Chapter Seven

A year ago, they'd built a railway line to Oerba due to its popularity. Travelling by foot or other vehicle was too dangerous those days, what with the monsters both air and land based lurking the planet.

Hope was grateful. No doubt he'd get lost if they had to walk. And with their L'Cie powers gone, they couldn't fight off any of the monsters… well he couldn't, at least.

Lightning was sitting opposite him in their booth, staring out the window as the scenery flew past. Hope gazed at her, taking in her beauty for a second before she noticed.

"What're you looking at?" she mumbled, eyes fixed on the glass.

Hope laughed nervously. "Nothing…Hey, I'm sorry about last night. I guess I was a little drunk after all."

She smiled. "I know."

There was silence for a while between them. Hope was trying to find something- anything- to say to her. But everything he thought of would only work on a normal girl. Not Lightning.

"You know," she started form out of the blue. Hope raised his eyebrows and leant towards her in his seat. "Maybe all that stuff you said…about me being lonely…maybe that's a little true" she said.

He was about to reply, but she added, "But I'm not anymore. Not with you around. You always seem to make me happy. It's sort of weird."

Hope smiled. He placed his hand on her thigh. He blushed and held his breath when she placed her own hand on top of his. Things seemed so much easier when drunk…

"I'm glad" he whispered. He leaned in slowly to kiss her. Their first kiss (not counting the night before)…

Lightning leant in a little too.

But just as their lips were about to touch, the train came to an abrupt stop, throwing both adults into their seats.

Lightning rubbed her head. "They really need to get that fixed…"

Hope nodded, obviously frustrated. "Yeah… They can expect a strongly worded letter from me…"

Both laughed.

"Attention all passengers, we have arrived at Oerba. Repeat, we have arrived at Oerba. Please enjoy your stay."

Hope made Lightning hold his hand, so she "wouldn't get lost". When they got off the train platform, they gazed at Oerba, which had formerly been a L'Cie graveyard, now transformed into a lover's paradise. Hope caught sight of a few families as well, most of them young, some children with grandparents. He looked to Lightning to point out the changes, but she was staring at one of the huts, which thankfully they had not disturbed.

"I wonder if Bhakti is still there" he laughed.

"Yeah…Hopefully he is."

Hope snaked his arm around her waist. "Come on, let's go over there."

Despite feeling like nostalgia had hit her in the head, Lightning had a considerable amount of fun with Hope. He made her feel at ease- it was almost like he could sense when she was unhappy, when she was feeling uneasy and when she felt uncomfortable. And he was more than eager to change that.

When the sun was ready to go down, many visitors sat and watched as the sky turned from orange, to pink, to finally dark blue, as the sun disappeared on the horizon.

Hope and Lightning sat on the roots of an old tree and watched. A Cie'th once paced around the trunk of this tree, and on one occasion, Hope, Lightning and Fang fought it, bringing its melancholy reign over the old tree to an end.

Lightning sighed.

"I wonder what they're doing right now…What they're feeling…" Hope thought aloud, gazing at the vague outline of the crystallised Cocoon.

Lightning looked at him, taking his hand as he had taken hers throughout the day.

He met her gaze and smiled heartily.

This was his second chance. After his failed attempt on the train, he was nervous as ever. He raised a trembling hand to cup her face, resting his forehead on hers, before their lips crushed together.

It wasn't his first kiss, but it was the first kiss that really mattered.

"I love you, Light…" he whispered in her ear.

She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah…"

It was dark when they got back to the city.

Street lamps lit their way as they walked back to Lightning's home hand-in-hand.

Lightning closed the door behind them. "You should talk to your dad about going home, you know. He's probably worried."

Hope slumped down on the couch, pulling the blanket from the previous night over himself. He groaned. "I don't care. He can worry if he wants" he muttered. "I'm happy here. With you."

She sat on the couch armrest. "And I'm more than happy to have you here, but you've got to sort things out with your dad. He cares about you more than anything in the world."

He scowled and sat up. "I'll…call him in the morning, okay? I will… But I don't know if I want to go home… It just doesn't feel right…Doesn't feel like home."

She ran her fingers through his silver hair.

"Why don't you sleep on it?" she suggested, half-smiling.

Hope nodded. "Sounds good."