Author's Note: The events don't follow that of the game's story; in this fic, Hope travels with Sazh and Vanille instead of following Lightning. Also, this is a threeshot. Initially it was supposed to be a oneshot, but it became longer than I'd planned. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII.

Hope wasn't sure how they'd ended up there, but after a blur of overwhelming events, he, Sazh, and Vanille were now standing at Nautilus Station, the entrance to the fabled City of Dreams. Somehow, by some stroke of luck—or looming misfortune, it was too early to tell, and Hope had always been a skeptic—the trio had actually reached their destination without any sign of PSICOM predators on their tails.

As Hope looked on at the bright, busy city that came into view before him, he found it hard to believe that they had just come from the Sunleth Waterscape of Cocoon. It was like they had entered another world that had been waiting for them beyond the smell of damp earth and the illuminated canopies of trees—or, perhaps, returned to a different version of the world they'd left behind.

"Wow," Sazh said, his low, breathy tone suggesting the awe and wonderment that Hope now felt rising in his chest. "Take a look at this place."

Hope nodded wordlessly. Having come from the lush, forested hills and incredible wildlife of the Sunleth Waterscape and the metal mountains of rusty scrappage in the Vile Peaks before that, Nautilus was a fresh, welcoming reminder of a normal society's continuation of existence. The doubtless knowledge that they wouldn't encounter any Flandragoras or Scalebeasts here allowed him to relax a little, to pull his hand away from its subconscious grip on his Airwing. He had never known that he could miss the excited bustling of people looking forward to a centripetal event; back in Palumpolum, when everything had been normal and he wasn't half an orphan and the skin on his wrist underneath the yellow cloth tied there was still bare, he disliked crowds and the cacophony they created, the headaches they induced. But now he found himself closing his eyes and listening to it, absorbing all the unique sounds of the instruments—the innocent giggles and shouts of children, the firm but caring voices of parents telling their sons and daughters not to wander off, the general hum of anticipation for the upcoming parade.

When he opened his eyes, mirthful lights twinkled at him from every which way. The whole city was lambent, with a warm, happy ambience over the place that casted golden glows around every individual. In the near distance, beyond the passageway to Nautilus Park, he could see lights of different colors within the amusement park that seemed to have fallen straight from the vespertine stars that, in turn, vanished into dark invisibility within the night sky. The lights—clusters of neon lines and tiny beads of all colors imaginable—were almost magical, like they were whispering amongst each other and smiling benevolently at him as they gently absorbed the countless worries that clouded his mind, converting it into the energy that kept them alive and shining.

His chest tightened with ambivalence from the sights and sounds of it all, but at the same time, his mind felt freer and lighter than before. Though he didn't know just yet if he liked it or not, let alone if he should be, he was feeling more at ease. The knots inside his stomach were coming undone, one by one, and the burdensome weights of fear and sadness on his shoulders and in his chest were slowly being lifted. Hope did little to hinder the strange workings of Nautilus's spell.

He still maintained his cautious alertness—it had become instinctive by this point in their journey—but, at that moment, it was far less heightened than it had been in the Vile Peaks or the Sunleth Waterscape.

"Can we go see the parade?" He turned to Sazh and Vanille, looking right into their faces. In his voice, he could hear a tone of almost childlike excitement. It sounded odd and unfitting, even to his own ears. He coughed once to get rid of it, quickly feigning indifference instead. "I mean, since we're here, we might as well, right?"

Vanille didn't respond. Her expression was unreadable and her fingers were wrapped around each other as she gazed at the floor beneath her boots. Hope stared at her, waiting for her to say something, but Sazh spoke first.

"Well…" Sazh raised his eyebrows in surprise at Hope's question—he clearly had not expected it from him—but he was smiling in agreement. Hope could tell that he'd had the same idea. "I'm all for it. We've got the time, haven't we? I don't see any of them soldiers around here."

As if on cue, a woman speaking in a recorded message suddenly played through a system of overhead loudspeakers, instigating a soft gasp and a chirp of surprise from Vanille and Sazh's Chocobo chick. "Welcome to Nautilus, the City of Dreams and home of Cocoon's entertainment capital, Nautilus Park." Her tone of voice was enthusiastic but professional, like how Hope imagined a smiling female robot to talk like. "Our Pompa Santca parade will begin shortly. Please head over to the park square."

The crowds of people lingering in the station began to flock to the park entrance, a loud buzz of tangible vivacity surrounding everyone as they relocated. The high spirits and energy were contagious; Sazh was humming a merry tune as he walked on slightly ahead of them, his jacketed arms swinging back and forth in a goofy manner, and, though Hope tried to fight against it by pursing his lips, he was ultimately powerless against the impulse to smile. Because it was in fact the City of Dreams, Nautilus had the kind of gravity that was able to effortlessly tug at the corners of people's mouths.

"To the park square it is, then!" Sazh said cheerfully, facing the two of them as he stepped in front. An exaggeratedly stern frown came over his countenance, but his eyes retained their good-natured glint. "Come on, kiddies. Stay close now, and don't go wandering off on your own!" He spoke jokingly, but Hope could hear the paternal undertones to his words. He smiled to himself and followed closely behind Sazh.

"I heard they got an area full of Chocobos, too," Sazh went on, stretching his arms behind him and resting his hands on the back of his head. He gave a small, barely audible sigh and added under his breath, "If only Dajh were with me now."

Hope knew from the melancholy softness of his whisper that it had been a voiced afterthought better left alone rather than to fuel with expressions of sympathy. Still, he took an extra step forward to catch up with Sazh and matched the pace of his footsteps with his. Walking silently alongside Sazh, he felt the tender sense of protection and security that had always surrounded him whenever he had been with his mother. It was a subtle whisper, disguised as a quiet breeze in the cool night air, that told him that everything would be okay no matter the present circumstances, and hearing it now caused Hope both to smile and swallow a lump, the familiar onset of tears, in his throat.

"Hey, um…" Vanille began to speak, her voice unusually soft and timid as opposed to the perky, blithesome tone Hope had become accustomed to after being around her the past few weeks. He turned around, his attention immediately going to her hands and face. Her thin fingers were twisting and untwisting themselves, and, unlike him and Sazh, she wasn't smiling, as he'd thought she'd be, especially in a place like Nautilus Park. The sanguine attitude she'd shown during their traipse thus far had led him to believe that once they'd gotten to Nautilus, she would reach the peak of her effervescence and scamper all throughout the park, dragging him and Sazh to every single attraction. Before hasty concern for Vanille's uncharacteristic behavior could fully take a hold on him, however, she lifted her head and gave him the delayed smile he'd been expecting. Still, he was dubious. "You two go ahead. I'll wait here."

This bewildered both Sazh and Hope, but Sazh seemed to think less of it. Hope looked up at him; he was scratching at the back of his head, casually pondering the matter at hand. "You sure, Vanille? You don't want to come see the parade? I heard it's pretty amazing." He added with a grin in an effort to lighten her mood, "And historically educational, too. Aren't you kids supposed to be into that kind of thing?"

Vanille gave a giggle, but it was unnaturally high and lacked a happy genuineness. Hope's chest squeezed tightly upon cognizance. It was the same kind of laugh that he used to hear his mother give to his father during tense situations—troubled, but carefully sugarcoated with fake lightheartedness in order to ease the strained atmosphere.

"I've seen it before, and it is amazing," Vanille was saying. "So don't let me keep you here! You should definitely go see it!"

"You don't want to watch?" Hope asked.

She shook her head. "I guess I don't really feel like it." Her head tilted downwards, Vanille rubbed at her arm, maintaining her grin all the while. "But it's perfectly fine! I mean, I'm fine. Peachy, in fact!"

"Then, you're just going to stand around here?" he pressed on, hesitant. Honestly, he didn't know why he was probing deeper into the matter than usual. Maybe Vanille was seasick, tired, or wanted some time to herself, or maybe it was all of the above. Being an introvert all his life, Hope could identify with that periodical wish for solitude, that desire to want the world to stop spinning for a minute so that his muddled mind could try to sort itself out. But he was still a bit curious as to why Vanille was suddenly acting unlike herself. Back in the Pulse Vestige, the Vile Peaks, and the Sunleth Waterscape, she had been bouncy and chipper, animatedly blathering about numerous things. Admittedly, Hope had been more than slightly annoyed that she was brimming with spirit in the middle of all that was going on while he was still struggling to wrap his brain around everything, but now she seemed different, her enthusiasm artificial, and it was strange, like something heavy and intangible was hanging above her, thieving her of her real energy.

Trying not to sound upset or worried, he used one of Lightning's frequent conversational tactics and spoke impassively. "What are you going to do all by yourself?"

"Why, I'll stay here and wait for you guys, of course!" She noticed Hope's unconvinced expression and flashed him a radiant grin. "Oh, Hope, don't be such a worrywart! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't protect myself!" She unsheathed her Binding Rod to further her point. "See? I've got my trusty friend right here. And have you already forgotten? I'm not all smiles and—"

"Sunshine," Sazh and Hope chorused with simultaneous groans, and Vanille giggled, nodding. It occurred to him then that he was probably overthinking it—or being a "worrywart", as she'd just said. Hope sighed, but she was virtually irresistible with that grin and silly saying of hers. He returned it with a small, uneasy smile of his own and glanced up at Sazh for the final word.

The older man shrugged his shoulders. "We gentlemen have to respect the lady's wishes, now, don't we? Okay, Vanille. We'll see you later then?"

She bobbed her head up and down in an earnest nod. "Yes you will!" Her arm already waving in the air, she started to walk backwards in the direction of Nautilus Station. Hope couldn't help but to stare dumbly after her, in all her pink and orange brightness, donned in clothes that, he realized with a sweeping surge of uncomfortable warmth on his skin, hardly served their purpose.

"Wait!" Hope called out to her before his mind had formed the conscious decision to do so. She twirled around slowly, meeting his gaze, and he froze. Her large green eyes looked questioningly into his, her pale apricot lips slightly parted, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat and his pulse skip without warning. Flustered by the odd and unexpected effects, he broke eye contact and hurriedly sifted through his thoughts, trying to remember what he'd stopped her for. It took him more than a few seconds to recall.

"Uh, hold on," he mumbled to fill in the awkward lull of silence as he reached around his neck and, with fingers that were suddenly shaky, clumsily undid the knot there. As he absentmindedly toyed with the cloth, he sent a cautious glance her way.

She was walking towards him, the multicolored bangles on her wrists emitting soft metallic tinkling noises as she moved. Her hands were touching as they hovered over her chest and she scrunched her forehead, her pale red eyebrows knitting together—all signs of her confusion, he knew. Regardless, he removed his neckerchief and, without looking directly at Vanille, handed it to her.

She stared at it and then looked back to him. Her flummoxed mien was already causing a string of multiple scoldings in Hope's head, making him wish he hadn't done anything in the first place. "Hope… What—"

"Just—I—it's—" He stammered under Vanille's inquiring gaze until finally he muttered, "My neck was hot." It was initially a lie—albeit a thinly veiled one—but after what he'd said registered, his neck, as well as his ears and the rest of his face, did indeed become warm. He quickly turned away so that she wouldn't see him visibly reddening. "S-see you."

With that last unrefined utterance, he ran back, not daring to chance a peek behind him, to where Sazh was waiting, scratching at his head while his Chocobo chick floated above his shoulder. Hope slowed his gait and the two continued in the opposite direction from Vanille towards the park square.

For a while, no one said anything, and Hope was grateful for the silence. He kept his head ducked as he tried to forget what had just happened. Why had he done it, anyway? It wasn't like it was particularly cold that evening, and though she had a thin build and showed plenty of skin in her Oerban outfit, Vanille was, impressively enough, still capable of bearing chilly weather. Of the two nights they'd spent in the Sunleth Waterscape, she had slumbered like a log both times, right on the dewy grass and without a blanket in the brisk Cocoon night.

"So, uh, Hope." Returning to reality, Hope realized that he'd been staring straight into one of the white plastic orbs that lighted up the walkway. Blinking the resulting streams of lights away from his eyes, he raised his head and saw Sazh button up his shirt until it fully covered the brand on his chest. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened back there? With Vanille?" His voice was void of any motives or expectation; he was purely curious, and, to some of Hope's relief, innocuously so.

This didn't stop Hope's heartbeat from quickening as the topic sprung up. He distracted himself by following Sazh's example and tugged at the yellow cloth on his left wrist, adjusting it over his own brand. From the corner of his eye, he peeked up at Sazh. The older man had assumed Hope didn't want to answer and went back to whistling a random, improvised tune, his tiny Chocobo tweeting along.

After the inky black arrows were entirely hidden, Hope opened his mouth to speak. "I gave her my scarf because—" he paused to wince, and Sazh halted his song to lean in, one eyebrow arched. "Because my neck was hot," he finished lamely, his explanation coming out in a meek whisper. Repeating the words amplified how stupid they sounded and brought a fresh wave of humiliation upon him, accompanied with a rush of blood that colored his skin scarlet.

It was obvious that Sazh didn't believe that such thin cloth could have caused Hope's neck heat issues, but, thankfully, he did not laugh at him. Neither did he bury his face in his palms and hide due to secondhand embarrassment, as Hope had mentally predicted.

"Dang," he said instead, dragging out the syllables. The abrupt interjection caught Hope's attention, and he squinted up at him. Sazh was wearing a mix of what appeared to be half of his trademark, easygoing grin and half a smirk of pleasant surprise. "I didn't know you had moves, kid. I'm impressed."

The remark caught him off guard, and as Sazh patted him on the shoulder in a congratulatory manner, the words sank in completely. Almost immediately, his cheeks became warm. Hope quickly dipped his head and pretended to be immersed in the glow of the pathway lights once more, hoping against hope that Sazh hadn't noticed anything—and, his stomach swirling at the very notion, that Vanille wasn't laughing about him right now.

Within seconds, he shook his head, changing his mind and pondering fervently to himself as the sound of a gathered multitude's clapping and cheering drew nearer. At least he'd given something Vanille to laugh about—and not the fake kind of laugh that she had forced through her teeth, but one where she would open her mouth and let it out, her pretty eyes squinting as she laughed, and maybe she would laugh so hard she'd have to clutch her stomach. And he found that he was okay with the scenario, because at least Vanille was laughing—even if it was at his own expense.