A/N: I know its been a LONG while, but I suffered a great deal of writer's block for the last three months. I couldn't write ANYTHING and I knew that you guys were going to skin me alive if I didn't do something eventually. Now, this I wrote in no time at all to let you guys know that this story is still alive. Hope you guys enjoy it!

-Dakk Tribal

Respite.

Lightning remained on Hope's couch all through the next day, skipping school just because she simply didn't want to attend. The day was warming up pretty darn fast, so she was dressed in short shorts and a tank top, lying with her legs bent and crossed over each other. Drifting somewhere between sleep and dreamland, eyes remaining closed, her mind locking itself away from reality but at the same time she couldn't help but think about the road her life was traveling down. She had a heavy heart, and it weighed her down in all sorts of ways, especially when it came to her school life. Lightning didn't have any friends besides Hope, and she had a lot more enemies than friends due to her dark and stoic nature at times. Seems when one is attracted to the quiet side of life they make more foes than friends.

Ever since she met Hope she had been more ambitious when it involved him, right to the point that she was his guardian supposedly.

She didn't regret 'moving in' with Hope, nor did she feel responsible for all the trouble she was causing for him (she blamed impeccable timing as the cause of it), but unlike Vanille she wasn't using him either. Getting rid of that skank had been pretty easy, since she had dug her own grave inadvertently a few nights before. She didn't deserve Hope anyway, that's what she believed. Vanille had tried to get Lightning to admit that she was using Hope as some sort of concubine or whatever immoral purpose she could pass along, but the more mature Lightning had seen through that ruse and instead had discovered that Vanille was using Hope to her own ends instead. When she left town, Lightning gave a sigh of relief as well as wishing that was the end of it between the three of them.

Still, she remained with Hope.

Well, that was something even she had trouble answering herself. At first it was because of an accident, and then she needed a place to stay for the night. Logically it was her best choice in her opinion, and then after that she decided to not return home and instead went on over to Hope's. She got lonely at her apartment, all by herself with no one to talk to. Whether Hope liked it or not, Lightning always liked talking with him.

'That's why.' Lightning realized, she had never noticed it before until now. The reason why I hang around Hope Estiem was because of that simple emotion. It was the only way she got over her own loneliness and sadness. She had been hiding it with expertise, how unhappy she often is with a fake smile, but behind the pretty face the student known as Fierce Lightning was a sad little girl.

Sitting up, Lightning sighed lightly, thinking that she was acting like an immature schoolgirl, "Simple loneliness...the true stalker of life. Everyone feels it, even someone like me."

After admitting her own weakness, Lightning felt her heart lighten a bit. She didn't think that would have been the problem for her to begin with, but now that it was made clear she realized she was not in the wrong now. Vanille was wrong.

Lightning stretched her arms over her head, "Speaking of Vanille..." Even though Vanille was supposedly out of Hope's life now, she wasn't going to give up easily, as they had found out when a group of her thugs tried to beat up Hope. Thankfully Lightning had been there to save him, but Vanille wouldn't stop there. She'd use any and all means necessary in order to get her revenge.

The only problem Lightning has was her limits. It'd be a waste of time to keep repelling Vanille, and even though she would be able to fight her schemes off there was no way she could do it forever.

"So...the next time that little wench tries something with Hope, I'll be sure to give her a very memorable beating.

For she was not going to let the only means of her happiness be taken away from her.

A/N: I've also come to the realization that this story, while popular as it is, has to end sometime and the last thing I want to do is keep writing to the point it makes no sense. The story will reach its conclusion sometime early next year. You can count on that.