A/N: Thanks again for reading. Please review. I love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. It makes my day. Enjoy :)

Revised: July 2014

Rain fell softly over the scene. Yeul's body laid still on the ground, rain slowly washing away the blood from her skin. Lightning brought her knees up under her chin, hugging them, trying to process the whole event while millions of questions blasted through her mind. Where does... did she come from? Why was she out here? What could have attacked her? Those wounds... was it a person? Does she have a family? But the biggest questions that held her mind captive were, What did she mean? Who's suffering? How would she... Lightning looked over Yeul once more. Her face was serene, innocent. It was a stark contrast to the wounds that marred her body. Lightning couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in her gut. Her face... she looks so much like...

The minute Hope had heard her voice, he felt his stomach in his throat. Lightning was quickly, breathily, telling him that she had found a girl horribly wounded. That she needed help. He turned to Alyssa immediately, telling her to call a med team and gave her Lightning's location. He then went to ask Lightning what happened. What on Pulse could have happened in the past twenty minutes since I last saw her? But she had hung up. Suddenly, Hope bolted from his spot.

Alyssa, still dialing the number, yelled toward Hope. "What are you doing? It's not safe. You don't know what-"

Hope stopped and yelled back. "Just keep calling, Alyssa. I'll be fine." He continued running, knowing that if anything happened to Lightning, after he'd just gotten her back, he'd never forgive himself.

Rain began to mist over pulse. Ten minutes in, his lungs began burning, begging him to stop, but he kept going. He wasn't going to let anyone else close to him get hurt. I can't lose anyone else.

Hope finally came upon the half built building, and as much as his body protested, he ran faster. As he rounded the building, he saw Lightning sitting curled up in front of a body on the ground. He stopped next to her, hunching over, and gulped in air. He struggled to speak, but his lungs were too starved. After a few moments Hope managed to let out a breathy, "What happened", and knelt beside Lightning.

Lightning didn't look at him and instead continued staring at the body before her. He leaned over the girl, intending to check her pulse, but Lightning grabbed his wrist.

"She's dead", stated Lightning plainly, before letting him go.

Hope looked over the young woman. It looked like she had been brutally tortured. His first thought, after he had been called, was that it had been another monster attack, but this... This was done by a human. A different kind of monster entirely. He turned from her to Lightning. She was still, her face blank, reminding him of the stoic soldier she always pretended to be. There was blood smeared on her front along with her hands and her face. He deduced it was the girl's since Lightning didn't appear to be hurt. He put a hand on her shoulder, feeling her shiver at his touch. "Light, are you alright?"

She had barely registered Hope's presence beside her. When he had reached over Yeul, she had grabbed him out of a sudden impulse. It just didn't seem right to disturb Yeul's body. Enough had been done to her. After telling him, she let him go, her mind registering the action. She curled back up, falling back into her mind and the short span of events leading to her present state.

Hope's question didn't quite find her until minutes after its utterance. She turned toward him. He kept silent, but his eyes pleaded with her to give him answers. "I couldn't help her." Lightning shuddered at the sound of her voice. She sounded so weak. No. This isn't you. You don't sound like this. Not ever.

Hope couldn't believe it. Although her face was a dull mask, her voice held something different entirely. What happened?

Lightning collected herself and stood. Hope followed and locked his gaze with hers. "I heard a scream. She was laying on the ground when I found her. She died shortly after I called."

Hope swallowed. Her voice was devoid of emotion. Before he could reply, the med team arrived, followed by a Guardian Corps car and a few soldiers on cycles. Any more questions would have to wait.

Three hours had passed. Lightning, Hope, and Alyssa had given their statements. They now sat together in a small room in G.C. headquarters, encompassed in silence. Lightning sat in a chair and stared at the coffee in her hands that had long since turned cold. Hope sat across from her on an old, small couch, glancing at her every once in a while, hoping to catch her attention. His rain soaked clothes caused him to shiver, but he ignored it. Alyssa sat on the other end of the couch, fidgeting with nervous energy.

Hope tried to invade Lightning's mind as she sat there, but seeing as she was expressionless, reading her thoughts was proving to be difficult. Other than her brief overview of events before the other soldiers had arrived, she hadn't spoken another word to him. He knew nothing more of the situation other than what he saw, and it was driving him nuts. He wanted to talk with her about something-anything to make sure she was okay. The direct approach was out of the question. The minute he would ask, she'd shut him down with a curt reply of 'Everything's fine' or 'I'm alright' even though he knew she wasn't. He wasn't entirely sure why they were still there, but he knew they'd be speaking with more people and wished they would have been allowed to clean up a bit first. And that's when an idea struck him.

Lightning spaced out for most of the time they were in the room. She was grateful for the quiet and the end of the extensive questioning. Although she could see in her peripheral vision that Hope was attempting to catch her attention with his eyes. She wasn't quite ready to speak with him yet. He'd seen too much of her vulnerability. He'd come to help her before she'd had time to build up her shield and it irritated her.

Just when she thought that she might be able to get through the rest of the day without having to explain herself to him, he stood. Hope walked over in front of her, knelt down, and pulled something from his pocket. In his hand was his old green and black bandana from their l'Cie days. He kept that old thing. He looked up at her with uncertainty and offered it to her.

"You have some-some blood on your face." Slight shock set into her expression as she slid her fingertips across her cheek, feeling the slowly crusting blood that covered it. She smiled at him, knowing that it turned out as more of a grimace, and took the cloth from his hand.

Alyssa quickly bounced up. "Oh, here." She wrestled in her pouch for a brief moment, smiling at Lightning and walked toward her holding a compact. "You can use the mirror", Alyssa suggested.

Lightning gratefully took it from her palm, "Thanks", and began wiping off her face. After she had finished, she handed Alyssa back her compact and looked back down at Hope. "I'll get this cleaned up and return it to you. Okay?"

Hope stood and replied, "No problem, Light", before running a hand through his hair. He was about to speak when a soldier, one he knew personally, came in.

They all rose as she entered and the woman nodded at those in the room in front of her. "Director, Sergeant Farron, if you'll come with me, please." She turned toward Alyssa with a practiced smile, "You are free to go."

"Um... alright", Alyssa replied and turned to Hope, waiting for instruction.

He looked to the soldier in front of him. "La Salle, how long will this take?"

"I wasn't informed."

Hope's expression tensed. "Alyssa... just hold the fort 'til I get back." He gave her a small smile before turning his gaze back.

"Of course, Director." She smiled sweetly and left.

Hope turned back to La Salle once it was just them. "Okay, Nivien, what's this about? Why have we been waiting for-"

Lightning walked forward. "Are you two friends?"

Hope bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck, mentally slapping himself for letting the soldier's first name slip from his mouth.

"Yes", replied Nivien, glancing at Hope. She held out her hand to Lightning. "Lieutenant Nivien La Salle."

Lightning shook her hand, feeling a firm grip. La Salle was a dark skinned woman with vivid, brown hair tied back in a small, professional ponytail. Her hazel eyes were intense while holding slight exhaustion. She was about an inch shy of her own height and looked to be in her early to mid-twenties.

Nivien folded her hands behind her back and looked to Hope. "It has to do with the young woman, but the general has been dealing with some other business. I was sent to collect you so you could speak with him." At that she turned and walked down the hall, Hope and Lightning trailing after.

Hope shook his head. He figured he should smooth some things over with light conversation. "All business today, La Salle? It's been what... a month since we've spoken?"

"Two... actually." Nivien glanced at him, a small scowl produced on her features as he came up beside her. "But we're busy people, right", Nivien muttered.

Hope clamped his teeth down on the side of his cheek, wary of saying anything wrong, or anything too personal in front of Lightning. I didn't know she had felt this agitated. It was so long ago, I thought it was best to just let it lie.

Lightning watched the two's interaction from behind, slightly amused, yet unsettled by it. It was obvious they had history, what kind... she could only guess.

As they continued through the halls, Lightning thought about her first day back on the job and how utterly horrible it had turned out to be. I got clawed by a beast, had to be rescued by Hope, and was completely unable to save that girl. Great job, Farron. What a perfect soldier you are.

They were led into a large conference room. There was a giant, oval-shaped, oak table that occupied most of the space, accompanied by several chairs around it. Lightning and Hope took their seats across from each other. Nivien walked over to a small table in the corner that held a coffee pot and some paper cups. She poured two cups of coffee and walked back to the table, handing Lightning her cup first.

"Um... thank you, Lieutenant." Lightning felt odd and uncomfortable at having a superior officer fetching her coffee.

Nivien flashed her a small, trained smile, "No problem, Sergeant". She walked over behind Hope and put the coffee down in front of him, jerking him forward into the table as she leaned over his chair.

Hope's jaw slackened. He quickly recovered and turned to Nivien, but she was already walking toward the door.

"I know it can't be easy to refrain from working for so long, but hopefully the general knows not to keep the busy director waiting." Lightning's eyebrows rose as Hope looked at the lieutenant's back in shock. But without so much as a glance back, Nivien left the room, satisfied.

Lightning's curiosity had officially been peeked. She turned back to see Hope still staring at the door with a mixture of awe and confusion. He looked back at the table biting his lip. In the course of the next few minutes, Hope's eyes danced all around the room, while never falling on Lightning.

Hope couldn't believe that Nivien would do something like that, at work, in front of a fellow soldier. She was always so professional on duty. It only caused him to worry even more about what he could have done.

Lightning, growing tired of the deafening quiet, decided to speak. "Okay, what was that all about?"

Hope cast his eyes warily over her, clenching his jaw. "Really, it's nothing." He rubbed his forehead while Lightning crossed her arms over her stomach.

"Hope, I'm not stupid."

Before Hope could answer, General Amodar came in. The two stood, Lightning saluting to the general. He smiled and shook her's and Hope's hands before motioning for them to sit down. "I'm terribly sorry for keeping you waiting", Amodar started, sitting at the head of the table across from the door. "It's well into the night, but we have some things to discuss before we can hit the hay."

Hope smiled meekly. "Of course, General, really it's no trouble."

Amodar turned to Lightning. "How are you, Farron? You had quite a tough day."

"I'm fine, sir. I'm very sorry for-"

"You have nothing to apologize for. You did your job", said Amodar, cutting her off. A knock on the door caught everyone's attention then. "Come in", he bellowed. A short slender man, with a receding hairline walked into the room. He had on bulky horn-rimmed glasses and a long white coat over his outfit. He held a brown file in his hand that he was clutching onto rather harshly. "Ah, thanks for coming, Torkin." The man took a seat at the other end of the table, across from Amodar. The General gestured over at the room's occupants, "This is Sergeant Lightning Farron and I'm sure you've heard of Director Hope Estheim." Torkin looked over at Hope in amazement. "And this is Viktor Torkin, Chief Medical Examiner."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance", Hope greeted. "Although..." He turned toward Amodar with a questioning expression, "...I thought Carline Abernathy was the-"

"She was, but she retired a few weeks ago. Torkin was recently promoted to her position", replied Amodar gruffly.

"Well in that case, congratulations, Dr. Torkin." Hope stood to shake his hand.

Torkin quickly got up and excitedly accepted the gesture, shaking Hope's hand vigorously. "Please, call me Viktor. It's an honor, a true honor to meet you, Director."

Lightning looked at the elated man with amusement. Apparently, Alyssa was right. He is admired by many. Even by those that operate on dead people.

Hope just laughed, "Call me Hope."

They both took their seats as Amodar cleared his throat, "Right, well..." He shifted in his chair. "We have started an investigation into the young woman, but seeing as it's only been roughly over three hours, we haven't yielded many results. Only time will tell. Hopefully someone missing the poor girl will be searching for her. Until then, we shall investigate what might have happened in the events leading to her death." He coughed once and continued. "I asked Dr. Torkin to examine her body as quickly as possible and meet with us." Amodar then gestured toward the balding man, signaling him to speak.

It took Torkin a few moments to realize this, but he soon set his file on the table and shakily opened it. "Yes... um..." Torkin looked up nervously and cleared his throat. "The young woman was most definitely tortured. She-she had multiple deep lacerations made by a seven and a quarter inch serrated blade along with several smaller cuts caused by a three inch knife. Many burns were also on her body. By the marks..." Torkin paused and quirked a brow"... they seemed to have been inflicted by a... a-hand." Torkin looked up to see many confused gazes. It had confused him as well, but it was also positively intriguing.

"She also had several electrical burns. There were about fourteen bruises from her torso to her ankles. Three fingernails were ripped from her right hand on her thumb, forefinger and pinky. I was also able to determine, by the severe dehydration and lack of vitamin D in her system, that she has been possibly held captive for weeks. The abrasions on her knees and feet were deep, but fresh, so she had most likely gotten those after she had escaped or after having been let go. The extent of the abrasions shows that she could have been running for miles." After his conclusion, the room was silent.

Lightning's lips had parted and her eyes were glued to the table. She was horrified. Although she had known that the girl must have endured some serious trauma, she hadn't known just how much agony she had been put through.

Hope's expression was pained. He couldn't bear to think of the terrors the young woman had suffered. The thoughts of that girl, that seemed to be just younger than him, being tortured, enraged him.

Torkin closed the file. "We aren't finished with the examination... not by a long shot, but I will have more results for you by tomorrow afternoon." With that he stood.

"Thank you", said Amodar, "for your quick report. I'm shocked you could find so much in such a short amount of time."

The man beamed, adjusting his glasses. "Well, the report is far from complete...", Torkin replied bashfully, "But I am a fast worker."

"May I have a copy of your current file", Amodar inquired.

Torkin jumped and quickly slid the file toward him. "Of course, brought that one just for you. Um... it was a sincere pleasure to meet you... Hope and-" He turned to Lightning, taking a few moments to contemplate her name. "Farron, was it?"

Lightning sighed inwardly. "Yes. It was nice to meet you too."

Hope smiled, "Don't work too hard. I hope to see you again sometime soon, just... under far better circumstances."

"Of course." He then nodded to Amodar. "General."

"Doctor", replied Amodar, nodding back as Torkin left the room. Amodar then opened the file and sifted through its thin contents, mostly pictures, and grimaced. "So, Farron, I know you already went through this, but if you wouldn't mind going over the events again..."

Lightning sat up straighter, which you wouldn't think was even possible by her already perfect posture, and spoke, "Of course."

Hope tensed. He was eager to know the full story, but he was also a bit reluctant. He knew that whatever had happened, had shaken Lightning. And that wasn't something to take lightly. Amodar was staring at her intently, so Hope cast his eyes toward his hands, feeling that she didn't really need two sets of eyes on her during her recollection.

"I was walking back to base after my shift ended and-"

Amodar cut in gently, "This was after the Gargonopsid incident with Estheim, correct?"

"Yes, sir. He had already headed back to base before me. Anyway, as I was walking back, I heard a scream. I ran toward it and I found the girl on the ground." Her words caught just slightly, but she quickly resumed, her voice wiped of emotion. "I didn't have the number for the hospital, so I called Hope, gave him my location, and told him to call a med team. She looked like she was in incredible pain so I told her that someone was coming... and I asked her for her name but-"

"Did you ask her what happened? How she got there?"

Lightning was irritated at being interrupted yet again, but remained calm. He's my superior... and this is Amodar... he's just trying to be thorough. "No, she could barely get out her name, so I didn't press for anything else."

Amodar glanced over at Hope, who seemed to be consumed by his hands, and nodded. "Continue."

"She said her name was Yeul."

Hope's eyes darted up to Lightning, feeling the name to be eerily familiar. He didn't say anything, but he delved into his mind trying to figure out where he'd heard the name before whilst listening to Lightning's words.

"She was quiet for a few seconds but it was like..." Lightning knitted her brow, trying to find the right words, "like something struck her. Her body stiffened as she gasped. The next thing I knew she had her hands on my face and she was... whispering... to me." Lightning had gotten quiet, but no one said a word. "She said 'Only through his suffering, can humanity prevail'. Then she was... gone." Lightning brought her eyes back up from the table to meet Amodar's tentative gaze.

Amodar rested his elbows on the table, folded his hands, and rested his chin on his steepled fingers. "Those... words were her very last?"

"Yes, sir. The way she had said it though... it was so... definite... like it was some sort of-"

Hope jumped up from his seat, startling Lightning and the general and blurted, "Prophecy". The realization had finally jostled the memory from the back of his mind, making Hope extremely happy, but also making him seem a tad too eager. He composed himself and sat down, awaiting Lightning's continuance.

She gave him a baffled look and nodded. The general turned to Hope. "Something you'd like to share?"

"Actually, yes. There was something else I read about when I was researching the crystals." Hope stopped, considering how to explain his revelation. "The... Yeul-she... her clothes didn't look customary for neither Academia nor Sanctum City. In fact they looked-"

"Pulsian", spoke Lightning.

"Yes. In several books I've come across, there were many references to one of the oldest known tribes on Pulse, the Farseers. They lived long before the War of Transgression and may possibly still be alive today since they became nomadic shortly before the war occurred." He stopped and heavily sighed before moving forward. "Throughout all of the generations in the Farseer tribe, their leader was always Yeul. She was a young woman - a seeress that had visions. These visions were prophecies of events to come. This foresight however, has a consequence." Hope swallowed. "The visions ultimately kill Yeul, but she is then reborn into the tribe, to rule again."

Amodar leaned back in his chair, pondering the information. "And you think that this girl is her? This... Yeul from the Farseer tribe?"

"It's quite possible. Although it begs the question of how someone would get a hold of her. Yeul always had a guardian..." He brought a hand to his chin. "I'm certain from what I remember of what I've read... her guardian was always a l'Cie with their focus solely set on the protection of her. Also why would someone even want to torture her... for her visions?"

"So, whoever took her had to have been powerful enough to battle a l'Cie", said Lightning. "Not to mention said l'Cie would give all they have into her protection, knowing their own life is on the line."

Amodar wasn't entirely convinced by it all, but if no future information contradicted their hypothesis, then it very well could have been just as Hope guessed. "So if it was her... then what she said very well could have been a prophecy. So someone's... suffering, other than this girl's of course, will provide our race with victory? In some unknown way?"

Lightning sighed. "And this is why I really dislike all this magic crap. Suffering people, cryptic prophecies, nothing good comes out of it."

Hope gave her a crooked grin knowing full well that Lightning was not fond of anything of the magic variety.

Amodar stood and looked to Hope. "How should we handle this", asked Amodar.

That question threw Lightning off. It was not the question per se, but the inquirer and the receiver. Lightning finally understood how high Hope's position was. He could not only command her, but Amodar, and pretty much anyone else in all of Academia. Hope really was their leader.

Hope bit his lip before answering, "I think that we should investigate what we can. Dr. Torkin can see if there is anything on his end that can identify her origin. We can put her picture up on the news in case she is from here and someone recognizes her. Also we should send Hildough to Sanctum City. Make sure she isn't from there either, and see if they know anything about this."

Amodar nodded. "And if they do but deny any involvement?"

Hope cocked his head to the left, considering his question. It was very likely, considering they rarely cooperated, even with a proven non l'Cie and a reasonable man such as Hildough. "Then at least we tried. As for the prophecy... well, I'll do some more digging on the Farseers and their leader. However, as much as I really dislike the thought of waiting until something happens, we are probably going to have to do just that."

Amodar walked over to the young Director and squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "Well, alright. I'll see you sometime soon then." He shook Hope's hand. "And I'll see you in a few days, Farron." She went to protest, but was curtly interrupted. "I won't hear it, Farron. You had quite an eventful day. Rest up. You've got a four day leave as of now. Goodnight you two." With that, he was out the door.

Hope and Lightning stood just as Nivien walked into the room. "Your car is here, sir." She glanced at Lightning, "I can have a cab called for you if you'd like?"

Lightning shook her head. "It's alright. I'll just walk."

"Are you sure", asked Nivien. "It's quite a long walk back to the Academy base."

"It's fine."

As soon as they walked out of the building, Hope grabbed Lightning's shoulder gently. "You know I'm not going to let you walk all the way back to base?"

Lightning put a hand on her hip. "And how exactly are you going to stop me?"

Hope just smiled and put his hands up in surrender, shaking his head. "You got me there. Guess I'm just going to have to walk with you."

"Hope." She looked at his smug smile and knew he wasn't backing down. "Fine", Lightning acquiesced.

He walked over to the car and pulled open the door before bowing, "After you, milady."

Lightning rolled her eyes and walked towards him, ruffling his hair before getting in the car.

For the first ten minutes, the ride was silent. Lightning gazed out the window as the town passed by. Hope stared at the back of his driver's seat, thinking about everything on his agenda for the night, before he could even think about sleep. He glanced over at Lightning, his thoughts turning to the day's past events and Lightning's reaction to it all.

As Hope opened his mouth to speak, Lightning asked, "Who's Hildough".

Hope clamped his mouth shut. Lightning continued watching the world fly by out her window, awaiting an answer. "He's like our Ambassador. Reuben Hildough is the representative of Academia. We usually have him deal with any affairs involving the Sanctum City."

Lightning remained quiet. Hope clenched his jaw before moving on. "Light... I would like to know something." She didn't look at him or make any indication that she'd heard him. He pressed on. "What really happened today?"

She blew out a sigh before considering an answer. She had already told him and Amodar everything that had occurred, but she knew that wasn't really what he was referring to. "I already told you everything that happened."

"You know that's not what I-"

"It was nothing."

He rubbed his gloved hands on his thighs, fully aware that she wasn't going to want to continue, but something inside him compelled him to press the issue.

The car pulled to a stop in front of the Academy building. She reached for the door handle but was stopped by Hope as he grabbed her upper arm. "Please, Light? I just want to help."

She wrenched her arm out of his grip roughly. "Stop it, Hope", Lightning warned. "It's not your problem and it's nothing you can fix." Her voice was dripping with agitation, but nevertheless he ploughed on.

"I-"

"Just stop, okay?"

She turned toward him, and Hope was taken aback. Not only by her harsh tone, but her pained expression. Her eyes were pink and puffy, like she had been silently crying the whole ride back.

"Just leave it be." She threw the door open, jumped out of the car, and slammed the door shut. Lightning was fuming with anger, although she wasn't quite sure why. Yes, she was mad at Hope. But for what? He was only being a concerned friend, but he just wouldn't back off. I didn't want to go through it all with him. It's not important. He most certainly doesn't need to hear me whine when he's got so much to handle. And I never wanted him to see that... She had tried so hard to hide her emotions from him. She didn't want him to know how affected she'd been by seeing Yeul's death, but some part of her thought that just maybe... she did.

Lightning huffed and got into the elevator. She went to press the button for the sixth floor where her small apartment was located, but quickly decided on going to the fourth to visit her sister.

She stepped into the quiet room and stopped, staring at the crystal forms. After shutting the door, she immediately went to her sister's side. Kneeling down, she clutched onto Serah's crystal, sharp nails scraping against it, as if doubting that she was really there. She felt the cool crystal under her fingertips and wished desperately that Serah would wake up. She wanted to hug her sister, feel her warmth instead of this icy, hard hand. A few tears slipped through her eyelids. She knew full well that someone could be watching the room through the camera on the ceiling, but she couldn't care less.

"I'm so sorry, Serah. I'm supposed to be strong, not this sappy mess." Lightning shook her head. "I'm a soldier god dammit! I've seen plenty of death. But... this..." She choked on her words, hating herself even more. "It was just too much. She looked so much like... I thought I'd lost you, Serah." She glanced up at Serah's glowing face. "For a moment there, I thought she was you. Just, please come back, Serah", Lightning pleaded. "I need my sister. I need you." She could no longer speak as she stifled her sobs in her hands. Serah had to wake up.

By the time Lightning left the stasis room, it was almost one o'clock in the morning. She rubbed her eyelids which now from the crying coupled with her fatigue, felt like lead weights. She made her way to her room, but stopped a few feet away. Sitting on the ground against the wall beside her door was Hope, asleep.

He looked so peaceful, his face tranquil. Her mind suddenly thrust her back to their first journey together alone. Him sleeping against a rock, trusting Lightning, who was basically a complete stranger, to watch out for him while he slept.

She hated having to wake him up, but she knew he'd been there to see her. He probably figured she just wouldn't let him inside and had ignored him. Lightning's stomach lurched, realizing just how concerned and worried she'd made him. She bent down, brushing her hand against his cheek. "Hope." His eyes fluttered open before bulging. He quickly jumped up from his position.

"S-sorry Light", Hope stammered. "I-I was-s just..."

Lightning leapt up and walked to her door, unlocking it while ignoring her stuttering companion. "Just come in already."

Hope nodded and walked in after her, closing the door behind himself. He looked over to the side, noticing the broken lamp on the floor, and looked at Lightning questioningly.

Lightning sighed. She hadn't remembered the lamp, when she'd let Hope in. She'd neglected picking it up the night before, not wanting to deal with the mess her anger had caused. And again this morning she let it remain in its state, wanting nothing more than to get back to work. "I got a little mad yesterday." Lightning flipped on the light switch and flopped onto the couch.

"Poor lamp", said Hope, trying to ease the tension.

Lightning was tired. Physically and emotionally drained was more like it. She was in no mood to dance around the issue. "How long were you out there?"

Hope sat beside her, his concerned gaze unwavering from the woman beside him. "Since we got back."

"I wasn't here." He looked at her half-expectantly. Lightning had wanted to just come home and forget the anguish she'd put herself through, but she figured she might as well tell him. She knew he would still want to know what had been wrong with her. He'd done nothing but help her, support her, and be kind to her since she'd woken up. Hell, almost since we met. He deserved an explanation for her bitterness toward him previously.

Hope rubbed his right eye. "Look, Light, I'm sorry. I-"

"Save it. I'm the one who should apologize. I treated you like dirt for doing absolutely nothing to me. I was just... trying to forget it all." She averted her gaze from him, wanting to just be done with the conversation already. Talking about feelings made her uncomfortable. Slashing and hacking through monsters would be preferrable.

Hope put his hand over hers. "Forget what, Light?"

Lightning took his hand in hers, the quick action startling Hope. "You know it's not easy for me to... express myself. So when you kept insisting I just snapped." She looked back over to him, but still didn't meet his eyes. "I know you were just curious and worried, but I didn't want to talk about it."

He squeezed her hand, reassuring her that he was there to listen to whatever she had to say. "It's alright. I shouldn't have pressed you. Do you still not want to talk about it?" He shifted slightly, trying to meet her gaze.

Lightning rubbed the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "It was nothing, really. Just, that girl... Yeul, she... reminded me of..."

"Serah", Hope finished, wishing he would have realized it sooner.

"Yes. I thought that I'd failed her, again. I felt I couldn't protect her."

Hope grasped Lightning's chin and turned her to face him. He searched his mind for the right words to help reassure her. "You did protect her. Serah is safe, crystallized, but safe. Thanks to you, she will wake up to a new world that will welcome her instead of threaten her."

Lightning's lips curled into a small smile. "You mean, thanks to us."

He chuckled lightly, "Yeah." Hope moved his hand away from her chin and brushed a few of stray hairs behind her ear.

Lightning blinked in surprise, but quickly rid herself of the expression. She got up and stretched, her muscles losing some of the built up tension. "Well all this moping and arguing has been fun and all, but I think it's about time for some sleep. How about you?"

Hope slowly got up and rubbed some sleep from his eye, yawning. "Not me. I've got a lot I have to get done. Too much work, not enough time. Sleep can wait." He began walking to the door, but was stopped by Lightning's arm.

"Sorry, Director, but your duties can wait. You look like your eyes are going to roll out of their sockets." She stood in front of him, barring him from the door.

Hope let out a throaty laugh. "Well thanks for the compliment, Light. I really appreciate it. But seriously, I have to-" Lightning pushed him back down to the couch.

"If you're going to insist on being stubborn, then I guess you're sleeping here. Where I can keep my eye on you."

"But, Light..." Hope whined.

Lightning grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and threw it at his face. "Nope." Hope pushed the blanket off of himself and crossed his arms, sulking.

Lightning put her hands on her hips. "Don't be petulant. It's bedtime, young man."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Did this really work on Serah?"

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Serah actually minded me. Well... most of the time." Lightning's expression softened as she remembered all of the times her baby sister had whined, pleaded, and begged her to let her stay up. Most times were futile efforts, but on some occasions, Serah would give her that sweet, innocent, pleading expression, that Hope had down to a tee, and she would have no other choice than to give in.

Hope laid down and wrapped the blanket around himself. "Fine, I concede. But you have to sleep too."

Lightning walked over to her room. "Well of course. Goodnight, Hope", she said as she switched off the light.

"Night", Hope mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

It was comforting, his presence. She wasn't sure how, but Hope had carved himself a special place in her heart. Considering the small time frame that he had known her, it seemed almost unreal. Although, thinking back to all of the things they had gone through, the rough times they'd endured, it wasn't all that surprising. She knew she probably wouldn't be as close with any other person, besides her sister. She still had so much to learn about him. And she knew she would have to share much more about herself as well. There were many things she needed to say to him, but they would remain unspoken for now. She had confessed enough for one night. Taking one last glance at his sleeping form, she slipped into her room quietly.

She looked into the tall mirror that stood beside her desk, seeing her disheveled self. Blood and dirt marked her clothes, her skin was grimier than ever, but her face was much cleaner thanks to Hope's kindness. He'd helped her out once again. She took the bandana out of her pouch and began tracing the patterns with her fingertips absentmindedly. She set it down on the edge of the desk to make sure she would remember to get it washed and returned.

Taking one last look at herself, she decided that a shower was a necessity. She was exhausted, but she couldn't possibly sleep knowing that Yeul's blood was on her. So she crept back out of her room and headed for a shower.

"Castea!" called a gruff voice out into the night. A woman turned at the sound of her name, features twisted in disapproval. She was deathly pale, her domineering presence a stark contrast to her pallid complexion. Her features were soft, though her gray eyes were sharp and tinged to an intense silver in the moonlight. Her platinum blonde hair was cut short and slicked back, falling beneath the lobes of her ears. Her white cloak fell to her ankles and swayed gently with the air around her. She was standing at the front entrance of the Eighth Ark, watching over Pulse, and enjoying the chilly night air that graced her face.

She caught sight of her right hand walking up the stone steps. He was a tall man, his stature large and muscles bulky. Short auburn hair was accompanied by dark freckles that laid scattered along the length of his entire body, most hidden beneath a black cloak of his own. His sheer size and harsh expression inspired swift intimidation in most, despite the mellow green of his irises. She pursed her lips as he walked towards her. "Watch it, Sebastian", Castea snapped.

He lowered his head in a respectful, repentant bow. "My apologies, Lady Hidon." He raised his head just enough to meet her silvery eyes, hesitating with his words. "The Guardian, she's still struggling against us. We gave her the news, but she won't accept it. She's still-"

"I'm sure you can handle her." The blonde put her hands on the sides of his face and brought his head up, fixing him with a wicked grin. "How long has it been, my friend? Five years? Five long years and the many centuries before that. We're so close, Sebastian. Very close."

Her voice was filled with villainous pleasure. It both excited him and terrified him.

"Soon we will have fulfilled our goal. We will finally be free." She turned back, facing the eerie darkness of Pulse. "They've gotten the message and shall soon understand it." Glancing back toward her minion, she barked, "Go on", and waved him off. "Put that failed protector in her place. But don't be too harsh, love. We need her resigned, not dead."

"Yes, your majesty." He turned away and hurriedly rushed off into the stone entrance of the Ark.

Returning her gaze back over the beautiful landscape enshrouded in the darkness of the night, she felt the sensation of accomplishment and power rush through her. "Yes, we shall be free. Once the boy is in our hands, it will only be a matter of time."