Chapter 2

Flashback

"A ... carnival?"

Hope shot a confused glance at his secretary as he fingered the leaflet. The usual morning zephyr that had entered his office via the open window ruffled his platinum blond hair ever so slightly. "Alyssa, why do you want us to go to a carnival on the outskirts of New Bodhum? Surely you realise these things are for little kids?"

Alyssa Zaidelle laughed. "Why, Director, they say going to funfairs or circuses make you feel young! You don't feel young anymore?"

Hope sighed, not bothering to question who "they" was directed to. "It's on a Saturday ... afternoon. I'm usually bus—"

"Director, why won't you just take a break?" Alyssa said, exasperated. "You've been working non-stop for three weeks and you're passing up a trip to New Bodhum? You haven't gone there once! Ask the Manager for a week's vacation. I'll help you!"

Hope eyed his assistant suspiciously for a minute more. "Why—wait, are you coming?" The thought had suddenly entered his mind.

"If you don't want me to, I'm fine, the carnival's staying for a week," Alyssa replied, although her mood had dampened.

Hope looked at the leaflet again. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'll go. Sorry, Alyssa, maybe I'll go with you another day. I have something important to do there that I have just thought of ..."

Alyssa shrugged, though she sounded defeated when she replied, "No problem." Sheesh ... missed chance! she thought as she walked straight out the door, closing it behind her with a slight slam.

Hope fingered his chin as he stared at the paper. "I've been doing a lot of research as to Sazh and Dajh's location. My results are that they've moved into a hotel near New Bodhum a few months ago. I remember I found something on the internet about someone interviewing them about why they never got a permanent house, and Sazh replied that he was searching for his family. I know his wife is ..." he faltered, then continued quietly to himself, "Anyway, we're the only other family he's ever known. Also, Dajh would never miss a carnival. I should probably go. Maybe I'll find them there!"

Had he been told about this decision of his five months before, he would have laughed until his sides had split and denied it. But now that he knew his choice, he definitely was not laughing.

And so Hope Estheim, aged 25, prepared to travel from Palumpolum to a kids' carnival that was going to be held on the outskirts of New Bodhum.

Oh Etro...


"Way too boisterous for me," Hope mumbled.

Everywhere around him, parents walked alongside their children. The youngsters were laughing and shrieking, running around with energy that made Hope feel dizzy. Colourful lights were flashing, accompanied with merry songs and cheerful exclamations. As Hope had had a long day at work, his eyes couldn't help but droop slightly, and his posture sank a little. Good thing I didn't let Alyssa come along, he thought, relieved. He was sure that Alyssa would have dragged him to almost all the rides.

He walked around for a while, searching continuously for a young boy with an afro hairstyle and dark skin, or a man with the same features. "Okay, all you have to do is just try to find Dajh running around with his chocobo chick, and then—"

"Daddy! Daddy! Look Daddy, it's Hope!" A chirp of delight followed the exclamation.

Hope swirled around, and when his eyes locked onto the little boy that had shouted his name, his eyes lit up instantly, his back straightening up.

"Or more like you, found me. Under ten minutes ... I'm impressed."

Flashback End

"And that's how I found Sazh and Dajh," Hope said proudly.

Lightning snickered lightly, raising a brow. "You know, it wasn't you who found them. It was Dajh who found you. Said so yourself, didn't you?"

Despite his minor injuries, Hope had, in fact, carried Lightning bridal-style to find a temporary shelter for the night (His face had turned red the moment he had picked her up and had stayed red until he had settled her down and she had drifted off). Their clothes had been drenched, making the run tough-going. However, Hope had persevered, seeing a sliver of hope in between the dark, ominous shadows of something called "temptation of giving up". His manadrive had only half it's energy left, after using two powerful Curagas' to stop Light's wound from getting worse. He needed to save it, for extreme emergencies.

He had found a small cave, set in the crevices of a large cliff. He had told Light not to move violently, backing himself up by saying that the wound needed to heal properly. He then had tried to find something useful to treat the wound. To his surprise, he found some bandages in his storage packs hanging from his waist belt, although questioning himself under his breath on how the strips had entered his pocket. "Definitely wasn't me who put those in," he muttered.

Finished with the task of bandaging Light, he sat her against the wall, with him next to her. Her breathing rate had stabled considerably, although her fever still persisted. He was almost out of ideas when he remembered that he had heard a faint sound of rushing water on the way to the cave. He therefore decided to check it out.

He had whispered to Light an "I'll be back soon" and had ran as fast as he could out in the dark before she could argue, somehow remembering the path they had taken. It was quite a scary realisation to him. It turned out that they had past by a stream of water before settling in their current location, and he had torn two pieces of the clean part of his shirt's long sleeves. To his relief, the water was cool, and he wet the torn pieces of clothing. He ran back, folding the cloths neatly and when he had returned, he placed one on her forehead, the other on her neck. He had (casually) undid the belt around her waist, and had slowly and gently bandaged the deep wound before running out of the cave, and the action had done two of its jobs pretty well when he returned. Her body had cooled significantly, and the wound was now able to heal properly. The belt lay next to him as he let out a sigh. They were both tired, that he knew, and thus had let her rest for a while; when she had woken up, he gradually directed the conversation to the story-telling.

The stream gives us water, but we need to find some food soon ... not to mention those wild animals that could maul us, especially now since Light's hurt.

Snapping out of his thoughts at her unexpected reply, Hope tried to laugh. "Yeah, although it truly was Dajh who found me. The next thing I knew, everything involved a load of hugs, pat on the backs, and a whole conversation that had lasted way more than half an hour as we walked out of the carnival, with a bonus of one peck on the head by a chocobo chick." Light smirked. "We had so much to catch up on. And I finally convinced Sazh that he could stay at my house for the time-being, to stay close to each other. I also promised to search for a house for them that was nearby. Dajh was happy with that arrangement and really couldn't stop jumping about." Hope smiled at the memory. "I also told Sazh of my plan to find the rest of our friends, and he agreed to help me with the radar and internet infomation as he had the same goal. Right now, he's probably at home, relaxing or playing with Dajh." He paused, faltering slightly. "Or maybe, panicking, because I'm not on the special radar. The first time I reunited with them had been months ago. I had warned Sazh that I may be gone for a while, and he noted it. But I ..." His unfinished words resounded in his head.

I wonder if we'll be able to reach home safe and sound like I told him we would.

Silence filled the cave.

"Hope?" Her quiet voice filled the empty void of silence.

"Huh?" Hope blinked. "Oh, sorry. Spaced out a little." He tried to change the subject quickly. "Anyway, I've gotta say, Chocolina really has grown. She fits Sazh's whole crown of a head!"

Light rolled her eyes, but the slight look of concern being directed at him was easily noticed. "You're probably exaggerating, aren't you?"

Hope pouted, and Light couldn't help but snicker. He looked exactly like he had when he had been fourteen. Without the chubby cheeks and rounded jawline, that is.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently after a moment, and Hope's face became serious. He looked away. "I'm just ... unconvinced, I guess. That we won't be able to make it home."

"You found every one of your friends, Hope, and you're giving up now?" Light scoffed. Did I say he grew up?

"I'm not giving up!" he lowered his abruptly raised voice, not daring to look at Light. He slumped against the wall. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's just ... I'm trying really hard not to tell myself to give up. I know, if I had given up, I wouldn't have brought us here. I wouldn't have bothered seeking for shelter. I would've just let you lay there soaking in the pouring rain. I would've let myself lay there too, and let that behemoth maul us to death." His eyes didn't give any emotion away, but the well-known emerald had turned to something darker—pine, maybe? "But I've come this far. I've found you. I can instantly imagine the disappointed looks on our friends' faces if I don't return home to all of them with the last missing jigzaw piece of the whole picture. The looks they'd shoot me if I let myself give up." He shuddered, pausing for breath. "I want to imagine seeing joyful expressions on all of their faces. So I'm not letting anything get in my way of returning home, with you."

Light's gaze softened. To his and her surprise, her fingers gently and uncertainly found his. He blinked at their connected fingers. "Sorry," she murmured. "I shouldn't have said that. I ... know you're trying your best. Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" he asked, though he was sure of the answer.

"Everything."

Warmth swelled in Hope's heart and travelled to every part of his body, despite the soaked clothes he wore. "Y-your welcome," he stammered, his face turning crimson yet again. He quickly turned his face to the side, where Light wouldn't be able to notice his flushed face.

Light stole a glance outside. "Though it doesn't look like we'll be leaving anytime soon."

The warmth vanished, as did the flush in his cold cheeks. "Then I guess we'll have to stay here for the night. No danger here."

Light wasn't convinced. "Are you sure you've checked the cave?"

Hope nodded. "While you were sleeping, I took a walk around the interior parts of the cave. No strange creatures."

Light raised a brow. "You went despite the risk."

It wasn't really a question, but he nodded. "I had to check ..."

The young woman shrugged, then winced. "We should get some rest."

Hope nodded, looking out the cave where the thunderstorm still persisted.

"Goodnight."

She snorted. "Thanks to that raging storm outside, you wouldn't even be able to tell whether it's night or day."

A hint of a smile lingered on Hope's face. "I say it's night."

Light was going to shrug her shoulders again when she clearly thought better of it. "Then goodnight."

Hope shook his head, the smile now unrestrainable. Comfortable silence took up the space between them as they slowly fell into a fitful sleep. Unknown to them, their fingers were still lightly laced together.

Woo-hoo! Chapter 2 up-to-date! So is Conan's!

Lil'butterflyever9