We'd finally reached a courtyard that led directly to the Estheim house. Though there were a few shocks there for us. One: Snow and Hope had beaten us there. Two: Snow was out cold, leaning on a wall. Three: A giant mech had appeared and Hope was fighting it. Alone.

The three of us ran in, weapons ready. "Fang! Watch Snow, will you?" I ordered.

"Why not you?" she demanded.

"I've got a bridge to build."

Fang looked at me briefly before nodding and putting her lance on her back, running to Snow. Lightning and I ran to back up Hope.

"You OK?" Lightning asked the boy.

"Better now," he replied in a fairly humorous tone. I blinked. Something had changed within this kid that I must have missed when I left the group.

"As much as I'd like to have a friendly conversation," I said blandly, "we've got a fight to win."

"Right!" Hope concentrated and launched a barrage of strong electric shocks at the mech, which flinched and lashed out with its steel pincers.

Use me! Cagnazzo suddenly shouted within my mind. There is no better time!

Okay. I looked at the others. "Get back!" I shouted.

They blinked, but fell back, out of the way.

On an instinct I didn't know I had, I reached behind me and pulled the moon-shaped crystal from my neck. "Cagnazzo!" I shouted, launching it into the air and hitting it with my sword. In a burst of circular runes, the Eidolon appeared, its royal sword ready. "Flush them out!" I roared for effect.

It shall be done! Cagnazzo roared silently as it attacked the mech. I ran in beside it, slashing at the enemy with my sword.

Master, the Eidolon said to me then. My Gestalt Form. It slammed its sword into the ground and discarded the shell on its back.

"Together now!" I proclaimed, sheathing my swords.

The Eidolon slowly took the form of the jet once again and I leaped onto it.

"Now we fly!" I grinned.

Torrent Shield! the Eidolon's voice called in my mind, causing a wall of water to block a sheet of flame that the mech had fired at us.

"Hold him back!" I shouted, pointing.

Rip Current! the voice replied, sending a sheet of water to appear around the flying mech, which tried to free itself with bursts of fire. It failed, and the mech seemed to get enraged. It roared something and charged right through the water and towards me.

Cagnazzo moved swiftly to avoid the attack and shouted, Hydro Blast! From its front came a massive water spout, aimed squarely at the mech. It flinched and sparked, the electrics clearly becoming flooded.

Let us end this, the Eidolon said to me in my mind, moving us to the discarded sword. Take up mine sword, and use it as thou uses thine own.

I nodded and grabbed the sword, which immediately bifurcated into two swords. Grinning, I jumped off Cagnazzo's back and into the air, crying, "Now we end it!"

Tsunami! the voice shouted silently, even as I waved the swords in front of me, sending a titanic wave at the mech. The sparks grew and began to catch on the flamethrower the mech had. Any moment now, it would explode.

I landed on the ground feet-first, the swords held aloft. I put them back into one sword and threw it at Cagnazzo, who caught it under a wing. "See you later," I smirked as the jet dissolved and returned to my neck in crystal form.

Behind me, the mech was writhing and flaming, clearly in its death throes. I looked back at it and smirked cockily. "Bye now."

As if responding to those words, the mech flew backwards, still writhing. After a moment, it exploded, the shockwave hitting me, but not knocking me over. My black jacket buffeted in the wind, and my brown hair became a little wind-swept.

With a smile, I walked back over to Lightning and Hope. "And that, my friends, is how you really use an Eidolon."

Hope chuckled a little, while Lightning punched my arm.

Fang stood nearby, an unconscious Snow draped over her shoulder. "Is someone gonna help me with Bandanna here?" she demanded.

I chuckled and walked over to her, putting Snow's other arm around my shoulder. "I'll take him myself. It's my job, after all."

She put his arm down and looked at me dubiously. "You sure? Isn't he a bit heavy?"

I grinned at her. "Nah. He ain't heavy. He's my brother."

A little later, Hope had led us to his house, where we were met by his father. Bartholomew, he'd introduced himself. He and Hope had a talk about the absence of his mother, whose name I discovered to be Nora, in a sad irony. Shockingly – or maybe not – Bartholomew had let us stay for one night. We were friends of his son, he'd proclaimed, and that was good enough for him. He'd also organised for a doctor who wouldn't ask questions to treat Snow. The man in question now lay on a bed shirtless, his ribs bandaged up. I sat on a stool nearby, while Lightning stood on the other side of the bed, her arms folded.

Snow stirred and we both looked at him. When he opened his eyes, he looked at Lightning. "Serah?"

The former soldier flinched a little. "Close, but not quite."

I chuckled a little. "Welcome back to the land of the living, buddy."

He turned to me. "Remus? What did…"

"We're at Hope's place. His dad's letting us stay the night. Unlike the rest of Cocoon, he doesn't want to shoot us on sight. Maybe because Hope's with us. Whatever."

Snow looked at the ceiling, his face hard to decipher. "It's my fault, just like he thought. I'm the reason she's dead."

"Stop that," I said sternly. "It was her choice to come with us, not yours." I broke out in a smile. "Looks like Hope's turned around, too."

"How do you mean?"

"He told me that Operation Nora didn't work out," Lightning put in.

I tilted my head and looked at her.

"That's what he called it. His plan to get back at Snow."

"Huh. What an irony that a woman named Nora died helping a group with the same name, huh?" I murmured sadly.

Lightning said nothing, looking at Snow. Her face wasn't angry like it normally was when she looked at him. This time it was more…compassionate. "You're OK?"

Snow grimaced as he tried to sit up. "I'm alive, if that's what you mean."

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly.

"Huh?" Snow blinked. "For what?"

"For not understanding about Serah. You were right. She'll come back."

I grinned to myself. Maybe it would be a happy family after all.

Snow must have thought that as well, because he smiled at her. "Hey, Light. What's your real name?"

Lightning looked at him, amused. "Have Serah tell you when she comes back."

Snow chuckled and sat up painfully. He stood up, grimacing, but he seemed fine otherwise. He put on his coat and half-limped out of the room.

I stood from my stool and walked over to Lightning. "Listen, uh…about that kiss…"

She looked at me with those piercing eyes. "What about it?"

"I just, er…" I couldn't hold her gaze for long. "It was just…something I needed to do."

"Look at me," she ordered, and I complied. Without another word, she pulled me forward and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. When she pushed me away, I blinked.

"Don't expect that to happen too often," she warned. There was a pause. "I liked it. The kiss, I mean."

"Y-you did?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have kissed you again."

I smiled. "The next one will be when this is over. OK?"

The ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "Sure."

There was a knock on the doorframe, and Hope was there. "My dad wants to talk to you all."

Lightning and I looked at each other and we nodded.