Lightning came back once everyone had their fill. Without a word she entered the campsite and sat nearby Hope. He didn't look at her for fear she would leave, but already he felt better with her close by. The plan was to get some sleep now that it was night time then head out come morning. Everyone immediately knocked out but Hope couldn't get to sleep. He was watching Lightning who no doubt was standing guard for them. Did she not need to sleep? He pondered to himself as Lightning began to pace. When the moon hit her just right, her eyes caught the moonlight and flashed like a cat's eye would reflect when light hit it. His breath caught and he rolled over so she wouldn't see him staring.
He heard her pacing stop and had a feeling she already knew. His face warmed up so he curled up tighter into a ball and pressed against the rock at his back. Sleep found him reluctantly but he woke back up when a scuffle nearby alerted him. He was about to get up when he suddenly felt calm. She was sitting near him but on the other side of the rock. He slowly sat up and crawled over to her. She sat against the rock with her head back. She was looking up into the night sky; yellow irises shining. When she heard his approach, her attention went to him. He leaned against her as calmly as he could and wrapped his arms around her. She inhaled, held her breath, and then exhaled. Her body tensed under his arms.
"Are you ok with this Light?" he asked hopefully in a quiet voice. She nodded uncertainly and put an arm around him. Her eyes closed and her body relaxed again. He smiled and closed his eyes too. In a matter of seconds, he had fallen sound asleep. In the morning, the sun directed its first rays in Lightning's eyes. She wasn't asleep but it was still a rude awakening. Hope seemed to think so too because he groaned and covered his eyes just like her. Lightning got to her feet to check on the others. Fang and Vanille were waking up. Vanille shook Sazh and he grudgingly woke up. As for Snow, Lightning personally woke him up with a punch to his shoulder. She held back as best she could to avoid breaking his arm. He bolted awake and held his arm, pain written all over his tired face.
"What was that for?" he asked sleepily. He opened his eyes to a frowning Lightning.
"Because you deserved it, now get up," she commanded in a tone that reminded everyone that she had been a soldier. Hope could easily imagine her yelling at her troops to get up. He smiled, stretched, and climbed to his feet. Once everyone had taken turns refreshing at the waterfall, they began their trek across The Archylte Steppe to the tunnel that would lead them into Mah'habara. The fighting was as easy as breathing by now. Except for the huge turtle beasts roaming around, they didn't have to run from anything. The Behemoth sprinting in circles was no match and they continued on the path sloping into the tunnels. They rounded the bend in the path to see a Megistotherian fighting a King Behemoth. The roaring was deafening and there didn't seem to be a winner so far.
"What are we going to do now?" Hope asked.
"We either fight them or go around," Fang answered. Lightning nodded.
"I don't know about you guys, but I don't have a chance against those things together,"Sazh commented.
"Stop being pessimistic," Snow stated.
"Wow Snow, didn't know you knew such a word," Lightning said with a smirk.
"Ha ha," Snow retorted sarcastically.
"Stop you two, we need to decide," Fang reprimanded. Lightning flipped out her gunblade, Hope held up his shimmering hands, Snow punched a hand into his other one, Sazh backed away, and Vanille stood twisting her hands worriedly. Fang sighed and took out her spear.
"You guys are outnumbered. If you want, hang back while we take care of business," Fang addressed Sazh and Vanille. They did just that while the others advanced into battle. The monsters did not pay them any attention and continued to fight relentlessly. So, to take advantage, Lightning and Fang attacked the Behemoth while Snow and Hope went for the Megistotherian. In this way, both were weakened and then defeated. Sazh and Vanille rejoined them and together they entered the cool Mah'habara mining tunnels. The damp, crisp temperature made them shiver, all but Lightning whose temperature seemed to have dropped ever since her change.
Hope drifted closer to her as they walked. She kept a close eye on him as she too checked out the place. A line of Hoplites met them down the tunnel. Fighting these Pulse Automata were very different than live monsters. Lightning and Hope had the most experience with them since their journey through the Gapra Whitewood. They ran forward as one, Hope casting magic while Lightning finished them off after they were sufficiently weakened. The others sat back in surprise. In no time, the area was clear. Hope grinned at Lightning who smiled back.
"You guys work well together. Maybe we should stick behind you," Fang said with a smirk. Lightning shrugged and Hope blushed but looked proud.
"Sure, as long as you can keep up," he said with confidence. The others laughed and they continued forward. Lightning and Hope taught the others how to wield magic before using any type of physical attacks. Fang used Ruinga instead since her elemental skills lacked. Sazh, Vanille, and Snow could use elementals well enough. Things went well besides the damn Cryohedrons which resembled the bombs Hope encountered before. With more team mates, they did not risk their lives. As they progressed, Hope taught Vanille how to heal better. She caught on pretty fast. The Rust Puddings were a nuisance but easily defeated; however, the Boxed Phalanx caused enough trouble to anger Lightning. It continued summoning Hoplites until Lightning sliced it clean in half. Towards the end of the tunnel, a rumbling shook the ground.
"That should be Atomos. It seems to be on the move again," Vanille commented. A huge ball of rotating metal and spikes spun into view and stopped between two bridges which cut off in the middle.
"Great, it stopped. So, all we need to do is catch a ride right?" Sazh asked.
"Yep," Fang answered.
"Wait, did you hear that? It sounds like grinding gears," Lightning said, searching the area. Hope kept an eye out as well. He was keen enough to respect Lightning's senses. The others looked confused. Lightning suddenly stood absolutely still. Then she darted back the way they came.
"Move!" she warned. Hope bolted after her and the others took off after a slow start. A colossal collision of screeching metal landed exactly where they stood not too long ago. A Juggernaut now confronted them. A jet of flame burst forth and they scattered. Both Snow and Fang tried to block while Sazh buffed up their resistance. Vanille tried to weaken the Juggernaut's structure while Hope made sure the burns from its flames didn't get too serious. Hope was so busy with the others he couldn't find Lightning anywhere. Once Vanille was done she joined Hope. Sazh finished the buffs and started using magic. Snow took over blocking while Fang ran forward head on and attacked. With the combination of weakening magic and powerful attacks, the Juggernaut slowed down.
Suddenly a clicking sound was heard. No one knew what was going on until it was too late. A huge iron ball shot from the Juggernaut. Seconds from impact, Lightning appeared out of nowhere and caught the ball with some difficulty. The force sent her skidding backwards so hard, her boots hissed and melted slightly and smoke rose. She soon came to a stop, where she hefted the iron ball over her head and then threw it back at the Juggernaut. It rammed straight into it with a creak of busted metal. It toppled over but it wasn't done yet. Another burst of fire spilled forth and Hope counteracted with water magic. The fire still continued until Lightning was engulfed in the flames; everyone gasped. Lightning launched herself out of the harmless flames and soared down like a meteor, gunblade held at the ready. She sliced through the Juggernaut which finally broke down with a squeal of gears. Lightning landed lightly on her toes and turned to the others.
"Whoa, that was so unexpected," Snow stated.
"But we made it and that's all that matters," Vanille said with a triumphant hand raised. They all nodded with a relieved sigh.
"Hey Light, where were you when the fight started?" Hope asked.
"Hiding," she answered stiffly.
"Really Lightning? You were scared?" Snow teased.
"No, I didn't want to slip up and kill you," she hissed in anger. Snow looked confused for a second before he realized he had been injured on his back.
"It happened when we were running out of the way. I saw a stray piece of metal cut you," she explained with a little more control.
"Oh, sorry," he replied as Vanille stepped forward to heal him. Hope stood close to Lightning just in case.
"So much to worry about with so little time," Sazh lamented.
"Don't get depressing Sazh, we still have a lot to do," Fang said as she slapped the older man's shoulder. He winced and held a hand to his shoulder.
"Let's hurry and get a ride from Atomos before it leaves," Vanille warned as she took off for the bridge. The others followed right behind her. Once aboard, Hope had nothing better to do then look at Lightning. She looked in control besides the fact that her eyes sometimes flashed yellow. A sure sign of hunger on the way. Hope held her hand in worry and her grip tightened. She knew he felt her distress and she took comfort that he was there ready to help her again when she needed him.
