I'm so sorry for taking so long to get this up. School has been a huge burden. It feels like there aren't enough days in the week. On top of that, this chapter gave me some major writers block. When my friend talked me into doing nanowrimo, I nearly abandoned this for the rest of the month. I think I finally got something I like though, and something hopefully the rest of you will like.
This chapter hasn't been beta'd yet but, considering how long I've made you guys wait, I figure I would submit it first and have it beta'd later. Thanks goes to all you readers and reviewers for this chapter and to Revan Farron who sent me an encouraging message that got me back into writing this after I didn't think I would be able to motivate myself to do so until I was finished for the quarter. This chapter is also a bit longer than my usual chapters, so hopefully it will hold you all through until I get done with school. Might even have a chance to get caught up on nano! After I get caught up on my school work of course... OTL
Chapter 10
Lightning watched with trepidation as the falling rocks knocked the young boy unconscious in front of her. "Hope!" she shouted in alarm, kneeling over the boy and trying to clear the debris off him. It was clear he wasn't going to answer. She gritted her teeth, trying to gather him up. She was ready to carry him back if she had too.
Several stones fell on her, knocking into her hard and with an intensity that was going to hurt the next day. She lifted Hope, coughing in the dust that chocked the air. She tried to remain on her feet but the sudden cascade of rocks coming down on them was too much. A smack on the head from a particularly large rock sent her tumbled to the ground in a daze. She groaned, trying, in the chaos, to figure out how they were going to make it out of this. It was quickly becoming obvious that it was too late to run. At this rate, they wouldn't make it back to the tunnel even if she tried. All she found herself able to do was lean over, holding her body protectively over Hope's in the face of the onslaught of falling stone that was almost sure to kill them both.
As she braced herself for death, however, something even more startling happened. Lightning felt a swish of air stirred up by movements of something nearby. She turned around, half expecting the Yeti, even in death, to be coming after them. The sight that met her instead completely caught her off guard. Through the rocks, a large canine loomed before her. It wasn't just any canine. This creature was an enormous mechanical beast with three heads. It was black with a glowing ghostly green color around and inside its joints. It's six eyes were an equally eerie green.
It proceeded to crouch over them, it's large steel-platted body protecting them from the impact of the stones. Lightning stared up in a daze, unable to react until she felt a hand on her arm. It was Cid. "Let's go," he shouted. Lightning didn't have to be asked twice. She gathered up Hope and joined Cid in a mad dash for the tunnel, the beast towering over the two of them as it knocked away rocks with its nose and paws.
As soon as she was inside, she fell to her knees, letting Hope rest against her. She looked down at him, brushing some of the hair out of his dirt-streaked face. Though she was concerned about the boy, something else was bugging her. She turned to Cid, giving him a questioning look. The beast was looming behind him. It wasn't hard for Lightning to guess that this was an eidolon. But...how Cid had an eidolon, and why he hadn't summoned it earlier, was bugging her. She glared at him, waiting for an explanation.
Cid must have sensed what she wanted for he opened his mouth, ready to speak, but before any words could come out the piercing grind of metal on metal on metal rang through the air. Lightning's eyes shot to the source. Crouching down on the tunnel floor, the eidolon began to go through a transformation. The two heads on the side unfolded, changing into two thick intricately designed shoulder pauldrons. The tail and ears disappeared and a set of thick armor zigzagged across its body as it took on a bipedal stance. When it was done, what was standing there was a mechanical creature with a thick dog-like build, yet an eerily human face.
It waved its arm and a of dark energy swirled around Cid, afflicting him with what Lightning recognized as doom. Then, it motioned to them, waving towards itself as it challenged them to attack. Lightning knew was was happening – knew what was going on – but found herself uncharacteristically hesitating. She was still holding onto Hope and he was in no condition to fight.
Cid on the other hand, didn't hesitate. He dashed forward, swinging a fist at the summon. It held up its fists and blocked the move. Cid pushed himself back, his gaze shooting to Lightning. "This is an eidolon trial, is it not?" he asked.
Lightning didn't answer. She got to her feet, drawing her gunblade even as she held Hope against her. Every muscle in her body ached but she knew it wasn't over – not until Cid proved himself to this guardian.
The slightest smirk appeared on his face. "You've fought one of these beings before, have you not, Miss Farron? What kind of strategy would you suggest?"
"Use everything you've got," was Lightning's response, her eyes trained on the eidolon. She remembered her own eidolon battle very well, as well as Hope and Fang's. The goal was to figure out the eidolon's strategy and then adjust your own strategy to match. If they were offensive, you focused on defense, while if they were defensive, you focused on offense. Looking at this one, Lightning was guessing it was defensive. It was heavily built like Hope's Alexander and covered in thick armor.
Cid nodded and, together, the two of them sprang into action. Cid launched himself towards the beast while Lightning duck behind a large chunk of rock that had fallen from the ceiling and deposited Hope on the floor. She hated to leave Hope in such an exposed place but she didn't have much of a choice. Her hands briefly lingering on his back. She was surprised by the surge of emotions that suddenly ran through her; Guilt, compassion, affection, tenderness – emotions that all mixed into a blur. Her head spun. She couldn't think about this right now. She had to act. Not just for herself but for him – for all of them.
With a new surge of determination, Lightning got up and threw herself into the fray. The first strike landed against the metal armor with a clang. Her gunblade bounced harmlessly off, barely leaving more than a scratch. The former soldier didn't seem perturbed by this failure. Instead, she jumped up, grabbing onto the eidolon's shoulders with one hand. A pain shot through her still healing hand. She pushed it away. Using the shoulder as leverage to pull herself up, she aimed her gunblade at the summon's face.
Without warning, a fist shot forward, catching her full on in the stomach. Lightning was sent sprawling back. With the reflexes of a skillfully trained soldier, she twisted her body so that she landed on her feet, throwing herself back into the battle without pause.
The eidolon turned to Cid. With an amazing amount of flexibility the man aimed a kick upward, smashing his foot into the eidolon's chest. The eidolon caught him by his foot. Cid tried to wrench his foot loose but before the eidolon could act, Lightning dug her gunblade into its shoulder joint. With the brief amount of time this move bought him, Cid swung his second foot up, smashing it against the eidolon's chest. The eidolon let go, staggering back slightly before coming to a halt.
The two of them jumped back, both panting slightly. They gave each other a look, seemingly confused as why the eidolon had halted. Their curiosity was fulfilled when the eidolon's shoulder pauldrons opened up and two machine gun barrels came forth, each looking like a dog head with an open mouth.
"Shit," was all Lightning got out before they began to fire. Several bullets tore through body but something inside of her kept her moving forward. Reaching the summon's leg, she swung her blade, aiming for the joints where the armor met. She sliced in, the gunblade visibly cutting into the vulnerable area. A wave of cure washed over her. Apparently Cid had switched to the medic paradigm. Lightning didn't have time to give it any thought. Her one focus was on her foe.
She got behind the summon, switching between gun and blade form as she worked at damaging it. It soon became obvious what the eidolon's strategy was. It would stand there, letting Cid and her land some hits. Then it would charge at them, using it's body as a battering ram and finishing off with those machine guns.
"Raines, when you see those guns coming out, switch to the sentential paradigm," Lightning instructed. "Otherwise, attacks and heal when necessary."
Cid followed her instructions but, even as they worked together, Lightning was distinctly aware that his time was running out. If they didn't finish things off soon...well...Lightning didn't want to think about what would happen. To make things even more difficult, her own strength was slowly waning. With each and every step, she found herself having a harder and harder time pushing on.
As several new bullets hit her, leaving the flesh of her left arm mangled and her clothing even more torn and blood-soaked than before, she realized Cid was spending too much time healing her. Even with taunt, the attacks seemed to be hitting them both equally.
They needed a different strategy and they needed it fast.
Lightning glanced around the tunnel. Rocks and boulders surrounded her. Again, she found her mind muddled as she tried to think of something – anything to give her and Cid an advantage. She saw the eidolon coming at her. She twisted away from its fist, which smashed into the floor, sending rocks of all sizes scattering in every direction. Lightning kept an eye on the summon, trying to calculate its next move. She was slightly taken aback when there was a sudden halt in its movement. It was for less than a second but with her training it was enough to catch her attention. Her eyes shot to the source of the sudden jerk and she saw it – saw the small pebble wedged in the joint that connected its upper and lower arm.
Something in her mind clicked. Picking a rock off the floor about the size of her fist, she charged forward, ducking down as she shoved the rock directly into the joint connecting the thigh with the calf. There was a low grinding sound as the movement in that leg came to a sudden halt, causing the large mechanical summon to falter.
Lightning wasted no time in launching her next attack. She dug her blade into a slit in the armor where the waist met the chest. Placing both hands on the hilt of the blade, she sent a thundaga from her manadrive through the length of the weapon and into the eidolon's interior before slicing down the length of the slit. The eidolon seemed momentarily paralyzed by the attack.
Cid, seeing what she had done, followed suit. Picking up a rock, he shoved it into the other joint, using a blizzaga to freeze it into place and further interrupt the eidolon's movements.
The summon strained to move. A few seconds of pressure and the ice shattered completely. Still, the stones couldn't be broken as easily and the struggle it was having with its movement significantly slowed it down. It brought out its guns and tried to fire on them but this time both Lightning and Cid were ready. They moved out of the range of the bullets. Without free movement in its legs, the eidolon simply couldn't keep up.
None-the-less, even with the upper hand, Cid could feel that his time was nearly up. 'Come on! Move!' he thought to himself, gritting his teeth. He delivered another series of kicks, urging his body to go faster – to use more of his strength. He was already straining it to the limit but every second he wasted brought him closer and closer to death.
Lightning sliced below the shoulder plate, putting everything she had into her upper arms. As she leapt back, a bullet hit her in the shoulder. Cid noticed this out of the corner of his eyes but knew there was no time left to switch to the medic paradigm and heal her. He could feel he only had seconds. He leapt up, combining his strength and magic to deliver a blow that he could only pray was enough to send the eidolon over the edge. The thought that he wasn't going to make it flashed through his head. He didn't have time to entertain it. He braced himself, ready to face the outcome, whatever it was.
Suddenly, the eidolon came to a halt. A bright white light surrounded the creature as it began to go through a familiar transformation. The thick armor disappeared, the shoulder pauldrons transforming back into the other two heads and the third face began to change. By the time it was done, the gestalt had changed back into the 3-headed canine. All three heads gazed at Cid, seeming to usher him. The man grabbed onto the canine and hauled himself up onto its back.
Lightning let out the breath she had been holding. They had done it.
Cid jumped off the creature and it dispersed, his brand glowing momentarily before it faded.
Lightning stood there, her hands on her knees as her breath came out in soft pants. She looked to Cid, who looked equally battered. There was an exhaustion to his expression as his eyes met hers. For a moment, there was a silence. Then, Cid approached her. "You're hurt, Farron," he said, looking down at her shoulder.
"Yeah..." Lightning looked at the location where the bullet had gone through her. She winced. It had soaked the area in blood.
"Here," Cid said. He put his hand to the spot. Lightning gasped, a pain shooting through her arm as he touched it. A momentary green glow surrounded the area and the wound was gone.
Lightning looked up to Cid, her breath heavy and face streaked with sweat and dirt. Rather abruptly, she grabbed him by he hem of his shirt. "What the hell just happened?" she hissed.
Cid looked slightly taken aback. "Excuse me?"
"Don't play innocent," Lightning growled. "Why did you bring us here? You said you knew what we would be up against. If so, why weren't we prepared to face that...that monster!? Was this an ambush? Are you trying to kill us?"
Cid looked back at her blankly. "If you could calm down, Miss Farron, we can talk about this reasonably."
Lightning didn't hold back. She hit him square across the jaw. Cid stood there, looking slightly dazed at the abrupt and violent move. He reached to his jaw and rubbed it. A small drop of blood trickled down his lip. "No," he responded, bringing his eyes up to hers, a sudden seriousness to them. "I am not trying to take either of your lives, though I am starting to suspect that somebody else is."
A momentary confusion flashed across her features but was quickly replaced with disbelief. "And what makes you think that?" she asked, shoving him against the wall of the tunnel in one swift motion. Despite their size difference, she was clearly in control of the situation – though the fact that large man was remaining passive to the onslaught of her aggression probably helped. Cid kept the same unreadable expression on his face. "Well, for one, it would be quite foolish of me to get caught up in the battle if I were trying to kill you. For another,Yeti rarely ascend to such a low elevation."
Lightning raised her eyebrows. "That is why you think somebody, other than you, is trying to kill us?"
"Well that and the fact that Yeti don't live in this mountain range."
That seemed to catch Lightning's attention. "So, if you think somebody is trying to kill us," she said, suddenly looking quite exhausted as she let go of the mans collar, "Then who is it?"
Cid looked oddly sheepish. "It's only a theory."
Lightning narrowed her eyes. She suspected there was something Cid wasn't telling her. Though it wasn't entirely improbable that someone was trying to kill them, to draw such a conclusion from evidence that wasn't particularly incriminating was suspicious. None-the-less, she didn't press it. At the moment, she was too exhausted and she still had Hope to worry about.
Picking up her gunblade, she returned to the boy. He was still unconscious, laying back against the rock where she had left him. Lightning checked his pulse and was relieved to find it was still there. Methodically, she began to brush her hands over his exposed flesh, checking for bumps and bruises. She soon found it: a wet spot on the back of his head where the flesh had been torn open upon the impact of a blunt object – almost certainly a stone from the rock slide. Propping him up against the stone wall, took some gauze out of her bag and began to bandage him up.
By the time she was finished, she was on the verge of collapse. She knew she had more than a few wounds that cure hadn't taken care of entirely. None-the-less, now that she had taken care of Hope, she found she didn't have the energy or even particularly care about addressing her own injuries. Gently bringing Hope down so that he was was resting against the ground, she barely even bothered to note that he was still there as she collapsed onto the floor next to him, one arm still draped across his chest. Even with the ache that thrummed through her entire body, she was asleep within minutes.
Hope awoke with a dull throbbing pain in his head. The first thing he noticed was just how parched his throat felt. There was also something warm laying across his chest and, as he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see it was an arm – Lightning's arm.
"Light?" he croaked, turning over and finding her face just mere inches from his. A blush creeped onto his cheeks. Then he noticed her condition. She looked so beaten up. His bashfulness quickly turned to worry. "Light! Are you okay?" he said, looking frantic as he got to his knees and grabbed her by the shoulders. He had to know that she was okay.
A sudden voice from behind stopped him. "I would leave her be, Estheim. This is the first she's slept in a while."
Hope looked up to find Cid sitting around a small fire just a few yards off. He looked bruised too but significantly less so. Hope narrowed his eyes. He suddenly found his anger and frustration being directed at the man. "What do you know about Lightning?" he spat.
As usual, Cid wasn't at all taken aback by his aggression. "I know that she hasn't been sleeping well since we've met."
It was Hope who was taken aback. His eyes widened. Sure Lightning didn't sleep much but he hadn't really given it much thought. For some reason, he felt ashamed. Was he really so caught up in his own problems that he hadn't considered how Lightning was holding up?
"Here." Hope was surprised to find Cid holding a water bottle out to him. Remembering just how parched he was, he begrudgingly accepted it, screwing off the cap before tilting it back and letting the liquid sooth his sore throat.
"Thanks," he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he handed the water bottle back, refusing to look at the man. Cid nodded in acknowledgment and took it back.
A silence fell over the two of them, Hope staying by Lightning's side while Cid sat around the fire, his eyes aglow with the reflection of the flames. Hope's hand absentmindedly wandered to Lightning's, his gaze on her face. Despite her condition, she looked so peaceful, so serene. Not even the dirt and bruises could detract from the subtle beauty of her features.
"Light," he whispered, a tender expression on his face. He brushed his thumb across her hand. He hated to see her like this. He wanted her to be okay. He didn't want her to be bruised and dirty and sleeping so badly she obviously hadn't had time to tend to herself.
Lightning didn't respond. She was out cold; apparently not even his touch could rouse her. Perhaps that was for the best. Lightning seemed to tolerate physical contact to a certain extent, but she also seemed a bit uncomfortable with it. He imagined Lightning probably wouldn't take too well to waking up with him touching her in any manner.
Where he couldn't rouse Lightning, however, he did seem to rouse the attention of Cid. As Hope looked up, he found the man staring curiously at him. For a moment, there was complete silence as Cid looked at Hope, his expression remaining passive and unreadable, while the teenager looked back at him with his obvious suspicion and mistrust for the man. What happened next was something Hope never could have predicted.
"You love her, don't you?"
It was a straight forward question; there was no innuendo tied to it, no judgment. Yet Hope's heart nearly came to a stop. "Y-you mean Lightning?" he croaked, his eyes going wide. Cid's gaze remained fixed on the boy, his expression unchanging, but Hope knew he didn't have to elaborate. Something subtle, clear yet undetectable about his expression, told him that Lightning was exactly who he meant. Then again, it wasn't hard to deduce, from their current circumstance, that Lightning was the ONLY person he could possibly mean.
Hopes jaw hung slightly agape, his own puzzled yet shocked expression indicative of indecision on his part. He wasn't sure what to say. The question repeated itself in his head. Did he love Lightning? It wasn't something he had really considered. Perhaps because, when he thought about it now, the idea of being in a relationship with Lightning seemed totally out of the question. Even without the impression that she wasn't interested in dating, he was far younger than her. Out of all people she would possibly be looking for a partner in, she surely wouldn't give a boy like him a second glance.
Still, the question wasn't how Lightning felt about him; it was how he felt about her. As he thought about her – about her voice, the softness of her face when she smiled at him, the way he felt whenever she touched him – he found his face heating up, his pulse rate rocketing upward as a sudden primal drive took over his body. He couldn't deny it...the way he felt when he was around her. Was this love? Or was it something even more – something that wasn't so innocent? He looked at Cid, a feeling of panic rising in his chest. He couldn't feel this way about Lightning. Even he knew something about it wasn't right. She was a fully grown woman, and he still just a teenage boy. To consummate that sort of relationship with her would be breaking an unspoken taboo.
Cid's expression suddenly softened. Hope was surprised. He had never seen the man look so...gentle. "I think Miss Farron is quite fond of you too."
"R-really?" Hope stuttered, unable to hide the hopeful eagerness in his expression.
"Yes. But I don't think it will be easy to convince her to reciprocate her feelings," he mused.
Hope couldn't help the way his expression fell. Still, something about it piqued his curiosity. "You...you're not bothered by it?"
Cid shrugged. "It's really none of my business," he said.
Again, the part of him that was suspicious of this man clicked into gear. "Then why did you ask?"
The smallest smile graced his lips. "I wasn't really expecting an answer."
Hope suddenly felt stupid. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he meant that it had been put forth as a rhetorical question. Yet, somehow, that fact had slipped by him completely. Hope turned his gaze away from the man. He wasn't sure what he could possibly say now that would be completely and totally awkward. In the end, though, it didn't seem to matter. Cid didn't appear to want to pursue the topic any further.
Part of Hope was thankful. Another part, however, felt a nagging desire to explore the topic himself. That he had feelings for Lightning was obvious enough. But what kind of feelings? What did they mean? It was both terrifying and exciting to think about. Part of him wanted to resign himself to it while another part wanted to push it out of his mind – to try not to think about it anymore than he already had to.
Lightning, after all, was still Lightning. Why add anything that could compromise their already odd relationship to the mix?
"Well have to just take what we need," Cid said. He was standing over the two dead chocobos. They had been on the opposite side of the tunnel when the land slide had happened. Still, one had instantly been killed by the behemoth and, according to Cid, he had had to put the second one out of its misery soon after. One pack had been thrown over the cliff so that just left one pack with Cid's stuff. It would be a burden, even between the three of them, to carry what was left in the remaining pack.
Lightning let out a grunt of some sort but otherwise didn't acknowledge him. She paced back and forth. She had been restless since awakening. Hope had a feeling that she was very frustrated about their situation, something which made him feel even more guilty about that rock slide. This was partly his fault.
He wondered about it. He hadn't gotten the entire story as to how exactly they had survived. The last thing he remembered was the rocks coming down on them. He wanted to ask Lightning but, again, she didn't exactly seem to be...in the greatest of moods. Cid hadn't seemed inclined to give him the details either. Then again, he hadn't asked the man.
Hope turned to Cid. He was going through his pack. What he suddenly brought out as Hope watched piqued the boy's curiosity. It was like leg braces, bands of metal crossing over two vertical rods in the shape of a leg. Each band seemed to be connected to the one below it with a hinge, something to allow for the obvious flexibility a leg would need. What really caught his attention though were the blades near the shin, sticking out of one side of each boot like some sort of bizarre talon, as well as several shorter blades running up the ankle.
Cid must have noticed his questioning look as he gave the teenaged a nod. "Gaffs," he responded. "Didn't want to wear them before, not while riding a chocobo, but since they're gone..." He reached down, rubbing his finger along the edge of the blade. "...these will be useful weapons," he finished.
Hope had never heard of gaffs, but they seemed to fit the man and his combat style.
Hope's thought wandered to his boomerang, a heavy feeling entering his chest. It had been in the pack that had been thrown off the cliff and, for some reason, it pained him to think that he had lost it. Sure, his lack in commando training had made it nearly useless to him, but it had still been his; an emblem of his former life. In a strange sort of way, it felt like he had lost a part of him. Not only that, but he had also lost his gunblade. There would be no more training for him. He doubted Lightning would even want to train him after making such a mistake.
As Hope's mind wandered, he wondered what kind of weapon he would use now. Perhaps he would find another gunblade? Maybe, if they ever got back their abilities, he could expand his commando Crystarium. Then, for some reason, he began to wonder if it would impress Lightning. She had been impressed with how much more quickly he had gotten stronger before.
"Hope!"
Hope turned to Lightning, who had barked his name. He cringed slightly. "Yeah, Light?" he responded, hoping that she didn't notice just how red his cheeks probably were right now. He still obviously had the conversation with Cid from earlier on his mind.
"How much weight do you think you can carry?" Hope was surprised at just how less harsh the question had been than before. His heart did a little flip, a warm pleasant sensation rising in the pit of his stomach. He tried to gulp it down but he found he was suddenly having a hard time breathing.
"Hope?"
She sounded impatient. "30 pounds!" Hope squeaked, realizing Lightning was waiting for an answer.
"30 pounds?" Lightning looked skeptical.
"Chocobos aren't the only ones who eat their greens," Hope joked nervously, giving her a half hearted smile as he patted his chest, but Lightning just kept staring at him, the joke going over her head completely. The left corner of her lips twitched. Hope's own bottom lip quivered.
"Here we go."
It was Cid's voice and as Hope turned to him, he saw that he was holding an article of clothing in his hands. It looked to be a fur coat – the type of coat one used to wear on those brisk winter evenings when the temperature in Palumpolum dropped into the low 40's, only larger and thicker. "I think this will fit you, Farron," he said.
"And why the hell would I wear that?" Lightning asked.
"For crossing the pass. Another couple thousand feet up and we hit snow." He wrung out another jacket. "This one should do for Estheim," he murmured.
"Snow?" Lightning said, not looking at all pleased. For some reason, the first thing that popped into Hope's mind with her tone was the person, not the flakes of crystallized water. She sounded so much like she sounded when she was referring to him, it was almost comical.
"How high are you taking us?" Lightning asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"High enough," Cid responded, his eyes still on the coat. "We won't be able to cross the mountains without hitting it." Cid looked up, holding the jacket out to Lightning. Lightning glared at him before snatching it out of his hand.
Hope tried his on. It was a little large for him but he didn't mind. It felt fluffy and warm and some of the brisk coolness from the morning air was lifted. He glanced at Lightning but she didn't appear to be putting hers on.
Cid emptied the remaining pack. Various things came spilling out: dried foods, extra clothing, blankets, first aid supplies, a length of rope, several knifes, a sewing kit, a lamp, cookware, silverware, bottles of water, a bedroll, a tarp, gysal greens, potions, phoenix downs, various shrouds, and even a map. Hope couldn't help but wonder just how he had gotten all this stuff. It must have all been invaluable. "Take what you can carry," he said, offering each of them one of the now empty knapsacks.
Hope immediately went for the shrouds. Who knew if they might need to avoid another monster? As he reached for the nearest decepticol, though, he felt a hand bump into his. Looking up, he found himself looking into Lightning's eyes. Hope jerked his hand away so fast, he nearly smacked himself in the face. Lightning raised an eyebrow at him. Hope's gaze fell to the ground. He heard a sigh. "What's on your mind, Hope?"
What was on his mind? Hope shook his head. "Just feeling a little jumpy," he said. He imagined trying to ask Lightning for advice on what he should do about these feelings, maybe using somebody else as an alibi. But who else could he even use? It was just the two of them and Raines.
Lightning gave him a concerned look but didn't push it.
Hope packed several of the other things he knew he would need, trying not to think about how close Lightning was or the tension he felt between them. He picked up the lantern, some dried fruits, and a pan. He wondered if they would have enough to make it over the pass. Would they run into another one of those yetis? Would they be prepared for anything that they could possibly face? Though he didn't want to admit it, their last run in had left him feeling shaken. Even worse, he felt like what had nearly been their death was his fault. Was he even safe to be around? Would Lightning and Cid be better off without him?
He was surprised again when he felt a hand on her shoulder. He looked up, found himself looking into Lighting's eyes. She seemed hesitant, almost nervous. For some reason, he nearly jumped when she spoke.
"Listen, Hope. Whatever negative thoughts you are having, don't entertain them." Her voice was gentle yet stern. She looked back to him and Hope saw an unexpected ferocity. "Were going to make it through this and were going to do it together."
Hope nodded, something fluttering in his stomach. "I know, Light," he said and, at that moment, he believed her. As he sat there, looking into her eyes, he thought about the power that she probably didn't even realize she had over him. Just a touch from her had sent his confidence soaring.
He caught a faint upturn of the corner of her lips. His pulse rocketed upward and he found his own lips slowly curving into a smile. Before he could gauge her reaction, though, a voice rang through the tunnel.
"We might be able to dig our way out."
He was standing at the side of the tunnel that had been buried – their only way out of here. Lightning turned to the man and Hope felt a frustration in their moment being cut off.
Lightning joined Cid at the buried entrance. She brushed her hand over the wall of stone that blocked their path. Hope watched her brows furrow, her face set in stone as she stared at the wall. It looked like she was thinking deeply about the problem. Cid knelt there, an equally thoughtful expression on his face as he gazed at the obstacle in their path.
Hope glanced at the obstacle himself. It was a solid rock wall, pouring into the tunnel itself. Even if they managed to dig their way out, who knew what they would find on the other side? Perhaps the entire path had collapsed into the abyss. If that was the case, they would have a very difficult time getting out of here, which would be bad news for him and Lightning as their brands gradually advanced. The idea left a feeling of dread in Hope's chest. If they failed their focus because of this...
"We could build a bomb."
It was Cid's voice again. Both Hope and Lightning's eyes immediately shot to the man, looking at him as if he were insane. "And bring this entire mountain down on top of us?" Lightning retorted.
Hope was wondering more HOW they were going to build a bomb.
"If we are careful, we can do it without bringing anything down but the wall," Cid responded casually. "We have everything we need to build it. We just have to do the actual building." With that, Cid turned around, strode past Hope, and grabbed his knapsack.
"Hey what are you..." Hope said, trailing off as Cid dumped all the stuff he had carefully packed. Cid examined the contents for a moment before shaking his head and moving onto his own bag. After a moment of searching, his eyes seemed to light up. "Ah. This will do." He picked up a relatively small metal canister, taking a moment to size it up before pouring out the water inside. "Miss Farron. I believe you have quite a bit of ammunition on you?"
"You're actually making a bomb?" Lightning responded, her eyes narrowed at him.
Cid didn't answer; he only looked expectantly at her.
"No way," Lightning growled.
"No way?" Cid repeated.
"You start another rock slide and this will be our grave."
"I don't understand, Miss Farron."
"What don't you understand about, 'I'm not helping you build our grave?'" Lightning snapped.
"The part where I help you build our grave?" Cid said, honestly looking confused.
Lightning only looked pissed. For a second, Hope was afraid she was going to actually hit Cid. Instead, she abruptly picked up her knapsack, turned around, and strode off.
Hope was even more confused by her reaction. "Wait," he said, running after her. "Light, where are you going?"
"I'm getting out of here. If that moron wants to bring the mountain down on us, I'm not going to be here." She looked up the mountain. It was a sheer face for hundreds and hundred of feet.
"W-wait, Light, what about the monsters?"
"What about them?"
"Don't we need Raines?"
"Not if he's going to kill us," Lightning said, turning away.
"So...were just going to leave him?"
Lightning paused for a moment, appearing to be considering his question. Then, she walked up to the cliff face and began to brush her hand across it, likely looking for a foot hold.
A sudden realization hit Hope. Lightning was leaving. She was honestly leaving. It felt like the vile peaks all over again. There was no way he could climb that cliff face. It didn't even occur to him that Lightning was less likely to leave him behind now than she was back then. All he could feel was this fear from the notion that he was about to be abandoned. "What if something happens, Light? What if you get into a battle and you need him?" Hope said, his fear evident.
Lightning huffed. "I don't need his kind of help," she said.
Hope's heart sank. "What about me?" he asked softly.
"What about you?"
Panic took over. "You're...you're just going to leave here without me?"
Lightning turned to face him. She looked somewhat taken aback. "I'm not leaving here without you, Hope," she said.
"You're not?" Hope was unsure whether to feel embarrassed or relieved.
Lightning sighed. "I wouldn't just leave you, Hope," she said, looking somewhat exhausted.
Relief swept over him. Still, something about this bothered him. "Light, I don't think Raines is trying to get us killed," Hope said.
Lightning suddenly whipped around. "What do you want, Hope? I'm not stopping you from staying with Raines if that is what you would prefer."
Hope was surprised by just how cold her gaze was. "I want to come with you, Light," he said, giving her a pleading look, "But I don't think we should leave Raines." He wasn't quite sure why he was defending Cid. He didn't particularly like him. At the same time, he genuinely felt that leaving Cid was a bad idea.
"Why not?" she said, putting a hand on her hip. Though she still looked angry, she at least looked like she was giving him her attention.
"Think about it Light. Climbing up that mountain will take so much longer. Cid can get us out quickly. I think he knows what he is doing. He's helped us, Light. He's fought by our side. It just doesn't make sense that he would take such a risk after working so hard to keep us alive."
"What makes sense about him wanting to help us in the first place?" Lightning responded. "Listen Hope. I don't know why, but he has his reasons, and I doubt it's out of the goodness of his heart. He betrayed us once. Do you think he won't do it again?"
There was a moment of hesitation on Hope's part before he said what he said next. "I don't know, Light. Maybe he will. I don't know what Cid will do, but I do know that this is unfamiliar territory. Cid knows about this world. He can use magic. We can't. He can protect us. Without him, any number of things could go wrong. I know you don't like him. I don't like him either. But we have to stick with him."
Lightning snorted. "Protect us? So far, all he is proven is that he is a little less useless than us. You've got decepticol on you don't you? We don't even need him."
"You don't know that, Light. What if something happens? What if-"
Lightning cut him off. "If something happens, we'll handle it Hope. Were fully capable of taking care of ourselves. In fact we were doing just fine before he came along."
"Light, If he hadn't come along, I would be dead," Hope blurted.
There was a sudden pained look in her eyes. It surprised Hope. He hadn't expected Lightning to...have such a reaction. Before he could think about it though – before he would decipher what it meant – the pain was replaced with anger. "I don't need to reason with you, Hope," she snapped. She turned away from him, ready to walk away.
Without thinking, Hope reached out and grabbed her wrist. Lightning froze. Hope was suddenly afraid that he had done it now. He was afraid she would take her anger out on him – that she would say something that would really hurt. Instead, when she turned back to him, she simply looked confused.
Hope saw it as his chance to speak "Light...if you don't trust Raines, please at least trust me," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "I don't think either of us would be alive if Raines hadn't come along. Even if I hadn't died from that gun wound, or even gotten shot, we would have been finished off by the yeti or some other monster if it hadn't been for him. We need him, Light. We have no choice. We have to put our trust him him. If we don't, our chances of surviving this are...well...low. Very low..."
Lightning's expression softened slightly as she looked back to him. She closed her eyes. "Hope...please...just let go," she said, shaking her head.
For some reason, even in the heat of the moment, Hope couldn't help but notice how gorgeous Lightning was, despite the fact that she was dirty and beaten up and angry at him. He tentatively rubbed his thumb over her wrist. "You just told me not to entertain my negative thoughts, right?" he whispered, looking up to her. "Well...I hate to see you acting on yours."
Lightning sighed. She looked like she wasn't sure exactly how to react. Hope knew what he wanted. His gaze wandered to her lips. He hated it – hated that he wanted this from her so much, yet hated that he couldn't have it. He hated even more that he was having these feelings when he was supposed to be talking Lightning into something totally unrelated. He nervously licked his lips, waiting for her to say something – to say anything.
"Okay, Hope. You win," she finally said, opening her eyes. She looked exhausted.
Something in Hope's hear soared. "Thanks, Light," he murmured.
"Yeah," Lightning responded, looking away.
For a moment, there was dead silence. It was Lightning who was the first to speak. "Uh...Hope?"
"Yes, Light?" Hope said, looking up to her, eager to please.
"Do you think maybe you could let go of my wrist?"
Hope immediately did as she requested, his face turning a light shade of red. "S-sorry, Light," he apologized, feeling embarrassed.
"It's fine, Hope," Lightning said. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the ghost of a smile on her face. Without thinking, the corner of his own lips curved upward ever so slightly. He was even more surprised when her own smile widened, her eyes gentle and understanding. As he looked to Lightning, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, he realized it was moments like this that made this all worth fighting for.
This time, there was no Cid to ruin the moment.
As the two of them returned to the tunnel, Cid looked up. "Ah. You're back," he said, looking to Lightning. He was leaning over something at the edge of the rock wall. He turned to Hope. "I could use your help, Estheim, to light this fuse."
Lightning raised her eyebrows. "I thought you needed gun powder," she said.
"I need that too," Cid responded.
Again, Lightning looked angry. For a moment, Hope was afraid all his effort to convince her to stay had been in vain. After a moment she reached into her pack, pulled out a handful of bullets, and dropped them on the ground behind him.
"Thanks, Farron," Cid said. Lightning grunted, crossing her arms over her chest before turning around and walking back to the entrance of the tunnel.
Hope watched as Cid opened the shells and emptied the gun powder into the canister. He wondered if Cid had any idea of how close Lightning had come to leaving.
Soon Cid had the finished bomb in place. Or what at least he claimed was a bomb. Hope was skeptical. All the same, he appeared to be confident that what he had would explode.
Cid placed the device into a crack in-between the rocks. Hope followed his instructions carefully as he used his manadrive to light the fuse. Then, the two of them ran to the other side of the tunnel, ducking behind a rock. Hope covered his ears. Several moments passed. Then, there was a loud bang. It shook the walls and sent dust flying into the tunnel. Hope coughed, holding his hand over his nose and mouth as he waited for it all the clear. At least it appeared that they hadn't brought the entire mountain down on them.
As some of the dust settled, Hope could see a ray of light shining through the tunnel. It appeared that the bomb had worked! Or at least worked part way. While a lot of the rocks had collapsed into the tunnel, the only exit it had created was a small hole. As the dust cleared, he could see that it wasn't quite large enough for any of them to crawl through. Still, with some digging, they could make it larger. They would be out of here soon.
All three of them approached the small hole. Lightning reached out, tugging at a rock around it. She turned back to the two of them. "We have no time to waste," she said.
Cid looked back at the pile of stuff he had dumped out. "Guess we better repack".
As Hope sat down and began to do just that, he suddenly realized something. Lightning had listened to him. No...she hadn't just listened to him. He had talked her out of something. She was the most stubborn person he had ever met. When she made up her mind, she didn't change it easily, and yet he had actually got her to do it. Not only that but it seemed that it had been that intimate moment where he had held her wrist in which she had changed her mind. Perhaps it hadn't been that action alone. Still...it made him wonder – wonder just how deep her feelings for him ran.
Perhaps there was hope for him after all.
So...Cid has an Eidolon. I know my choice might not make a lot of sense, but I chose Cerberus for a reason. I hope his weapon is okay too. It's based off what roosters use in cock fighting. I thought it would fit him since, in the battle where you fight him, he mainly kicks the members of your party in physical combat.
Anyway, I hope I did okay with their characters this chapter. I had a bit of trouble writing this, particularly Hope's reaction to realizing he loved Lightning and they way he acted around her thereafter.
In any case, it's late, I just came home from my brother's birthday party, and I'm mildly drunk so I think I'll just leave things at that.