For a while, we walk in tense silence with only the crashing of the water and the low hum of the fal'Cie to fill the air. I hang back by myself, tiptoeing past clusters of flanitors, those smelly tamed monsters, and wonder what our next move should be. Finding direction, I guess, but maybe this time we listen to more than one voice at once. Easier said than done.

"So what do we do now?" Hope asks, finally breaking the silence. "We're l'Cie! Ticking time bombs. Enemies of Cocoon. If we can't follow the plan, do we just lay down and die?"

"I didn't mean we should give up."

"Then what battles do we fight? And against who? Tell me that!"

"I don't know yet."

"You don't know yet?"

"Hope!" I shout, exasperated. "We're not out of time, so cool it!" Huffing, I hurry toward the two of them. "We can come up with another plan, we can adjust the one we have, and on and on and on. It's not over just because we were wrong."

"So now you're against me too?!"

"No one's against you!" Light snaps. "I don't know who to fight and when, but I do know we can't lose hope." Hope scoffs, turning and sitting on the stairs.

"Hope? There is no hope, not for l'Cie."

"There's you."

"It's my name, not who I am."

"I was just like you," she scoffs, resting a hand on her hip and turning away from us. "My parents died. I had to be strong for Serah, so I thought I needed to forget my past. I became Lightning. I thought that by changing my name, I could change who I was. I was just a kid."

I lean against the rail of the walkway, intrigued by this little look into Light. The real Lightning, not the cold, angry version that's turned her back on the rest of the world. It's strange that something like this whole mess could turn her around and twist her a hundred ways, but that's just what it's doing to me, too.

"Lightning… It flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect. It only destroys." She turns back and sits beside Hope, resting an elbow on her knee. "Serah tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen." Suddenly, she leaps back up to her feet, face dawning with realization. "I threatened her. The only one who believed her was Snow…"

"Don't say it!" Hope shouts, enraged at just the sound. "Don't say his name. It brings everything back." Why was I fighting Snow to begin with? I gnaw on my cheek, ashamed. This was about his wounds all along, not my thirst for blood. "I keep playing it over in my head, what happened to her. And then I see his stupid face and… and he's smiling. How can he smile when she's dead?"

"Hope…"

"I know!" he stands, turning away from Light. "There's nothing I can do about it. I hate knowing that. No matter what happens, she's not coming back! But when I was fighting, there was no time to think about it. It felt good just to give in." He brings his arm up to stare at the brand marring his skin. "But now you start talking about hope…" Lightning tugs on his wristband, covering the brand back up, and he sighs. "I'm sorry. I'm messed up."

"No…" Lightning shakes her head, looking past him at me. "It's my fault." Hope pulls away, looking up at the translucent ceiling of the tunnel that shines in the dimmest section of daylight. Light takes a breath and rests a hand on her hip. "Talk to your dad."

"What? Why?"

"Fighting without hope is no way to live." Lightning turns to lead the way to the exit. "It's just a way to die." Hope sighs and starts to follow. "I want you to find the hope you were named for. Staying alive, I can help you with. But I can't… I can't give you hope. If you go to see your father…"

"You think meeting my dad will make anything better?" he demands. "He's never listened to a word I said. He abandoned us. He's just… he'll never believe all this l'Cie stuff."

"Then we'll make him," I say, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "There's no denying the truth now, not when we're this far in over our heads."

"Maybe…." We go quiet for a long time. "Snow believed Serah, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Light answers, eyes locked far, far away in her memories.

When the elevator brings us to the top, we're completely engulfed in the shadows of the city around us. Lightning draws her sword, letting it flip into the form of her gun as we stay close, on edge. We're in the heart of Palumpolum, but there's no one here. Only a low hum and the sound of the town's speaker system fill the silence. Lightning starts to walk, and we scramble to stick close.

"In a recently convened emergency conference, the Sanctum announced that the fugitive l'Cie have been located. The military plans to apprehend the l'Cie and carry out a public execution."

Who did they catch? My heart catches in my throat as we wander into the light. This isn't right. My palms begin to sweat, and the air feels cold against my arm where my sleeve tore. We're leaving someone to die? Overwhelmed by fear and shock at the news, I look around us, stunned in the familiar surroundings. Ahead, a tall glassy building with enormous screens displays a bumpy, messy video I can't place.

"These images coming to you live from the scene in Palumpolum."

I wish I could just give when I see us, a bird's eye view of the three of us standing at the ready in the town square. This isn't what we wanted. Hope gasps, and suddenly, the low hum in the air turns to full out whirring as aircraft dive from the skies toward us. Panicked, I grab my daggers and watch their every move. Why can't I remember what I'm supposed to do? I squeeze my eyes shut. Because we don't have a plan… Before I can even begin to recall my home address, we're surrounded by foot soldiers, airships, and artillery.

"These are the l'Cie," a man says over a ship's speakers. "Show no mercy. These aren't people. They're targets." My stomach twists into a knot. Is that how Cid would see me now? Hope presses his back to Light's, looking to me for any ideas. Before I can speak, Lightning does.

"Start running," she murmurs.

"What?" I whisper back, feeling my heart go haywire inside my chest.

"I'll keep them busy."

"But—!" Hope pulls away, confused and afraid as more and more weapons gather around us. We're caught.

"You survive."

Slowly, we back away. Hope stares at Light, terrified to leave her side, as I look for any gaps we might escape through. Before either of us can go anywhere, an explosion above our heads rocks the ground, knocking us to our hands and knees. My daggers skitter away across the pavement and I scramble to get them back, deafened by Hope's screams and the sound of gunfire. What do I do?

A pair of soldiers falls over the rail guarding the floor above us and I narrowly miss getting crushed. Hope unsteadily drags himself to his feet, and we realize we're blind in all this smoke. Crashing and the sounds of glass shattering come next, and suddenly, the smoke is blown away to reveal a web of ice has either frozen or crushed half the foot soldiers that once surrounded us. I can't find Lightning anywhere, afraid that we've lost her in the chaos. Stepping back, I nearly trip over Hope and grab his wrist tightly in my fumbling.

"Don't let go," I insist.

"What's going on?" he cries, sticking close.

Two bizarre women float above the ice, glittering with ice crystals and twisting together to form some sort of strange… A motorcycle.

"An Eidolon!" I cry, finally realizing what I'm looking at. Hardly a moment later, my heart leaps into my throat. "Snow?!"

"What?!"

But Hope already catches sight of him, the cocky oversized rebel that rides on the backs of the Shiva sisters and glides across the ice like it's a road paved just for him. A woman lands behind him, clutching a gun in her hand and firing at random. I drag Hope out of her line of fire, entirely overwhelmed by what's going on.

I cry out on instinct when someone clutches my hand and pulls me after them, alarmed to see it's Light that's dragging us as she clears a path with her gun. The army pulls its ships from the sky almost immediately and Lightning stops running only to push us down to avoid getting our heads cut off as Snow's motorcycle flies right over us. Reckless as always. He screeches to a stop in the center of the wreckage he caused, grinning.

"Lightning!" The woman on the back of the bike hops off, flashing a cocky grin that not even Snow could pull off. Light rolls her eyes at the pair and looks around at the mess. Feeling my palms begin to sweat, I start to let go of Hope, only for Lightning to plant her hands on our backs and shove us toward Snow.

"Hey!" I cry, stumbling. The woman grips my wrists and pulls me back up to my feet.

"Careful there!" she warns. I pause. Something about her voice sounds familiar.

"Take care of them," Lightning commands.

"Lightning, listen to me!" Snow calls, letting Hope fall onto his back.

"Get moving!" the soldier barks back, leaving us behind with her gun propped on her shoulder.

"No, you don't understand!" he argues. "Serah's alright! She'll turn back!"

For a moment, Light pauses and I think she'll turn back to save us from this maniac. But then she keeps going.

"Take care of them," she repeats, refusing to look back. Was she really that sick of us?

"Wait!"

"And then there were three," the woman taunts, running after Lightning.

"Gotta go!" Snow announces, dragging Hope to his feet. "Amarhi, in front!"

"Okay…" I turn to see the soldiers on the ground stirring. Shit.

Quickly, I climb onto the bike and Snow sits in front of Hope, grinning over his shoulder at the boy.

"So, how've you been?"

"Uh…" Hope can't even seem to form words. I hang on tightly to the front of the motorcycle and answer for him, uneasy when Snow's arms sandwich me in so that he can control the bike.

"We've been better."

"Hang on!" he shouts, having not even heard me.

The engine revs and, with a shriek, the motorcycle takes off, spinning in tight circles to take out as many soldiers as possible. After a particularly tight turn, I begin to feel sick and keep my head low. A bump in the road tells me something's not right, and when I look, I realize we've lost a passenger.

"Hope!"

Quickly, the soldiers circle in, aiming readily at him. Before they can shoot, Snow runs them over, using a hand to keep my on board when I start to slip.

"Take cover!" he shouts as a spray of icicles shoots from the back of his bike. "I've got this one!"

I squeeze my eyes shut when he starts doing tight spins in a circle, hanging on so tightly that my knuckles turn white and my fingers go purple. When I take a peek, see the ice drifting up around us, coating the soldiers in a thick layer before exploding and sending them flying in all directions. Snow grabs hold of me and jumps, turning back to wave at the sisters as they fly away. I let myself hit the ground, dizzy. From there, I can see Hope's shoes coming closer. Snow laughs to himself and turns to him.

"What's up?"

"Where have you been?" Hope demands. I cringe at the edge in his voice. If Snow hadn't… No, that's not true, is it? If we hadn't decided to go to Bodhum, we would've been safe, but then some other poor idiot would be in my place.

"I got taken in," Snow admits, lowering a hand. I take it, trying to catch my breath.

"Wait—what?"

"Not by enemies," he says, correcting our assumptions. "It was the Cavalry, not PSICOM. Leader's name is Raines." I almost choke. "He said he'd lend us l'Cie a hand."

I can't help it. I fall onto the ground, bursting with tears of joy. I don't feel the pain in my knees when they hit the pavement, burying my face in my hands. Cid… You really haven't left me behind. Snow pauses to stare, uncertain.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" I laugh, looking up at them both through bleary vision. "That's the best news I've heard in my life!"

"What?" Snow frowns at Hope, looking for an answer.

"Raines is her—"

"Cid's my brother!" I cry, dragging myself to my feet. "And I was looking for him, but I was scared that he was going to be the enemy and that he'd try to kill me but—" I cut myself off, scrubbing at my face as I laugh through my hysteria. He's okay. We're gonna be okay.

"But why would the army help us?" Hope asks, trying to refocus us. "That doesn't makes sense."

"Military's got all kinds. Not all of 'em like the Sanctum." He jerks a thumb in my direction. "Looks like Raines came from good people." Chuckling, he rests a hand on Hope's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll handle the bad guys."

"No, you don't worry," I counter, happier than I've ever been in my life. I couldn't care less that this is Hope's mortal enemy. I'm overjoyed at the news he brought me. "We can handle ourselves."

"Well what are we waiting for, then?" he asks, grinning. "Let's get moving."

Still weary from the shock of losing Light, we follow Snow slowly, staring at the twisted walls of ice that engulf the square. It's all such a mess… But I guess I shouldn't care. This isn't my home anymore. But, even though I'm hesitant to trust Snow's lead, I'm elated that my brother is on my side, helping the people that were caught in this mess with me to oppose a culture that's gone wrong. The thought makes me forget the pain that was once dragging me down, heavy. I can't wait to see you again.

Snow rushes in toward the first group of soldiers he sees, shouting to get their attention. Hope and I, for a moment, freeze behind him, confused. He throws up his arms to shield his face, his body taking on a yellowish glow as bullets are repelled back onto the ground once they hit his skin. Oh.

Taking my chance, I grab hold of my daggers and rush toward the farthest soldier, letting electric bolts crackle from my fingertips and catch my blades. The soldier drops his gun as soon as the sparks strike him, coursing through his body. I rip the first dagger from his stomach, turning out of the way of a spray of bullets from the second soldier so that they kill him comrade instead.

I almost laugh when I launch my dagger at the other soldier, remembering Cid's lectures about keeping my weapon in my hand if it's not designed to come back. The knife buries itself deep in the soldier's chest and he lands on his back, pushed by the momentum of the throw. Hope and Snow take out the third with a burst of spells as I pull the dagger from my enemy's chest. I frown, turning to the two once they're done.

"Are we getting stronger?" I ask, replaying the past few moments in my head.

"Maybe," Snow shrugs, laughing to himself. "Light must've taught you kids well."

"My brother taught me well," I correct, turning back to the skyline. "Let's get out of here."

"Sounds good to me."

We slip up the steep slope of Snow's ice, using it as a ramp to the top of the balcony overlooks the central expanse on the ground. Hope's boots squeak loudly when he slips, and he shouts, startled, when he starts to fall back down. Snow hangs onto an extending offshoot of ice and swings out with an arm, catching Hope's flailing hand just in time.

"Gotcha!" he calls, grinning.

With a grunt, he heaves Hope back up, dropping him onto the balcony and climbing up after him. I grit my teeth and drag myself up on my hands and knees, my stomach feeling like it's being ripped in two. I really have neglected my core… Snow smiles at Hope and he ruffles his hair before running ahead, insistent on leading us. Hope scowls, flattening his hair and shooting me a sour look.

"Why'd we have to get stuck with him?"

"I don't know," I huff, shaking my head and brushing at the water stains on my knees. "Why'd Light leave us behind?"

"Probably to force me to face him," Hope mutters, glaring at Snow's back.

My heart sinks. Oh, right. That's still what we're doing, isn't it? I guess we're not on the same page anymore. How's a group supposed to function when each member's going in a different direction? I guess we're about to find out.


ANYONE STARTED THE FF7 REMAKE? PLAYED THE FIRST THREE HOURS TODAY AND I MUST SAY, ONCE I GOT OVER THE FACT THAT IT'S MORE THAN FF7 WITH BETTER GRAPHICS, I ACTUALLY LIKED IT. ALSO, I LOVE TIFA'S VOICE ACTOR.

THAT'S ALL HAHA