Another Lifetime || Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations in this story.
Notes: I'm making the dialogue bold just so it's easier to read. Let me know if it helps keep things in-order. Please remember to R and R.
Story Words: 2,633
The Archylte Steppe - Year Unknown
"Here, take my hand," Hope stated as he offered his hand down to her with a smile. Vanille hesitated a bit as she looked up at him with quizzical green eyes. It was something of hers that he was beginning to come accustomed to ever since they fled Oerba three weeks ago. "Still don't trust me?" he asked down his smile fading a bit as he cocked his head a little.
Shaking her head from side-to-side she crossed her arms and said in a buoyant manner, "Nope. Not one bit." Keeping her position,Vanille closed her eyes and stood in silence. Even though she seemed to be putting up a fight, Hope could tell. He could always tell when it came to her. She was just teasing him - which actually amused him more then she'd ever know. Deciding to play along with her, he retaliated. "Really? Well then why did you break me out? I mean if you don't trust me and all…Aren't criminals normally locked up for a reason?"
Shooting her head up at his words, she looked up at him her mouth agape – a slight glare crossing her features. The firm hands that once crossed her chest slowly began to lower as she fought for words as she looked away. "Ohhh…T-that is… They were…the council…"
Perking up a bit at the mention of the council, Hope took an interest in her fractured words and tried his best to understand. But, it fell short once she decided against it with a frustrated huff. "Oh nevermind alright! Just help me up already, would you. It's the least you can do after all."
"After all?"
"That's right! It was your idea to send the chocobos off." She pouted up at his eyes a bit he looked down at her and couldn't help but give a sarcastic remark.
"I was looking at it realistically. With two big yellow birds running around openly we might as well have left a note telling everyone we're here. Wasn't the point of escaping to get away?"
Rolling her own green eyes at his words she gave him a stern glareas she held her hand up again, "Just hurry up, Hope."
"Sure," he replied through a chuckle as he re-lowered his hand. Looking up at him Vanille had completely forgot about the troubles that had been weighing on her mind as their hands interlocked. With a firm grip he helped pull her up the cliffside that would take them to into the Central Expanse.
The Archylte Steppe - ? AF
"Whoa! What the hell is that thing!?" Sazh shouted out as he grabbed his guns, as he pushed Dajh protectively behind him.
"Not him again." Noel muttered as he gripped his duel swords from his back.
"You KNOW this thing?" Sazh asked him turning his panicked glance to him.
"Sort of," Noel replied as he readied himself.
"Well whatever it is, it doesn't look too friendly now does it!" Fang retorted her staff ready as ever as her blue eyes glared up the beast before them. However, Vanille stared up in recognition at it… It was an old foe. One she had encountered before, a long, long time ago…
"Gogmagog…" she mumbled out as she raised a hand to her lip and stood frozen. But how!?
"Vanille, out of the way!?" Fang called out as she grabbed her by the arm and pushed her out of the way of an arm sweep just in the nick of time. However, that didn't stop Fang as she continued to scold her Pulsian sister, "What the hell are you doing. You need to focus!"
Hearing her words Vanille nodded numbly. "R-right…" she groaned out as she shook off the impact and got back to her feet as she reached behind her back – her binding rod ready to go. Fang's right. This is no time to get caught up in the past. If this thing is here then we must be near another rift. If we're near a rift then… maybe… maybe Hope is there too.
The Archylte Steppe - Year Unknown
"So tell me. What's a person like you do up there on Cocoon?" Vanille asked as the two of them continued their walk along the Central Expanse. After all if she wasn't going to ask the questions who would? Certainly not Hope. They'd been together for three weeks now and she still knew just as little as she did the day they met.
"I'm a director." He said glancing over at her without a thought.
"Is that some kind of military title or something?"
"Not really, but in a ways I guess we are kind of like a military."
"We?"
"The Academy. It's the organization my father helped found."
"Organization… So what does it do? I mean don't those types of establishments do important things most of the time?"
Smiling as a chuckle came out he nodded his head as he slowed his pace and looked over at her as he talked, "Yeah they do. For us we're a research and higher education institute that focuses on building a society independent of our previous government using science and human technology. It's a pretty big change from how we used to live, but looking back it's for the best. We're creating things on our own instead of relying on false -" at that he cut himself off.No more. If she hears anything more who knows what will happen.
Cocking her head to the side she kept her eyes focused on him, "False what?" she questioned curious to know more. It was one of the first times so far that he's said so much about himself let alone his world she just had to keep him going. However, just as he caught her eyes on him his looked away and he started walking a bit faster than her.
"Nothing. L-let's keep going. It's going to get dark soon so we need to find a good spot to make camp for the night."
"Come on, don't leave me hanging like that!" she pouted as she chased after him. However, his lips were sealed as he pressed on averting his gaze.
The Archylte Steppe - ? AF
"Noel!" Tipur called out as he came running up to the gang, panic in his voice.
"What is it?"
"Over by Clearwater Marshes", he called out as he closed the distance between them, "Myta said one of those strange portals appeared!"
"Just now?!" Noel asked amazed as he turned back to the where the fallen Gogmagog had been. Guess that seems to have solved that issue, he told himself still a little uncertain on how to go about things. After all he was no expert here and really was just winging it – going off of what he learned from his previous time traveling.
"Well about a half hour. They were out hunting when it happened and came straight back to report it." He added as he took a glance out over to the marsh.
"Guess I know where we're heading," Sazh replied as he put his guns back in their holsters.
"Guess so," Noel replied with a grin as he looked back over at the girls – Vanille specifically. How did she know its name?
"You okay there, Dajh?" Vanille asked leaning down to his level.
"Yup! I got my daddy here with me, remember?" he replied happily as he grabbed Sazh's hand. "Isn't that right?"
"You got it!" Sazh added as the two of them pressed forward without a at the two as they ran off Vanille finally glanced back over at Noel and Fang – a guilt weighing on her chest as she brought a hand up to it. Maybe I should have told them.
"Let's call it a night," Noel finally told them as he patted Vanille on the shoulder. They had been walking for hours since their last fight and to be honest they were all pretty worn out.
Nodding at his words Vanille let out an okay before running over to Fang.
"Wanna help set up camp?" she asked her cheerily trying not to think too much about the incident earlier.
"Vanille…"
"W-what?"
"You. You don't remember right?" Fang asked her as she looked over at her, her eyes trying to read Vanille's every move.
"You mean that thing that you remembered?"
"Yeah…"
Pausing a bit Vanille looked away for a second. She wanted to tell the truth, tell her that she kind of new everything even if it was hazy here and there. She knew that Hope and her had actually met long ago back on a Pulse. And that she too knew about him, even if they never had the opportunity to meet properly. She didn't know everything though. Only the little things. Looking down at the ground though she shook her head from side-to-side and let out a disappointed "No."
She hated lying to Fang, to any of them. But if one thing changed what would happen then? What if Hope came back too soon before anything really happened back then? What if he didn't make her heart flutter like he did? If things didn't go the way they were supposed how would the future change? Would she still be able to find him after waking up? Would she even want to? They were all questions that just kept spinning around in her mind.
"I see…" Fang replied as she patted her on the head. "If you remember let me know," she added before walking passed her to help Noel with the hunt.
"Ugh I just don't get how I coulda forgot something like that…" Fang spat out in frustration as she ran a hand through her jet black hair as they finished up their battle. Picking up the prey Noel glanced over at her.
"So I take it, it was a pretty big event?"
"Who knows!?" she retorted back throwing her hands up in the air. "Vanille says she doesn't remember either"
"Hmm…Maybe you didn't really forget," Noel replied as he walked up beside her, his blue eyes lingering on her for a bit - Fang giving him a skeptical look.
"What I mean is I had a similar experience during my journey with Serah. There were moments when I would try to explain things about my life, things that happened in time, but when I got to it there was like a fog on my memory. It was hazy and I seemed to forget the smallest of things." Noel told her as he walked ahead of her. "As we resolved one paradox after the other though everything started getting clearer. And while I don't know much about you two, if I was a betting man I'd say it's something like that."
"So you saying we both just forgot? How is that even possible?!" she called out glaring over at him. But he did seem to have a bit of a point. After all it wasn't her first time forgetting something big if you counted the time she and Vanille woke up on Cocoon – her with no idea what had happened.
"Not really sure. Yeul…" he paused as he remembered her – a deep sadness crossing his features, "She never really talked much about the timeline. At least not to me. I'm mostly just assuming that's how it works."
"I see." Fang replied as the two of them were coming up on the camp. Crossing her arms she gazed out over at Vanille, who was walking next to Sazh and Dajh, uneasily. Vanille…just who was it that you ran out on us for. Everytime I try to think about it I just get angry.
The Archylte Steppe - Year Unknown
"So Hope… you told me a bit about your world earlier, but what about you?" Vanille continued as the two were setting up camp for the night. "What's your family like? Brothers, sisters or…Wait a moment, how old are you again?"
"24, why?" he asked uneasily his eyes locking onto her as he finished setting up the fire. She seemed to pause for a moment biting her lip a bit – almost as if she was wondering if she should say it. But she got back to her usual manner in no time as she closed the distance between the two.
"Have a wife?" she asked as she got up closer to his face a playful, yet false giggle escaping her lips as her chest tightened a bit. "D-don't be stupid." He shot back as he turned his face away quickly from hers – a faint blush covering his cheeks. I can't believe you asked me that!
Laughing a bit at his reaction Vanille took a seat in the grass. "So I take that's a no then…" she replied a relieved and joyous grin spreading across her own face. It was a question she had been meaning to ask him for quite awhile now. After all she wasn't a child and she couldn't help but think her fascination with him could maybe be something more. "I'm glad," she whispered out as she crossed her arms over her knees.
Hearing a mumble Hope finally turned back her way as he asked, "What did you say?"
Jumping at his inquiry she shook her head and hands quickly and embarrassingly said, "Nothing. I didn't say anything."
"We should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Why's that?"
"Because I need to get serious," Hope told her finally his eyes scanning her. They'd been traveling for three weeks together now and this was the first time he was bringing it up. Though he still wasn't sure how he was going to explain everything without revealing his time traveling, but for now this was the least he could do. After all two people keeping an out for them is better than one. "The thing is…I'm not just here because I want to be. In order to get home I need to find an artefact."
"An artefact? What's that?" she asked cocking her head to the side as she looked at him.
"Well, it is kind hard to explain." He told her looking down as he kneeled down in front of her- his eyes locking onto her. "I guess an easy way of putting it is an item that doesn't belong, and from what I researched they often take the forms of crystals"
Raising a hand to her mouth in thought she replied, "So you're looking for a crystal? That's why you came to Pulse?"
"Uh…Y-yeah I guess you could say that," he repliedas he stood up. "And since you've come this far with me already, I figured we could look for it? It also might make it a bit easier to find since I'm not too familiar with this place."
"Well… I guess I could, since I'm pretty sure going home right now isn't an option."
"Guess not. I mean you did break into a prison." He teased.
"Hmph. Only because someone got caught. I even kept my promise not to tell!" she pouted out as she threw herself back onto the grass her arms behind her head.
"It wasn't like I was trying to get caught," he added before laying down a little ways away himself. Rolling over to her side she looked over at him a smile on her face, "You sure about that?"
"What do you mean by that?" he asked curiously looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"I wonder…" she teased before rolling the opposite direction. Always the same, he told himself happily as he finally shut his eyes and let sleep take over for the night.