Forget Goodbye

 

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXIII and the characters in the story aren't mine. They belong to their respected owners, I do however take ownership over the plot of this story but not on the plot of the original story in the FFXIII game. Thanks... :)

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Forget Goodbye

Snow x Hope

Chapter 5: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

When Lightning woke up from slumber, she couldn't help but think that something was a little off. Noticing that the sun had completely settled in the horizon. It told her that no one had bothered to wake her up for her shift. Which begged to question, who was on the lookout?

Scrambling out of her make shift tent, she was startled to find Hope bundled up with the newcomer as he laid with his head on the other's lap while sleeping unabashedly. The unguarded look he had on his face had Lightning questioning herself whether or not she needed to break up the obviously romantic mood between them.

As she watched the two in delight, with any qualms about the forgotten shift lost in the wind, another watched warily as if oozing malice from their very core.

As Light noticed the darkening aura that surrounded Snow, she couldn't help but wonder whether or not the blonde was merely being possessive since Light obviously felt that way for her supposed younger brother or if he was truly jealous. The latter is what causes her room for concern since the tall blond's affection could only bring tears to another... One way or another.

Acting like a spectator, Light watched the scene unfold in front of her. Snow strode in with blazing eyes as he shook the only sleeping person in the party. Kirin was unaffected by the unwelcomed intrusion and seemed almost passive as the alluring silverette stirred from his spot.

"Wake up kiddo," said Snow in a low soothing voice as he tried to pry the sleeping silver haired boy from the clutches of slumber.

Hope finally rubbed his eyes as he tried to adjust to his waking state, he still felt groggy from having just woken up but his mind was jolted into consciousness due to the proximity he found between himself and the two other males in their party.

Blushing despite himself, Hope scrambled out of Kirin's lap only to stumble as he tried to get up swiftly. This time, it was Snow who caught the almost falling silverette which only fueled the red tint that smeared across the poor boy's face. Time froze for both as they stayed frozen in place without having realized it yet.

"Can you let go of me now?" asked Hope. Snow let go of the arm he hadn't realized he'd been clutching. Hope, out of embarrassment, scrambled to his feet in no time and proclaimed that he'll be ready to leave in a couple of minutes.

Light chuckled in amusement over the boy's flustered actions and assured him that he could take his time since it was still rather early and their destination was already within reach.

When the initial situation died down, the group packed up and made their way back to the crystal pillar. They had previously passed the pillar on purpose due to the need of a safe shelter for the night, but with the break of dawn came the chance to re-examine the pillar that housed two of the bravest people that Hope had ever met.

"So tell me again why we're headed to the pillar in the first place?" asked Snow as the group trekked their way along rocky and unpaved roads.

"I had a vision about it when I got my mark so I figured I'd find whatever I need to go on from there," answered Hope to appease the frustrated blond.

It had been glaringly obvious to Hope and everyone else that Snow had pent up frustration growing ever since the morning fiasco, but it was just Light who mulled around the idea in her head. This worried her a little bit but said nothing of it and prompted instead to observing for the moment.

It seemed obvious to everyone else besides Hope that the real problem lied elsewhere rather than the obvious discontent of the blonde over the road on which they traveled. As the group carried on, they reached the foot of their destination in record time. It was partly due to the pushy blond that they went on with such haste after all. The rest conceded to the fact that the irritable blond would only hinder their progress if left in such a state.

"Wow, this certainly brings up memories, most of which aren't happy or nice at all," said Hope as he looked up at the crystal pillar as it towered over them casting a shadow from where they stood. The shadow reached beyond what they could see due to the height of the pillar, considering that it held up the remains of what used to be Cocoon.

With Light and Snow in agreement to the previous statement, Hope asked the others to go around the perimeter and see if they can find anything out of the ordinary, though they wouldn't even know where to start. So to cover more ground, Snow headed north, Light to the west, Kirin to the east and Hope stayed around his initial area since they had started from the south as a group.

As the others circled the wide perimeter, Hope looked around hoping to see some semblance of what he needed. Even Kirin had no idea as to what it is that they are looking for, but they kept some hope alive that they might just find it even if by sheer dumb luck. Though knowing their luck, they might not even need it since bad things tend to be drawn to them through no fault of their own.

"What am I even looking for?" asked Hope to himself as he looked around. There was nothing physically different about the landscape rather than the fact that a crystal pillar jutted up from the ground and towered over the massive land as it held up the remains of Cocoon. It was then that curiosity sparked within Hope. What if it wasn't something that they were looking but rather, someone? Looking up, he could barely make out the base of the once Cocoon, but a tiny glimmer caught his attention.

He directed his focus onto the small glimmer and could only barely make out the point of impact from where Ragnarok housed the crystallized bodies of Fang and Vanille.

"What if it's them that I need to save?" asked Hope out loud to no one in particular.

"Why don't you try to then?" asked Kirin from behind Hope as he walked towards the young man with a cat-like elegance.

"I would, but it's not exactly easy to climb up something like that," answered Hope without tearing his eyes away from his intended destination.

"Then use your L'Cie powers, after all, they're there for a reason," countered the calm cat humanoid. Hope smiled in response, and begun to summon an aeroga spell.

Having been adept at magic from the beginning, it was easy for Hope to conjure spell after spell of aerogas aimed at the ground below to propel himself higher and higher as if to mimic flying. Hope was so focused on his intent that he miscalculated a spell and sent himself crashing onto the flat side of the pillar where the spikes protruded out.

Even with the rough landing, Hope ended up in the area where he needed to be. Facing the now frozen Ragnarok, which housed his late friends, Hope wondered as to what it is that he was supposed to do. After all, Snow had tried to break Serah out of the crystal cocoon once but to no avail. All he had to show for that moment of brief idiotic bravery was a battered hand along with some cuts and bruises.

"So what do I do now?" asked Hope out loud to no one in particular.

Looking over Ragnarok, Hope could clearly see that there were now cracks on the once smooth and unyielding structure. Hope touched the groove and the cracks but then his fingers glowed a faint green upon which a slight tingle could be felt as if it danced on his fingertips. Hope could feel some sort of power pouring out from within the cracks.

He could almost make out the figure of Vanille and Fang somewhere inside, closer to the core. He so desperately wanted to get them out of there and maybe allow them to live their lives as before, but he didn't know where to start so he started hammering the pillar with various magical spells that he knew. Hope started casting a series of spells varying from simple elemental spells like Thundaga to much stronger spells like Flare and Ultima.

Time raged on yet each attack that bombarded the pillar proved useless. There seemed to be no change to the crystal pillar's surface to act as proof of the damage it should have taken. The surface still gleamed and shone under the brilliance of the sun.

"Why is nothing working?" yelled Hope out loud in frustration. His voice was laced with a treble that shook his frame as each word was spoken. Feeling winded from casting spell after spell, Hope opted to sit down to rest for a bit, but an interesting and dangerous thought occurred to him that might make a difference.

He was going to transform into Ragnarok. At least, that is what he intended to do. He figured that since the crystal pillar was made by the colossal powers of Ragnarok then he should be able to somewhat tap into the flowing aura radiating from the previous Ragnarok to awaken it once more but only with him in control of the legendary beast this time around. Well, that was what he had hoped would happen. He knew there was also a chance that he could lose control and go on a rampage or it might not even work at all.

"Well, no time like the present to try," muttered Hope. He wasn't exactly happy with transforming into the hideous beast since the last time someone did, it was brought on by catastrophic events.

As hope touched the crystal pillar, he let the tingling sensation override his senses along with anger, pain, and suffering to take a hold of his being. He knew, without a doubt that it needed these feelings as a trigger to release Ragnarok. His silver hair started to change and become darker in hue as it tinged to an almost deep rich dark brown that flowed behind him like a curtain entertaining the wind as it swayed gracefully. His skin turned an angry red mimicking the color found in scorching lava.

For some reason, Hope's transformation wasn't the same as the previous form that Fang and Vanille had taken. His form looked rather elegant instead of bulked up and had a certain air of grace about each movement as if it was Shiva in its stead.

As the form completed, a cloud of dust settled around him as the energy winding around him stilled and died down as well. Left in its quake was a creature with long dark brown tresses with a tall stature that's lightly muscled but its power was undeniable. As it settled with the new found power, Ragnarok let a small smile be displayed on its almost angelic face.

It was completely in control, and it was out to have some fun.

Meanwhile, as Kirin watched the transformation take hold, the remainder of the party came rushing back as soon as they felt the overwhelming pressure of the new power unleashed.

"What's going on?" asked Lightning in panic. The tremendous power felt familiar and it worried her. She didn't even have to ask Snow if he had sensed it since the blond came rushing back as well.

"Ragnarok," said Kirin in slight amazement. He knew from being a Fal'Cie himself that it would take tremendous suffering or experience for a L'Cie to turn into one. He could only assume that having been a previous candidate for Ragnarok allowed him to turn so much quicker than it should have taken.

Just as the three gathered in astonishment, the topic at hand appeared before them.

"Hope! What are you doing?" asked Snow with a small lace of anger. He couldn't help that he was worried for the boy since he knew from experience that Ragnarok could only bring forth calamity beyond imagining.

Without another word, it attacked and headed straight for Snow. It rushed in and had made to punch the blond, but Kirin intercepted and deflected back the blow. With another growl, it launched itself once more and this time aimed at Light. It summoned up a slurry of blizzagas that connected and threw her a couple of feet away and had knocked her out. Snow, outraged, went on the offensive and was able to connect a couple of well placed punches and kicks but it didn't affect it at all. Yet it reacted and flung the blond away. Snow staggered up to his feet but the damage taken was too much and he could barely get up.

It was then that Kirin casted a series of revival and recovery spells aimed at Light and Snow. It rejuvenated their tired bodies enough for them to take another stand.

Kirin then took to the offensive and rushed in to rear a punch towards the rampaging Ragnarok, but the beast parried and countered. The two were locked in close combat with neither side giving way.

Light and Snow, still recovering from their dazed states saw the two exchanging punches and kicks and could only marvel at the stunning exchange. With neither side faltering, Light went in to assist Kirin by firing a couple of well aimed shots towards Ragnarok. The beast wasn't the least bit damaged, but it took attention away from Kirin which helped ease of the attacks a little bit.

She definitely caught it's attention since it reared its head in her direction. As the monster moved to make its move, Snow came out of nowhere to tackle it, causing it to misstep and lose ground.

Snow tried to pin it down with all his might, and for a moment, looked like he had been successful. But the beast let loose a deafening growl, and pushed itself up with ease before throwing the tall blond aside as if merely dead weight.

"Hope! Dammit! Wake the fuck up!" shouted Snow as he hit the ground. Then as if it heard the blond man's gruff and pained voice, the beast stopped moving.

Everyone stilled as if to sense the sudden change as well. Only when they had looked at the beast's eyes did they notice that the lust for blood was gone and replaced with what looked to be, remorse.

"Thanks." It was all Snow heard before Ragnarok leaped high into the air and once again almost out of sight.

Silence descended amongst the group up until a blinding flash of light and two distinct piercing cries of shock were heard.

"Help! I don't know how to fly!" cried out one of the voices. The other merely fell silent to brace themselves from the imminent impact but nothing came.

As the pair opened their eyes when they noticed that they stopped moving, they were surprised to see that they had already landed on the ground without realizing it.

"How are we alive?" asked the taller woman towards her younger counterpart who was still shivering from the shock.

"That would be thanks to this big guy right here," answered Snow as he sauntered up towards the pair alongside Lightning and Kirin.

The reunited members could only smile as they gazed at each other in disbelief. They had long since accepted the fact that they might never see each other again, but this... this was real and almost bittersweet.

"Long time no see Fang... Vanille."

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: SORRY! This is such a late update! I totally lost my plot bunny and my inspiration for this fic, but I still hope to complete it one day… :)) thanks for reading!