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The sound of gunfire sounded all too familiar now. In the facility, there were eyes staring at us. I guess since we were the only formally dressed people there. I turned my attention to her as I got ready to shoot. The shots she took were loud standing so close to her. At first, she was reluctant to come in with how she was dressed, bur after convincing her to go in, I think she was really starting to enjoy herself. She breathed out and took a step back. The machine carried the paper back that she shot at so that we could get a better look at how she did. I must say it was impressive. Most of the shots were toward the center. A dangerous woman in heels. "You're up." When she turned to me and said that, I was surprised. I thought this would be something that she would enjoy on her own, but not really anything for me to participate in.

"It's all you. I'm fine just watching."

"Just give it a try. See if you've gotten any better." That seemed like a challenge. I was interested. I set up the next paper bullseye target and sent it flying back with the press of a button. As soon as I was ready, I fired a couple of rounds. I figured I could use the practice plus...it was actually kind of fun. I would like to get as good as Lightning. Maybe even better...but I doubt I could get as good as her. After I was done, she pressed the button to bring back the target. The results weren't as bad as I thought they would be. She grabbed the sheet from the holder. "Not bad. You've actually gotten better."

"Thanks!" It made me glad to hear what she thought especially proving that our practice was having an effect.

She arched her eyebrow toward me. "So what now?"

An idea came to mind once she said those words. I knew what I would do next. "It's a surprise." Right away, I could see her become very interested. I was happy with her reaction. It wasn't one I expected her to have, but now I really hoped that she would like what I had in store. Before she could ask, I waved my hand back toward the exit. "Let's go."

Director's Notes 04: Operation Date:

"Hm... This is good." A smile crossed my lips. Looks like I picked the right spot for her.

"There's more where that came from if you want more." I couldn't help but notice the empty bowl on the table. Within minutes of ordering ice cream, she devoured it. I barely got through half of mine. I stood up from the table. "I'll get you another one."

As I got up, right away I heard a quick "No!" When I looked back, she seemed uneasy. Was it because she didn't want me buying another? Whatever the reason, why was it always cute to me when she did that look?

I sat back down. "What? I don't mind getting you another."

Her eyes drifted away. "I've had enough." It still sounded like she wanted one more bowl.

At first, I wasn't sure what I should do, but then I figured since it was a date, she should be treated to whatever she would like. I stood up before she could object and walked over to the open window. The seller smiled at me. He was nice in handing me another small bowl. I returned back to the table and placed the bowl in front of her. I lifted my eyes to see her while she looked away from me. I grinned amused. "What? Whatever you would like, I don't mind getting it for you."

"It's not that. Just...I've already had one bowl. That should be enough."

Ah! So this was what this was about. I grabbed onto my bowl and looked down at it. "These didn't have very much to begin with. You should be free to get whatever you want. Don't worry about anything else. Treat yourself. You deserve it." Eventually she breathed out and dug her spoon into her bowl. I smiled as I watched her. "I have to remember this. You really have a thing for sweets. I recall seeing a bag of candy in your bag during one of our missions."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine…"

All of a sudden, I heard a loud blast. I turned my head to see different colored lights exploding in the night sky into little dots and eventually disappearing. "I didn't know they were shooting fireworks tonight. It reminds me of the times in Bodhum." When I looked over, I saw her staring down toward the table. I started to get concerned. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

I leaned my arms against the table. "Tell me what it is."

She lifted her eyes up to mine before looking over toward the group that had gathered around to watch in fascination. "There haven't been any fireworks in New Bodhum for a while. Not since..." Her eyes drifted to the side. "Not since they did the purge."

I breathed out and looked off to the side as well. In the back of my mind, I've never forgotten the day that had changed my life as well. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I-."

"It's all right." Surprisingly when I looked up, I saw a warm, assuring smile. The warmness of her hand touching the top of my hand from across the table. "It's all in the past. We look forward to the future. Look straight ahead." She glanced over at the crowd again. "After everything that happened, what people want in the future is hope." Her words stuck out to me. I wondered if she truly believed that there would be a future filled with hope. It seemed as if she wanted to believe but at the same time she seemed skeptical. I didn't want her to be skeptical that things would be okay. It was something that I wanted her to believe in.

At that moment I felt determined to make her believe. I turned my hand over to where our palms were facing and grabbed on tighter to her hand. "The future will be filled with good things. We have to believe especially if we work at it. You were the one who taught me that." I witnessed the smile increase on her face. The most I had seen since I've known her. Just to see that, maybe this date had gone well, more than I thought.

Another loud blast filled our ears. We turned our attention to the sky to see more lights. Even when we were focused on the sky, I noticed our hands were still touching. It didn't feel as if I should be nervous or that I should quickly pull away. I was okay staying this way. As soon as I moved, I could feel her hand slip from mine. Before I could think, my body moved on its own. I slid my chair closer to hers. It had a better view of the fireworks as well. I smiled at her before turning my attention to the sky. A short time later, I felt a weight against my shoulder. When I looked over, I was surprised. Mostly I could see locks of pink hair. Did she…did she actually lean against my shoulder? I never thought she would get that close to me willingly. Slightly I leaned over curious to see her face. She was very still against me. I managed to see her eyes closed as if she was sleeping. Mostly she was tired from today, traveling from here to New Bodhum and back, attending the party with me, and all of the things we did after. I wanted to savor this moment. In silence I stared at the night sky as she rested on me. This really had been a good night.

Exhausted, she stepped out of the cab we took to her apartment. I followed behind her to say good night. She walked up the steps without looking back. For a second, I wondered if she would just walk inside without saying goodbye. I waited at the bottom of the steps to see what she would do next. Once she reached the door, she turned around to me. "Thank you…for tonight."

I let out a smile. This night wouldn't have been as fun without her. I took one step up. "No. I should be thanking you. You didn't have to come tonight, but…I'm glad you did. I had a lot of fun."

She gave a tired smile. "It wasn't so bad. At least not as bad as I thought it was going to be."

I was glad to hear that too. "Thanks." I laughed silently to myself. I guess it wasn't so bad with me. After everything that had happened, I didn't feel the need to hold back on what I wanted to say. "You really do look beautiful tonight, more than nice."

She seemed surprised. "Thank you…I guess. You don't-."

I took one more step closer to her. "I'm not saying it to be nice. I mean it. I wanted to say it all night. I just…" I rubbed the back of my head out of nervousness. "I guess I just didn't…didn't have the courage to say so."

She smiled toward me. "Then thank you."

Finally, I took the last few steps toward her. I didn't think to stop at the next words that came out of my mouth. "If it was fun, maybe we could do this again some time." Nice going…My mouth certainty jumped before my brain could think about what I was saying. I wasn't sure where the question came from.

She blinked at me surprised and curious. "You mean another date?"

Right away, I became nervous. She used the 'date' word which made it harder to get out of it. I started looking everywhere but her. "Well…it doesn't have to be a-" I shallow deeply. "…a date per say. I mean it could just be a night like this where…"

She placed her hand on her hip as she smirked. "You mean something where I have to save you when you need a date?"

"Not exactly that. It doesn't have to be an emergency or something similar. I just mean-."

The smirk she had turned into a gentle smile. "I guess…it wouldn't hurt…"

I relaxed a little. "Sure. Just like a small cup of ice cream like we had tonight. It doesn't have to be anything fancy."

She shrugged toward me. "Sure." I guess we both had our ways of coping through this awkward moment. At least it worked. It could turn into a potential 'date' again such as this, but friends didn't exactly go on dates and there were no talks of a relationship so where did that really leave us? Would we just float into the in-between, letting it pull us in either direction? Eventually I realized that the two of us were just staring at each other, face to face with our eyes locked.

What should I do? Staring wouldn't be enough. Eventually one of us would have to act in some way. For some reason, only one thought came to mind and one thought only.

The thought was ridiculous! It was insane! It was the kind of move that ruined things, worse than anything else that could have happened tonight. Maybe I was over exaggerating. I couldn't…could I? My breath had shortened, my chest had tightened, my body was going into what felt like an impulsive, hormonal overdrive. I could see everything up close of her facial features, beautiful blue eyes that you could easily get lost in like a vast ocean, full pouting, red lips that I couldn't help but wonder what they felt like if I touched them, if I had tasted them. Before I left my wonders go farther, what was I thinking? I didn't have any feelings like that for her and she didn't for me. I mean was it possible that she…that I could…?

Mentally I shook my head. How long have we been staring at each other like this? I had lost all sense of time. Logically it couldn't have been more than a minute, but honestly, I didn't have a clue. It could have been ten minutes or longer. That's how long I could stare at her like this.

I couldn't take it any longer. I leaned in as fast as I could as my fingers lightly grabbed the bottom of her jaw line and kissed her. My eyes were closed along with hers. I stepped forward causing her to step back, making her back press against the door. It felt so overwhelming physically, mentally, emotionally, almost like a new high, a new kind of excitement. It was something I couldn't help. It was discovering a new want in life.

There was only one little problem... What I felt wasn't the real thing. The kiss that we just shared was nothing but images in my head, a scenario that played out of what could have happened. I was still standing in the same spot staring at the same woman that I just daydreamed about. Nothing had happened. My mind just played a trick as if what I felt was real. I didn't know how it felt to touched her lips. What was strange was that my body felt overwhelmed as if it had truly happened. Based on this, even I had to figure that what I was feeling now was no way in comparison of what could have truly been.

"Hope? Hope?" Finally, her voice had reached out to me, fading in along with reality. How long had I been trapped in this thought pattern?

I shook my head, shaking the thoughts away as well. I placed my hand to my forehead. "I'm sorry."

"What were you thinking about?"

I gave a fragile smile. "Nothing! Nothing..."

"Hmm…" She tilted her head over toward the cab waiting behind me. "I think that guy is still waiting on you."

I looked back. Maybe I should say good night and go, but no part of me wanted to move. I wanted to stay here with her if just a little longer. "I'm not really in a rush to head back," I murmured out loud to myself.

"You could come in for some tea then. Will you be able to get home?"

I gave her an assured smile. "Yes. I have my ways." I was happier about this working out better than what I intended. I walked to the cab driver to inform him that I wouldn't need a ride back to my apartment and paid him for driving us here. Before he left, he gave a smirk toward me. At first, I didn't get why until he told me that I would be having 'a good night tonight'. At least when he drove away that was over. It was the furthest thing from my mind. I was glad to spend a little time with Lightning before the night was over. I made a quick phone call outside before heading inside. We had to travel up a few floors to get to her apartment. The place was smaller than I realized when I had first set her up with one after I had hired her. I just hope it was descent enough for her to live in.

We stopped at a door that looked the same as the others. She unlocked it and we both stepped inside. She flipped on the light near the door. I took a moment to look around. The apartment was clean almost like I expected from a soldier. It also seemed somewhat empty. Maybe it was due to the fact that missions kept her busy. There wasn't a need for a lot if she wasn't here most of the time. She looked back toward me as she grabbed a pot from the kitchen and filled it with water. "You can sit anywhere in the living room if you want."

I took her up on her offer and sat on the couch. As she boiled water, I continued to look around her apartment from where I was. I noticed a few frames that she had on her mantle of her and one other girl. At first, I wondered who she could be, but then I thought that she only ever mentioned another girl and maybe it was her sister Serah. I stood up from the couch and picked up one of the pictures of Serah and her standing together. Ironically, I had to smile. There was a bright smile on her sister's face with her hands in front of her while Lightning stood serious. I wasn't surprised at all that she didn't smile. If only she had, this picture would have been a lot better than it was now. She really did have a beautiful smile. "Tea's ready," I heard her voice behind me say.

I turned with the picture frame in my hand. "Is this Serah that I've been hearing about?"

She nodded. "Yes."

We traded hands. I took the hot cup of tea from her hand as she took the frame from mine. She stared down at it and became lost in thought as if she had come across some sort of memory. "It would have been all right if you wanted to stay with your sister tonight."

Amused, she shook her head. "Like I said before, she would've tried to convince me to go out anyway. She doesn't think I get out enough or relax enough."

I sat down on the couch and grinned. "I might actually be inclined to agree with her. I haven't seen you take vacations or anything since I've known you."

She sat down beside me. "I didn't see the need to."

I sat beside her without realizing until the last second that I had enclosed the space between us. "I know. You work hard for you and your sister. She recognizes it and so do I, so try not to work yourself into the ground." I smiled to assure her. "If there's anything you need. Feel free to come to me. I want to help in any way I can."

She shook her head. "That's nice of you-."

I pressed my hand on top of hers. "Please. Don't ever hesitate on me. That's what I'm here." Once again, her surprised look appeared. Maybe I was just full of surprises to her. Tonight, we were closer than we were before, not only as people getting to know each other, but physically. I was only inches away from where I wanted to be. Without words, our body language seemed nervous for both of us.

"It's getting late. You should probably go. It's not good to be walking out anywhere this time of night." Silently I sighed. I didn't want to leave. I even debated on whether or not I should figure out some way to get her to let me stay the night to spend time with her, but she had a point. It was too much to ask and it was getting too late. "Do you have someone to pick you up?"

I nodded toward her. "Yes. I called a personal driver that I use just in case of emergencies."

She shook her head as she closed her eyes. "Having people come at your call…"

I found her sense of humor amusing. It wasn't exactly telling the best joke at a party, but it fitted her as I've come to know her. I stood up and she followed me toward the door. We turned to face each other. "Thank you for the tea."

"I hope it wasn't too bad. I'm not the best at making it."

I smiled at her modesty. "It was great. You did a great job of making it."

She gave a brief, genuine smile toward me before she turned her head away and tried to hide it. "I would give you some to go since its getting colder, but I don't really have anything to carry it in."

"It's all right. I'll be fine." I'm surprised that she would go out of her way from something simple. "Good night."

"Good night…Hope." The way her voice called my name sparked something inside of me as if it was calling something deep down. She stepped toward me. Right away my mind imagined that she would give me a kiss on the cheek and I thought that would be the case, but… "I'll see you tomorrow possibly?" It was as if she had changed her mind at the last second. She stepped back from me and shook my hand. I straightened my head back up since I placed it down so she could reach my cheek.

I smiled toward her. A part of me was disappointed even though I thought I had no right to be. She was a dear friend. That was all. At least that was what I wanted to believe apart from reality. I nodded. "Yes. See you tomorrow. Thank you for tonight again. I guess you saved me."

As she smiled, she opened the door and let me step out. From behind the door, I saw that same smile one last time. "Good night."

After she closed the door, something inside of me felt as if it was in a tailspin. What happened tonight? I lingered by her door for a few seconds longer before I had to force my feet to move. I didn't want to leave, but it was only right. It was better to relax through all that had happened tonight. I've never had so many feelings come up the way they did. I stepped outside of her apartment building. Outside of it was the car I requested to bring me back home. Before I took off down the stairs, I took one last look at the apartment complex. Inside my heart, it felt warm at the thought of her, but it also panged that we had to separate. I found myself smiling only at the thought of her. At that moment, I did wish for another night we could spend together like this. I realized that I had never felt this way about anyone before even in my past. This woman who had come into my life only months before had changed it in a way that I had never thought of. After reflecting over everything that happened tonight, the adventure that I had, the thoughts of intimate moments and the feelings that came along with them, I had finally come to my conclusion.

I had fallen for the rose haired woman.

I shook my head as I walked down the stairs toward the vehicle and driver waiting for me. I couldn't tell if this new-found revelation was a relief or trouble ahead. I wasn't sure where to go from here. All I knew was I could figure it out since we had some time apart. There was no need to rush.

"Was tonight good Director Estheim?"

My smile increased. "Yes. It was."

The driver opened the door for me and I climbed in. I waited as he closed the door and stepped into the driver's seat. We took off in a matter of seconds. On the drive, I noticed how the lights scrolled over the windows and toward the top of the car. Eventually my thought traveled back…to her. Again, just the thought of her brought a smile to my face. Maybe the whole time I knew there was something about her that I just realized attracted me to her. Either way, I had reached my first step. I knew the things that made me care for her. I could go over the list in my head, but in the end, it was all the same conclusion. I had feelings for her and I would see where it would take me from there.

Unfortunately... would I ever get that chance...?

Just a few days after, something had happened.

During that moment, all I could hear was constant yelling from soldiers and a woman screaming in the background. Through all of the noise, all I could hear was her voice. "Hope?! Hope?! You have to stay with me! Stay awake! Do you hear me?! You have to stay awake!"

The only other time I heard her yell at me was during training or when she thought I was doing something reckless, but her yelling this time was nothing compared to how loud she were those times. I felt little shakes here and there, but eventually I couldn't feel anything at all. My eyes were barely open. I saw the white light above me. Everything was bright. All I wanted to do was drift into sleep. Before my hearing became mute, I could hear her yell at me one last time. "Hope! Don't close your eyes! You have to stay with me! You're stronger than this! Don't give in yet!"

I'm sorry…

"Don't you dare leave me!"

The darkness had taken over me.

I'm sorry

Lightning…

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