Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII

AN: I know it's been a loooooong time. I've gone and revamped the previous chapters to fit the tone of this story better too. Fluffy fluff awaits.

Lightning's POV

Upon learning that I literally had no possessions of any sort, Hope took me to Academia's biggest mall. The size of it was immense. Stores after stores of shops and cafes. I noticed that Hope would keep glancing at his watch every few minutes. Surely I was keeping him from something.

"Do you need to be somewhere? I don't have any idea how long this will take me." I say to him. He shakes his head a little bit.

"You know I just need to make a quick phone call." He stops and takes out his phone. Was he calling his job? Or someone in particular? I overhear his conversion

"Yes, Alyssa can you cancel all my appointments today… No nothing is wrong, I just have some stuff to take of." His voice lowers, "Yes this is because of the incident yesterday… No of course not…I'm fine, there is nothing to worry about." He smiles my way and ends the call.

"You didn't have to do that." I tell him. Though it makes me feel very odd inside that he did so. I've started to notice somethings about Hope that I never noticed before. The way he was a good five inches taller than me. That he was thin but not sickly anymore. His muscles had built up. His eyes were clearer than they ever were when we were l'Cie. He was…handsome I realized.

I realized I had been staring at him and quickly looked away. My stomach had started to tighten and I fought the realization that I had butterflies forming in my stomach. This was ridiculous, Hope was my best friend. No one had even tried to understand me when we were l'Cie. Hope was the one to stick by my side no matter what. I was eternally grateful for that and there was no way I was going to jeopardize our friendship for what couldn't even be classified as a crush.

"It isn't every day that your partner wakes up from being a crystal." He says to me as he looks into my eyes. I smile slightly. Seven years was a long time to go through life by yourself. Of course he'd want to spend the day with me after all this time. I just couldn't get used to this. His life would be completely different by now. He had responsibilities, a job and a whole world that was completely foreign to me. I would appreciate his time together with me, but I wouldn't expect it to last forever. Surely he had moved on far beyond me.

Which made me understand that this world was completely new. I had no job, no goal, nothing to fight for. Nothing to make my path clear and for a moment I felt completely lost. My sister was still asleep. My career nothing but a ghost. What was I to do now? What was I good at besides fighting? Hope moved towards me and looped his arm around mine. I accepted the gesture but still scowled at him. In turn he just smirked at me.

"Now, where would you like to go?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"You know this place better than me, I follow your lead." He beamed at my words and I couldn't help but smile being reminded of a time long gone by now.

After a few hours I had everything I needed to get me by for quite some time. Hope was beyond generous and wouldn't even bother tallying up the cost so I could eventually repay him. He didn't even bother looking at price tags. After I would pick something up and set it back down after looking at the price he would sneak it into the cart. The first few times I reprimanded him for him. He just smiled and ignored my reasoning. After that I started to stop picking things up if they looked expensive. It still didn't matter, somehow he knew.

Shopping was not my forte by any means. Generally I despised it. But today seemed so much better. Maybe it was the company. I frowned as I realized that once again I was Hope in a new light. He was kinder and wiser than he used to be. A few times he went on about the science that he was doing at the Academy. He had graduated two years early. In the intellect department he was far my superior by now. As l'Cie he had been gifted with synergy and spellcasting. Now he was gifted in any area about science. Biology, physics, even chemistry.

Generally I just nodded and tried to understand what in the world he was talking about. The passion he had for it was second to none though, and I could respect that. He had found his calling and was excelling at it rapidly. It made me proud.

"You know Light, I'm really happy you are back. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun." Hope says to me. My stomach knots up.

"Surely you've discovered fun things to do in this new world. I can't be all that exciting." I say holding up the shopping bags as if to prove it.

"Oh I've had some okay times. But it's been lonely you know? Everyone was gone, and here I was. Alone. Growing up in a new world without you and your guidance it was difficult. I can't tell you how many times I thought to myself, "What would Lightning do?"

I scoffed, "Hopefully you did the complete opposite. You had to of the way you've turned out." He chuckled lightly.

"There were some moments when I had to do that. But for the most part the hope that you guys would one day wake up was what has kept me going. The hope that I could help build a better world for everyone to live in one day. I'm just so thankful that I at least go to see you wake you." He smiles my way and I have to fight the blush that wants to show.

"You know, if anyone was to wake up first…I'm really glad it was you." This time I can't hide the blush. He's grown so much. Surely he knows this. He isn't the innocent kid anymore.

"I'm glad you were here when I woke up too. I don't know what I would of done if I was the first to wake up." I say to him. This is completely true. I would have been lost. I would have made it someway but this is far better. Hope takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. This sends a whole new wave of butterflies flying around my stomach. Surely this is just a friendly gesture. I let him hold my hand.

Hope's POV

Today has been one I will never forget. For so long now I've been waiting for someone to wake up. I would be lying if I said anyone to wake up. I've missed Light for so long. In a new world it had never felt so dark without her. Without her strength and courage. Without her guidance.

If I could find anyway to repay her I would. Today was just a small token of my gratitude. I know I wouldn't be to the person I am today without her. I know I probably wouldn't even be alive today without her.

I can't deny I've always had a crush on her as well. Now to see her at my age has changed much. I silently applaud myself for being taller than her now. She seems a lot smaller than she used to. So much more…delicate.

She seems happy than I am here with her in this world. I am ecstatic. She's only one year my senior now. I wonder if she has noticed. Or if she still sees me as the helpless kid she helped. I can't help not being disappointed by this fact. Throughout the day she seems thrown off guard. I notice her staring at me. Her brow furrowed in thought. I notice that she doesn't pull back from my touch, or snatch her hand from mine. I even thought at one moment she was blushing.

This is one of the best days of my life I realize. Finally I have my partner back. And I'll be damned if I lose her again. I can't dare to hope that she would ever return my feelings, but for now, just to have my best friend back again is enough.

We head back to my apartment to unload everything from today's adventure. Lightning disappears into her room for a while and this gives me time to get dinner ready. Cooking seemed like a good trait to learn. And I'm happy to say I'm not half bad.

Light comes out of her room no doubt encouraged by the smell of dinner.

"This smells delicious. I didn't know you knew how to cook."

"I figured I should learn, being alone and all you know. And how healthy can eating out every night be?" She nods in agreement.

"I could never get the hang of it. I burned just about every meal I tried. Serah was more gifted in that department than me. She used to bring me food every week. I tried telling her I wasn't completely helpless but she wouldn't listen."

I can picture it in my head. Light trying to refuse the home cooked meals, Serah not taking no for an answer.

"I'd like to meet her one day. She the only person who can make you do something you don't want to." I tell her. I had indeed never officially met Serah. I had heard stories from Snow. But the women was an enigma to me. She seemed to be the complete opposite of Lightning.

"You will. And to be honest if it wasn't for the resemblance you would have no idea we were related. Except for maybe being stubborn. She's just as stubborn as me."

"That's hard to believe." I say to her jokingly. "I can't imagine anyone being as stubborn as you." She scowls at me and I can't help but laugh. She doesn't seem as intimidating at she used to. In fact she's kind of cute when she's angry.

"I'm not that bad." She says.

"Sure, whatever you say." I reply back. This makes her angrier and makes her look even more adorable. She crosses her arms and huffs. I just finish plating dinner. As I go to hand her her plate I raise it up above my head.

"Not until you admit that it's true." I say holding her plate hostage. She starts to actually pout before trying to reach up to the plate. I laugh out loud, she's not tall enough to reach it from my hand.

"This isn't fair, you know I'm starving!" She attempting to crawl up me to get to the plate. She's pressed up against me on her tip toes and she's still a good five inches from reaching the plate. My heart is beating rapidly and I realize I'm blushing at her from being so close to me.

"Fine! I'm stubborn are you happy? Give me my plate!" I relent reluctantly and lower it down, she swipes it from my hand. Before she even sits downs she's got a fork full of food in her mouth.

"This is really good." She mumbles.

"Was it worth it?" I say to her. She shrugs her shoulders.

"Some battles are worth losing." She's smiling at me now. Butterflies erupt. She seems to have loosened up and come to terms with our new world. Her new life. I wonder what she is thinking of all the changes. I hope she isn't disappointed with the new world I've helped formed. I hope she isn't disappointed that I'm the only one here right now.

After dinner we go to the couch to just relax. She has changed into some pajama shorts and a tank top. This makes me blush and I pray that she doesn't notice. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable here. She doesn't seem to notice and just curls up on the couch.

I turn on a program about our place in the universe and I see her eyes start to dim. Slowly she starts to close her eyes and next thing I know she's asleep. So much for being uncomfortable. I take the blanket off the couch and wrap it around her. I turn the TV off and she looks so at peace. I turn to walk away when I hear her.

"Hope, I'm glad you're here with me." She mumbles. I smile and decide to take a risk. Her eyes are closed again and I kiss her on the forehead. She sighs contentedly and I know I've not overstepped the line. Butterflies are flying like crazy and my heart is beating so fast I can't believe it hasn't stopped. I grin as I head to my room. Things are looking up.