A/N: It seems this fic will be much longer than I'd originally planned. I went over the storyline with a good friend of mine and decided to extend some of it a bit. So yay, a longer story for you.

We will be getting to one of the major conflicts within the next couple chapters. I'm very excited.

As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review :)

Revised: July 2014

Lightning awoke to the warmth of the sun on her face as it drifted in through the blinds. She had slept extremely well and wasn't surprised to find that she'd slept in until ten thirty. Lazily sitting up, she winced at the dull pain in her right leg. As she slowly got out of bed, Lightning shivered at the morning coolness that still resided within her room. She pulled on some sweats over her night shorts and slipped on a long sleeve shirt over her tank top. Lightning was grateful for the clothes the Academy had left for her in her room - in preparation for her to awaken - but they were a tad too big. Since I have some wonderful time off I guess I should buy some clothes.

She walked out of her room and felt slightly melancholy at the sight of the empty couch. Hope's blanket was neatly folded up on the end cushion atop his pillow, the only evidence of his previous presence. She shuffled over to the blanket and grazed its edges with her fingertips. It's not like she'd expected him to still be there, especially so late in the morning, but she found herself feeling a tad lonely.

What she hadn't expected, was what she found when she looked over to the side table. A new lamp, of better quality, stood in the place of the previous one. The mess she had made by the wall was no longer there as if it had never occurred. Lightning allowed a small smile to grace her lips, wondering how she could have ever met such an altruistic person, let alone been his friend, when she knew she had to be one of the coldest people on Pulse. She knew she didn't deserve to even know him. Her smile widened when she smelled the heavenly aroma of fresh coffee in the air. I didn't even know I had a coffee pot. That kid...

Lightning spent her morning drinking three cups of coffee and watching the news. At around noon, she got dressed and readied herself to go out for some clothes. That is, until she remembered something. Right, I have no money.

Making her way down to the lobby, she still wasn't sure what she should do and thought to ask Alyssa about her situation. While reaching for her comm, she was roughly bumped into.

"Oh hey, I'm terribly sorry, but-"

Lightning looked up to see none other than Lebreau with her expression turning from apologetic to excited.

"I know you. Long time, Lightning."

Lebreau quickly hugged her, throwing Lightning off. She didn't know Lebreau very well other than her encounters with her at her old cafe, during her run ins with NORA, and that short time when they were l'Cie. "Yeah. Hey." Lightning waved meagerly. Lebreau looked surprisingly different. Her hair was shorter, curlier, and her clothes were much less revealing while her face still looked almost exactly the same. Give or take a few laugh lines.

"I heard you woke up. I was just about to see if the guys wanted to come to lunch. Wanna join?"

Lightning didn't want to be rude but she knew it wouldn't be a very comfortable lunch with two people she barely knew. With or without Hope. "I don't-"

Lebreau walked past her and tugged on her shirt. "Oh, come on. You can at least help me get the boys to stop working. I swear, Maqui's getting to be about as bad as Hope these days." She walked over to the elevator and waved Lightning over. The soldier complied, knowing that someone should get them to take a break. Hope should actually take a week.

Hope and Maqui's work area was in the basement of the building. It was a large workspace that took up the entire floor. Tools, pipes, cords, and pieces of metal laid everywhere. Lebreau's eyes were wide as she scanned over all of the misplaced junk. "Man, I told them to pick this place up", she huffed as she kicked away a piece of pipe.

It was empty of people except for a few that were diligently working on their projects. Hope and his platinum locks were easy enough to spot. Lightning, following Lebreau, walked over to him. He was stripped of his jacket and shirt, wearing a white tank top that was sticking to his body from the sweat. Lightning couldn't quite tell what he was working on. He had a long pipe cut in half on his desk and he was tweaking the wires inside.

"Heya, Hope", called Lebreau, though he didn't seem to notice her. "I said", she muttered as she scooted closer to his ear and yelled, "Heya, Hope!"

Hope jumped, causing one of the wires to send a small shock through his hand, and turned toward her. "Damn, Lebreau. Was that really necessary?" Hope shook his hand in the air, trying to relieve some of the lasting pain.

Lebreau only giggled. "Yes it was. If you didn't zone so much, I wouldn't have had to. Where's Maqui?"

"I'm over here", grumbled Maqui from around the corner. "Dear Maker, woman. I could hear you from across the shop." He glared at her as he came into view, then glanced at Lightning. "Hey."

"Good. I just came to get you two fools for lunch. I knew if someone didn't, you'd starve yourselves working all day." She crossed her arms, giving them both a small glare.

Hope raised a brow. "And you decided to get Light in on this charade?"

"She wouldn't come to lunch so I figured the least she could do was help me get you two goofballs."

Lightning knitted her brow. "The least I could do...?"

Lebreau shrugged. "Yes. Now are you two coming or not?" She folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, impatient and hungry.

"Yeah, sure." Maqui let out a resigned sigh and began walking toward the door, carelessly tossing his wrench to the floor.

Lebreau beamed. "One down. And you?"

Hope scratched his head and turned back to his work. It was tempting. He was hungry and he had been longing to hang out with his friends for quite some time now, but he had responsibilities. "I can't. I have to finish this wiring and then I have some papers to approve."

Lebreau tugged on his ear, not wanting to hear any of his excuses. "Hey, you're coming", she commanded.

Hope pulled her off with a grimace. "I can't", he insisted. "Maybe some other time."

She huffed, but otherwise relented. "Fine, but you're coming to dinner. We're all meeting at my cafe at six. No ifs, ands or buts." She turned and tugged on Lightning to follow her.

Maqui waited by the door, leaning against the wall. "Are we going or not?"

"One second, Maq", Lebreau yelled, pulling Lightning behind a corner. "Can you make sure he comes to dinner", whispered the brunette. "He'll listen to you."

Lightning crossed her arms. "I wasn't invited, but..."

"Of course you're coming too, soldier." Lebreau smiled invitingly. Lightning was a part of the gang too, whether she liked it or not.

"I'm not one for social... anything."

Lebreau grasped Lightning's shoulders roughly. "Oh, come on. All of us will be there. And Hope's sure to come if you're there to keep him company."

Lightning's mouth tightened as she quirked a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It's just that Hope works all the time", said Lebreau, gesturing emphatically. "He needs a break and we wanna hang out with him. He may be a little more encouraged to go if one of his old pals is there, is all."

Lightning blew her bangs from her eyes and sighed. She supposed it wouldn't be too bad of an idea. "Fine."

"Yay! Hope knows where the cafe is so just come with him. It's going to be all of us team Nora people... minus Snow, of course." She stopped, looking a little forlorn, but picked right back up. "And Nivien and her younger brother. It's going to be great." She then bounced off toward Maqui, arresting his arm as she dragged him out. "I thought I told you knuckleheads to keep this place up", she said, shifting back into her motherly tone.

"It's not like we're the only ones that work in here."

"Yeah, yeah", replied Lebreau before waving back at Lightning and shoving the mechanic through the door. Leaving Lightning to deal with Hope.

She walked back around to Hope's workspace. "So... this isn't what I had in mind when I envisioned the director's job."

He stopped working and turned toward her biting his lip. "I like to be... more hands on with my projects than I should, but I balance it out."

"Yeah, by being a zombie", Lightning mumbled almost inaudibly, earning a small laugh from Hope. "Really, you-"

He waved her off, having already heard it all before. "Yeah, I know. You all thoroughly disapprove of my time management skills. Believe me, I know." Hope picked up his gloves from the table and shoved them on. He knew everyone was just trying to look out for him, but it really irked him sometimes. He knew his limits. "I just have a lot to get done."

Lightning contemplated what to say. She figured he'd have a lot on his plate, but that didn't mean he had to become such a workaholic. Maker, he's turning into me. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. "Anything I can help with? I'm stuck off duty for a few days. I'm sure I could be of some use."

Hope considered the thought, but decided against it. "I'm sure you would, Light, but no. You should rest up. How's that leg doing anyway?"

Nice deflection, Hope. Lightning leaned against his workbench beside him. "Its fine", she spoke curtly. "And you know I don't 'rest'. I was in that room for less than two hours and I was already bouncing off walls. I need something to do." It's the whole reason I went back to work. "I was going to go out and get some clothes, but I realized that I'm broke."

Hope jumped and went for his coat. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Light? Here, use my card. I'll call ahead and make sure you have clearance to use it." He took out his wallet and slid his card into her hand.

With a scoff, Lightning tried to shove it back at him. "I'm not a charity case. I'll just get clothes later, when I can buy them."

He pushed her hand back. "And when will that be? C'mon, it's alright. You're my friend. And of course you're not a charity case. But it's not like you just opted to laze around for the last six years not making any gil. You couldn't. So please, I insist."

"No", Lightning growled.

"You had no qualms about living in the apartment we provided for you, or wearing the clothing left for you."

Lightning shot daggers at him and slammed the card down on the table. "Fine, you can have it all back." She turned to walk away, but Hope grabbed her arm and jerked her back. The force startled Lightning. She still didn't expect such strength from Hope.

"You know that's not what I meant, Light. Is it because it's from me and not through the Academy?" He let her go and put his hands in his pockets.

She sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "I just don't need to be taken care of."

"I know. But forgive me for wanting to." He turned away, set to go back to work.

Lightning watched his expression turn grim and his shoulders slump. She didn't want to mooch off of him, but he had a point. He looked back at her with his token puppy dog eyes and pleading expression in what seemed to be one last attempt at convincing her. It was effective, because she felt her heart melt. Man, I swear, no one has immunity to that look. Maybe this can work to my advantage? She snatched up the card and punched him softly on the arm. "Alright, under two conditions."

Hope groaned and glanced over at her. "Why do I not like the sound of that?"

Lightning fixed him with a stern look until he turned back toward her, hands once again in his pockets. "Condition one - I get to work with you until I get back on duty."

Hope shook his head, but conceded, "Fine, but that seems a bit too fair on my end", he said with a smirk.

"Condition two - you come to dinner. I'm so not going alone with NORA, your little temperamental friend, and her brother, whom I've never even met." Lightning must have unknowingly said the most hilarious thing, because Hope was doubled over with laughter. "What?"

Hope took a few moments to stop and breathe before replying. "Actually, he was one of the first people you met." The pinkette looked at him with confusion, obviously not understanding him. "Olly. He's the unfortunate soldier you came across, and subsequently knocked out, when you came out of stasis."

"Oh, great." She crossed her arms. That's just wonderful. Today keeps getting better. "Then that settles it. You're definitely coming."

Hope bit his bottom lip. "Yeah, alright. Deal. But you better buy a ton of clothes. I mean it. Don't make me pull rank on you, Farron", he mock commanded.

Lightning playfully jabbed him with her elbow. "You wouldn't dare."

"Alright", said Hope through his laughter. "Get out of here. I need to focus and you most certainly aren't helping."

"My apologies, Director." Lightning poked him in the forehead before turning to leave.

For the remainder of the day before dinner, Hope worked. He finished wiring one of the poles for the shield project, which, to his dismay, was incredibly difficult, but not impossible. After welding the pole back together, he had finished with just enough time to go over a few of the papers in the towering stack on his desk. At four thirty, he stopped the mind-numbing process - paperwork was never his thing - and decided he needed to clean himself up before hanging out with his friends. His driver took him to his house, where he hadn't set foot in within almost three weeks.

When his father died and he took over his position, Hope had become almost unbearably overwhelmed. He had always been a hard worker. He'd flown through school, having hardly been challenged at all. But it seemed, as director, there was never a break. Hope found he was almost always behind. That is, until he began working more and more. He used the shower in the workshop, kept extra uniforms in his office, and slept on his office couch. All to try and get his work done. He knew it wasn't healthy, far from it, but he had big shoes to fill.

After showering, he got dressed and was fully ready by four fifty-three. He had already called Lightning who told him she'd be by his house at five thirty to meet up since Lebreau's cafe was only fifteen minutes from there. This left him time to spare.

He wandered into his study, previously his father's, and sat in the desk chair. He knew he should be using this extra time wisely, but he was too exhausted to do so. Instead, he reclined back in the chair hoping to catch a brief nap before Lightning arrived.

"It's your own son's birthday. You can't possibly be serious."

Hope was sitting in the hallway by the stairs, listening to his mom who was in the kitchen yelling at his father on the phone. His mom had made him a special dinner of his choice for his birthday. They had already eaten by themselves since his father had said he'd be late from work. They decided to wait to eat the cake and open presents until Bartholomew could make it home.

It was ten at night and he still hadn't arrived.

"I know, but this isn't fair to him. I-How could you not have known? I thought you said you cleared your schedule?"

Hope sighed. Although his mother had reassured him many times over the past week that his father would be there for his birthday, he knew he would be working. After all, his father always worked. Overtime on weekdays, on weekends, on holidays, even when he was home his father would be in his study or on his phone in a conference call. So Hope had been realistic about his expectations. But his father had promised him the day before that he'd be home in time for dinner and that he had a special surprise for his fourteenth birthday. Bartholomew had gotten his son's hopes up, just to crush them yet again.

"Fine, but we're finishing this when you get home." He heard the beep of the phone signaling the end of their call. Hearing his mother's footsteps approaching the stairs, Hope rapidly got up, ran into his bedroom and flew into bed. He'd just made it under the covers when his mom knocked on the door. He kept his eyes closed as she opened it and stepped inside.

"I know you're awake."

He didn't want to talk with his mom. She would only want to talk about his father and make excuses for him. He stayed still as she crept over to his bed.

Hope burst into laughter as his mother began tickling his sides. "Okay, okay, I'm up." His mom smiled sweetly and brushed his bangs from his eyes as she sat on the bed beside him.

Nora's smile faltered as she peered down at her disappointed son. "How much did you hear?"

Hope sat up, wondering how he never seemed to get anything passed her mom sense. "All of it." He cast his eyes down on the bed, fiddling with the sheets.

She began to frown, but quickly replaced it with a smile. "I'm sorry. You know your father wanted to be here. He just has a lot of work."

Hope growled. "Bullshit."

Nora's mouth dropped open in shock. "Hope Monroe Estheim", his mother scolded. "That language is not tolerated in this household. And your father just got a little caught up with-"

His head shot up. "With work! Exactly, that's the problem. It's always work. He puts his job before everything." Hope stopped and huffed before continuing. "Dad doesn't care about us. He's always gone and never has time. Don't you care? I mean he even missed your anniversary. I saw you crying. But you just-just accepted it. You forgave him the moment he came home and-"

Nora pulled Hope into a hug, stopping the fuming teenager instantly. They sat there for a while until Hope calmed down. He sighed and gave a muffled apology into his mom's shirt before pulling away.

She calmly smiled and ruffled his hair. "I know." Standing up she asked, "Do you want to have your cake?"

He considered it, there was really no point in waiting for his father anymore. "No, I'm not really hungry. Can I open my presents, though" asked Hope eagerly.

Nora's smile grew. "Maybe just one. Give me a minute." She walked out of Hope's bedroom and returned a few moments later with a small wrapped gift. She flipped the lights on in his room before sitting back on the bed.

Hope snatched the present out of her hand. It was square, light, and felt like clothing. He glared at his mom at the thought. "I get one present today and you give me clothes?"

Nora chuckled and replied, "You haven't even opened it yet".

He looked back at the gift skeptically before tearing it open. He had been right. It was clothing. It was a small green cloth with frayed edges. He unfolded it, revealing it to be a bandana with a black pattern.

"It's a tribal scarf. I saw it at a market a few months ago. The pattern actually says something in Pulsian."

Hope's eyebrows rose. Although Pulse was ingrained into everyone's brains as hell, his mother spoke of it differently. She was constantly saying that people are always afraid of things they don't understand. "What does it mean?"

She put a hand on her son's shoulder. "The future lies with hope."

He snorted. Of course it was some inspirational quote with his namesake. Ever since he could remember, his mother repeatedly used his name against him when he was angry or upset. That along with the fact that Hope had always been teased about his name, led to his small resentment toward the annoying word. But he smiled nonetheless. "Thanks, mom. It's even in my favorite color."

Nora enveloped him in a bear hug. "I know, it's like it was made for you", she said excitedly. "You know how hard that blueish-green is to find in anything. Surprisingly, it was one of only three different colors."

His mother's enthusiasm just reinforced his will to keep his mouth shut about his dislike for everything pertaining to the word 'hope'. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Hope rolled his eyes before rubbing his cheek harshly. "Really, mom?"

"You're never too old for a kiss goodnight", whispered his mom as she turned out the light and walked out of the room.

"Yes, I am", Hope muttered.

A loud pounding noise awoke Hope from his dream. He had been reclining at such an angle, that the shock of the sound waking him caused him to fall out of the chair. He groaned and rubbed his now sore shoulder. Getting up from the floor and grabbing the top of the desk to help leverage himself up, Hope saw a flash of something white on the belly of the center drawer. He bent down to look underneath the desk and saw an envelope taped to it. Pulling it off, he looked at the envelope suspiciously. Just when he was about to open it, the harsh pounding sounded once more. He stuffed the envelope into his pocket before rushing out to the front door.

As Hope reached for the doorknob, the door jerked open, slamming into his face. "Ow", Hope cried out and reached for his nose. "Damn it."

Lightning, realizing what she'd just done, cautiously made her way inside, trying to avoid hitting him again. He was slumped over, holding his nose as blood drained out. "Hope, I'm so sorry." She flew to his side and ushered him over to a chair. "Where's your bathroom?"

Hope pointed to a room diagonally across from them and she rushed into it. As she fumbled through cabinets looking for supplies, Hope sat, his eyes squeezed shut, holding his nose as he prayed for the throbbing pain to stop.

Hurriedly walking back to his side, Lightning knelt in front of him, clutching a towel in her hand. "Let me see it."

Hope shook his head rapidly. He soon regretted the action as the room began spinning in front of him.

"Don't be such a baby." She pried Hope's hand off of his nose, looking intently at it. "I don't think it's broken." She reached toward it with a towel. He jerked his head away from her, but the soldier just continued forward until she'd accomplished her goal.

Hope whined softly. "Are you sure? It sure feels broken." Or shattered.

"It's not bruising so there's probably just a few broken blood vessels. Under your eye is swelling and bruising some, though." Lightning averted her gaze to the ground and sighed.

A few minutes and one short eternity later, Hope took the towel from her and stood up. "I think the bleeding stopped, so I'm gonna get changed." He sidestepped around the downcast soldier and left to his bedroom. As he changed in the next room, he hadn't heard any movement from Lightning. He then went to the bathroom, washed off the crusting blood from his face and took two painkillers to relieve the dull ache that resided not only in his nose, but in his temples now as well. Noticing it to be five forty-five, Hope quickly went to retrieve Lightning. She was still crouched in the same position in front of his chair, deep in thought. "It's alright, Light. I know you didn't mean to and I am a pretty big baby. Really, it doesn't hurt that bad."

She stood up and turned toward him. She was startled slightly by the sight of Hope in normal clothing, having been too worried about his injury to notice before. She realized she hadn't seen him in anything other than his Academy uniform since she woke up. He was wearing a faded brown hooded sweatshirt, black cargo pants, black work boots, and a slight blush as he found her to be staring at him. Shaking herself out of her small trance, she walked over to him and glared. "Why didn't you answer the door? I was waiting out there for five minutes until I decided to check if it was locked."

Hope put his hands in his pockets while mentally scolding himself for making Lightning wait. He knew that nap had been a terrible idea. "I was asleep", replied Hope sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Lightning decided to tone down her harsh gaze, realizing that he thought she was truly angry with him. She was about to change the subject to ease the tension, when she remembered a question she'd had before the incident. "Where are your guards?' Hope rolled his eyes and was about to respond, but Lightning hadn't quite finished. "And why isn't your door locked?" Hope's supposed to be protected. Frowning at him and putting a hand on her hip, she waited for a reply.

He rubbed his forehead and raked his hand through his hair, knowing full well Lightning wasn't going to like his next words. "I sent them home." She furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to speak, but Hope simply continued. "I know, but I don't need to be protected... except maybe from you", spoke Hope, chuckling nervously. She looked furious. "I'm fine, Light. It's a waste of time and manpower. They could be doing much more productive things than guarding me." He tried to give her a smile, but the intense anger that emanated from the soldier stopped it from making its appearance. As much as Hope knew he should have stopped there, he trudged on regardless. "And I always forget to lock the door. It's no big deal."

Lightning was ready to punch him. She didn't think he could seriously be that naïve. "Hope", Lightning fumed. "You can't possibly be serious? You always forget to lock it? That's your excuse?" She took a step toward him as he retreated back a few steps, slight fear registering in his eyes. Good. "And you sent your guards home? What the hell, Hope? I can't believe you'd be so stupid."

Hope knew she wouldn't take it well, but he sorely underestimated how mad she would get. He thought only Snow could make her this angered.

"It's not a waste of time, Hope. This city needs a leader and what if something happens to you? It couldn't... I couldn't... Did you learn nothing from the assassination attempt?" Lightning snapped her mouth shut, regretting the last words she had uttered. She hadn't talked about it with him yet and she most certainly had not wanted to bring it up like that. As she looked in his eyes, she saw pain and sadness, which was far from what she'd wanted to cause. She only wanted to make him understand the danger he was putting himself in. "Hope. Hope, I'm sorry. I-"

Hope put his hand up in front of her, stopping her apologies. "No. You're right. I was careless." He was completely aware that Lightning hadn't meant to bring that up, but she had, and it dug up all of his buried grief and pain that he'd kept inside. Memories of that day took over his mind for a few tormenting seconds. "How did you find out", Hope asked, his voice quiet, yet surprisingly steady.

"Alyssa told me." Lightning hated herself for hurting him the way that she had. She couldn't believe her good intentions had become such a mess.

Hope looked off into the corner past her. "Right." Try as he might he couldn't get the images out of his mind. He hadn't allowed himself to think about that day in a long time.

Lightning didn't know what to do. Hope had gotten severely quiet and wouldn't look at her. There was nothing she could say. The only thing she could do was comfort, which was not her forte in the least. She remembered the first time she'd tried to comfort and help the grief stricken young man. All she had succeeded in doing, was set him on a path of revenge and give him the weapon to carry out his mission.

Lightning forced those memories away. Hope was in pain and she needed to help. Without much further thought, she put her arms around Hope's middle and hugged him.

Hope jolted out of his memories, never wanting to remember them again, and realized what was happening. Lightning was hugging him, tightly. He put his arms around her, accepting the comforting gesture.

She could feel Hope startle at her touch and wondered for a fleeting second if she'd made the wrong move. But as Hope relaxed and reciprocated the gesture, she nuzzled herself a bit into his chest. The pinkette could feel his erratic heartbeat begin to slow back to a normal pace. While being so close to him, she began making more observations about the new Hope. For one, his height seemed even more daunting than before. Through his shirt, she felt Hope's – new to her – muscles and silently praised him for them. As she took in Hope's fresh scent though, she felt slightly overwhelmed by a new emotion as an unknown warmth surged through her body. For the life of her, she couldn't understand what it was that she felt.

He felt her push herself farther into his chest and he wasn't quite sure what it meant. It seemed instead of comforting him, she was trying to find comfort in him. He brushed that thought away, instead focusing on the warmth of Lightning's embrace. She was so close to him. For the longest time while she was in stasis, Hope thought he would never be able to speak with her again. Let alone be able to be that close to her.

A few minutes had passed before the two parted, their faces a tad reddened. "We should get going", suggested Hope. "We're already going to be late." He turned to leave, but felt a tug on the back of his sleeve.

Lightning stopped him. She knew his emotions couldn't be faring too well. A hug could only do so much. "Are you sure? If your... um-nose is still hurting then I'm sure they'd understand."

Hope smiled as she walked in front of him. "Yeah, it's okay. Besides, I made a promise."

They got to his car and his driver was standing there waiting. "Running a little late, sir", asked Dornum, smiling while opening a door for Lightning. She thanked the old driver before sitting in the car.

"Aren't I always?"

As they exited the car, Lightning took in the appearance of Lebreau's place. It was a decent sized restaurant called the NORA cafe. It looked much like the one in Bodhum but was bigger and sturdier.

Hope noticed her examining the restaurant and spoke up. "Lebreau wanted it to seem as much like her old one in Bodhum as possible. She felt the familiarity would be good for everyone from there, as well as for Snow. Whenever he wakes up, that is." Lightning nodded to express that she'd heard him.

Although she was looking over the cafe, Lightning found herself still attempting to figure out the feeling that had come over her not twenty minutes before. It confused her to no end. She also felt a twinge of nervousness about dinner. Sitting around and chit chatting with friends was something she hadn't done since before her mother died.

The young director rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for some sort of response or movement from Lightning. She seemed to be deep in thought. "You look really nice, by the way." It was the first time Hope had seen her out of uniform as well. She was wearing a white short sleeve blouse with a black button-up jacket, jeans and brown boots. Lightning finally seemed to snap out of her head and looked at him.

"What?"

Hope chuckled and repeated, "You look nice."

Lightning looked herself over and back at Hope before replying. "Thanks."

Nostalgic green eyes looked out into the distance as Hope found himself staring at Cocoon. "You know, I think I'm gonna visit them soon."

Lightning turned to look at what he was talking about and immediately understood. She couldn't believe she hadn't even thought about visiting them.

"You should too. I mean, if you want. We built a small facility beneath to monitor it and keep it from being attacked, but we wanted to keep it at a safe distance from Academia. You know, in the event that it... falls." Hope stared down at his shoes, hating himself for even thinking of the possibility. He had to have faith. They'd be all right.

"Yeah, I should see them soon."

"We should probably get inside. We're already fifteen minutes late." With that, they went inside, greeted by the warm atmosphere. As Hope entered the cafe, he felt nervousness hit. Before, he had thought about the dinner as a good time with some friends. But now he remembered Nivien's actions at G.C. headquarters the day before. He hoped she wouldn't still act the same way around everyone. He felt lucky that he had slid his way out of Lightning's question about her before. Hopefully everyone else can ease the tension. If they don't make it worse.

"Hey, guys! Over here", called Maqui. Everyone was already there. They sat around a large table with enough room to sit ten.

As they approached the table, Lebreau glowered at Hope. "What took you so long? I-" She immediately stopped, seeing Hope's partially swollen and bruised eye.

"Oh, c'mon, Lebreau. You know me, I'm always fashionably late" stated Hope with a laugh.

Yuj snorted. "Yeah. Oh so fashionable." Gadot elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow, jeez. He knows I'm only kidding.

Maqui grinned at Hope, mischief gleaming in his eyes. "Hey, how'd you get the shiner?" He snickered as Hope rolled his eyes and sat next to Lebreau. Lightning sat on Hope's left, in between him and Yuj.

"It's not a black eye. It's more under my eye than on it", Hope tried.

"Please. How'd you get it?" Hope rubbed the back of his head as Lightning averted her gaze, telling Maqui what he needed to know. "A girl? You got punched by a girl?"

Lebreau threw the lemon from her drink at Maqui's head, but he ducked just in time. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean, you sexist? Zip your trap."

Gadot took Maqui into a headlock and gave him a noogie. "Yeah, I'd keep your mouth shut, Maq. I wouldn't want to cross any of these women." The burly man released Maqui and turned to their newest arrivals. "So, Lightning, what did the dunce do to deserve that", asked Gadot with a wink.

She sighed, not wanting to go into the details about her klutzy move that could have landed Hope with a broken nose or a nasty concussion, but she didn't want to seem antisocial. She went to speak, but Lebreau cut her off.

"Oh, please. It couldn't have been that bad. Hope can be an idiot sometimes, but I don't think he could-"

Hope shoved Lebreau's shoulder. "Wow, thanks for the backhanded compliment."

Lebreau just shoved him back, almost knocking him off his chair. "You didn't even let me finish."

Lightning took in the boisterous group. She found it very weird, but surprisingly enjoyable. If she were to go back and tell her past self that this would be her future – relaxing and enjoying an evening meal with some friends – she would have told her that it was impossible for her to even have friends. Yet here she was. Granted she didn't know them all very well, but that would be the classification for them. Friends.

Yuj, Gadot and Maqui were playfully knocking each other around as they teased Hope about his eye. Lebreau and Hope were laughing. Nivien was intently listening to Hope and Lebreau while laughing herself. But the young man next to Nivien, who she supposed was Olly, seemed out of place. He was keenly trying to avoid eye contact with Lightning, and she could guess why. Although one jab to the ribs from Maqui a few seconds later had him joining in with a fit of giggles. He was a young man of about eighteen maybe nineteen and looked very clean cut.

"Really, guys", said Hope through his laughter. "It's no big deal. It was just an accident. Even if it was really good timing." Hope gave Lightning a playful glance and she decided to chime in on the conversation.

"You just better learn to not keep me waiting or my timing will have to be a little more precise next time." Lightning punched him in the arm as everyone erupted with laughter.

Yuj slapped his knee. "I'd watch it, Hope. If that's what an accident looks like, I wouldn't want to see you if it was on purpose."

"I would", said Maqui eagerly. "Go on, Lightning. Put him in his place." Lebreau threw another lemon slice toward Maqui, which he dodged just in time for it to fly into the waitress's face.

Lebreau's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry, Meg." Maqui just burst into laughter along with Olly.

Nivien smacked her brother on the back of his head. "Terribly sorry for these two, as well."

Lightning took in Nivien's appearance. She looked so different from her soldier self. Her hair was down to her shoulders, curled with a bobby pin keeping her bangs to the side. She was wearing a low cut top and a few silver bangles. Her whole aura was completely different as well. Back at G.C. Headquarters, she seemed to be a very strong and confident woman, with the exception of her actions toward Hope. Her confidence showed now as well, just in a much more feminine way. Her harsh, business front was gone. She was like a normal woman now. Completely relaxed and enjoying herself.

The waitress just laughed as she wiped the juice from her cheek. "It's quite alright, Ms. Kinesh. Here are your menus, jus' lemme know when you're ready."

Yuj snorted as she walked away. "Really, Ms. Kinesh, I don't think it's very polite to throw food at your employees."

Lebreau glared at him. "Watch it, Yuj, or it won't be a lemon hitting you." She balled her fist and shook it at him.

Nivien looked across the table at Lightning, observing her for a moment. She folded her arms and rested them on the table. "So, it's Lightning, right?" Everyone quieted down, waiting for her response.

"Yeah."

She smiled. "I hear you put my brother in his place a few days ago." Olly's jaw dropped and she chuckled at his expression. "I have to thank you for that. If I had to hear him one more time spouting off about how 'women can't possibly expect to take down men' again, I was gonna scream. But it seems all he needed was a little demonstration."

Olly put his hand to his forehead and covered his eyes. "That's no woman, she's a deadly weapon."

Gadot slammed his hand down on the table, cracking up. "And your sister isn't? I've seen her in action." He looked over to Nivien. "You'd think he'd learn first-hand, being your brother and all."

Nivien sighed. "I guess I just wasn't hard enough on him. That'll have to change though."

Lightning chuckled. "Yeah, it just might. He was a bit cockier than he should have been. What's your rank anyway, kid?"

Maqui grinned before smacking Olly on the back. "A private", shouted Maqui, attempting to control his laughter.

Olly sat up straight at that. "I am sorry, though. I was just trying to do my job."

"I can respect that, but I'd think twice about going against Lightning again", advised Lebreau with a wink.

Yuj rolled his eyes. "Who'd even think about it? It's a no brainer."

Hope gave Olly a crooked grin. "No one messes with Light."

Olly slumped in his chair, apparently not taking the jokes and gibes very well. "Don't sweat it, kid", said Lightning, staring at the menu. "You did fine under the circumstances." Olly beamed and sat up.

Meg came a few moments later and took everyone's order. Almost all of them knew immediately what they wanted, having eaten there many times before, but Lightning wasn't sure. She wasn't sure she even wanted to eat, but she took one of Hope's recommendations regardless.

"Alright, hope ya'll are havin' a good time. You sure do seem like ya are", said Meg, before collecting the menus and leaving.

Lebreau sighed and turned to Hope. "So, when is Sazh due back from his super-secret mission?"

"Not until tomorrow." Hope had kept himself so busy, he hadn't allowed himself to think about the mission for the crystals. If they didn't find anything today, it was likely that the whole plan was a bust and they would be back to square one. Waiting.

Maqui looked up from a gadget he was fiddling with under the table and grinned. "I can't wait to see what they find. I mean Snow could come out of st-"

"Maqui", Hope yelled sternly.

All of the group's eyes went to Hope. Lightning knew it'd been classified. Why she'd been able to know... she wasn't sure whether it was because of her sister, her closeness with Hope, or a mixture of the two. But if Sazh, the pilot of the mission, hadn't known until the day he reported in, then she didn't think Maqui would have been told.

Lebreau quirked a brow. "What about Snow's stasis?"

Hope looked at everyone around the table. The whole table looked at him expectantly, but he couldn't tell them. It was enough that he'd leaked the mission to Lightning. But then again, he was the director, and it all was his idea. If he wanted to tell his friends, he should be able to. Then he thought about when he told Lightning. Even though she'd been careful to keep most of her feelings hidden, he knew that if this mission didn't pull through, she'd be heartbroken. He most certainly didn't want to put them all through that.

"Maqui, were you hacking into the Academy's files again", Hope asked, trying to dodge the questions.

"I did help build the firewall. Don't tell me you didn't expect it?" Hope looked extremely angered and serious, causing Maqui's grin to promptly disappear.

Lebreau put a hand on Hope's wrist, bringing him back to her. "What is he talking about, Hope?"

Hope gave a resigned sigh and ducked his head. Damn it. "He's talking about the mission and some seriously classified stuff that he had no business looking into."

"Hey", yelled Maqui. "It has to do with all of us in NORA. This is Snow we're talking about."

The silveret groaned. "Yeah and Sazh's son. Sazh is the pilot of the mission and will be on the search team as well. He and almost every other person on that search team doesn't even know why they're looking for the crystal. It's classified."

Maqui stood and slammed his hands on the table. He didn't care about the politics or legalities of matters, they deserved to know. "That's insane. You're telling me that he's looking for something that could save his son, and doesn't even know it?"

Olly blinked in surprise at Maqui's outburst. "What is going on?" Nivien tapped him on the shoulder and waved a finger at him, telling him to keep quiet.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." Hope folded his arms over his chest, wishing Maqui would just shut up.

Gadot pulled Maqui down by the collar of his vest, forcing the mechanic to his chair, but Maqui continued arguing with Hope regardless. "We should still get to know. Hell, even Light-" He looked at Lightning, noticing her disinterest. Maqui gritted his teeth upon realization. "Oh, hell no. You told her? You told Lightning and you can't tell us? Holy Etro, Hope."

The Academy leader tensed up immediately. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I was just so excited... "Fine." He didn't want to look at any of their expressions. He didn't want to see the hope in their eyes that could easily be stamped out by one call the next morning. So the teen stared hard at the table, eyes observing every crack, dent and chip as he combed through his thoughts. "Sazh's mission is to find a piece of a crystal. If they find it and two other pieces, then we might, and I emphasize might, be able to get Dajh, Serah and Snow out of stasis." Hope shook his head as he rubbed his temples. "Along with Cocoon." If that got out to the rest of the city, there would be major backlash. Especially if it got to the Sanctum settlement.

Everyone was quiet, unmoving. Yuj, Lebreau, and Gadot were taking it all in. The possibility of their leader coming back making them unbelievably excited. Maqui was still fuming about Hope telling Lightning and not him. Nivien and Olly just sat there, unsure of what to think. Hope knew that the both of them had given up on all possibilities of the planet coming back, along with their parents.

Lightning stared at Hope, spotting a slight tremble in his hands. She knew he hadn't wanted to tell them. It had been quite obvious. She understood why. He'd even hesitated in telling her. But Maqui had a point. It did concern all of them.

Before anyone could speak, Meg came with their food. After unloading it all and checking to make sure all was well, she left the quiet table and its occupants, a little uneasy about the sudden silence.

They ate quietly, almost mechanically, for a few minutes until Yuj cleared his throat. "Why didn't you tell us? Was it really just because it was classified?"

Hope put down his fork and finished chewing slowly, thinking over the question. "No. It's because it's a slim chance, guys. I didn't want you all to get your hopes up."

"But you told Lightning", responded Nivien, not looking away from her food.

Hope opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Lightning. "I pretty much forced it out of him. Really, it's not his fault. "

The tension seemed to ebb away after the shock and anger had subsided. Much of the next twenty minutes of conversation was about progress on the shield project, Team NORA's current responsibilities in Academia, and Nivien's questions about Lightning's previous work in Bodhum. After that, Nivien excused herself from the table, wanting to step outside for some fresh air. Hope followed a minute after.

Hope walked out just as Nivien flipped her lighter shut, sticking it into her pocket. "I thought you quit", he inquired, startling her.

She blew out the smoke through her nose with a roll of the eyes. "I did. I missed them too much." Hope walked up beside her, looking intently at the surrounding city. "What are you doing out here?"

Hope swallowed at the bite in her question. There was no doubt that she was pissed at him. He turned toward her deciding to bite the bullet. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

Hope gave her a look telling her to cut the crap. "You know full well what I mean. Yesterday, that was just rude and unprofessional. I thought we were friends."

Nivien scoffed and flicked the ashes from her cigarette, but still didn't face him. It had been a long time since they had talked, even in a hostile manner such as this. Nivien had to calm the storm of emotions building inside of her. She cared for him too much. "We were."

Now he was even more confused. He stepped in front of her so she'd be forced to look at him. "Nivien, what's going on? I don't even know what I-"

She ignored the small shiver that came with her name crossing his lips. It's too much. "Whatever." Nivien glanced off to the side, attempting to ignore his presence.

Hope was getting frustrated now. She could make rude comments and push him around, but actually telling him what was up was out of the question? He hadn't known Nivien to be so childish. "I-"

"Don't act so innocent, Hope. It's making me sick." She threw her cigarette down and stomped it out before turning to leave.

Hope attempted to pull her back, but instead when he'd grabbed her arm, she'd turned and pushed him back. "Stop it, Nivien. I want to talk about this. Like adults."

She huffed and spun back toward him, hurt sparking in her hazel irises. "I'm angry, okay?" Her eyes widened and her face reddened when she realized how close their faces were. I can't take this anymore. Taking a step back, she continued, "I just-"

"Is this still about... what happened between us?"

The lieutenant put her hand to her forehead, rubbing it to try and relieve the tension headache that was surfacing. "Really? Of course it is. I know you're not that dense, Hope."

He looked at his shoes, unsure of how to continue. He didn't even want to keep on with the conversation, but he knew Nivien's recent behavior had to be solved and stopped. "I'm sorry."

"I loved you, you know that?"

Hope's head snapped up and their eyes locked. He did know, but that hadn't changed anything. "I-"

"And I still do... but it doesn't matter." She shook her head and put her hands in her skirt pockets. "You don't care about me."

Hope grabbed her wrist out of her pocket and took her hand. "Of course I care about you. I just... I don't know."

She relished the small contact. It had been entirely too long. Nivien held onto his hand tightly for a few moments before sliding out of his fingertips. "Not the way that I care about you."

"Nivien I... I can't really see anyone anyway. I work too much to even stay in contact with my friends, let alone stay in a relationship and..." Hope faltered with how to finish. He had known that Nivien still carried feelings for him, he just hadn't known that they'd remained so strong. After all, it had been almost eight months since they broke up.

"You know that if you really cared... if you loved me too... then you'd make time for me. And you wouldn't have hesitated in taking the next step."

Hope turned away from her, knowing she was right.

After Nivien and Hope had walked out of the restaurant, everyone either stared at their empty plates, or were silently eating their remaining food. Everyone but Maqui, of course.

He stared at the doors, trying to see what was going on between his friends outside. "I thought they broke up?"

Lightning choked a little on the last of her salad going down her throat and Gadot smacked him upside the head.

"Like it's any of your business", snapped Lebreau.

Maqui raised his hands up in defense. "Hey, he's my best friend, of course I wanna know."

"Yes, they're broken up", Olly grumbled.

Yuj laughed while saying, "I can't believe they were ever even together in the first place."

"Shut it, Yuj. I thought they were a cute couple." Lebreau huffed and crossed her arms.

A couple? Lightning had mixed feelings at that thought, though she wasn't quite sure why. It made sense with how Nivien had acted toward him before. Especially if it had ended badly. Although she didn't know why, she wanted to know more. She deduced that it was just due to the fact that he was one of her closest friends, if not the closest friend that she had. Lightning cleared her throat. "They were... together?" Everyone looked to Lightning, making her feel incredibly awkward.

Lebreau smiled. "Yeah. They started dating about a month after he turned eighteen until around... what?" She turned to her fellow NORA members, who all shrugged. She rolled her eyes and put a hand to her chin.

"It's been eight months", replied Olly bitterly, staring off into the distance with a hardened expression.

Lebreau nodded in agreement. "Right. They seemed happy, but I guess with Hope's job and his new responsibilities after... well, you know, they started seeing less of each other. Well, everyone started seeing less of Hope." She frowned. "Anyway, I guess that's why they broke up." Lebreau turned back to her plate before looking at the bill. "Don't worry you guys, dinner is on me."

Maqui and Yuj hollered and clapped, ecstatic that they didn't have to pay, but were shut down by simultaneous smacks on their heads by Gadot. "As childish as ever."

They stood in silence for a while, avoiding eye contact and just taking in the night enshrouded city. "It's tomorrow, isn't it", asked Nivien as she glanced at Hope.

His jaw tightened before he spoke. "Yeah."

Nivien put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. Despite their bitter end, she still felt so much for him. And with the anniversary tomorrow... She internally reprimanded herself for wanting to comfort him. "I'm sorry." The elder then turned and went back inside.

Hope stayed, taking in the slight breeze. He felt overwhelmed. Things really hadn't ended the way he'd wanted them to with her, but he didn't know how he could fix it now. She'd been right, after all. He didn't feel the same way. He cared for her a lot, but he knew he didn't love her. Maybe he'd been lying to himself the whole time. Their breakup was just another thing he'd blamed on his position, but in all actuality, it was his feelings, or lack of feelings, that had caused the split. He felt truly terrible about the hurt he had caused.

Deciding not to rejoin the group, he went to call his driver, but realized he didn't have his comm on him. Mentally slapping himself for being so stupid, he used a payphone. He told Dornum that he was walking to the Academy base. Hope asked him to swing by the cafe anyway and take Lightning home. When asked why, he said he just needed some air.

The gang was all done and ready to leave. Hope still hadn't come inside, but Nivien had told them that he had needed some time to think. While walking toward the exit though, Lightning got a call from Alyssa.

"Hello?"

"Hey", spoke Alyssa, bubbly as ever. "Is the director with you?"

Lightning stopped and furrowed her brow, wondering why she wouldn't know where he was. Alyssa could always easily track his comm. "Yeah. Why?"

"Ugh, I've been trying to get a hold of him, but he wasn't answering. I tracked his comm which led to his house, so I went and looked for him. I guess he left it in his pants when he changed? Anyway, can you put him on? It's kind of urgent."

"Yeah, one moment." She walked outside, azure eyes scanning for him, but he wasn't there. She turned back to the group as they walked out behind her. "Have you guys seen Hope?"

All besides Olly glanced around the front area. "I'll go check and see if he snuck back inside", said Gadot, turning to run off into the building.

Lebreau grabbed his arm. "Wait. There's Mr. Dornum, Hope's driver." Lebreau scurried over to the aged man. "Have you seen Hope?"

"He said he needed some air and was going to walk to the base. I was asked to pick up Ms. Farron and take her home."

Lebreau crossed her arms, peeved. "He would do something like that. Well that solves it. I'll see you later, soldier."

Lightning waved a halfhearted goodbye to everyone and turned back to her comm. "Alyssa, he already headed back to base. If you find him before I do, will you tell him that I want to speak with him." Or knock his lights out, more like it.

"Oh, sure."

As Lightning got out of the car at the base, her comm rang again. She stood half in and half out of the car and answered it. Alyssa "Yeah?"

"He hasn't checked in yet and I'm kind of worried. Are you sure he said he was coming here?"

Lightning felt slight panic settle into her stomach. God damn it, Hope. Where are you? "Yeah, I'm-" Lightning caught a glimpse of Cocoon in the corner of her eye. "I have an idea of where he might be. I'll call you back if I find him." She hung up before receiving a response and got back in the car. "Can you take me to the Cocoon facility instead, please", she asked Dornum.

He smiled back at her. "Most certainly, ma'am."

"Please, call me Lightning."

Hope stood at the base of the pillar, staring into the crystalline structure. He put his hand on it, feeling its cold and smooth exterior. "I'm so sorry. It's not fair that we get to carry on with our lives while you're stuck in there, supporting all of the people who abhorred you." Hope's hand dropped to his side as he pressed his forehead against the crystal. "It seems... I can't save anyone. Not my family. Not my friends." A small tear wormed its way out of his eyes as he squeezed them shut. "But I'm trying. I want you to know that. Even if they find nothing, I'll keep trying and never stop. We will get you out of there. You hear me, Fang and Vanille?" He backed away a few inches, eyes searching the pillar for the place that they laid.

The Oerban women's fates always lied heavily within him. He couldn't stand that were stuck in that crystal pillar. Fang and Vanille had sacrificed their lives for Cocoon, even after having lost everything to it and the war before. There was no way that their destiny was to keep a dying planet alive in place of their own lives. Hope wasn't about to accept that. He couldn't.

Lightning ran into the hallway, bolting toward the enclosure that secured Cocoon's safety. As she rounded the corner, she spotted Hope staring at Cocoon, his back toward her. She sighed and walked toward him, trying to temper her boiling anger. "Hope", Lightning yelled.

Startled, he quickly turned toward her. "Oh, hey, Light. What's..." He stopped, noticing Lightning to be seething with rage. She walked toward him, balling her fists. "What's wrong?" Sincerely, he didn't know what he could have done this time. He was really getting tired of people yelling at him.

Lightning stopped mere inches from him. If she hadn't still felt so guilty for hitting him earlier, she would have decked him right in the jaw. "You just left", spoke Lightning through clenched teeth. She tried to calm herself, but was far too frustrated with him.

Hope cocked his head to the side. "That's what this is about? I told Dornum I was leaving and where I was going. Yes, I did end up changing my mind, but I had to check into the facility, so someone would have found out where I was."

"Alyssa's been trying to reach you. You apparently left your comm in your other pants pocket after the door incident. You should have called her the moment you realized it wasn't on you."

Hope's shoulders slumped as he looked off to the side. "But she should have been notified when-"

Lightning sighed and paced around him. "She was. She called me a few minutes before I got here and told me you'd signed in. But that's not the point, Hope." How could she get it through to him? She only wanted him safe, but he seemed hell-bent on ignoring the safety precautions and her earlier pleas. "You didn't tell us where you were going nor that you had even left." She stopped again in front of him, staring deep into his green eyes, hoping that this time she'd get through to him. "No one knew where you were, you don't have your communicator, and you have no one by your side to protect you." A fire seemed to rise behind Hope's emerald gaze and Lightning figured she'd struck a nerve.

"I'm not the weak child I was, Lightning. I don't need help. I don't need protection. I don't need you or anyone else throwing themselves on the line for me." He turned away from her and walked back toward the pillar, staring deep into its intricate structure.

Lightning clenched her jaw and fisted her hands as she stalked over to him. "Let's get one thing straight, Hope", bit Lightning as she grabbed his shoulder, pulling him around to face her. "I will always protect you. Whether you need it or not. You were never weak... and no, you are not a child, but you are the Director of the Academy. You are the leader of Academia. If they are targeted-" Hope went to look away, but Lightning grabbed his chin. "Hey, look at me." Bristling even more at the touch, he wrestled his chin from her grip, but locked his eyes back on hers. "If they are targeted, you're first. You're the one they'll come after. Do you really want to leave this place, your citizens, without a leader?"

Hope sighed harshly before crying out in frustration. He walked past her, brushing into her shoulder, but stopped a few paces away. "I never asked for this. Not any of it." His shoulders tensed with the weight of his thoughts. "I'm just-just tired. I'm tired of losing everyone and being so powerless to stop it. I hate it. I hate... myself." He blew out another sigh before turning back to face her. "My home... my friends are all stuck in that... crystal sphere for Maker knows how long." He squeezed his eyes shut. The thoughts were unbearable. "My mother died, right in front of me. And my father... he didn't have to... And for me", Hope stammered, distraught. "He did it for... I'm just... I can't handle losing another person. Especially if it's for my sake."

All of Lightning's previous fury had been extinguished by Hope's words and sorrowful expression. She had nothing left to say. "Hope."

He winced at his name. "No. You don't get it, Lightning. You don't have people throwing their lives away to save you. You... are strong, unstoppable. You protect and help others." Hope stared at her, wondering if he'd ever be half as strong as her. "You're not the weak invalid who constantly needs saved."

Unsure of what else to try, she hugged him again. His pulsing heartbeat raced in his chest and she could only hope that this would calm him. "It's okay, Hope. It's okay to need help, or even to have help when you don't." She released him and cupped his cheek with her hand as she stared into his eyes that were now filled with uncertainty. "It doesn't mean that you're a child or that you're weak. It means you're human. And a pretty important one." He sighed as she stepped back from him. "I promised you, I'd keep you safe. And I intend to keep that promise."

Her screams could be heard throughout much of the Ark. She sobbed and yelled at the top of her lungs until she could no longer speak. Yeul was dead. There was no denying it anymore. She had felt her death the moment it had occurred, she just hadn't wanted to believe it. She had failed her in the worst and most horrifying way possible.

What she didn't understand now was why she was still alive. They'd gotten the information they wanted. Yeul was now gone. But they kept her alive. She thought the only reason they'd taken her and tortured her in the first place was to use her against Yeul. But why now?

The woman laid strapped to a stone table, now silent and resigned. Her body, smeared and caked with blood and grime, was covered only by the mere tatters of her green outfit. Her long, green hair lay a mess, curled with sweat and half covering her despondent emerald eyes.

She couldn't take much more. She couldn't fight back. The one person she'd always fought for was gone. There was no point anymore.

She was encompassed by darkness. One small, flickering flame of a torch on the wall was the only thing that kept her from being swallowed by the shadows. In an attempt to preoccupy her mind from her crippling despair, she watched the flame's light dance along the walls with deadened eyes.

"How are we today", called a husky voice as a tall, muscular man came into the room. Sebastian stood over her, examining her expression. "You've been quiet for some time. Given up already?"

The woman paid no attention to him, intently watching the flame, as if clinging to its light.

He brought his hand up over her, a thundara spell sparking at his fingertips. He sent a large surge of electricity through her body, smiling as she cried out in pain, her voice hoarse.

She jolted, but refused to turn her gaze away from the torch. She wouldn't give in to him. He'd taken her precious Yeul from her. And he'd pay for that.

"Zalera", Sebastian sang. He twirled a strand of her long, ratty, green hair around his finger while sliding his other hand down her torso. His calloused hand slowly began heating up as he brought a small flame beneath it, burning her skin at the touch. Her jaw tightened and she let out a small whimper. "Zalera, look at me." When she refused, he pushed his hand deeper into the exposed skin of her stomach, scorching her flesh. "Look at me", he growled.

When she finally complied, he let go. She stared deeply into his being with ferocious rage, uncaring towards the searing, blistering pain in her abdomen.

Smiling, Sebastian cupped her cheek and brought his face over hers. "That's a good girl. You'll be having company soon enough and we want you on your best behavior." With that he turned and left the room, whistling on his way out.

Zalera laid there, knowing exactly who he was talking about. It was the man that Yeul had seen many times in her visions. The man that could either save or destroy the last of mankind. If they get a hold of him, humanity won't survive. Nothing will.