So after exactly 6 months I finally managed to write a sequel to the AU drabble in the first chapter. It turned out a lot longer than I expected - in fact it was even longer than this but I made it shorter because I was starting to ramble...that doesn't happen often...

Also I've been writing quite a lot of Hoperai lately, I should probably try to focus on different relationship dynamics again. That Snow/Lightning drunk fic is still in the works!

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIII or its characters.

A month later, Lightning was transferred to an outpost far from the town she called home. A week before she had to leave, she met with her young friend for the last time, and explained the situation to him.

"Is it a promotion?" the boy asked her, curious.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure what it is myself…but it's probably because some of us might be more useful out there than we are here. This town doesn't see much action, and our superiors probably want more experienced soldiers on the lookout for invaders."

He twined his hands together. "I guess that makes sense…but you'll be back someday, right?"

Lightning could not give him an answer. Despite the fact that their country was currently at peace with its neighbours, war could break out at any moment, and she could be called into action. And even if it did not, she would have to remain at her new post for an indeterminate period of time. It could be weeks, months, even years before she returned – she could not know for certain.

But he was still watching her expectantly, his wide green gaze full of the hope that he was named for. With a sigh, she reached out and ruffled his hair, as she often did during their conversations.

"If my superiors allow it, I'll be back to visit you and Serah soon enough," she replied with a smile. "The two of you are the only ones in this town who matter to me, after all."

Hope grinned; it made him glad to know that he was of importance to the soldier. "Then I'll be waiting for you," he told her, his cheeks turning pink. "I'll come out here to this wall every day and watch for you, until you come back."

Dropping her stony façade for a mere moment, she let out a soft laugh. "It's a promise."

The transfer felt more like a demotion than anything else. The outpost was located in the mountains, far from any civilization, and it was unlikely that she or her subordinates would face an enemy attack any time soon, if at all. This was a good sign, but it also meant that their relocation had been a futile effort.

Lightning was restless. In the mountains, there was not much to do aside from playing cards and trying to keep warm without consuming the few resources they had been provided. The group of soldiers often discussed why they had been placed at such a desolate location, but most of these discussions ended with them having more questions than answers. Eventually, they simply gave up and accepted their fates.

Late at night, Lightning would often think about her sister, whom she had been forced to leave behind. Serah could take care of herself; she knew that for a fact, but it did not stop her from worrying about the younger girl. And then her thoughts would drift to Hope – the only person she had managed to truly befriend outside her family. Despite their age gap, the boy had possessed a maturity beyond his years, and she wondered whether he was taking care of himself, and whether he would still be there when she returned.

'Our superiors will soon realise how pointless this is. I'm sure of it,' she told herself every night before she went to bed. 'And within a few months, they'll bring us back.'

Five years passed before Lightning was finally able to return home.

It was Christmas Eve when she finally found herself at the outskirts of her town, exhausted from her journey. She had volunteered to be the one to report in at Headquarters, and so the rest of her platoon had gone ahead without her, eager to meet their families.

Night had fallen upon her surroundings, but with all the Christmas decorations, the town was lit up like a beacon against the sky. She trudged up the hill that led to the entryway, passing a familiar wall on the way. It was the one she and Hope had sat on every afternoon while eating lunch, and the sight brought back fond memories. 'At least I know one thing hasn't changed.'

"Sergeant Farron!" a voice suddenly called from the top of the hill, and she looked up to see the figure of a man jogging towards her. He stopped when he was just a few feet short of her position, breathing heavily. In the dim light, she noticed that he was a soldier as well.

"I'm here to escort you back to HQ," he continued, once he had caught his breath. Lightning glanced at the patch on his shoulder that designated his rank; it was the same as hers. But she did not recognise him, and so she assumed that he had managed to enlist and climb the ranks while she was away.

"You don't have to call me 'Sergeant Farron'," she said, raising an eyebrow. "We have the same rank."

He flashed her a sheepish grin. "I know, but I wanted to try it just once."

She prepared a sarcastic comment, expecting a flirtatious remark to come next.

"I…I've heard a lot about you from our superiors."

The man's response took her by surprise, but she did not let her guard down. "…what did they tell you?"

"A few things," he replied, counting off his fingers. "That you always helped civilians in need…that you never back down from a fight…" He met her gaze shyly." I-I really look up to you, Sergeant Farron."

She heaved a sigh. "Just Lightning will do," she insisted, brushing past him and hiding a soft smile. He really reminded her of a certain determined young boy that she once knew. "Aren't you supposed to be showing me back to Headquarters?"

Snapping out of his daze, he nodded and cleared his throat. "R-right. Let's go."

He led Lightning through town, and she was surprised to see how much had changed in five years' time. The streets were livelier than she had ever seen them as a child, and many of her favourite shops had been replaced. She distantly wondered if the bakery was still open for business, and whether she could stop by and see if Hope still worked there, before pushing the thought away with a shake of her head.

'He probably doesn't remember me anyway,' she told herself, subconsciously clasping her right hand over her left and touching the worn wooden band that she still wore on her left ring finger. She still kept it hidden under her glove, though that was mostly to protect it from the harsh weather she had been forced to endure over the last few years.

A few children approached them as they neared the town square, and they tugged at her escort's uniform. "Mr. Soldier! Mr. Soldier! Come play with us!" they chanted, and she bit back a smile, wondering how he would react. Many of the members of her squadron had thought themselves above interacting with civilians, and they would normally have brushed the children aside without a second thought.

To her surprise, however, the man simply lifted a hand and ruffled the closest child's hair. "Maybe later, okay? I have a job to do right now," he explained with an apologetic smile. Most of them pouted in response, but the older boys nodded seriously, saluting as the two of them walked away. It was clear that they looked up to him.

'It looks like Lieutenant Amodar managed to recruit some decent men while I was away.'

When they finally arrived at their destination, it was nearly 10 PM. The building was nearly empty: most of the soldiers had gone home to visit their families, or were out with their friends. Lightning saw Lieutenant Amodar standing in the entrance hall, and she stopped to salute him.

"Sergeant Farron reporting, sir," she declared. Her escort took his place beside her and mimicked her pose.

"At ease, soldiers," Amodar said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Then, he grinned. "It's good to see you again, Farron. They had no right to keep you out there for five years."

"T-thank you, sir," she replied, unsure of how to react to his compliment. It seemed as though someone even higher in rank had ordered their transfer, and it was likely that she would never find out whom. But for now, she was just relieved to finally be back home.

Her superior then directed his gaze towards the man standing next to her. "Didn't I tell you Farron could handle herself, Sergeant Estheim? She didn't need an escort." He let out a laugh. "But you decided to be stubborn anyway-"

Lightning did not hear the rest of Amodar' words. She had latched onto a single phrase while listening to him speaking. 'Sergeant Estheim…Estheim…isn't that…?'

"-no harm done," he finished. "Anyway, the two of you are dismissed."

Lightning snapped out of her daze. "But sir, someone needs to take the night shift…no-one's here, and-"

He lifted a hand to stop her. "No need. It's Christmas Eve, and the two of you should be spending it out on the town! And besides, you just got back." Pointing at the other man, he added, "And you've been running around all day! Take a break, for God's sake."

"B-but-"

"Dismissed!" Amodar shouted with finality in his voice. He then turned around. "I've got some paperwork to finish up before I head out for the night. Get out of here, kids."

Sensing his underlying fatherly tone, she nodded and saluted again. "Understood. And…thank you, sir."

The two of them found themselves standing aimlessly outside the barracks. Lightning did not know what to make of this strange man, who had apparently decided to be her escort of his own volition. But more than that, his name had been preying on her mind ever since the Lieutenant had said it, and she was filled with the strong urge to ask him about it.

"So…Sergeant Estheim, was it?" she began hesitantly, and he turned his head in her direction. "You wouldn't happen to have a younger brother…or a cousin…would you?"

He smiled. "No, just me. I lost my only family years ago."

Her eyes widened. 'He lost his family…has the same surname…it couldn't be…'

Yet, the more she thought about it, the more obvious it became. He had been eager to escort her and had done so without orders. And now, as she took in his appearance, she could see wisps of silvery-grey hair sticking out from underneath his uniform cap, and he was watching her expectantly with an older, yet familiar green gaze. Without a doubt, it was him.

She raised a tentative hand to place it on his shoulder, but it somehow found its way to the side of his face. "…Hope?"

As soon as the name left her mouth, his smile grew wider and his eyes lit up. "So you still remember me."

'Of course. I could never forget you,' she wanted to say, but all she could manage was, "…you've gotten tall."

Hope chuckled. "Well, five years have passed, you know."

She could still hardly believe that he was the same determined boy from her past. He seemed different, and yet he was the same. As a child he had always seemed mature, so now it felt as though his physical appearance had finally caught up to his mind.

"So you really did wait for me," she said as she pulled away, a smirk playing upon her lips. "You knew I was coming back today, so you were keeping watch."

His cheeks grew flushed. "Y-yeah. I promised, didn't I?"

Lightning nodded, biting back a smile. His sincerity had not changed, even after all these years.

"…there was one other thing I'd said I would do," he added suddenly, fidgeting with his hands. "But I'm not sure if you remember what it was…"

She contemplated the conversations they had had many years ago, sorting through the various topics they had talked about. Only one thing came to mind, and she found herself blushing when she realised what it was.

"You inspired me to become a soldier, and that's what I'm going to do, once I'm old enough. And when I'm finally in your squadron, I'll ask you to marry me, too."

"Do you still have it? The ring I gave you when I was younger?" he asked hesitantly, confirming her suspicions.

There was no point denying it, and a part of her heart wanted him to know that she had still kept it after all these years. Shyly, she lifted her left hand and pulled off her glove, revealing the worn wooden band on her ring finger. "I-I never took it off," she stammered. "I didn't want to lose it or break it, so…"

She froze when he took her hand in both of his. He stared at the ring in awe, almost as though he could hardly believe that she had actually kept it. Then, he raised his eyes to meet hers.

"…Light," he whispered, and a feeling of nostalgia came over her at his use of her nickname. Her heart began to hammer against her chest as she anticipated what would come next.

"Will you…go to dinner with me?"

Lightning blinked. "W-what?"

"We can go to one of those restaurants in the town square….oh, and I'll invite Serah too – I know you probably would've met with her first if you hadn't been asked to report in-"

He continued to ramble, seemingly unaware of her confusion at the fact that she had been expecting him to say something completely different. Feeling slightly frustrated, she decided to cut him off.

"Sergeant Hope Estheim," she declared in a commanding tone, placing herself in a role that she was familiar with. Immediately, he stood up straighter. "Five years ago, you promised to propose to me once you enlisted. Did you forget?"

Upon hearing her words, Hope's stance eased slightly. "No, I didn't forget," he replied, without a trace of regret in his voice.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" She fixed him with an icy gaze, refusing to show how much she was anticipating his explanation.

He heaved a sigh. "I enlisted three years after you left," he began, looking her in the eye. "I…I thought it would make me stronger, and that I'd be placed under your command once you got back. But neither of those things happened." He stared off into the distance. "You were right about this town. I enjoy a peaceful lifestyle as much as the next person, but…all we ever do here is walk around on patrol. I haven't grown at all as a person in the past five years."

Lightning opened her mouth to interrupt, to contradict him in some way, but he stopped her. "And besides, what kind of man would I be if I didn't give you a proper ring?"

At this statement, she gaped, and he let out a soft laugh at her incredulous expression.

"The truth is, times have changed," he finally admitted, and the mirth disappeared from his gaze. "I don't earn as much as you did back when you saved me. It'll take me some time before I can afford a real ring…and I still don't think I deserve you in the first place."

As he spoke, realisation overcame her. 'He never did forget… he's been thinking about this for all these years, just waiting for me and believing that he isn't good enough.'

"I can wait," she whispered, and his head snapped up in response.

"You…you what?" The surprise was evident in his eyes, and she could not help but smile.

"I said, I'll wait for you, if that's what you want," she clarified. "But I want you to make me a promise."

He was watching her expectantly, and she continued. "Promise me you'll never tell yourself that you 'don't deserve me' again. Because that isn't true." She looked at him seriously. "You have every possible good quality in you, Sergeant Hope Estheim, and I'm proud to say that I know you. So think more of yourself."

Hope's cheeks turned pink – though whether it was due to embarrassment, shame, or just the cold, she could not tell. But then, he took her hands in his.

"Y-you really mean it? You'll wait?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "I won't guarantee that I'll say yes at the time," she said, and indicated the ring once again. "But I've waited this long, haven't I?"

Finally, he smiled, and it was as though his entire face lit up. "And so have I," he replied, leaning down to wrap his arms around her shoulders. Warmth surrounded her instantly, and she reflexively returned the hug.

"Thank you, Light," he whispered. "It'll be worth it, I swear."

She chuckled, and he pulled away only to take her by the hand. "Let's go – we can meet up with Serah, and then we can eat."

She nodded, allowing him to pull her along. The streets were more crowded than ever as it drew closer to midnight, but his grip on her hand only tightened reassuringly – a silent promise. And as they weaved through the mass of people, a single thought remained on her mind.

'I'll hold you to that.'