Revised: July 2014

Lightning awoke with a start. With a slight headache, she went to get up, but felt dizziness hit her yet again. As she brought a hand to her forehead, she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, take it easy, soldier girl." Lightning looked up to see none other than Sazh. He put a hand to her shoulder pressing her back down to the couch. The man looked almost exactly the same as she remembered him, his fro maybe a bit bushier.

"I can't believe someone else's finally awake. O'course, it would'a been nice if you'd woken up durin' the day so someone could'a seen ya. Avoidin' this 'ole mess." Sazh looked down at Lightning, remembering just how disoriented he had been after waking up. But at least there was someone there to explain things to me.

"Where am I? What happened?" Lightning looked around the room, noting that she was on a couch in rather large office.

"No how ya do's? Right to business then", Sazh said, smiling. Lightning sat up, ready for an explanation. "All right, well I best be gettin' someone first. Might as well hear it from one of the more higher ups. And from someone you're a bit closer to." Sazh winked at this and Lightning shot him a glare. "Now calm down, I have some business to be finishin' anyway, but I'll be seein' ya soon. You can count on that." Sazh began to walk toward the door, seemingly in a hurried state.

The soldier jumped up from her seat a tad slower than she was used to, her world still a little distorted, and grabbed Sazh's shoulder. "How about you start explaining some things first, Sazh. Then you can go." He looked back at her with a crooked grin.

"Trust me, Lightning, it's better from him."

Lightning's grip slid form his shoulder as confusion fell upon her features. "It's better from who?" Azure eyes glared at Sazh until his smile disappeared. Before the elder could respond, a loud ringing sounded.

Sazh sighed and answered his communicator, giving the pinkette an apologetic look. "Hello... No who authorized that... I'm trying t-... I'll be over there in a flash." At that, Sazh shut off his comm and glanced at Lightning. She was standing with her arms crossed in front of her, looking like she was ready to shoot him if he didn't give her some answers. "Alright, I know patience ain't your strong suit, but I really gotta head out. Jus' wait here. I promise you'll get those answers." With that, Sazh took off out the door.

Lightning made to run after him, but stopped. "Tch, figures. I finally find someone and they run off." It's good to see him though. But who the hell was he talking about anyway? One of the more higher ups... someone you're a bit closer to... And what was that wink about? "Whatever." Lightning went back to the couch, picked up her gunblade that had been previously leaned against it, and holstered the weapon. Well, seeing as I wouldn't know my way around, I might as well stay. It's Sazh anyway. I trust him right? But I'm going to have to remind him of who he's dealing with next time. Ordering me around? Tch.

Lightning looked around the room. It was a pretty spacious office. There were three bookcases filled with books covering most of the right wall, many of them technical manuals and history books. Most were worn, the spines very much broken in. On the left side of the room, there was a table with many small gadgets and mechanical pieces that lay strewn across it. And at the far side of the room was a desk, kept up rather well. The young woman walked over to it. There was a computer in its center with a large stack of papers on the left and one framed picture on the right. Lightning picked up the picture, eyes roving over the photograph's subjects. It had three men all posed in front of a building. She recognized two of the men. The one in the middle was Bartholomew who looked exactly the same except he didn't have on his glasses. The man to his left was Rygdea. I thought he had turned cieth. Well, so did we. He also looked exactly the same. But the man on the right...? Lightning was sure she didn't know him, but he looked extremely familiar. The soldier just couldn't place him.

She put the picture down and walked back over to the couch. She stood, crossing her arms and waiting, staring at the door. After about five minutes, Lightning sighed. So I'm awake. It's not like I expected a parade or anything, but I would kind of like to know what the hell is going on. Lightning closed her eyes and immediately remembered her dream world in crystal stasis. Although she knew now that it hadn't been real, she missed it. It had been the simple life with her family that she felt she had earned. She began to wonder if she wouldn't prefer that reality to this one.

Lightning was so caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't seen or heard anyone come up beside her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and was jerked from her thoughts. In the blink of an eye, Lightning grabbed the man's wrist and pulled it behind his back, sweeping her gunblade up and under his chin.

The man tried to speak, "Wait I-", but was cut off by the soldier.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Lightning brought the gunblade closer to his neck, hoping to bypass any struggling and get the point of the stranger's approach.

"Well seeing as you're in my office, why wouldn't I be in here? I heard you wanted to talk, Light."

Lightning let the man go, but kept her weapon ready to strike. After stumbling forward, he composed himself and turned around. It was the man in the picture that had seemed familiar. So it very well could be his office. The man was a few inches taller than her with a lanky build and was wearing a white, blue, and yellow uniform. He had shining silver hair and deep emerald green eyes that made Lightning swear she knew him. His voice even sounded familiar.

"You don't recognize me, do you", he asked with a hurt expression.

It was that expression, with those puppy dog eyes, that seemed to hit Lightning in the face with the answer. Hope? But your so... Well apparently it has been six years. But when did you wake up?

A flash of recognition seemed to pass through Lightning's eyes, but she just stood there, mouth agape. Hope walked toward her hesitantly. "Light?" Just as Hope was about to place a hand on her shoulder, the soldier swept him into a hug. A hug that reminded him so much of the one in Palumpolum years ago. He wrapped his arms around her waist, returning the warm welcome. "It's good to see you too, Light." He missed her immensely.

The pink-haired woman pulled away, hands still resting on his shoulders, and looked him up and down. "It's you, but you're so..."

"Old", guessed Hope, chuckling softly. She was still looking him over, causing the young man to shift uncomfortably from the scrutiny.

She couldn't believe she hadn't recognized him. He was much taller, and had thinned out with some fairly toned muscle, having lost the last of his baby fat. His face was longer with a strong, angular jaw line. His hair was a bit longer and tamer, but still a glimmering silver. And those eyes. How could she not remember those eyes? After a few awkwardly silent moments, Lightning punched him in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for", asked Hope, rubbing the now slightly sore spot. She didn't hold back, either.

She only glared at him in return. Though on the inside, she was greatly relieved to have Hope at her side once again. He was alive, safe, and healthy. "That was for making me wait. And..." Lightning punched him again in the same spot after his other arm left it. "That's for growing up."

Hope winced and rubbed the abused area again, but smiled at her statement. "Jeez, Light, I'm sorry. I was in a meeting. I came as soon as Sazh got a hold of me." He walked over to the couch and gestured for her to sit beside him. As long as she's not going to hit me again. Lightning walked over and sat down. "As for the growing up part... well, couldn't be helped, I guess." Hope rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he gazed upon her form beside him. "It is really great to see you, Light, even if I get a bruised arm out of the deal." The silveret smiled at her, still not believing that she had finally awoken. It feels like it's been forever and now... no. So not the time. "So, I'm sure you have some questi-"

"When did you wake up?" Lightning looked at Hope tentatively. He couldn't be more than twenty.

Hope looked down at the ground, pain registering in his grim expression. Taking a breath, he then looked back into Lightning's hard gaze. "About a year after the fall. I was the first to wake up."

"And Sazh?"

"He woke up four years after, three years after me." A tiny smile tugged at his lips as he thought about when the man had been found after waking up, the little chick flying wildly around his head. "The chocobo was still in his hair, so it got crystallized too." Hope chuckled briefly before continuing. "I can't believe how big it is now, after just a couple years." Lightning smiled at the thought of that little chick sprouting into full growth. Much like the Hope before her.

Hope's breath caught, seeing the soft fondness on Lightning. He never forgot her smile, since it was such a rare occasion to see it, and he relished in the one before him now.

"What about Vanille and Fang?" At that, his smile faded. He looked down at his hands, a conflicted expression crossing his features. "What", she asked, concern creeping into her voice. "They aren't..."

Hope looked up, blanching as he waved his hands before him. "They are crystallized too, but..."

"But what?"

"They stopped Cocoon from falling." The teen's eyes fell down to the floor and he stood at the thought. "They became Ragnarok and crystallized Cocoon. It created a crystal pillar that holds it up. They're inside that pillar." Hope sighed and looked at Lightning. She shared his obvious concern.

If Vanille and Fang woke up, would that mean the end of Cocoon and all still inside? Lightning looked at Hope's troubled expression and decided to move away from the topic. "So, this is your office? You must be pretty important."

Hope smiled again and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you could say that."

"What is this place anyway? The Academy?"

"It's the new government around here. Pretty much replaced the Sanctum. This is the base. You woke up in the Research and Operations sector." Hope bit his lip, grimacing at the way the situation had been handled. "Sorry about the guards and the tranquillizer, by the way." He looked at her hesitantly while she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that was fun." Lightning looked up at Hope's sheepish expression and smirked. Looks like some things never change.

"Anyway, after the fall and after they built up much of the new settlement, they created the Academy. Many of the people that had been evacuated or purged before the fall live here in Academia."

"Many?" Lightning furrowed her brow at Hope's harsh expression.

She really doesn't miss a thing. Same old Light. "There is another settlement run by what's left of the Sanctum." Lightning growled, causing Hope to smile. He really liked how well he knew her. "I know. It's filled with people who still don't trust us. L'Cie, I mean. They refused to have anything to do with us or any of the purge victims. Instead they created their own colony and I don't know how..." Hope sighed, "but they work with another Fal'Cie and-"

"What?" Lightning stood, rigid and furious in her stance. "How? Why would anyone want to-" She huffed and raked her hands through her hair. "After everything that's happened."

"And that is exactly why we don't trust it. But it provides them with power and they..." Hope trailed off, looking off to the corner. Sensing his discomfort, Lightning walked over to him and lifted his chin to make his gaze meet hers. A blush crept up over Hope's cheeks as their eyes locked. After a few moments of silence, Hope continued, "Anyway that's pretty much what all this is." The young man gestured to the room. "We are mostly rebuilding and after our first big step of crafting our own power, we jumped on other projects. We sent ships to find more purge settlements and brought them back. Even after so many years, we managed to find one just a few months ago." Hope looked back at Lightning, but she was staring off into the distance.

All this time, I've been dreaming away while Hope and everyone else were having to deal with real problems. I should have been here. Why wouldn't I wake up?

"Light?" Just as Hope stirred the girl from her thoughts, a knock sounded from the door. "Yes." Both Hope and Lightning looked back to the door as a woman pushed it open.

Lightning took the girl in as she stood there. Short, curly blonde hair fell about to her jawline, bangs falling just above blue eyes that seemed to be filled with adoration as she looked to the man before her. Her uniform matched Hope's, but was much more feminine and was a tad more revealing on her tan, petite frame. A perky smile pulled at her lips as she began to speak.

"Director, don't tell me you forgot about the meeting. About your proposal for the-"

"Right, sorry, Alyssa." Hope looked down to the floor solemnly, then back at Lightning with a small smile. "I got a little carried away. You probably want to clean up right? I know when I woke up, I really wanted a shower. And you're probably hungry. Well uh... this is Alyssa Zaidelle, my assistant." He gestured back to the woman standing in the doorway. "Alyssa, this is Lightning Farron."

Alyssa instantly perked up at that. "Really, I heard another woke up last night." She walked over and held her hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Right." Lightning shook her hand, uninterested eyes catching the assistant's.

Hope started walking backwards toward the door while the women greeted each other. "So Alyssa, would you mind showing Light to her temporary room?"

"Of course, Director", Alyssa replied with a smile that didn't appear to be leaving anytime soon.

Hope looked to Lightning. "It's right by Sazh's so don't worry if you have any questions. I'll see you later, all right, Light?" With that he was out the door.

"So", started Alyssa. "That just leaves you and me." She giggled before an intrigued expression overtook her features. "I can't imagine how this must be for you. I mean, six years… but with stasis it must seem like just yesterday you all took down Orphan."

Yay, she's chipper. Very, very chipper. She looked at the young assistant and realized that the girl was waiting for a reply. "Yeah, pretty much." Sort of.

They began to walk out of Hope's office and down the corridors. "Well, it is wonderful to meet you. I've heard so much about you and the l'Cie adventures."

Adventures huh? Well, that's one word for it.

"The director says you pretty much saved his life. He said that if you hadn't toughened him up, he would have been eaten alive." Alyssa smiled at Lightning who just looked down at the ground.

Really? I guess so-

Alyssa didn't wait for a response. "Anyway, your room isn't too far away. We had them built for when you all woke up so you'd have a temporary place to stay. Until we could find you a more permanent residence that is."

"But I thought Sazh woke up a couple years ago?"

"That's right", answered Alyssa, bouncing on her heels.

Lightning tried to ignore her cheery demeanor, but felt her eye twitch just a little. "So then why is he still living here?"

The blonde's expression tensed, but she managed to keep a tight smile. "I don't have much interaction with Mr. Katzroy, but from what I've heard it's because of his son... staying close to him and all. You know?"

"Right." Lightning looked back down to the ground, sorrow and understanding within her. "So who runs this place anyway? Some old Primarch like Dysley? If that's the case, then I'd rather stay a crystal."

Alyssa giggled. "No, silly", the girl chirped. "He didn't tell you?" She looked over to Lightning with a furrowed brow.

"What?"

"Our fearless leader", said Alyssa erupting into another fit of giggles, "is Director Estheim of course."