I'm not sure what happened after that exactly. We were fighting soldiers, coming after us in large swarms. Lightning had kept her cool the whole way through. "There will be more soldiers, we should keep moving." Hope suggested as we began to slow down. "Lightning are you worried about the others? I'm sure they got away okay."

"So can you and Chrome if you leave now." She twisted around and glared at us with that distant look, "With me it'll be fight after fight. I don't know how it'll end. It's anyone's guess."

Hope gave a solemn look, something lost in his eyes. "I know that but I need to get stronger."

"Yeah wouldn't hurt me either. Hell maybe I can do something right for once in my life." I told with a grim tone.

We were conversing about traveling to Palumpolum which was my hometown. The word left a bad taste in my mouth. Incidentally Hope had also lived there as well. From there we would go to Eden to fully confront the Sanctum. I didn't have a second thought about this suicide mission though deep in my gut I knew something would go wrong.

Hope managed to capture a machine on the way there. Don't ask how exactly it happened, it just did. I gripped a hold onto his hips, whistling. "Wow! This is some beauty! Do you know how to drive?"
"No but do you?"

"Yeah I can teach you!" We shouted over the roar of its engine. I began to shift my hands over the controls and nervously he took each one, our hands managing to slide past one another until we both hit each other on accident. "Ow." I whispered sharply.

"Sorry." He blushed gently, looking into the machine's controls with better precision and skill. We slashed through the number of soldiers below us until a steep cliff was in our way. "Jump!" I shouted. He must've not got the message because he stuck with it as if fell. Lightning gave a tiny chuckle at how Hope landed like a turtle on its back. "Nice landing." She then had to go and show off her ass and flip down a collection of stairs. "Let's get moving." Poor Hope was still shocked from the pain of his rump, looking to me with disbelief at her statement. "wait, I'm still winded."

"You're too soft." She scoffed and twisted about, gracefully walking off.
I helped the silver-haired boy up and rolled my eyes, "What a royal bitch."
"She means well…I think." He told crossing his eyebrows with confusion. We were on a bridge speaking about the path ahead. We knew how tough this would be, trying to bring down a whole government. Lightning was so frustrated.
We lagged behind her, far behind. Hope tripped over some rubble, dragging me down with him. Lightning turned around, shaking her head. "This isn't working."

"What?" Both of us said.
"Your both liabilities. You're just slowing me down. I'm sorry I can't keep protecting you when-."

Something in her chest began to glow. "I can barely keep myself alive, let alone some helpless kids! I don't have time to baby you. You guys wanna get tough? Do it on your own!" She yelled in the pain of its bright pink light, a circle of runes starting to spread from her feet, clasping her chest with agony on her face. Crystals colored and shaped like rose petals followed the mark, I could smell a distinct flower scent in the air. She kneeled down as a beam shot from her glowing body into the sky. The clouds began to part and from them something amazing was born.

A knight, a silvery god with horns atop his armor stood there, challenging us. He drew his sword and swung at us. Just as I saw the end coming, Lightning took her sword deflecting the beast. He grimaced at her.
I helped the fight along by using my knives as much as possible. This thing summoned lightning from the skies, coating us with electricity sometimes. I started to see spots as I fought this monster. But just as things seemed desperate, the next thing I know Lightning gave a call and the beast stopped attacking.

We watched with disbelief as the human thing became more like a horse than anything, rose petals whipping about. After it disappeared she fell to her knees. "Was that your brand?" Hope questioned, "An Eidolon? Can l'cie summon?"

"Wait…" My eyes snapped at this statement. "L'cie? Are you two…" Just like Djos. That's what I wanted to say. Him with the scars. I could almost hear his flamboyant accent, that wonderful deep voice of his...

"L'cie." She repeated, growling at me. "Monsters. That's why I didn't want you to come."
"I'm not like others." I told her and myself, "I'm not going to leave you guys just because what they say."

After that intense moment of discovery, I noticed Hope glancing at her. "Are we really in your way?"
Lightning stood, not answering the question. She began to head onward, never glancing back. "Look! We promise we'll try harder. We'll do better…we'll…"

"Hope. Chrome." Lightning murmured. "I'll toughen you both up. But you blondie." She pointed at me, flicking my forehead. "You used to be a thief. So don't act like a complete wimp and keep your head on the game. Eyes to yourself." I was a bit puffed with anger at this. "But I digress. I'm sorry about before. "

"'s Alright." I whispered to her in the awkward silence. The Gabra Whitewood was ahead, the glowing trees radiating from the darkened skies. Just a step closer to home, and all that we had to do to get to it was cross a woodland filled to the brim with monsters the government created.

Lovely.

As we started to enter, I scooted closer to Hope. "Why do you want to get stronger? I thought you did a great job..."
"I need to let somebody know...somebody important, that I can hold out on my own."
For some reason my face began to take on a shade of red. I twiddled my fingers a bit. "Really?"
"Yeah. I'm going to show her...that I'll be great. i'm never going to make it seem like I'm a baby again."
My face grew with a gentle smile. A feeling planted itself deep in my chest, making my heart flutter. "Well, I'll support you all the way then."
"Thanks." He told as we bumped fists, giving tiny chuckles at the gesture afterward.
"No prob...I mean you're welcome..." I felt my voice heighten.
He gave a tiny nod and adjusted his boomerang.
Something at that point made me look at this boy in a different way. I saw strength within him, and it made me so proud and so...flittery and light feeling. Butterflies began to fill my stomach. But...what? This was the same thing I felt when Djos would look at me. I had swore to never feel it again and yet here it was.
Oh Maker, was I falling for Hope?