A/N: Good grief. Took me forever to finish this. I am now nineteen. I got snow for my birthday :D The Seahawks won the super bowl! The parade in Seattle was pretty friggin sweet.
I finished Lightning Returns in my absence! I have to say, the game and its ending were just... damn... Take from that what you wish. I won't be spoiling it for anyone.
Hey, I have a question for you all. If I do flashbacks of Hope's past before Lightning's awakening, is there anything specific you want to see, know about, or have happen? I'm outlining possible scenes and I'd like to know.
Enjoy and review :)
Reviewers-
The Light to all Fears- I'm glad the chapter was able to distract you. I had a severe head cold while writing a lot of last chapter so it distracted me from my sickness as well. I'm very thrilled to hear that you enjoy the story enough to go back and read through it again.
Kiwifan7 - Yeah, I can't seem to help it when it comes to cliffhangers. Jealous Lightning was fun to write. As for her l'Cie powers, I can neither confirm nor deny.
Iskandar06- Okay ^_^
A Better Day1 - I pretty much knew it was you when you called Hope 'Hopey Dopey' lol. Jeez, you seem to rival Lightning's temper quite well ;)
LightPhantom742 - Again, such high praise that I am definitely not worthy of. As for your two inquiries: Castea has had plenty of years for her powers to grow as well as for her to experiment with all of the various ways that her powers can be used. The fight will be explained in the future though. And Lightning and Hope's intimacy will grow as their relationship furthers. Patience.
GorillaComingATYA - You're welcome :)
Guest - It was supposed to be. Yes, Hope would have better luck and so would Lightning with her powers. Castea is a nasty opponent, but I think our heroes can take her out... eventually... possibly...
titus1994 - Sorry for making you wait
Loki'dWendy - Thank you. And yes, that needs to happen soon ;)
Daaku Urufu - Very happy you gave my fic a chance. I try very hard to keep Lightning in character so it's always such a joy to hear that I'm doing an okay job. I definitely agree with you on the sequels which is why I chose to continue with the first game and only take pieces and characters from the second.
Thank you, all!
Revised: October 2015
Blackness filled her vision when it was all over - after every infuriating, agony-filled, and deeply detailed moment of torture had ended within her mind. Lightning was hunched over while kneeling on the ground, her head in her hands, nails digging into her scalp. Blood dripped down from her nose, a paralyzing pain ripping through her skull. Blaring alarms could be heard in her ears, screaming out to be noticed. Her vision slowly returned, but remained incredibly blurry. Even without it, she knew that she was still in the stasis room, still not alone, but now surrounded by guards of the Academy and GC soldiers. Her breathing came in shallow pants as she attempted to focus on the world and not the hellish nightmare she had returned from.
"Sergeant? Sergeant, are you okay?" she heard someone ask from her right. It was a guard whose voice she did not recognize.
"Someone get a medic in here," hollered another unidentifiable voice from her left. There were so many people around her. All talking. All people she didn't know as far as she could tell. She felt so disoriented and her prolonged momentary blindness was pissing her off immensely. That along with all of the people surrounding her caused her to feel smothered and unable to breathe.
"What happened?"
"As far as I can tell, the threat just disappeared."
"Ma'am, I'm going to help you, okay?"
"Sergeant, what happened? Who did this to you?"
"Please, she's in no condition to speak with anyone right n-"
"We need to know what happened here. The director could be in danger."
"Are we sure they're not still in the building?"
"Just get out of my way so I can help her. You can interrogate her all you want after-"
They wouldn't stop. None of it would stop. All of the talking, all of the noise needed to end before she took her rage out on everyone within ten feet of her. "Shut up," Lightning managed in a pained whisper.
"What happened to her?"
"Why hasn't she moved?"
"Shut up. Shut up," she continued, her pleas growing in volume yet still going unnoticed.
"Vale! Dreifus! I need this building cleared. Everyone needs to be evacuated and all rooms are to be searched. They can't have gotten far."
"Sergeant Farron, can you-"
"Shut up," Lightning shouted, effectively cutting off all voices surrounding her. She could hardly think straight. The room spun abruptly before her as she felt her feet give out from under her.
"Light!" Hope had finally managed his way through his guards. It had taken him a lot since they wanted to keep their director away from the danger and safe from harm. But with some of Hope's orders and pleas to let him through he got to the scene. A few of Zalera's threats and punches had helped as well.
The soldier felt herself land in someone's arms. Her vision cleared just as Hope's face came into view. He was hovering above her, his expression wrought with concern.
"Light, are you okay?" Grimly noticing how out of it the woman in his arms looked, he turned to the guards and soldiers around him, looking for answers. "What happened?"
Officer Mires, a petite officer that worked in the surveillance room, stepped before him, her meek voice laced with uncertainty. "It-It all h-happened so fast. I was watching the security footage and all was fine... u-until I looked in 402 and saw Sergeant Farron fighting with some woman. I thought they were just talking, but then I noticed she wasn't moving and that the woman was doing something to her. S-So I set off the alarm..."
His heart stopped for a moment. The identity of the woman was obvious.
"What did she look like," growled Zalera. "Blonde? Short hair? Obnoxious white robe?"
Mires' eyes widened. "Yes, e-exactly."
Hope's emerald irises flickered with warring emotions before he settled into his commanding position. "I want this whole building cleared out. If she's anywhere within the area, I want her found. But no one make a move. You see her, call it in straight to me. She's far too dangerous to take on." He knew Castea was most likely gone. After all, she'd completed her mission; Hope was filled with fear, angered beyond belief, and wracked with guilt.
Zalera's jaw clenched at the information and her fists tightened. Her eyes flitted over Lightning, securing that the soldier was indeed fine. The Pulsian had a good hunch at what had happened. Lightning knew. Castea had threatened her in one of the worst ways she could have by using her previous loss of Hope and his torture against her. The wolfish fiend had done it to her with memories of Yeul, of course she would do it to Lightning. With a snarl, she left the room, ready to make someone pay.
Attention snapping back to Lightning, Hope ripped his glove off of his right hand with his teeth, feeling her clammy forehead. "C'mon, be okay." With his bandana, the silveret wiped the seeping blood from beneath her nose and the corner of her left eye. Maker, what did she do to you?
Blue eyes soon met Hope's green before Lightning regained her bearings. While hissing at the pain, the soldier sat up, removing herself from Hope's hold.
"A-are you all right, Light? What happened? What did she do-say? Is everything..." His words failed as he took in her state. It was all his fault. All of it was his fault. And everything that continued to hurt her and the rest of Academia would be on him too. "I'm so so-"
She cut his apology off with a shaky finger on his lips. "No... apologies."
The young director cringed at her breathlessness and the slight sway of her form as she attempted to stand. "I-"
With a growl, Lightning shoved his hands away from her when he tried to help her stay steady. I'm not an invalid. I can stand just fine. "I swear, Hope... if you apol... apologize to me, I'm gonna hit you."
Silver brows furrowed as he stifled his reflex to assist. "She won't get away with this," he declared, determination igniting a fire within his eyes.
"No, she won't. That's for sure." A glance around her told her they were alone. All of the useless soldiers and their loud mouths were gone.
"I ordered everyone out. You want to tell me what happened?"
Her face remained veiled by her bangs as she stared at the floor, flashes of everything she saw flying through her mind. "That woman," Lightning ground out between gritted teeth, "threatened you and Serah. I couldn't get a hit on her. Not one." The roseate sneered at her gunblade on the floor by her boot. She cursed as she kicked it across the room, the weapon slamming against the wall across from her. "I couldn't stop her. Not even when she... she..."
Biting his lip, Hope approached her, only to be stopped by her hand raised to halt him. "Did what?"
"She... I don't know, shut down my mind, I guess. Everything just went black. I couldn't move and my mind went completely blank." She looked up to see the teen standing confused. "She didn't really do anything to me except piss me the fuck off. She just wanted to use me against you." A grimace was given before she turned to him. "But it won't work. It won't ever work. I don't care what she throws at me, she's not going to have you as her little puppet."
"But I-"
"Go back to work, Hope. I'm fine. She's probably long gone, but if not, we'll hear about it." She forced a small smile on her face as she passed him. "I need to clear my head. Just," she turned back to him, unrestrained grief in her eyes as she continued, "stay with your guards and stay safe. I'll meet up with you in a bit."
His confusion only grew as he stood there, letting Lightning walk away without a suitable, comprehensible recollection of the previous events. He could only sigh for he knew she was holding something back. The urge to follow her was strong, but he heeded her words. There was a small concern within him that she shouldn't be left alone considering she could very well be attacked again. No, if Castea wanted to do something else, she would have. But I can't keep letting Castea get away with this. Something needs to be done...
Lightning swiped her card through the reader and mindlessly entered her apartment. The room greeted her with cold, stale air as she soon stood stalk still in the middle of it.
A body writhed on the stone table, the area surrounding it covered in dry and fresh blood. "... please... stop..." Hope was laying there, his wrists tightly bound to where the cuffs nearly fused with his skin. His sweat-slicked body was covered in grime and blood. He was almost unrecognizable.
His wary and terrified gaze was magnetized to the knife held within Sebastian's hand. Hope knew what was coming and he couldn't take it much longer.
Sebastian laughed coldly, his onyx eyes alight with wonder and excitement. With a flick of his large hand, the man produced a fira spell that remained sitting in his palm. He lowered his hand slowly until it came to rest square in the middle of Hope's chest, a spot that had clearly been burned into many times before and had been left uncured.
The young man's cries of agony echoed throughout the dimly lit room. His jaw clenched as he waited for the next blow, his eyes remaining closed while tears leaked freely.
A scream tore from his throat as he felt it. Sebastian's coveted and newly sharpened blade tore into his chest, slicing off multiple layers of singed skin before reaching bone.
Lightning's stomach heaved again as she emptied it into the toilet before her. How and when she got there was beyond her, but there she was.
It was real now. It was all completely, undeniably real. Hope had been tortured. She now knew, at length, what had happened to him.
Are you happy now? You know. You got to see exactly what happened to the man you claim to care for so much but can't protect. You can't even protect yourself.
When the nausea passed, she fell back against the wall of her bathroom, her limbs shaky and her sanity in shambles. As the images continued to taunt her mind, her fists tightened, every muscle in her body tensing with rage. Swiftly, Lightning turned, her fist harshly connecting with the wall behind her. Her punch left a large dent within the wall. Her knuckles would no doubt be bruised beneath her gloves, but she didn't care. Her own pain was irrelevant. It always was.
"This can't continue."
Amodar, Rygdea and Hope all sat within one of the meeting rooms. The building had been cleared, as expected, twenty minutes before. The three had then chosen to have a more private meeting than previously, one with less hostile and explosive persons.
"Of course it can't, General. The question is how to stop this," replied Rygdea, his voice solemn. "The woman had a death grip on Lightning's whole body. She of all people was struck completely still. I watched the footage. With just a touch, 'Ruthless Farron' was paralyzed."
Abruptly, Hope stood. His jaw clenched as he began to pace across the floor in front of the table. "Castea can get to anyone. We should all know this by now."
Amodar cocked a brow as he perched his chin upon his steepled hands, his elbows resting on the table top. "That doesn't mean we should just allow for her activities to continue. Escalation shall only occur."
Stopping, Hope swallowed thickly, mind wandering to all of the l'Cies' past incidents. Of course the attacks would only escalate. More people would get hurt, even killed. More lives would be destroyed. More helpless children would lose their families. More destinies changed forever, if not decimated. "And the past repeats itself," he murmured. His head bowed as green eyes stared hard at the floor. There were no good answers. No good solutions. "The only strategy we have is to stall."
"And what good'll that do?" Rygdea leaned back in his chair, looking skeptically at the younger to the right of him.
Amodar sighed heavily, already on track with Hope's thoughts. "There really isn't another way. We have to endure everything these mongrels throw at us until we find out more about them."
Find their weakness and take them out. Everyone has a weakness, right? The director nodded as he turned to face them fully. "I have Maqui and Cass leading a research team. They are currently combing through all books, scrolls, files, anything that may help us understand and fight them."
"If there isn't a way, what then?" inquired Rygdea. He knew the two were right, though the man was itching to get his men back. Revenge on that wretched woman sounded pretty damn sweet to him too. But if Hope, the one who had lost the most and had been hurt in the cruelest of ways, could hold off, so could he.
Hope's eyes screwed shut as a shudder ran through him. "Then I shall comply, and find their weakness from the source." I'd have no other choice.
"Very well." Amodar stood and held up a hand in front of Rygdea's horrified face, halting any protests about the teen's declaration. "But you and Sergeant Farron are to take the next few days off," stated the general firmly. He had expected the young Estheim's head to shoot up, shock and anger on his features, and a vehement 'no' to come from him. Especially when it wasn't Amodar's place to order him around; it was considered a small challenge to his authority. The man was surprised when nothing came from Hope but a small shrug.
"It's expected, really," he admitted. "Lightning and I are the ones in the most danger. Plus, she's most certainly not in the right frame of mind right now. Light's fury can make her quite focused and vicious in battle, but it can also blind her from rational decisions. And I... I'm no better. But-"
A shake of the head was given as the general clapped a hand on his shoulder. "No, you two will remain in the Estheim estate. I already have guards posted and surrounding your home. After Farron is done currently giving her statement, she will be taken directly there. As will you when we're through." Hope scowled, which was probably not his best move because this looked more like a puppy pout. Amodar laughed heartily. "And I don't care who you are. I will physically enforce this order on you, if I have to."
Frustration burned within him before it was extinguished by despair, a dull look forming in his eyes. "It won't matter," he began as he walked toward the door., "Castea will go after anyone to get to me. Lightning is extremely effective, but she's definitely not the only one I care about. The woman has a whole human arsenal against me - all of NORA, Nivien and Olly, Cass and his family, you, Rygdea, Sazh, Jun and Arden. I only pray we find something before she strikes again." With that, Hope left the room, leaving both to sit in silence, soaking up his last words.
"Kid's not wrong, but damn, when did he get so depressing?" Rygdea hated what this was doing to that bright eyed boy he'd nurtured, protected and taught for so many years. This new war was taking a large toll on the young man.
"He's lost too much. Any normal person would have given up by now. Same with Farron."
"But they most certainly ain't normal."
Amodar smirked. "No they are not."
Hope was sipping tea as he sat in a chair in the family room. His eyes wandered around it, flitting from place to place. Of all of the rooms, Hope hated this one the most in his home. There wasn't a family for the room to hold. Its name was invalid.
He heard the door slam and assumed it was Lightning. The assumption was correct since his eyes soon fell upon her form entering the room, soon plopping on the couch across from him.
"Forced vacation for you too, huh?" Lightning's blue irises roved over Hope, seeing a surprising calmness about him. The soldier envied him greatly for that. She was a jumbled mess of emotions. Not that she would let that show.
Biting his lip, Hope set his cup down on the wooden coffee table before him. "Talk to me, Light."
The usual crease situated itself between her brows as she stared at him. His expression and body language were guarded, emotionless, as if he were holding everything in to appear neutral. With close inspection, however, she could see what he wanted. Answers. Real ones. "What?"
"You may have lost the fear in your eyes, but I know that you were scared. You were thoroughly shaken. To put you in such a state, Castea had to have done something to you. Something severe..." Emerald eyes squinted slightly at her, the gears in his head working.
As much as she loathed to admit it, she had been scared. Rather than deny that fact, she would need to speak of it, before that wondrous mind could conjure up the correct answer. "Tch, your stubbornness is annoying. Anyone tell you that?"
"A few people may have mentioned that," he responded with an amused chuckle. "That doesn't distract from the point, though."
"Of course not." Lightning didn't meet his eyes, instead her gaze rested on her wringing hands as she sat back, obvious contempt at her coming admission written all over her. "I was... afraid, yes," she started, emotion stricken from her voice. "I've always been afraid when faced with the enemy." Her eyes shut as she paused, recalling past fights, battles and endeavors. "Before, I always thought of Serah. My fear stemmed from not wanting to leave her alone. That I would die or become too injured to provide for her and protect her. I even feared Snow. He was someone I couldn't keep Serah from. I was afraid he would get her hurt or hurt her himself."
The roseate opened her eyes and her gaze met Hope's. "As I began to care for you, I feared not being there for you, as well. I fear for the sake of others, not for myself, really." She finished with a shake of her head as it fell back against the padded furniture.
Hope felt a small stab at her words. You should be afraid to miss out on life. "You should fear your own death, Lightning. For your sake, as well as ours. You should want to live because you want to see us. Because you want to be with us. To live with us." He couldn't control the hurt that crossed his face, nor the words that tumbled out in a whisper. "To be with me."
Lightning's brow rose as stun surfaced upon her. She hadn't thought about that. "I didn't mean it like that, H-" He fell into a practiced apathy, one the young woman had previously thought him incapable of.
"Yes, you did, but that's fine. I shouldn't have expected anything else."
Lightning watched him leave the room, scrambling to find words, but unable to. She sat until there was nothing but silence, his presence but a ghost in the room. Did I really make it seem that I didn't care enough? I only spoke the truth.
But was that the problem?
The musty air hit her face. Her nose scrunched up in response as the heady stench of blood flowed through it. Holding her arm over her nose in an attempt to block the odor, Lightning walked forward. The hall was dark and made completely of stone. The only light within view was a flickering flame at the end of the hallway.
Using the torch as her goal, she ventured on. The smell and feeling of dread within her only grew with each step, but she could not stop. What she wanted was here somewhere...
She reached the torch and inwardly cursed at the fact that it was built into the wall. She would have to continue into darkness.
But which way? All paths were drenched in black. Nothing could be seen. There was the path she had come from, one to her right, and a stairway to her left. Before she could make a decision, a loud and terrified scream tore through the air.
"Serah!" Without a moment's hesitation, Lightning ran down the stairs toward the screams and whimpers of her sister. The journey down felt like an eternity. Her fear and worry grew until they consumed her, her heart soon pounding at an alarming rate.
When the soldier finally reached the bottom, tripping over herself momentarily to come to the conclusion, she called out her sister's name. The surrounding area was still drenched in darkness. As she came to realize that the cries of pain and screams for help had ceased, Lightning took a shaky step forward. "Serah," she whispered. She walked until she bumped into something. Something very solid and made of stone.
A coarse laugh echoed around her as a flame ignited from in front of her. The small flame was perched atop Sebastian's finger, held up in the air. He stood facing away from Lightning, toward a girl strapped onto a stone slab like the many in the room, a clone of one she had walked into.
Pure horror and fear tore into her as she watched the bulky man draw a knife, soon bringing it in front of him, out of her sight. A whimper fell from the girl before him. A recognizable whimper.
"Serah!" she screamed. But as she ran forward and soon came to stand before the stone table, she saw not her sister, but a writhing seeress.
The torches all lit around them, lighting all of the room and bathing it in an orange glow.
"You know what to do. What to say to make this all go away, little Yeul." Sebastian's words slithered from his lips as he began to lightly scrape the blade against her skin.
The blue-haired girl shook her head, intent on keeping her secrets and promises. Her extremely disheveled appearance and marred body told of her torture. Scraps of clothing clung to her form as blood covered almost every inch of her. Yet she remained loyal, faithful to Etro. For this, Lightning would never understand the girl.
Sebastian only laughed more at her strong front. "There are other ways to get it out of you besides your own pain. As I'm sure you know by now."
Lightning watched the girl's eyes widen before a scuffle on the staircase drew her attention.
"Get your filthy hands off of me. Unhand me, you beast!" A heavy thump was heard before Zalera was dragged into the room, her eyelids open lazily as blood dripped from a presumably new wound on her head.
Lightning had to stop this. She could not just stand there unmoving and unnoticed forever.
But apparently she could, for when she attempted to move, she could not. When she tried to speak, no words would come. She was useless.
"Please, please don't," Yeul begged as Zalera was lifted onto the table and strapped in.
A grin formed on the l'Cie as he dropped his flame in favor of a thunder spell dancing on his fingertips.
Knowing what was to come and not able to allow herself to witness, Lightning's eyelids slammed shut. A flash of light could be seen in front of her closed eyes, but the scream that followed was not from whom she was expecting. It had not come from Zalera or Yeul. In fact, it had not come from a female at all. And as the young woman opened her eyes, she felt every fiber in her being screaming for movement, though it would not happen.
Hope cried out as another shock flowed through his body. Lightning's eyes narrowed and a snarl broke from her as she noticed the small incisions along his bare torso and clothed thighs. His neck was bruised and burned, the skin a disgusting mixture of purple and red.
Eye's brimming with tears, she watched him be tortured. It wouldn't stop. No matter how much she begged and pleaded with her body to move, with her mouth to speak, with the gods to stop these cruel monsters, nothing happened.
As time drew on, Hope's spirit grew tired. His cries were far less frequent, his torture even seeming to be less effective. The young man's body laid broken before her, his mind no doubt alike. His will hung on, but it would shatter soon.
With a blink of her eyes, Sebastian was gone and Castea was in his place, looming over Hope's body, cackling in his face. "This is what happens when you leave him. When you let him fall right into my hand." The blonde sneered at Lightning, the only one to acknowledge her thus far. "I've never left him. Not once. I've always stayed by his side since I had him in my grasp. At least I'm loyal."
Still unable to stop it, the sergeant watched as Castea's hand dove straight into Hope's chest, gripping tightly onto his heart. With a wide grin aimed directly toward her, the l'Cie went to yank it out of him. Just before, Lightning heard Hope scream out her name.
"Light!"
She awoke with sweat dripping down her body, bangs matted against her forehead, heart pounding away, and her whole frame shaking. Silence encompassed her and her room, her mind not yet leaving that horrifying place she departed from. As the events were recalled and the truth of everything settled inside her, Lightning choked on a sob, her face quickly being held in her trembling hands.
The girl understood now the reasoning for Hope's secrecy. He had attempted to spare her this horror, this God's honest truth. He had also wanted to hide his shame. Hope wanted to keep the moments of him at his weakest from her. She understood. But all of the understanding in the world could not change the pain that would forever resonate within her. The damage was done.
Suddenly feeling the need, the soldier dashed from the room. She wanted to see Hope. She wanted to be with him, even if he was unconscious. In a flurry, Lightning flew down the corridor and down the stairs. Her ears were trained for any sounds going on within the house and she was relieved to hear nothing but a tranquil silence. Ice blue eyes lit on the backs of heads outside each window she passed once she had reached the bottom floor. The guards still stood in their positions, plenty there to protect the house and to alert them of danger before it was too close.
She stopped only for a moment just outside of his door. Before she could fully process and comprehend what she was doing, what she was feeling, and second guess herself, she opened his door and walked in.
The room was lightly lit by the moon's brightness slipping through the curtains, assisting her sight. A glance at the bed told her of Hope's quiet slumber, leading her to gently close the door behind her so as to not make a sound.
Letting out a sigh through her nose, Lightning padded her way towards him, laying down beside his still form. Hope was laying on his stomach, his arms holding his pillow close to his face that was turned towards her. His expression was peaceful and she took great comfort in the fact that at least Hope was having a good night's sleep when she couldn't. He was in his usual sleep attire as she knew it to be now, sweats, leaving his broad back bare before her. She allowed herself to admire the body of the man that the small silveret had grown into before quickly dropping her gaze.
With only a second's hesitation, she found herself carefully cuddling into his side, her head resting on his exposed back. Her hearing quickly caught the steady beating of his heart, her breath catching at the sheer joy it brought her. He's still here. He's all right now. And he's going to stay that way. You won't let him slip away again. Not ever.
Lightning gnawed on her feelings for a while as she laid there, listening to the young man's calming heartbeat. It was then that she realized that she had to let it go. She had to let it all go.
Hope's torture was over. Hope was attempting to move past it. He was doing his damnedest to leave his captivity in the past in favor of striving to create a better future. His torture didn't define him, it only made him stronger and more determined to save the world.
The only way he could do that, however, was if she allowed him to. Lightning couldn't keep asking him about it or apologizing for her part in it. She would only be forcing him to remember. She would be no better than Castea.
As her breathing began to slow, Lightning knew what she had to do. The ark was a thing of the past and she would treat it as such. Now she would focus on protecting Hope and taking Castea and her faction down. She would also have to start figuring out this girlfriend thing, because she really was failing at it. And Lightning Farron didn't fail.
A nagging in the back of her mind told the young woman that she should leave and head back to her room. But she shut those thoughts down almost as soon as they'd formed. In the end, she just couldn't tear herself away from Hope's warm body and the soothing thrum of his heart.
Morning came soon to Hope's despair. It wasn't often that he was blessed with dreamless sleep and he could only hope for more like it. As he began to shift, his body fully awakening and mind becoming more and more aware, he realized something was off. There was someone on him.
His eyes burst open to find a shock of pink hair in his face as he looked down. Lightning laid partially on top of him, their limbs tangled together. It should have felt awkward and embarrassing to find your old mentor and yourself in such a position. And it would have, had this not been one of his greatest desires; to lay in bed beside Lightning.
Enjoying the opportunity while he could, the teen let his gaze drift along the woman strewn across him. Back in their l'Cie days, Hope had always loved the way Lightning looked when she slept. Apparently that hadn't changed. The lack of awareness left such a vulnerability upon her features, untroubled by her prideful thoughts and soldier composure.
His hand that had been cupping her shoulder, slid across her skin, lightly caressing it. Long, slender fingers glided across her back and shoulder blades, her arms and hands, her face and lips. It was amazing that such a usually callous person had such soft skin.
The question of why Lightning was sleeping beside him entered his mind as he laid there. It was very out of character for the soldier. Add in the fact that last he knew their last conversation had ended in a fight, and he was stumped.
This line of thinking served to remind him of that disagreement which caused him to sit up, carefully disentangling himself from the goddess beside him. Turning away from Lightning, he sat on the edge of the bed, his hand absentmindedly running through his platinum locks as he thought everything through.
I don't know what to do... Truly, he didn't. There was so much he wanted to do. So many strong desires burned within him that he just couldn't attain nor relinquish.
There were the things that were impossible, of course. Like bringing back his parents. Like turning back time and stopping the whole l'Cie disaster from occurring.
There were the things that were possible, but were currently out of reach. Cocoon was still crystallized, despite his efforts. Almost the entire population of the planet was still entombed within it, including Fang and Vanille. He had promised them time and time again that he would free them. He wanted so badly to rescue them from their fate. Then there was Snow, Serah and Dajh who also needed freed. The NORA gang needed their leader, but he could not bring him back to them. Lightning needed her sister, but Hope couldn't give her that. And Sazh needed his son, but the director wasn't able to free the boy for him.
So many lives depended on him, yet what was he doing? Sitting on his ass waiting for information? Constantly letting himself and those closest to him be attacked? Chasing after a life with a woman who didn't seem to want to be with him? He had to do something. He was the leader of this new civilization and as such he was going to protect and save his people. Director Estheim was done being toyed with.
With all this in mind, Hope got up and dressed himself, being very mindful of the guest within his room. Lightning's presence still thoroughly confused him, but it delighted him as well. Maybe it was another step forward for them. After all, last he knew Lightning didn't allow herself to sleep beside anyone.
It just seemed that every step forward led to two steps back.
His eyelids flickered open for what felt like the first time in weeks. It was like being set free from a torrent of dreams and nightmares. Every time he awoke, it was the same. His body felt like lead. All of his limbs, his muscles, wouldn't move. He couldn't even move his tongue.
Mind in a haze, he attempted to search around him, his eyes straining to see where he and the rest of his team was. Two of his teammates were within his vision. They seemed to both be unconscious, or in the same catatonic state he had been in since he'd been snatched. Same as always.
After all of the time he had spent away, he had only woken up four times, each time never able to find out or process much. The dusty air flowed harshly through his lungs as usual. There wasn't much light except for the slight yellow glow. He laid on what felt like a stone floor, its rough exterior digging into his skin.
The sound of footsteps startled him. His eyes glanced everywhere around the room until he realized that whoever it was, was coming from behind him.
A man walked up to him and stood looking down into his face, a smug expression upon him. "It's Gadot, right?" The guy looked at him expectantly, as if Gadot could answer. This only served to infuriate the paralyzed, fiery haired man. "No, you don't have to speak. I know it's a bit challenging at the moment." He then snorted as he whistled toward something out of view. A signal if Gadot had ever seen one. "Don't worry, you'll be back to your blissful sleep in no time."
And within a few moments, the nameless man was proven right.
It was an hour after Hope had awoken that Lightning stirred. She found it odd that Hope was able to leave her side without her noticing. She was always such a light sleeper...
Hope heard Lightning come out of his room and come upstairs, presumably to dress for the day. He'd been sitting in his office since he'd woken up, reading through Fabula Nova Crystallis again for anything that he might have missed. It was all he could do at the moment. It was something, but it wasn't enough.
During the time he'd been up, Hope had resolved to talk this over with Amodar and hopefully convince him that he needed to find a way to help. Taking down Castea and freeing those in stasis was all that mattered.
"Hey," spoke Lightning, announcing her presence in the room. Her eyebrow quirked upwards as Hope failed to acknowledge her in favor of continuing to read. "Still searching for answers in that book of yours?"
"Yeah... It's the only way I'm allowed to help out right now."
Her jaw tightened hearing that. She could see how much this waiting around affected him, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was happy Hope was taking a break. Even if it was forced and caused her to be thrown off duty as well. The young man practically killed himself working so much. The only reason he would ever stop was when she outright demanded him to. She inwardly cringed at what Hope's life was like before she woke up and wasn't there to halt his never-ending work cycle. "Anything new?"
Hope blew a sigh out through his nose as he turned a page, eyes still stuck to the book. "Not yet."
Lightning's eyes narrowed at the teen. Was she bothering him? Was he too busy to converse with her? Growing agitated by his attitude, Lightning walked up to him and snatched the book away. She ignored his protests as she sat in the chair in front of his desk, facing him.
"What the hell, Light!" The man was in a horrible mood and this was not the time for this. There were far too many things on his mind and he thought that enough of his rights had been stolen away from him already. Clearly even reading was luxury he was not allowed to enjoy.
Concerned eyes glanced over the heavy literature in her hand before she set it on her lap. "I think we need to discuss some things."
You mean like why I woke up with you in my bed? Why I can't seem to get you to care about me when it matters most? Why I have to sit here instead of helping out my people? Why I have to constantly have the world thrust upon my shoulders? Why I can't ever seem to do anything right? Those things, Light? Despite his inner turmoil, Hope bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. "About what?"
"Yesterday... I didn't mean what you thought I-"
"Forget about it. It wasn't important."
What he said and what she saw in his expression as he said it, were two entirely different things. He kept his face guarded, but she could see the hurt that the conversation had caused him. "I think it was important." Obviously she was going to have to take the initiative in this discussion. The soldier silently cursed that fact. Words were not her thing. "I... I've never cared for someone like this before. And I... I really do care about you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah." Hope's brow furrowed as he cocked his head to the side.
It seemed that she'd gotten his attention. "As a soldier, we're taught that we're expendable to the greater purpose that we are fighting for. When I started out I accepted that completely, because... I already found my life expendable."
Emerald eyes widened when he heard that. Lightning's life was not worth any greater purpose. It was not expendable, by any means. Before he could voice this, he was stopped by her hardened stare.
"Serah changed that view, though. When I was laying in that bed after my first mission, completely torn up and knowing that I had narrowly escaped death." She scanned his eyes to see if he knew to when she was referencing. Back to her story about the death of her mother affecting her more than it should have. She carried on as he nodded his head in understanding. "I began to think of Serah first. I thought about what would have happened to her if I wasn't there. Serah would have been left without a home or a guardian. She would have nothing because of me." Swallowing thickly, Lightning put those thoughts out her mind. "From then on, I lived for her. And during the l'Cie fiasco, I lived for our team." A fond smile came to her face as she looked off into the distance. "I lived for you."
"Lightning..."
"I never thought about living for me." Her eyes burned into his, trying to get her point across. "I've never really thought about my future." She shifted in her seat, fidgeting because the next bit would be uncomfortable. "I never thought I would have one. My job was all I had and... truthfully I figured it would kill me someday. The future wasn't ever something I looked toward." Her hands clenched the book now in her grasp, warmth enveloping her as she thought about her next words that she said with immense honesty. "But maybe... with you that will change."
Hope was astonished by such words. A bright smile came to his lips, ecstatic that Lightning was thinking about a future with him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all of those things yesterday."
"They were true," she retorted, her gaze elsewhere. "Anyhow, right now the only future thoughts we need to be thinking about is ending this war we've found ourselves dragged into."
And soldier Lightning was back. Hope chuckled at this. "Yeah, I know." Shaking his head as he scratched the back of it, the director stood. "And I've been thinking about that, too. I can't just sit here." With that, he left the room, a confused Lightning left sitting in her seat.
She caught up to him as he got to the bottom of the stairs and hit the foyer. "Wait, what do you mean? Forced vacation, remember?"
Hope rolled his eyes. "I'm the director. I need to be out there protecting and saving my people. I'm no good to them here. Besides, I'm the reason everyone's in danger. It's my responsibility to take care of the threat no matter how you look at it." Finished with his argument, Hope began to walk away from her.
Lightning, on the other hand, was not letting this drop. In most ways, he was right, but he was going to get himself killed one way or another. "Orders are orders, Hope. You can't just disobey them when you please."
"Is that you or the soldier talking?" Lightning glared at him for that, but he already felt bad for the words. "I'm sorry, but I won't lounge around and let more people fight and die for me. Besides, it's not really an order for me. Amodar doesn't have the authority to give me orders."
Gritting her teeth, Lightning held him back. "You're working yourself too hard already. I can't keep watching you do this to yourself."
"Then don't," Hope shot back, infuriated by this pointless fight. He was leaving and nothing was going to stop him.
"I'm your guard. I will protect you from everything, including yourself."
That only served to enrage him further as he shoved her away from him, not hard enough to hurt her, but strong enough to momentarily stun her out of shock. "Stop it. Quit acting like you only exist to keep me alive. I know you're my 'personal guard' and all, but I can protect myself," he snarled. "What if I wanted to protect you, huh? What would you say?"
Shaking the stun off, the young woman growled at him for his aggressiveness toward her concern. "I'm not some damsel in distress, Hope."
"And I'm not some cowering kid, either." His shout rang in the air as he opened his front door.
Lightning, wanting so much to just punch the brat and get the fight over with, restrained herself and hustled to stop him once again. She was soon halted, though, by a slight whistle sounding through the air.
It happened so fast that the initial penetration took a moment for him to register. The sheer speed of the object sent Hope flying back through the entrance of his home until he was sprawled out on the floor. The pain came as he looked down to see what was now imbedded in his abdomen.
The soldier watched in horror as Hope flew past her and landed on the ground with a thud. Immediately springing into action, she went to his side seeing that an arrow was now firmly set into his stomach. Her eyes checked her surroundings for danger only to see nothing. Yelling at the guard's to get them to fan out and find the perpetrator, Lightning then turned back to Hope. "Fuck." While one hand applied pressure around the arrow, her other hand firmly gripped it, ready to yank it out. Once the arrow was out, Hope could heal himself. He'd be all better and she could kill whoever did this and go back to yelling at the stupid man. That was what she thought, until she was stopped.
"Don't, Light," he warned. His voice was strained as he grimaced and continued. "I know this type of arrow." He could see it in the way it was built, in the arrow's structure. "It... injects poison slowly upon penetration."
"Then let me get it out."
A guard came in then, his face covered in concern and stress. "Director, are you-"
"Call a med team," urged Lightning.
Hope put a shaky hand on top of Lightning's to gain her undivided attention. "If you pull that out, the rest of the poison will immediately be injected into my system. I'll... die in seconds."
Zalera had watched the action happen from her place, perched in a tree surrounding Hope's home. She'd been keeping a close eye on the two since the incident the previous day. From her spot she could clearly see the whole front of the house and the door. Whoever had shot that arrow had extremely good aim.
Quickly processing the event, she bounded after the attacker based on the direction the projectile had come from. The warrior zoomed through the trees, her eyes scanning over all of the area around her. She was done with this. She was entirely too tired of Castea and her goons striking and getting off scot-free. Enough was enough.
A flash of red soon caught her attention. It was a women dressed in a red sari, running at top speed. She followed them for nearly two miles, keeping herself just out of sight so they wouldn't know she was following. The woman stopped a few yards ahead of her, climbing a tree to rest on a branch and scan the area, looking for followers. Zalera hid herself while keeping an eye on her. For a moment, she thought she recognized the attacker. It was only after she heard the woman chuckling to herself that Zalera knew.
Flicking her black hair from her face, the woman grinned. "And I was worried about getting away." A rustling of the branches above her alerted her to look up. It appeared to be too late for she raised her head just in time to be caught in the face by a knee coming straight down on top of her. The hit knocked the ebony-haired woman from the branch, but she grabbed a lower one before she could hit the ground.
Zalera jumped down a series of branches until she reached the ground and looked to the attacker who soon mimicked her movements until they stood face to face. "I should have known. That was an exceptional shot at that distance," hissed Zalera. "So you go around trying to kill teenagers now, huh? Why, Aida?"
Aida only smirked at her. "If I wanted to kill him, he'd be dead. Y'know that." Whipping out her chakram, Zalera held it to her neck. The woman didn't flinch, only used the back of her hand to wipe the blood from her now leaking nose. "Y'gonna kill me?"
"I should," she spat. "But unfortunately my friends will want answers. And you're gonna give them to them." Her chakram soon dug into the woman's tan skin, nicking her neck. "Or I won't hesitate."
The attacker's smile grew as she shrugged. "Once you're caught, you're caught."
Lightning rode with Hope as the med team drove him to the hospital. The silveret groaned and hissed in pain, trying hard to stay still. One of the men tending to Hope began to cut the clothing from his abdomen, Lightning's eyes widening as they did so.
The area around the arrow was purple, the circumference of the horrid discoloration too large, too dark. The veins around it were black and swollen, now raised against his skin. It was a horrible sight that the woman couldn't tear her eyes away from. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I hated fighting with you, but this is what I was talking about. You're going to get yourself killed.
Lightning's hand held Hope's as he squeezed it hard. It felt like the life was being sucked out of him. It was almost like enduring the death spell with Alexander yet again. He coughed and gagged as his throat began to swell shut. It appeared that this arrow was far more deadly than the counterparts Hope had encountered. After a few more moments, Hope lost consciousness.
"You're going to be fine, Hope. I'm not going to let you die on me." It dawned on her then that Hope's grip on her hand had loosened significantly, alerting her to his lack of consciousness. "Hope!" Her terrified gaze turned to an enraged one as she looked to the medic. "What are you doing? Help him," she insisted, roughly grabbing the man's arm.
The medic appeared unaffected as he shook her grip off. "His organs are shutting down and his throat is closing. I don't have the cure for whatever poison this is, so it's going to have to wait until we reach the hospital. All I can do is keep his lungs pumping and his heart beating." He gave her an empathetic glance, having watched their interaction. "It's better that he's out for this. His body will focus on keeping him alive instead of awake. Now control yourself, soldier."
Her sharp gaze softened as it fell back to Hope, her hand still clutching his and her other one sifting through his hair.
Don't leave me.
It had been three hours since the attack. Zalera stood outside of the interrogation room, staring at the archer through the one-way mirror. It was obvious that Aida could sense her presence for although she could see nothing but herself, she stared directly at Zalera.
Lightning walked into the room then, the only person to successfully take her gaze away for hours. The girl looked like hell and as the sergeant's eyes found Aida, she could see the burning hatred. "How's Hope's recovery?"
Lightning scoffed, slight amusement yet still overwhelming anger in her voice. "He swears he's fine. All cheery fucking smiles. When did he become such an outright liar?" Lightning's eyes scanned the girl waiting within the room, the desire to knock the attacker's nose into her brain being strong.
The woman was of average build and height, her skin of a deep tan. Her shaggy ebony colored hair fell to about her shoulders, one braid beside her face with a few beads threaded through it. A red sari was wrapped around her frame, very reminiscent of Fang's. Her hands were cuffed to the table in front of her as she sat with a satisfied smirk on her face and a surprising amount of hatred shining within her golden irises.
"They get all of the poison out," Zalera asked, her gaze not leaving the window.
This broke Lightning's thoughts as she turned to her. "Yes," she hissed, "though, for doctors I think they should have been able to handle it a lot faster. Hope's heart stopped three times before he became stable. Amateurs." Shaking her head, Lightning clicked her tongue. Hope woke up about an hour before. He said that once he had a little more of his strength back, he could heal his wound and be all better. The idiot actually asked if he could come and talk to his attacker. As if I would let him out of his hospital bed or anywhere near this bitch. "What's her story, anyway? She talk yet? If not, I'm sure I could get something out of her."
Zalera smirked. "Like some of her internal organs, I'm sure."
"Why not all of them?"
The green-haired woman sighed in a small attempt to calm herself. "Her name is Alvin Ren Aida," spoke Zalera, the name coming out venomously. "She's thirty-five. She used to live in the town neighboring mine when I was a child."
Lightning looked at her, intrigued by this news. So Zalera knows her. That explained the heavy look of betrayal.
"She's a highly skilled archer. Her hunting skills were legendary by the time she was ten. I can't believe she's become an assassin..."
Amodar joined them in the room and Lightning immediately turned to him. He simply shook his head as she went to speak. "You shouldn't even be here, Farron."
"Why not? I have every right to be here. She attacked on that woman's orders and I know it. I can get it out of her. I want to talk to her, sir."
"Absolutely not." Amodar gave her a stern eye before looking to Aida. "You are far too emotionally invested in this." His gaze slid over to Zalera causing shock to form on the sergeant's face as she caught his look's meaning.
"And she's not?" she yelled, fighting to keep her temper down.
"Zalera knows her and apprehended her. She'd be the one most likely to get answers out of her as well as keep calm."
The young Farron's face scrunched up in anger before her heated gaze met Zalera's. "You better get her to talk or so help me-"
"I will," she assured with ease. "She wants to talk to me. That's why she didn't put up a fight when I caught her. She ran, but she didn't even try to leave when she saw me. There's a message she wants heard. Probably from Castea."
Lightning clenched her fists as the elder woman walked past her and into the room. She turned to Amodar as he came to stand right beside her, gaining full view of the interrogation. "I'm not leaving."
A small laugh erupted from the general and her long-time friend. "I didn't expect you to."
Zalera sat across from the woman, only the table between them. Both stared into each others eyes, tension at its highest. "Why?"
Aida's eyes narrowed as her amused gaze took in the woman before her. "It's been a long while, Zalera. I haven't seen you since you were what? Eleven... maybe twelve?"
"Thirteen."
"Right. You still wear all green, I see. Still mourning your parents and town with the color of your rags. The guilt of survival still eat away at you at night?" Aida's head cocked to the side with her inquiry, grin broadening. "Or has it been replaced by the guilt of surviving your new tribe's attack? How do you keep escaping death when no one else does? Maybe you're too much of a coward to save others and just run and hide at the sign of trouble."
That comment through her over the edge. She lunged across the table, her hand tightly gripping her old friend's throat. "Don't you dare."
Amodar was about to interrupt, but Zalera let go and sat back in her seat. He could admit that she was showing an immense amount of control.
Taking a breath, Aida chuckled before her expression transitioned from one of amusement to one of resentment and disgust. "A coward and a traitor."
"Excuse me," she inquired, clearly affronted by such accusations.
"You're living amongst them. Friends with them. You said it yourself when you caught me. You're even beginning to sound like them. Of course, I'm hardly surprised considering your heritage..." Banging her fist on the table, she sat forward. "These... Cocoon people," she sneered. "They destroy their own planet and now they think they can take over our land?"
Zalera's hand slid down her face. She should have known that this would come up. Each side was very prejudicial to the other. "They don't mean us any harm, Aida. Not most of them, anyway. Certainly not Hope-"
"Their leader. Of course, he's the worst of them all. His very existence is harmful to us and even his own people."
Zalera's eyes lifted from the table to meet hers, realizing that she was talking about Hope's l'Cie status and the crystals. The only way she could know about that was if she was working with Castea.
"Oh, yeah, I know about him. News spread like wildfire, Zalera. Even among us. Everyone is out to get your new little l'Cie."
A brow rose. "Everyone?"
Aida snorted in response. "Since when have l'Cie ever been a good thing? And a Cocoon l'Cie could only be after one thing: the destruction of Pulse." She then leaned forward, her hands spread out on the table as her nails dug into it. "With the migration came news of what happened to Cocoon and why it happened. The fal'Cie of Cocoon wanted a new world. They created the l'Cie to bring this desire to fruition. What else would the kid's rebranding be for, if not his original purpose?"
Zalera took in her words. Not once did she reference the crystals or Castea. Most of her information was assumption based off of past facts. "Why you?" Aida looked to her with confusion, so she thought to clarify. "If the director is such a big bad threat, why of all of the people of Pulse were you chosen to take care of him?"
Cockiness surfaced in her expression as she smugly replied, "Who else could match my skills? Who would be a better assassin?"
"But you didn't assassinate him. You said it yourself that if you wanted to kill him, he'd be dead."
Aida's jaw clenched as the first sign of uncertainty surfaced upon her.
A few minutes passed while Zalera waited for an answer. She carried on when one wasn't given. "When did you start selling your skills out to Castea?"
A spark of anger flashed through her eyes. "I'm not sure who you're referring to. I know no one by that name. And I sell out to no one."
"You don't know who the leader of the pack is that took out my tribe? That killed Yeul? The woman that has decimated every sacred Pulsian oath which we hold dear?" Zalera's voice grew shaky as she seethed.
Shock showed upon Aida's face, but she kept quiet, leading Zalera to depart from the room.
"She's lying," growled the sergeant. "Let me in there."
"I don't think she is," Zalera interjected, her face pensive as she stood against the door. "She never once spoke of the crystals. Her reasoning for attacking Hope was based on his old purpose as a l'Cie. And when I mentioned Castea-"
"She really didn't know who you were talking about until you referenced Castea's slaughtering of Pulsians," finished Lightning.
"Right. Almost all villages and tribes know of Castea and her followers, just not by name. I didn't know who she was until after I saw her back when I was captured. Her group's deeds are widely known. Their ruthless murdering and conquering mirrors that of legendary blood thirsty tribes like the one that took down the four great kingdoms centuries ago."
Lightning thought hard about everything that had been said and done during the interrogation. "But she didn't kill Hope. If she really was just an assassin sent from the Pulsians, and she's as good as you both say, why isn't he dead?"
Amodar cleared his throat, contributing to the conversation then. "The arrow was laced with a large dose of a very rare poison. It's a miracle that we even had the cure for it. Maybe they wanted him to suffer instead of dying a quick death."
Considering that, Lightning turned to Zalera with a different theory. "Or...She's a very confident and prideful person, right?" Zalera nodded. "Maybe she did mean to kill him outright. Maybe something stopped that arrow from hitting its original, more deadly target. She obviously wouldn't want to admit that her plan didn't work out and is playing it off as a purposeful hit."
Amodar shook his head in confusion. "How-"
"Castea," interrupted Zalera.
Lightning huffed, but nodded. "It wouldn't be surprising in the least if she knew of the attack. She would be keeping an eye on Hope, anyway. She may not have orchestrated this, but she would have known about it. As for how she stopped it... she has a lot of powers that we don't know of. Why she didn't stop the attack completely... I'm unsure."
"She did say that she helped keep Hope alive during all of the other assassination attempts. Some he didn't even know about." Zalera grimaced as she pinched the bridge of her nose, agitated by the whole day.
Amodar crossed his arms before him as he stood straight. "We'll keep questioning her, though I doubt we'll get much more from her. Farron, I want you back in that hospital with Estheim. You're still on leave from all duties besides being his protection."
"But, sir-"
"Not a word, Farron."
Lightning's mouth snapped shut as she nodded. "Do you think there will be more like her," she inquired toward Zalera.
"If she isn't working for Castea, then most likely."
Hope was sitting up in his hospital bed, panting heavily. Sazh's hand was on his shoulder as he looked into his face with concern while Lebreau stood over him, seeming very upset.
"What happened?" Lightning rushed to his side, pushing Sazh's out of her way.
"We told him not to," spoke Sazh with a sigh.
Lebreau stamped her foot in disagreement. "I told him not to. You just shook your head."
Hope's breathing slowed somewhat, but it was still far too shallow. "What happened," she insisted.
The NORA girl gritted her teeth. "He healed his wound." Lightning's head shot up before she shot a glare toward Hope. "I told him that he should wait. I may not have gotten all of these fancy powers like the rest of you, but magic draws a lot of energy, right? Something Hope is currently in short supply of."
"Damn it, Hope." She knew he was going to do it. He even said that he was going to. She should have stayed to stop him. Her anger had gotten the best of her yet again.
"I'm... fine," he panted, the teen finally able to speak. It took him a bit to calm down before he sat back, cringing at the looks he was receiving from his company. "See, now there's no reason for me to be here."
"Shut it, Estheim," barked Lightning. "You're staying here until I say so."
A dejected pout crossed his face, but he made no further protest. He wheezed some before turning back to Lightning. "Did you speak to her?"
"I wasn't allowed." Lightning rolled her eyes. "Zalera did. Turns out she knew her. A Pulsian from close quarters. Naturally we thought that she was working for Castea, but... that may not be so."
Hope's expression grew somber, but he kept himself as composed as he could. "There are a lot of people who want me dead. Many have been trying for years, it seems." His already sore throat tightened. He would have never thought that so many people would find his death beneficial. "Besides, Castea may have tortured me and loves to taunt me, but she goes through a lot of trouble to keep me alive. That was far too close a call for her."
Lightning's face fell into her usual mask, holding her feelings at bay as a thought crossed her mind. If she wasn't sent by Castea, then does that mean that others will come to finish the job? I'm already struggling to protect you as is. How am I supposed to stop all of Pulse?
Soldiers in charge of watching over the attacker scrambled to open the interrogation room door. Something was happening to the woman, but they couldn't get into the room.
Amodar rushed in, horror reaching his face as he watched through the window. "What..."
Aida was struggling, her body convulsing in her seat. Her eyes looked about ready to pop out of her skull as her veins surfaced to the top of her skin, the ones in her neck bulging dangerously.
Shoving his men out of the way, Amodar slammed his shoulder against the door repeatedly, sighing with relief as he succeeded. Though it was too late, it seemed. Aida was on the floor, laying in a pool of her own blood.
Hope laughed at Maqui's antics as he spoke of his latest fight with Sazh's chocobo. The goggled man was hopeless when it came to animals. His laughs ended, though, as he heard a familiar voice echo in his mind.
"I will always protect you."
Hope's confusion outweighed his fear and anger as he thought about Castea's words. What does she mean?
His question was soon answered, however, as Lightning got a call on her comm, her face contorting into an unreadable expression. "I'll be there soon." Shutting off her comm, Lightning met Hope's eyes, her intensity conveying the extreme seriousness. "Aida's dead."