Goodnight.

I’ll speak to you all in a few hours.

[Cinque. I’ll get to your reply the moment I wake up. I’m so sorry.]

A clash of authority.

sadisticsurge:

wielderofnue:

His hands slowly returned to his side, his usual composure reaffirmed at the sensation of his eidolon returning. It was clearly apparent to Hope that this woman had no idea how these protectors worked. Yes, at first they were there to put a L’cie against themselves and force them to fight but once they had gained control they could be summoned at will or would appear when their master was in danger as the situation occurring now clearly proved.

Jade pools glistened with renewed confidence, a small smile tugged at the corner of pink lips. “I would never give up, not now. I have too much to live for, my friends and their sacrifices and my husband. They are my strength. What do you have? The powers of chaos! Caius must’ve been desperate to have chose you.” Hope’s retorts were not unlike him, the fire of determination that burned within him was similar to that when he fought Orphan many years ago.

The intense yellow glow still resided from within his wrist, lighting up the low lighted bar. “My Eidolon will always protect me it seems, what do you have? Who do you have? These are your consequences for your actions, you’re alone!” Snapping back his gaze to meet with the woman’s, he knew that she could not escape this.

“Guards, arrest her immediately and place her in solitary confinement. Go!” He commanded the men, who were beginning their approach to Jihl; guns drawn.

Laughing in defeat she dropped her baton. She had a better plan in mind, he was placing her in solitary confinement. Did he not realize that Chaos cannot be bound between the walls and that she would escape? Raising her hand she let the guards come in their guns drawn in case she decided to make another move. Her point had been made, all that was left was to watch Hope try to rectify the situation and regain order in Academia. 

“Who do I have? I have your citizens at my disposal. I’m never alone in my thinking. The era of the Fal’cie is forever etched in time all I need is one citizen with a mind like my own. And this plight you call the salvation of the human race, will be no more.” She stopped laughing when they placed heavy duty cuffs on her wrists. Her eyes travelled from the cuffs to his face, a twisted and devious smile appeared on her lips. 

The same smile she had when she was beating someone with her baton. “Our rule will be absolute, the Fal’cie will be revived and undesirables  will once again become L’cie. We will have an army all bestowed with their own powers of Chaos, willing to kill any opposition that’s in their way. The time for heroes is over, director. This is reality, and in reality the heroes never win..the villains do.” 

She shook her head allowing her hair to fall from her face. “You will realize, L’cie that I am the majority and you are the true minority.” She started to laugh again and one of the guards hit her with the but of his gun. 

Raising his hand up almost as soon as the guard hit her, he commanded him to step back and calm down. Once she was safely in restraints, Hope approached her, his guard remaining up in case the crazed woman tried something. He wouldn’t put it past her.

“Villains never win, that much is certain. Your definition of power is completely different to my own. That’s why ‘The heroes’ win, because we fight for more than just dominance, we fight for those who we’ve lost, who we’ve got, Something you obviously know nothing about. Fear isn’t the key to power.” Hope shot a victorious glare as he spoke calmly once more, the situation no longer in Jihl’s control. “Caius doesn’t accept failure, I know this because I’ve been there, I was his target and he failed. So I have an idea what he might do to you.”

Hope wanted nothing more than exact his revenge right at that very moment, the opportunity had presented itself, but… he couldn’t do it, these were her actions and she alone would pay for them. Caius wasn’t lenient at all when failure was brought into a sequence of events, he even punished himself for failing. She would be the cause of her own demise.

“Take her to the lower levels immediately. No delays.” He announced the strict instructions to the officers who ushered her out onto the street and to the main elevator. If she were to escape, it would not be for long. Caius would soon realise her failure and be after her. That was the thought Hope kept within his mind as he stared at her.

(Source: raindownhell)

ff-crystalized:

FFXIII-2: Hope Estheim

Visiting the Church

lasthunternoel:

strifescloud:

soldiers-hero:

Zack stood back in amazement as Cloud began to wade through the retched creatures, with an ease of battle unlike he had ever seen before.  Last time he had seen Cloud in combat he was an average marksman at best and a liability at his worst.  However what he had lacked in prowess was made up for in a spirit that Zack had always admired.  He had the heart of a SOLDIER when he was younger.  Now he had the strength. 

I raised my boy right, he thought to himself, privately beaming. 

“He is strong,” Zack replied to Hope with an air of pride.  “You know when he was an infantry man in the army he was easily one of the worst shots in the group, but he always had a warrior’s zeal.”

He adjusted his grip on his Buster Sword, swatting back a few monsters with some easy blows.  His body remembered those familiar movements, even if his muscles protested. 

His heart was racing, remembering the joys of fighting.

It was then he noticed the horrified look on Hope’s face, as the other yelled out his warning. 

The phenomenon unfolding before him was unlike anything he’d ever seen before.  The- thing- that emerged from that rift struck a small cord of fear into the hardened.  warrior.  His stomach rose up in his throat and he felt slightly sick at the sight of that monster before his friend- his lover.

But he knew Cloud- this was the lone infantry man who took down the deranged general who burned his home town to ashes.  Cloud wouldn’t go down with out a fight. 

And neither would he. 

He readied his blade and prepared to wade into battle.

“Sorry Hope but I can’t just stay back,” he was prepared to say.

It was at that moment he witnessed the sky grow dark and witnessed Hope’s mechanical summon descend from the sky.  Does this world have the powers of Materia as well?

Despite the boon that Alexander provided in battle, Zack still wasn’t going to stand idly by and watch Cloud parish in battle. 

He darted out from behind the automaton and with a fierce battle cry began slashing at the monsters, his pain all but forgotten in the rush of battle. 

The Cie’th around him had been easy. Cutting them down and depleting their numbers had been almost like childs play for him. One by one they’d fallen to his sword and speed, and Cloud had thought that their battle would be one short lived.

But more of the twisted creatures began to pop up from where their comrades had fallen. With a frown on his face the blonde had watched more and more arrive out of thin air, quickly surrounding him. He’d been ready to cut those down too - hopefully take them all out before more could arrive, but something changed.

The air shifted. A shiver ran down his spine and forced him to halt his steps, startled mako eyes watching as the space around him flickered with fuzzy strips of black and white as if they were apart of a damaged film.

Cloud barely had a chance to gasp out a sharp breath before Raspatil formed before him, flailing summons and then lashing out at the warrior with it’s thick armored snake-like tail. With a swipe the blonde was pushed back, landing heavily on his hip and leg. There was a soft grunt as he landed, but Cloud was instantly back on his feet again, grip strong on his sword and feet scraping across the stone floor as he moved.

Taking a chance to quickly look back and examine his situation, the blonde noted with a sense of dread that he could no longer see his comrades through the wall of Cie’th that surrounded him. Though their presence was easily felt - through the white and gold summon now towering over the fray and Zack’s own battle cries echoing around the area.

Well. It looked like he was on his own for this one.

Minutes into fighting with the creature though, and things seemed harder than he’d expected. His attacks were landing, yes, but… Cloud was having trouble actually dealing damage to the damn thing - not to mention he was constantly having to dodge it’s magical attacks and the attacks from the lesser Cie’th.

He needed a strategy before he became too overwhelmed.

Shifting his hold on First Tsurugi, the warrior was just about to try a different kind of tactic. However seconds before he could Raspatil gave an odd shudder, it’s twisting body shaking as it let out a horrendous screech.

The sound was loud and invading, instantly attacking Cloud’s body in waves and forcing him to lose his balance. With a grimace the blonde clutched at his head in order to try and muffle the piercing sound, but such an attempt was useless. The attack had been an attempt to daze him, and daze it had. The actual screech had stopped moments before, but it still rang clear in his ears, completely ruining his balance and concentration.

“Ugh.” He grunted, trying to shake his head free from the ringing noise. He couldn’t fight like this.

“Hey!” Noel called out from just behind the blonde, slapping a hand on his shoulder and shaking him aggressively in an effort to wake him up. “Snap out of it. Let your guard down and this thing will choke you.” The hunter grabbed this blonde stranger’s arm and pulled him up, quickly assuming a battle stance before the enormous cieth before them. Though this man was at the moment just a stranger to him, it was obvious he was having some trouble, so Noel wanted to do what he felt was right and help out.

Without a moment to spare, the hunter charged after some of the surrounding cieth, turning his gaze back to the blonde’s direction. “I’ll take care of these, you fight Raspatil. But we’ve gotta move fast; weaken him before he summons more,” he advised the stranger, returning to the onslaught of cieth coming after him. It was evident that this stranger must not be from here. Perhaps he was sent here by a paradox?

Then, from the corner of his eye, a familiar figure caught his attention. The brunette quickly glanced over to see Hope in the distance, fighting alongside another stranger. “Hope…?” Noel mumbled to himself in confusion. Turning his attention away from them, the hunter continued his attack against the relentless cieth. Fight now, questions later.

Noel took a moment to check behind him and make sure the blonde was holding up. He was waiting for a window of opportunity, the moment in which the enormous cieth would be weakened enough for them both to focus an onslaught of attacks against it and be rid of it for good. This thing had given him hell in the past, but with the four of them (as it apparently seemed to be), there was no way they wouldn’t be able to take it out effectively.

The passing moments appeared to flow in slow-motion as Hope flicked his hands upwards sending spell after spell towards the animalistic creatures before him and Zack. Three vampires disintegrated completely from Hope’s powerful magic, leaving the immediate area around himself and Zack free from any Cie’th. Flicking his head gently around to face Cloud, surveying the area looking for any ‘stealthy’ Cie’th that might unexpectedly surround Cloud, he latched onto another figure instead.

Noel.

It was apparent to the director that Noel’s regular hunting trips had led him here and at a most fortuitous time. Noel stood beside Cloud whilst Hope had Zack to fight alongside but to completely annihilate Raspatil they would have to combine attacks and be relentless like never before if they stood a chance at terminating this paradox before it could summon reinforcements.

“Alexander, we need you’re help big guy. Go…! Take Raspatil’s attention away from Noel and Cloud please?!” He asked the eidolon respectfully, knowing that he would do as asked. The towering mechanical summon shook the stony roads of Oerba with step it took, some even causing several Cie’th to fall to their knees. Noel could take full advantage of their debilitation.

Hope followed quickly behind Zack, hands stretched out, ready to begin his own onslaught of spells on the abomination that had spawned from the temporal distortion. Flickers of red orbs, blue streaks and grey gusts of air shot past all three males as Hope finally unleashed his own attacks on the main and surrounding Cie’th. As Hope stood battling lesser Cie’th, Alexander stepped in to the fray, slamming a heavy fist into Raspatil’s face, consequently sending the beast to the floor but it was soon back on it’s feet lashing it’s barbed tail at the eidolon. The attention had been diverted from his friends to Alexander, just as he planned.

“Attack it from behind. I’ll disable it with debuffs.” Hope exclaimed, albeit rather loudly -enough for them to hear- announcing his strategy to the other warriors scattered across the once peaceful village.

More flicks of gloved hands sent more spells towards Rapsatil, debilitating it further; Deprotect and slow being the main priority spells cast. Hope would continue to unleash his magic upon the creature but the others would have to take advantage of it’s weakened status also.

"We live to make the impossible possible! That is our Focus!"

(Source: zzzeke)

(Source: cumouji)

For you Zack.

soldiers-hero:

“Sure, follow me’” Zack replied happily.

He beconed for Hope to follow him out of the church down the steps to where he had parked Tifa’s truck. The little chick riding on his shoulder and nibbling at a few loose strands of hair as he walked. He climbed up into the cab and waited for Hope to join him before reving up the engine and pulling out of the plazza.

It took them about fourty minutes to drive through the deserted ruins of Midgar before finding thier way on to the highway that connected the old city with the newer city of Edge. The difference between the ruins and the bustling construction was startling to Zack and he was still wrapping his head around the fact that Midgar had been destroyed in the first place.

Pulling off the highway he navigated his way through the maze of side streets before finaly ariving back at the bar. He shut the engine off and got out, looking back only once to make sure Hope was still in tow

“Here we are 7th Heaven,” Zack stated.

Upon arrival at the bar, Hope stayed at a close distance to Zack. Even if he felt more comfortable in this world, he was still a foreigner and his attire screamed that fact more and more each day he spent here.

Maybe one day they’d become acclimated to his presence here?

His bright coloured uniform at least.

“You still have the chick?” He asked quietly to Zack, not wanting to attract even more attention to himself.

(Source: wielderofnue)

The first month.

lasthunternoel:

wielderofnue:

Crystal amethyst orbs were luring the director in with their glittering nature, so much so that he almost missed the question presented to him. Chuckling softly into Noel’s shoulder, Hope responded in soft but slightly muffled tones due to his position. “I’d really like to go for a walk, maybe the fresh air might ease my stomach because I don’t feel like eating anything heavy right now but I do have the strangest craving for orange juice.” 

The director stared at Noel with pleading eyes and a soft smile. “Can we go to that little cafe I go to most days before work? You see… I’m not allowed to have anything with caffeine in… Mom’s orders, but orange juice should be fine for me and our babies.” The smile grew more prominent as those words fell from Hope’s lips.

Here he was, married to the most perfect man and now he was due to give birth to their children. Hope was blissfully content with life and it was because of the man before him.

Noel let out a small chuckle and placed another gentle kiss upon Hope’s forehead. “Orange juice it is then. Let’s go,” he rose up from the bed and carried the director along with him, carefully placing the silverette down on the floor to avoid making him feel nauseous.

The brunette left Hope alone for only a few moments so that he can get himself ready, but otherwise he made it a point to keep the director in sight at all times. Normally the hunter would deem orange juice for breakfast as completely unacceptable, but he understood that Hope couldn’t help his sickness and was just glad that he was getting at least something in his stomach.

Taking the director’s hand tightly in his own, Noel led Hope out of their house and down the street in the direction of the cafe. He kept his gaze at Hope the entire time, and if it weren’t for his keen instincts he probably would have ran into something. But, apart from needing to protect the director with his entire being, Noel felt immeasurable contentment when he looked at him.

That was his. And the children Hope carried would be his, too. Perhaps his unusual silence in that moment was rather odd, but he couldn’t find any words to say. These gifts were his and, by Etro, he just wanted more than anything to give Hope the world.

Hope kept close to his husband at all times, and on occasion during their walk  Hope would gently brush his shoulder up against Noel’s own and each time this intentional event occurred he would flash a small but radiant smile at his lover.

The simplicity of just walking through the city -hand in hand- with the man that he loved never failed to make the director smile -and slightly blush-, which in his mind made every moment special… even perfect. 

The day was warm but had a gentle breeze about it, which was good because over the previous days the weather had been nothing but dry heat and with Hope in his current state it was driving him mad but he wouldn’t allow Noel to see that it was affecting him because there were some things that even the director couldn’t control.

Pulsian weather.

As they approached the cafe, Hope remained at Noel’s side, the sheepish smile still present on his lips. “Here’s my wallet. You know what to get for me.” He gripped Noel’s hand gently whilst putting his wallet in the hunter’s other, all the while his jade hued eyes never leaving Noel’s sapphire eyes.