So ehre we are. I actually have some depressing stuff to tell you now, but first reviews:

Crystal: I'm so sorry to hear you've had it rough for a while. It makes me wish I could help. Especially hearing the last part, but maybe you're feeling better now? I hope so. If the update really was a sign, maybe I did help, if indirectly. Glad you're excited to see what happens! :) And a blushing Lightning is a happy, or at least frustrated Lightning. And you get that sleep, it sounds like you need it! Thanks for just taking the time to review! *hugs*

Trevor X:Yup! Maybe now he can look on the bright side of things. :) Thank you.

Anonymous: Don't worry, it was supposed to be chaotic, reflect how Hope feel's on the inside. And thank you! :) Glad you're excited! *hugs* Thank you for the review!

So you might be wondering what's wrong now. Or skipping ahead to just read the chapter. Either way, here I go. Things are getting chaotic for me on both sides. I have test, projects, and reports do on one side (as well as my upcoming SAT). And at home, I have very personal and deep issues that are making me want to crawl into a corner and die. And I'm sick! Isn't that great? *sigh* And I love you guys, I really do, but a part of me does feel that I'm letting you down right now. I'm jumping to conclusions, having stupid thoughts, and weighing some things to heavily. Knowing that isn't stopping me though. Some of you are probably frustrated and want me to suck it up, but I don't want to. I'm sick of pretending that everything is okay and updating on somewhat of a schedule. I will not rant, or I'll try not to, but I don't want this beating me down either.

To put it simply, I may or may not update next Tuesday, or hey, even next week. I don't know, I might be out of this funk by then. I will still write, but I may not post, because I don't want the motivation for this story to be accidentally killed. It has happened before and it's far from pretty. So updating status might be up in the air. I'm sorry, but I feel so drained and like I'm not doing a good job. Thinking negative thoughts and the like. I don't need more of that. Gosh, I'm sorry, I must sound like such a damn baby right now. It's just, argh! Nothing is going right.

I'm sorry, I've annoyed you enough. Just please be patient with me, I really don't feel awesome right now.

Silence. A long and unnerving silence. Lightning, Maqui, and Lebreau were all staring at him, unable to utter much of a sound. Hope's eyes traveled between all three of them, nervous and quick as he tried to stop the panic that was quickly taking over him. The monitor, in response to his rising panic, began to beep faster at his own heart's quick succession, making the other three finally react. Lightning was at his side in seconds, surprising them both, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, eyes searching hers, and felt himself calm as he stared into her eyes. His heart returned to its normal beat and he spoke.

"I mean, I can't just tell you everything. I-I know I'm not ready for that. But I-I figured that I...well, yeah." he trailed off, avoiding all of their gazes in favor of staring at the gray tiles of the hospital room. They were so delightfully dull and dreary he just couldn't look away. And it had to beat staring at them while they stared at him because he had offered something so incredibly personal. Plus he was so hot and uncomfortable now, and he could feel their eyes boring into him, making him feel worse. And he needed to stop thinking before-

"Hope." Hope jumped and looked at Lightning, blushing brightly before he quickly looked down at his hands. "Calm down. You can take your time you know." Lightning soothed, feeling a little awkward herself.

Hope tried to smile at her, but his lips did a strange twitch instead, and he opted for a sigh. Hope was quiet for a few moments, looking again at the boring hospital wall, "I guess the best way to do this is just to have you guys ask a question. I mean, I don't know where I'd start. B-Besides, I'm not going to tell you everything okay?" His voice grew stronger at this, but he quickly looked toward the corner of the room again, biting his lip, "So yeah, just ask a question I guess. But I-I might be vague..." Hope looked back at his hands, swallowing repeatedly to try and soothe his now dry throat. All it did was burn.

"All right Hope. That's fine." Lightning said. She was far too concerned with actually getting some answers to mind the details. Even if his answers were vague, it was better than nothing. Lebreau and Maqui seemed to share her thoughts, Lebreau scooting her chair closer and resting her arm on the bed rail. Maqui was about to plop into his seat, but a quick glare from Hope and a glance at Lightning had Maqui scurrying away from the chair. Instead Maqui pushed it toward her with a nervous push, offering her a smile, but he was quick to back away once she took her seat. Lightning rolled her eyes and looked back at Hope.

"Who should start?" Lightning asked, but Hope was still not looking at them. "Hope." Lightning tried, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"S-Sorry. I guess it doesn't really matter who starts. Ju-Just ask I guess." Hope glanced up at her, swallowing again. Come on throat, don't dry up on me!

Lebreau, Lightning, and Maqui looked between each other, trying to gauge what question to ask first and who should be the one to ask it. Maqui eventually dropped his gaze to Hope, thinking back to the incident with Rygdea, Hope, and the pills. Maqui hadn't thought much of it at the time, not after Hope's freak out, but now he had a chance to ask about it. Maqui's mouth had already gotten the question out before any of them could react.

"What were those pills really for Hope? When I caught you and Rygdea talking or whatever." Lebreau and Lightning looked at Maqui, eyes widening. Lightning snapped her head back to Hope, trying to wipe the emotion off her face, but Hope must have seen it. His face was heating up again, his cheeks turning red, and his eyes scrunched up as he avoided their eyes. Hope looked to the sides of the room, as if they could help him escape, but eventually let out a heavy sigh.

"Um, you don't have to say it Hope..." Maqui said, looking away as guilt churned in his stomach.

"N-No it's fine. You're just wondering right?" Hope asked, trying to smile. But again, he did not look them in the eye. Hope simply kept his eyes on his hands as he fiddled with the blanket, "I-I was taking them for my nightmares and flashbacks and everything. About what happened with her..." He trailed off, his hands stilling for a second, but he quickly shook his head and continued, "They were PTSD pills. They were supposed to treat the symptoms, make the dreams stop or at least slow them down, but they weren't really working. But I think it's because I wasn't taking them long enough. They're also supposed to help me sleep, but that's more because of the no dream thing than anything."

"Hope..." Maqui said, looking at Lightning, then Lebreau.

"But it's okay now!" Hope said, his voice painfully cheery, "I mean, Rygdea set me straight, and I could only take them when he thought I needed them. Besides, since he took them and he's-he's not here..." Hope trailed off again, eyes looking distant, and Lightning brought a hand to his shoulder without a second thought.

"Don't think about it too much Hope. Like we said, he'll be all right." Hope blinked at her, but he managed a smile this time.

"Thanks Lightning." Hope took a deep breath, "Next question?"

"Why do you hate fire?" Lebreau asked without missing a beat. Lebreau's face was tight and her eyes roved over Hope, as if the answer would suddenly appear on him. Hope stiffened at this, his eyes growing wide, and the heart monitor burst into renewed, rapid beeping. Hope swallowed and closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. Lebreau remained determined but patient, waiting the storm out. As if she had expected a response like that.

Lightning felt the familiar agitation spark inside of her, but she pushed it off. Her curiosity was winning over her sympathy, but she gave a Hope a look of comfort nonetheless. Curious or not, Lightning could still wait until he could breathe again.

Hope looked up at them, eyes frantic, but he took a few more deep breaths, nodding to himself. "I-I can't get into too deep with that..." A scream...loud and shrill, and it echoed in the burning building. His own voice...how? It was so loud, his throat was burning from the smoke and fire and screaming. But it was everywhere, everywhere, as if the fire wanted to take it's time as it ate everything around it. "I-I lost some important people in a fire..." Eyes...empty eyes that would have the fire eating away at them. Then the skin, the flesh, would be consumed. Perhaps the bones themselves. At least what was left... "A lot of people actually. It was-was pretty violent." Hope gasped out the last part and let out a small moan, "Just...not just the fire but-but it happened there and everything... Saorise she-she killed so many people. We were...we were supposed to protect them. That's what she said to me. That we were supposed to protect them together." He gritted his teeth and held his head in his hands, begging the memory to go away. But the more he tried to push it back, the more vivid it seemed to become. And there was a voice, laughing, mocking him. He could hear it's deep tenor as it rumbled in his head, painting the picture more clearly in his head.

The brilliant orange hues as they devoured the homes, the bodies turning to ash and disfigured charred remains under the force of the fire. The remains would blow into the air like dust, lost in the wind. The walls of the building crumble with no support. The red...somehow he could still see the red. Just like she wanted... and that girl. The arm was-

"Hope we can stop if you want." Hope opened his eyes, shocked to find them closed, and felt burning shame when he noticed he was crying. His cheeks were sticky from the tracks of some tears, some touching the corner of his mouth, leaving a salty taste. But he pushed the memory away, trying to concentrate on the voice that pushed the haunting images away. It wasn't Rygdea's, didn't have the same effect...but it was Lightning's. And her hand, he could feel it on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

He needed it...he needed to say it.

Even if it was only a little bit.

"No, it's okay." Hope said, letting the room come back into focus. The voices and the memories were starting to drift off as he concentrated on Lightning and the others, and he felt himself calming down again. "Well, you heard me. She lied obviously. Told me that we were going to protect this little town we found along Gran Pulse. It was filled with people who had actually survived being purged. Some of them had been from a few generations of purged Cocoon inhabitants. They were having problems with some of the C'ieth and we wound up helping them for a few months. It-It was before-before everything went downhill." Hope stopped and closed his eyes, concentrating on Lightning's hand on his shoulder.

"All right." Hope said after a few minutes of deep breathing, "I think I can handle another question." His eyes locked with Lightning's as the words left him, and Lightning gave him a slow, understanding nod. She heard the monitor quicken just a bit and could see Hope's nervousness in his eyes.

"Hope...I want to know what Saorise did to you. Not necessarily the people around you, but you." Lightning said, watching him carefully, her ears straining to hear the slightest change in the monitor. Hope's eyes widened slightly, and there was a small skip in the monitor, but it happened so fast that Lightning almost didn't catch it. Hope's eyes drooped, a small, hollow smile on his face, and his grip on the bed loosened. Lightning tried to say something about the sudden change, but Hope gave a small shake of his head, eyes distant.

"That's a good question too." Hope said, his voice toneless, "But I really...really don't want to go into details about that okay? So...I'll just see what I can tell you." Hope paused, looking back at his hands as his chest tightened. Hope cursed the heart monitor as it beeping grew louder and more consistent, but forced his breath to calm and for him to concentrate on the task he had ahead of him. He didn't lift his eyes to look at Lightning or the others, wishing he could just blurt the words out before his throat closed completely. He closed his eyes and scrunched them tight, ignoring the silence in the room that had only seemed to grow as the three watched and waited for him to calm down.

"I-I mean, I guess the first thing I should tell you is that she-she really didn't do anything for the first few months." Hope said, trying to keep his voice even, "I mean, I was-was out of it when she did finally make her move, so she was-was able to trap me. She locked me in the cabin we were staying at."

"Locked you in?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah. Not the-the normal way or anything. She used these bindings on the door so that they wouldn't release unless I used the right magic." Hope said, eyes skittish.

"I see." Lightning said, nodding. It would make sense if Hope had been trapped because he couldn't figure out how she sealed him in. At least it explained why Hope didn't get away at first. But with Hope's head bowed, she didn't notice the way he gritted his teeth or the way his cheeks lit up in new shame.

"Y-Yeah. Anyway, she would-would come in every now and again and start to hassle me." Hope rushed, but Lightning wouldn't have that.

"Hassle you? How-"

"N-No." Hope said, running trembling fingers through his hair.

"Come on Hope, you love her don't you. Don't you want to make it back to her? It's all you have to do…"

"P-Please Light…Please don't make me say it." Hope hated how his voice sounded. It was getting smaller and weaker by the second, and he forced himself to breath. He would not do this. He would not break down again! "L-Later. Maybe later." he said, voice a bit stronger this time. He finally looked up at her and felt as if the world had been lifted off his shoulders when she nodded.

"Thank you..." Hope breathed, "Anyway, after that, she would come in when I was sleeping." Hope swallowed again, trying to push the oncoming flashbacks away. "She would-would hold me down or have on of those C'ieth hold me down."

"It'll only be for a second hope. Don't worry, only for a second."

"And she would-would start to…"

"It's for your own good. How else are you supposed to learn what to do when you refuse to use magic." The terrible spiked arm was raised just above his chest, one of the red tips tickling his chest, the cloth easily ripping away. He couldn't move, couldn't even scream. And the C'ieth raised its arm…

"It's for your own good."

"Hope-"

"She-She would beat me." Hope forced out, his voice shaky, "Sometimes she'd have the C'ieth do it too."

His chest was on fire, much worse than the pain from the brand. But it was close...so close to it.

"S-She'd sneak up on me sometimes too. Like, when I was asleep or something. And-And I'd wake up and-and she'd be there and-and-" Hope stuttered out, gasping.

Blood, his own blood seeping through his torn clothes, and it was everywhere. It stained the sheets she would constantly replace, some of the blood already drying a dark black color on the bed. And she stood over him, smiling, whispering something to the C'ieth. Then she turned to him.

"You can make this stop Hope. You just have to let him in. I know he's there. I know it...he told me so." But he was too far gone. He could only stare at her as she became a hazy blur of white, the world disappearing entirely. And even then it was too much and he closed his eyes.

A snort was his only warning before the C'ieth struck again. So he started to whisper, "3520. 3521. 3522. 3523."

"Hope!" Hope let out a shuddering gasp, taking in deep gulps of air as the hospital came back into focus. He let out a low whine and closed his eyes again, shaking his head and trying to rid himself of the memory. His stomach was screaming as if he had been struck, and he was afraid of the sharp pain. He knew there would be no blood, but the memory had been so vivid it didn't even matter. One. Two. Three. No! I won't go back to that!

Someone continued to shake him and he peeked his eyes open, hands still trembling as he slowly raised his hand to grip Lightning's. Her eyes were wide and as he stared into them, let himself fall into a sea of endless blue, and felt the calm wash over him. Hope felt a pang in his chest when he noticed the slightest bit of guilt in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry." Hope finally said, looking away from her, "I-well-what happened?"

Lightning pursed her lips and stood straighter, looking away from Hope as well, "You just stopped talking, then your eyes rolled back and you started counting. We were about to call a nurse." Lightning muttered.

"I didn't scream though?"

"No..."

Hope let his shoulders relax, but the feelings of shame rolled over him, easily replacing the panic he had felt only moments before. Exhaustion settled over him as well, and he blearily looked at the others, "I-I'm sorry about all that. I-I wanted to explain more but-"

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Lebreau and Maqui said at the same time, stepping forward. Hope nodded, feeling a small smile tug his lips.

"All right." There was a slight pause as Hope tried to bury the feelings of shame welling up inside him with renewed vigor. "By the way guys, do you know when I'll be able to get out of here? I'd-I'd rather be at home right now. It's not-not like we can really do anything at the moment." Hope finished with a small sneer, hands tightening on the sheets as he thought of the way the army had taken Rygdea away. And now he, Lebreau, Maqui, and everyone else in De Novo were suspended from the S.C.E. for who knew how long.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump and he looked up at Lightning, "You're ready to be discharged soon, we just have to wait until the paperwork gets through." she said, removing her hand at his flinch. Hope felt a strange twinge of guilt again and looked down, nodding his head.

"All right then." Hope said, "C-Can you get Snow and Serah then? So that they know or-or something..." Lightning gave a quick nod and turned, hair flipping as she went, and Hope felt the guilt in his gut and chest grow. He didn't understand what he had done wrong, but whatever it was must have been bad...

It was probably me freaking out or something...I can't blame her though. I mean-I mean I keep screwing up.

"Hope?" He looked up at Lebreau, trying to smile, but she placed a hand on his shoulder, ghosting where Lightning's hand had been, "It's all right Hope. We're just glad you talked to us at all. It's been a long day anyway, don't feel too down. Kay? We learned a lot and-thanks." She gave him a light punch on the arm as she finished, and Hope felt himself smile, even if it was only a little.

"K-Kay..." He let out a large yawn before he could finish, eyes closing and watering as he did so, and he shook his head to rid himself of the leftover sleep. It only seemed to make the tiredness settle in deeper.

"Who's ready to go?" Serah cheered as she came back inside, cradling Hazel in her arms. Hazel thrust her arms up in the air, waving them excitedly, and she started to make popping noises with her mouth.

"Om! Om! Om!" Hazel chanted, smiling and bouncing in her mother's arms. Hope's smile grew wider and his tension finally left him as he watched the little girl cheer on.

"Yeah." Hope said, swinging his legs over the bed, "Let's go home."

Lightning was at a loss. She was glad that Hope had started to talk, even if his answers were a little vague and he had broken down in the end. He was starting to tell them things that they had wanted to know, that she had wanted to know, and having him open up to her...it meant a lot. It made her feel a little warmer, a little happier. But at the same time, she felt guilty and frustrated. Hope had broken down again, something she had been hoping to prevent, and she knew it was wearing him out. She wanted to help him but she had no idea how to go about it, and he would only get worse until she figured it out.

Then stupid fluttering in her chest wouldn't stop! A part of her, a tiny, tiny part of her, had an idea of what it was. But the moment the little voice who knew and understood it started to speak she would try to squash it down. Lightning hated and loved how the feeling made her feel, and she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with that either. However, the little voice was getting louder and louder every time it popped up, and Lightning just wanted a chance to stop and collect her thoughts. Maybe figure out how to help Rygdea, help Hope, or just kill Saorise. But no, everything had to be confusing and complicated and piling on top of one another! And to make matters worse-

"Aw, he looks so cute!" Serah cooed.

Lightning let out a low growl and glanced down at the head that rested on her shoulder. Hope was cuddled in the crook of her neck, his platinum blond locks tickling her cheek, and his little breaths kept ghosting over her skin. Lightning would have woken him, truly she would have, but every time she tried it he would just snuggle with her tighter. And how did it end up this way? Because Hope was about to fall over the sidewalk before the taxi even arrived Lightning had to make a save. That or let Hope crash into the pavement. Which landed Hope right on her.

Right next to her in fact.

With his head tucked right by her neck.

"He's probably still tired from the day. I mean, after the sedative, and-and what happened to Rygdea, and all that, I'm sure he's exhausted. I mean, look at Snow and Hazel!" Serah continued, smiling and pointing to her husband and daughter. They were huddled together by the window, Hazel secured in Snow's strong grip, and Hazel's blond head resting on her father's chest. Serah let out a giggle and relaxed in her seat, but Lightning only rolled her eyes at her sister.

"He's not sleeping on your shoulder." Lightning murmured, glancing at Hope again.

"Please, you were going to let him stay the second you saw him smiling in his sleep." Serah said, shaking her head and giggling again. "I know you don't hate it either. He has a death grip on you sure, but I saw you smile." Lightning let the smallest of gulps happen and cursed as she felt her cheeks heat up. She refused to look at her sister and opted for the window instead, only to get a face full of hair as she turned wound up facing Hope. Lightning narrowed her eyes as Serah's hardly controlled giggles filled the taxi.

"Serah..." Lightning warned. Serah let out a small snort and opened her eyes, a smile still on her face. Before Lightning could say anything, Hope let out a long sigh and wrapped his arm around Light's stomach. Lightning shivered as his fingers brushed her piercing around her naval, arm resting on top of it, and she turned her glare to Hope instead. Serah watched as she bit her thumb to keep from making another noise, but Hope made no move after that. Lightning let out a small sigh herself, rolling her eyes again, but her hand rose and ruffled his hair before landing defeated on the car seat. Lightning could feel her sister's eyes on her but refused to look back Lightning felt nervous for some reason and quickly squashed that down as well.

Now was not the time to be thinking about it.

"You're doing it again..." She blinked at the voice, wondering if she was now going crazy, but decided to humor it.

Doing what?

"How can you expect Hope to listen to that little speech of you have planned when you can't even put it into practice yourself?" Lightning clenched her hands, knowing that the voice was right. But that wasn't the only thing. She had promised to give that apology/pep talk to Hope, but after everything that had happened today, she didn't know how appropriate it would be. Without noticing it herself, her hand reached toward Hope's, sitting just beyond his fingertips, and she watched the buildings blur by until the taxi started to slow down, coming to a stop at their home.

Lightning closed her eyes and listened as her sister started to shake Snow awake before Lightning turned to Hope. Her fingers briefly touched his head again before she reached for his shoulder instead, gently nudging him awake. She felt him shudder underneath her touch until his eyes blinked open, looking slightly bleary. He let out a small yawn, barely even noticing where they were, and silently followed her as she tugged on his hand, leading him out of the car.

Lightning helped him out, his footsteps a little unsteady as he stepped out of the taxi, and he nearly stumbled into her. Snow was already walking toward the door with a still sleeping Hazel cradled in his hands, Serah promising to pay before pulling out her purse. The other taxi pulled to a stop behind him, Lebreau and Maqui filing out and paying for their taxi as well before they turned to her and Hope. Maqui gave her a small smile, waving a little before going inside, and Lebreau gave her a blank glance before following him. Serah joined them as the taxis pulled away, leaving silence in the wake of the taxi's departing engines, and she smiled at Lightning and Hope before leading the way inside.

Lightning tugged on Hope's hand, the man slowly starting to wake, and he followed her inside of the house. Lebreau and Maqui were already lazing around on the couch, talking in whispers, and Snow was coming down the stairs. Lightning listened as she walked by him and Serah, Snow telling his wife that he had put Hazel down for the night, before their voices faded off as she and Hope climbed the stairs.

Lightning felt Hope's fingers wiggle slightly in her grasp and she blushed, quickly releasing his hand. They had reached the top of the stairs by now and stood at Hope's door. She turned toward him, watching as he looked at the floor, grabbing his arm and picking at his sweater. There was silence between them as they stood at his room, neither very sure of what to say. Hope finally looked up at her, his lips forming a nervous smile.

"I-I guess I should head in my room for a while...maybe take a nap or something since I fell asleep in the taxi..." He blushed a little at that and Lighting wondered how much Hope actually remembered. He looked her in the eyes, his own seemingly searching for something in hers, before letting a sadder smile cross his face. "Later Light...I'm sorry."

The last part was whispered and Lightning barely caught it, but the moment she did she grabbed Hope by the arm and yanked him back into the hall with her. Hope looked at her with wide eyes but Lightning was too angry to care.

"What the are you sorry about?" she demanded, tightening the grip she had on his arm and ignoring the way her own throbbed. She had grabbed him with her injured arm...but it was nothing to serious. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Truthfully, she just wanted to forget the whole thing and get some sleep. But she still had to go to the base...in four hours.

"I-I-" Hope looked anywhere but her, eyes flitting from his door, the corners of the hallway, and to his own feet. Lightning tightened her grip again before letting her hand fall to her side, letting out a sigh.

"I-I should be the one apologizing Hope." Hope looked up at her, eyes wide and confused, and she let out a deep breath. "Before...when I told you to get over your attitude...and punched you...and when we interrogated you when you just woke up." She narrowed her eyes at that, feeling even more guilty, "That wasn't right of us to do, even if you did offer."

"But Light...all of that-"

"Let me finish Hope!" Hope snapped his mouth shut and just stared at her, nervously bouncing on his feet as he waited for her to continue. Lightning closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath. She tried to think of all the variations she had tried for this apology, all the things she wrote in that damn notebook, but none of it was coming back to her. It was a giant blank...

Just great...

"What-What I'm trying to say Hope is that I'm sorry for punching you and being rather forceful with the situation. I was just frustrated." That's an understatement.

"Bu-"

"Hope..." He snapped his mouth shut again and waited, Lightning calming herself down again, "I wanted you to keep moving forward, I did mean that part. But I didn't want you to shut up like a book. I didn't want you to feel like you had to be stronger or something like that. I know...I know you're worried about us. And you have everyreason to be. But we're worried about you." Hope gave a quick nod of the head, but Lightning stopped him, making him look her in the eye.

"Hope...I didn't mean for you to think you had to try and do something like this either. If you don't want to open up to us..." She paused, biting her lip, "I-I guess..."

"N-No Light." Hope bit his own lip as he realized he had interrupted her, but relaxed when she didn't reprimand him for it. "I-I didn't do that because I felt obligated to or anything. I mean...I mean Rygdea's been trying to get me to talk to more people anyway, so it was just a matter of time. E-Especially now..." Hope looked down as he thought of Rygdea but Lightning snapped her fingers, bringing him from his dark thoughts, "B-But it's not like I don't want to Light. I just...have a hard time with it. I get scared or worried...or I start to have flashbacks. But I want to tell you and Lebreau and Maqui what happened. And Serah and Snow too. I just...I don't-I don't know how to explain it. I have to take baby steps or something."

Silence followed his words, both of them staring at one another, feeling strangely nervous and relaxed. Hope kept twirling his fingers, glancing at Light and the floor while Light crossed her arms, staring at Hope's sweater. She nodded to herself and stepped forward, pulling Hope into a hug.

"L-Light?" Hope asked into Lightning's shoulder.

"Hope...I'll try and help any way I can all right? You just have to let me know what to do... We'll figure out how to help Rygdea." She felt him tense under her fingers, but pressed on, "We'll put a stop to Saorise. We'll make you safe again. We'll do this together, all right?" She pulled herself away from him and looked him in the eye. He was tense, green eyes searching hers again. And then he smiled. A true smile, one that had shades of both the old Hope and this new Hope she was holding in her arms. The Hope who was grateful and determined. Kind and careful.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"All right Light. And I'll-I'll do my best. I mean..." he looked way from her, "I can't really help you on the field, but maybe I can figure something out until then. And I could-could help with Rygdea too. I could-could try. I have to try." He looked at her again, and Lightning smiled when she saw the spark in his eyes. "For you."

Lightning's voice stuck as Hope's smile widened and she felt warmer as she watched him smile. As his chest rose with new found confidence. She tried to say something, anything, but her mind was a total blank. She knew she should feel embarrassed or annoyed. Lightning Farron was never speechless. But that stupid fluttering she didn't want to think about had returned full force.

All she could so was smile.