the great structure in awe. The grass around it had grown tall, and trees were beginning to sprout. The world finally seemed to be at peace.

Then, the unthinkable happened. A chunk of crystal broke off the pillar, hurtling towards the ground at an incredible speed. Lightning's reflexes kicked in and she called out to her comrades, urging them to take cover as she dove behind a large boulder to protect herself. Sazh and Dajh, who were still with the chocobos, were a fair distance away, and were not in danger. Snow and Serah hid behind a rock outcropping, the former shielding his wife with his own body for extra protection.

Too late did Lightning realise that Hope had not made it to a safe haven in time. Her heart pounding in her chest, she ducked out from behind the boulder to see him frozen in place, only a few metres away. She extended her arm towards him. "Hope!" she cried out. "Over here!"

She saw him turn around and reach for her, his green eyes wide with fear, before tremors shook the ground beneath them. She could do nothing but watch as his body lurched forward and hit the ground, his head coming into contact with a pile of jagged rocks. He lay there, motionless, a steadily growing patch of crimson staining his platinum locks.

Lightning's vision began to blur. The world slowed down as she ran towards him, her mind drowning out Snow's shouts of protest as her determination to reach Hope grew stronger with every step that she took. All too soon, and yet not soon enough, she was cradling his head in her lap, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his head wound. "He's alive," she repeated to herself, checking to make sure that he was breathing. "He's alive, and that's all that matters."

But she was wrong.

xxxxx

"After that, we brought you to a hospital. The doctors were able to treat your external injuries, but...there was something else."

She watched his reactions as she told the story. The same boy who had been walking beside her merely hours ago was now confined to a hospital bed yet again, hooked up to various machines that each monitored something different. He seemed barely conscious, but every so often his eyes met hers. She could see the pain and occasional disbelief in his gaze, but there was also an understanding beyond his years that nearly broke her heart. 'He knows where this is going.'

"Intracranial hemorrhage," she said softly. "Internal bleeding, inside your skull. That's what they told us, back then. They said you wouldn't live for longer than a few hours."

She looked down, allowing her bangs to hide her eyes from him. "You were still unconscious...the others told me to give up, that it wasn't my fault. But it was." She clenched her fists in her lap. "If only I had stayed by your side, protected you, this would never have happened."

"And then, she appeared. Dr. Eida Stahl, head researcher of cryopreservation techniques. She said that the process was still undergoing tests, but guaranteed its safety."

She glanced at him to gauge his reaction. His eyes were wide with surprise, but he was still listening intently. "She had a way to buy you more time...and I took it. Just like that...because I was desperate. After discussing it with your father, I volunteered you for cryopreservation. I thought that, in a few years' time, they would have the resources, the technology, to be able to operate. To heal you."

"...it wasn't long enough, was it?" His strained whisper made her look up. His gaze was trained on his feet, hidden under the covers. "I should have been in cryostasis longer, but the technology wasn't perfect. They had to take me out early."

Lightning nodded. She had almost forgotten how perceptive he was. Even back in the Gapra Whitewood, when she had taken him under her wing, he had learned to detect the slightest movement of foliage and tell apart the sounds of different creatures and militarized units. And in time, he had learned to read her gestures and expressions as well.

But the vengeful, hesitant young boy from back then was a stark contrast to the solemn Hope that now lay before her, lost in thought. His eyes were heavily lidded.

Her breath caught in her chest when he spoke his next words. "I'm not going to make it, am I?"

Once again, she shook her head, this time letting a few tears roll down her cheeks. They landed on her skirt, leaving dark stains. He noticed this and weakly reached for her hand, placing it atop hers on her lap.

"Light, it's okay," he began, a hint of a smile on his face. "I know you're blaming yourself, but it isn't your fault. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have survived to see my dad in person one last time."

"And you know what else? Thanks to you, I was able to see Sazh and Dajh, to talk to Vanille and Fang and my mom..." He gripped her hand as tightly as he could. "And I was able to spend the day with you...so, thank you, Light."

He closed his eyes. The medication was wearing off and the pain was beginning to intensify. He knew that he wouldn't last much longer.

"I'm not afraid to die, Light. Not anymore. Because you're by my side."

'But, I...' Her lower lip began to tremble. "I'm the one who's afraid..."

She remembered her sister's sweet smile and her brother-in-law's goofy yet reassuring grin as they had stood on the front porch, ready to leave for their new home in Oerba.

"You don't have to leave," she insisted. "You could just stay here."

But she knew that her words were selfish. Deep down, she didn't want them to leave her behind in an empty house that held too many memories of happier times. Hope's accident had taken a toll on all of them; since that day, they had never been the same.

"It'll be okay, sis," they reassured her. "They'll be able to cure Hope in no time." Serah took Lightning's hands in hers and smiled knowingly. "You won't be alone anymore."

"Come visit soon," she told them with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

That was the last time she saw them.

"T-there was an attack," she spoke, her voice trembling. "Three Behemoth Kings showed up from out of nowhere. They destroyed the new settlements in Oerba. There were no survivors."

His eyes remained closed, and he did not respond. His face was pale. She didn't know if he could hear her words anymore.

"Serah and Snow are gone," she whispered, clutching his limp hand in both of hers. "I...you're all I have left."

His breathing grew fainter. She raised their joined hands and buried her face in them, letting her tears flow freely. "Don't...don't leave me alone..."

A steady beeping was now the only sound in the room, growing slower by the minute. Lightning made no effort to hide her grief. Silent sobs racked her frame as she remained in the same position, hunched over his unmoving form. She barely registered the soft click of the doorknob and the sound of shoes shuffling against the floor as someone entered the room. But the words that followed, spoken by the woman standing behind her, reverberated through her mind until she was sitting up, her face streaked with tears and her eyes wide with disbelief.

xxxxx

Sunlight once again shone down upon a head of silver hair nestled beneath pristine white covers. But this time, the boy was not alone. A rose-haired woman sat in a chair by his bedside, her head resting atop her arm on a space by his pillow. Her other hand held his.

"We can operate, but the chances of him surviving the procedure are still slim."

These were the words Eida spoke, barely above a murmur, and Lightning hesitated. 'Do I really have the right to prolong his suffering?' But before she could think about it further, Hope's faint voice broke the silence.

"I'll do it."

Eida nodded in response and said something into the communicator she held in one hand. Soon, more people in uniform began flooding into the room, and Lightning was ushered out. She caught a final glimpse of the boy before she left – his eyes were closed again, but his face was set into a determined expression. 'Did he…hear everything?'

She waited for what seemed like an eternity. Dawn was breaking outside when she was finally told, "He pulled through."

He survived. Even after accepting his death, her words had reached him and he had chosen to live, to stay by her side.

She looked at Hope, and something tugged at her heart. He was the only family she had left. After the deaths of Serah and Snow, the only thing that had kept her from falling into despair was the memory of the boy she had promised to protect. The thought of him seeing him awake again, awake and safe, had allowed her to keep moving forward. Unbeknownst to him, he had saved her.

"I'll protect you this time," she whispered, squeezing his hand and letting her eyes slide shut for the first time in hours. "I promise."

And as she drifted off to sleep, she felt a soft pressure on her hand, squeezing it back.

'Me too, Light.'

P.S. I wonder if anyone caught the few tiny references to Lightning Returns that I threw in...