A/N: This fic is nowhere near complete so do not fret. Our heroes still have a long journey ahead of them.

Please Review :)

Reviewers:

TheSyncopatedFo'c'sle - Thanks, short chapters never really worked well for me for this story.

Daaku Urufu- Thanks so much. Glad to still have you here. And thanks for your input. Its looking more and more likely that I'm going to add some.

Crush-Chan17 - I was actually going to add in the rest of that scene last chapter, but I figured that was a good place to leave off. Sorry about the cliffhanger, I'm just evil ;)

A Better Day1 - I'm not even close to finished with this story. So don't worry! There's still lot's more to go. And I was planning on writing it that way anyway. A lot of people don't like intense intimate scenes and I had already figured that I would work around that. It's cool.

LightPhantom742 - Thanks again for your supreme reviews. Just lovely, as always. Hope you get back to me soon :)

Ivonnebagel12- Dear lord, your reviews had me beaming. Thank you so much.

Revised: December 2015

The ship gave a lurch as its take off wasn't exactly steady. Sazh was nervous, you could feel it through the aircraft and its wavering assent into the air. The others were on edge, all waiting and watching for Castea's minions to follow. But Hope just sat there, staring into nothingness, so lost in himself that the world faded out.

He could see it all as clear as day. They were all dead. Every single one of them. And every single one of their deaths was his fault. He was a coward. He was a monster. He was a murderer.

Emilina's father's body still sat crushed in his car, or so Hope imagined. Maybe the vehicle had exploded by now and all that would be left would be ashes and charred bones. A father's dreams of seeing his daughter grow old, gone.

Hope saw Georgina, sitting as they'd left her against the building. The crystal planet loomed over her with her loved ones, which she would never again see, forever trapped inside.

In the bowels of NORA was Lebreau. The once gregarious, proud and tough woman left in a most vulnerable state until her time ran out. Her last thoughts would have been her wishes of seeing her beloved team mates again while her rescue would be far too late. Clutched in her fist would be her comm, just as lifeless as its owner due to the system failure.

Alyssa and Reuben would die too. Hope could see the rooms around them ablaze, their terrified faces bathed in the brilliant orange glow. They wouldn't burn alive, though. No, they would be saved from that cruel fate. The gods owed them that much. Instead they would die from the heat and the loss of air. Or maybe the Academy Base, the once most stable, most looked upon building in Academia, would fall. Alyssa's and Hildough's bodies would be crushed, lost among the rocks and rubble.

Hope wanted to reject such thoughts. It wasn't his nature to think these things. Yet, the dark images and memories all blurred together, creating a reality of truth and lies so mixed, Hope didn't know what to believe. He wanted to think that his friends were fine, that those that had died, did not die in vain. But Hope struggled, for his most prominent thoughts were the more realistic ones.

Kori lied in a street somewhere in the city. Her body would be hit by some stray gunfire. Some rocks and crumbling buildings would cover her. The raging war would demolish her body, but she couldn't feel it. She was dead, gone. The war couldn't affect her anymore.

Cass lied dead within the hangar, the teen's gun, his trusted protection, left lying just out of the reach of his limp hand. All of Cass' hopes of ever seeing his mother again, lost along with his life.

The rest of the NORA gang died valiantly. They died as the heroes they had always claimed to be. Maqui, Gadot and Yuj all died together, fighting off the threat until they each took their last breath.

The list went on from his own mother and father, to Yeul and Aida - all dead because of him. Everyone he ever cared for was dead or would die very soon. Every civilian of Academia that had put their faith and trust in their leader's hands were all just lifeless bodies that laid littered along their city's streets. There was no end to this madness. Unless of course, Hope quit being a murderer. If Hope quit being a monster. If Hope quit being such a god damned coward. If the puppet just cut his strings. If he just let go, it would all end.

"Cass...?" Hope's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him, mind reeling at the revolver's owner that had a look of crazed sorrow and anger in his eyes.

"Drop it," demanded Lightning as she entered the hangar and slowly walked to their sides. No matter what was going on in that brunet's mind, Lightning wasn't going to allow him to hurt Hope.

Hope's attention remained on Cass, Lightning's presence hardly hitting him. He found himself completely bewildered and hurt seeing his once best friend standing there, nearly quivering before him with such malicious intent sparking in those violet eyes. A pang of regret hit the young director then. When had he stopped considering Cass as his best friend? "Cass, what are you doing?"

A tear dropped from the younger man's eye, quietly and stealthily falling, appearing as if having been an illusion. "She's dead, Hope." The words wavered through the air, spoken from spiteful lips. "Kori's dead," Cass reiterated with such force, such bite, that he flinched at his own tone. The anger came in waves, mixing with the unyielding guilt. She was dead. His dear sister, the last treasured person in his life, was gone in an instant. And it had sewn his fate, his decent into revenge. It would begin with the death of the most wholly responsible. None of it would have happened if Hope had never existed. "She's dead and it's your fault." His rage intensified with his statement. His hold only strengthened on his gun, and though his arm shook, his aim remained true.

The announcement of Kori's death struck Hope with a stunning blow. He took a step back in his shock, his head shaking fervently automatically, not wanting to believe it. Too many had died already. Not her too... "No... Maker, no," he whispered, the truth slowly seeping into his brain.

I'll decimate you. Wipe away you're existence. "Yes. She's gone. If you hadn't have..."

"You don't want to do this, Cass," spoke Lightning, her own weapon aimed at his temple. She understood now what Hope had meant. Cass was unpredictable and unstable. The only thing that had been even remotely holding him back had been Kori. But now that his master was gone, he was a rabid dog on the beginnings of a rampage. She didn't want to hurt Cass. Despite herself, she had grown to care for him somewhat and had become accustomed to his presence within her life. And on some level, she knew exactly how Cass was feeling. She had been just like him once upon a time. When Serah had been crystallized, everything had become a target. She had been ready to tear apart the whole world. Her blame had become misplaced, just as Cass' had now.

Cass only sneered at her. "What do you know, Lightning? I have no one left."

Don't make me do this. "You have your father and your mother."

"Haven't you been listening?" Cass looked toward Lightning, his gun still pointed toward Hope. "I hate my father. He means nothing to me. And you all gave up on the crystals." He turned back to his captive locked within his sights. "Who the hell knows what'll happen to Cocoon now? My sister was all I had and now..."

You think you have nothing. Hope recognized that look, it was the same look he'd faced in the mirror so many times. A look of emptiness and resignation. Cass had abandoned his hope long ago. Now that the last of his happiness was gone, so was any semblance of the Cass that Hope had once known. "Cass, I'm sorry."

The brunet grit his teeth, resisting the urge to just pull the trigger already. He knew he couldn't. "You should be!" he yelled. "I thought you were my friend, Hope."

Hope winced at the words and the underlined pain hidden behind the enraged tone. "I am." His hand laid on his chest, just over his thumping heart. He was his friend. He was.

"What was it that you said? 'He's dangerous. He welcomes death.' Yeah, some friend you are," he hissed.

Hope's eyes widened as his heart thundered in his chest. How did he...

"I guess it's kinda true, though. Not all of us can grow up to become powerful and important like you. So kind and perfect. With people who care about you. You're a true idol."

"I'm not going to say it again." Lightning stepped forward, only hesitating when Cass' finger curled tighter around the trigger. "Drop it."

Cass' lip curled with a mocking smile, his chuckle passing through the air, truly amused at the situation. "This seems fitting. I kill you avenging Kori's death. Lightning in turn kills me for you. Too bad there's no one here to avenge me. Heh, like anyone cares." With that, he raised his gun fully, ready to shoot. It was time for Hope Estheim to pay for his crimes.

"Please, Cass, don't-" The gunshot rang out and everything stopped for Hope. The sound bounced off of his eardrums and permeated his consciousness, ripping him apart before he could tell who'd pulled the trigger and who'd been shot. No matter what, the outcome would devastate him.

But as he reentered reality, he was met with confusion. Neither Lightning nor Cass had shot off a single round. Though a shot had definitely been made.

And it had landed within Cass Leonald's heart.

The lifeless body fell forward into Hope. The teen caught him only to fall back onto the concrete. Cass' limp body laid within his stunned and horrified arms. Hope could only stare into his friend's dead face as he felt every inch of his dead body and every ounce of his dead weight on top of him. Cass was dead. Cass had just been alive, had just been standing there in front of him, and now he was dead.

Lightning didn't allow her stun to remain for long. The shot had come from somewhere. If it hadn't been her or Hope, then who shot Cass? One quick look to the left as footsteps echoed toward her showed her who. Barsilisk was coming at them, his gun drawn and aimed. She ducked just as another shot went off. Growling, she shot off a few rounds back, hitting him square in the chest with each bullet. She cursed as it didn't deter him in his approach.

Running to Hope's side, Lightning saw how withdrawn Hope was. Cass' death had temporarily debilitated him. She didn't know just how crippled he was until her calls to him seemed to go unheard. "Hope!" She yanked Cass from Hope's lap and pulled him up, cringing at the fact that his expression had not changed. "We have to go, Hope."

Zalera swiftly spun on her heel as Lightning entered the ship dragging Hope behind her. "Finally-"

"We have no time." Letting go of Hope's hand, she sat the man down. She then ran to the front, flipping the switch to shut the ship's hatch. "Get us up, Sazh. Now."

Sazh nodded, knowing that look in the soldier's eye. Trouble was coming. But even if they got into the air and left the city, trouble would still be on their heels. They were luring them out, after all. The ship ascended into the air, Sazh's nerves causing the take-off to be a bit on the shaky side.

"Barsilisk was on our tail, but at least he knows we're leaving. He'll tell Castea and they'll follow." She hoped that would be so, anyway. Lightning went back over to Hope and knelt before him. He sat unchanged. His pallor was completely pale, almost deathly white. A flush of pain and fear stained his cheeks, the only color to remain. Emerald orbs stared out past reality. Hope had retreated into his mind completely and Lightning couldn't stand it. She ripped off her gloves and threw them to the side, sliding her now bare hands along his cool face. She swiped away his sweaty bangs from his lost gaze and let her hands rest against his cheeks as she stared imploringly into his eyes. "Hope." She tried to find something to grasp within him, something to help her pull him out of this state but he was just... gone. Her thumbs ran soothingly over his face, her calloused pads caressing his smooth skin. "Please, be okay."

Recognizing his state, Zalera knew it was no use. Hope was lost in shock. He was of no use at the moment and fretting over his frayed consciousness would only hurt more than help. So, she grabbed Lightning's gunblade from her holster and before Lightning could comment, she slammed the hilt down on the back of his head. Hope fell to the side, unconscious.

"What do you think you're doing?" the roseate screeched, tearing her weapon from Zalera's grasp.

Zalera grabbed Lightning by the shoulders before she could do anything hasty. "He's better this way. Trust me. He'll be better when he wakes up. But we need you focused." She let go of Lightning, eye contact remaining until the younger curtly nodded. "Any sight yet, Sazh?"

"Not yet."

Lightning stared at Hope's unconscious form for a long moment before shaking her head and heading towards Sazh and Zalera at the front. She sat beside the pilot, giving a firm nod to his hesitant welcoming smile. "We need to go. Fast."

The man raised a brow. "How fast...?"

"Fast." Lightning's gaze locked on the purple button, indicating the speed in which she meant.

Sazh nodded, his finger grazing the shiny surface of the button. "Everyone buckled?"

Zalera ran back, hastily buckling up the sleeping Hope while silently apologizing for the hit, and then scrambled into her own seat and secured herself down. "Ready."

"Where are we going?"

Lightning stared straight ahead, expression unyielding of the conflict within her being. "Away. Those ships will leave the city after us, but I don't want them to have the chance to follow us. I don't care where we go, we just need to go fast. They can't have him, Sazh."

He nodded, feeling her intense determination. Hesitant eyes looked out over the wide expanse of Pulse laid out ahead of them. He was leaving Dajh again. And it was killing him, but he was steering the trouble away from his son. In the end, it was the best that Sazh could do to protect him. With a sigh, he pushed the button.

Castea smirked from her perch atop one of the last standing structures of Academia. She watched soldiers of the Corps and officers of the Academy gathering below it, all speaking heatedly to one another. It seemed that a rift had formed within the protectors of Academia. Loyalties were being tested, causing some of the director's people to turn away from him and his cause.

"Perfect." Parts of Academia were falling apart that she hadn't even expected. With the soldiers losing faith, she could snatch them up to fight for her. More soldiers for her side, and another fatal blow to Hope.

"Why don't we stop this bickering here?" Castea appeared before the large group of soldiers. Some drew up their weapons in defense, while others merely stared, too exhausted from fighting or too stunned to move. Some, though, looked rather intrigued.

Castea repressed a snicker. She could turn over these soldiers without a problem. It was almost too easy. "I have a proposition for you."

One soldier of the Guardian Corps immediately fired toward the woman. The bullets merely bounced off of the shield surrounding her. "Don't listen to her. It's Castea. Their leader."

"She's the one who's caused all of this!" hollered another soldier.

An officer stepped forward then, hatred in her eyes. "Why the hell should we listen to you?" She raised her gunblade up, aiming in between Castea's eyes.

The l'Cie simply looked down the barrel with amusement. "I don't know what your director's been telling you, but I am not the enemy. I simply want what the rest of you want."

"Enough of this", cried a soldier. Running up to the woman, he went to slash her with his blade, only to be shot in between his shoulder blades. The soldier fell, dead.

All eyes looked to the shooter, the man being Major Sykes of the Guardian Corps. "Put that gun down, officer. Let's hear what the lady has to say."

"But Majo-"

The man held his hand up, silencing the officer. "What is it that you think we want?"

"Why, your dear planet, of course." Castea glanced at the floating sphere above them, withholding a sneer. "Your planet is locked in crystal, holding everyone you hold dear inside. You want your families and your friends back, don't you?" A few hesitant nods were given from the tense group before her. "And you want out of this 'hell' and back on your home planet, correct?"

"There's no bringing Cocoon back. It's dead. So is everyone inside," stated the unimpressed major.

"Incorrect," Castea informed with a smile. "The planet, as well as its inhabitants, are simply in crystal stasis. Your very own director came back from his stasis, did he not? Cocoon can as well." She let her words sink in as she came to stand before the major. "Major Sykes, I believe."

The tall man nodded as he removed his helmet, staring into her wolfish features. "Why would you care for Cocoon?"

"I simply want everything back the way it was. I'm preventing a war, really. The rest of my kind is ready to take down Cocoon while it's in such a vulnerable state. I just want peace."

"Funny way of showing it," he spat as his body went rigid, ready to strike.

"I'm sorry, but it was the only way that I could get through to your director. He's been denying me at every proposal. Of course, I'm not surprised. He is a Pulse l'Cie, after all. It could very well be his focus to start another war and kill off all on Cocoon." She watched the uncertainty and rage flicker across the soldiers' expressions. This was fun. "Don't you want to see your fiance again?" she asked Sykes as she watched his eyes widen. His tense shoulders eased as his grip on his weapon slackened.

"Major, don't, she's the enemy-" The first sergeant at Sykes' side stopped when he sent him a glare. But he wasn't going to let the creator of this madness, this mass murderer, sweet talk his people. No, Castea had to die. Hesitantly, he raised his weapon and took his stance. "I don't care what this vile l'Cie has to say. She's torn apart our city, killed our people. I stand with our Director." A few shouts of agreement came from behind him as others took their stand.

"And where is your director now?" The rebelling soldiers wavered slightly, but otherwise did not give in. "He's retreated back to Pulse. Back to where his true loyalty lies. He left with his other l'Cie friends and the Pulsian woman. He is not your leader." Castea sneered. "He never was."

Major Sykes' hand went to his pauldron before he ripped it off of his uniform. He then stood beside Castea, declaring his allegiance. Many under his command within the group joined him as well. And soon, only seven lone soldiers and officers stood their ground before them.

Castea could hardly contain her cackles. "Are you sure you want to remain with your treacherous Director Estheim?"

The sergeant trembled as he looked upon his own people beside their enemy. He couldn't believe it. But he did believe in Academia. He did believe in his Director. He believed, and he would never betray his beliefs. With a salute to his leader and his city, the man fell back into his stance. "I'll never join you."

The Pulsian gave a glance to the major at her side who nodded. She wouldn't even have to lift a finger.

Castea watched as the last loyal soldiers were killed off by their former comrades, chuckling at the scene. Why did you even try to resist me, Hope?

A burst of hot air flew at them as the building crumbled. The blast caused Maqui to fall to the ground, rocks and glass shards nicking his skin through his tattered clothing. The bitter taste of dirt laid on his tongue even after he'd spat out the bits of grainy earth. "Ugh..." Dazed blue eyes rolled as he attempted to drag himself off of the pavement. A muscular arm wrapped around him, sweeping him up and righting him on his feet before he could blink.

"You with me, kid?" asked Gadot as he stood before his younger friend. He glanced at the building a ways from them that was now in ruins and grimaced.

"...Yeah, I'm good. As much as possible," Maqui grumbled.

Gadot nodded and turned to Amodar who was scrambling to regain control. The entire city was taking hits left and right. It appeared that no one could stop it. The burly man's jaw clenched as he watched soldiers continue to try to dig out his dear friend. They were using far too much man power for one woman. One woman who they hadn't even heard from since the comm system went down. She could have already died for all they knew - the soldiers would just have been wasting their time and risking their lives for nothing. But if there was anyone Gadot would risk anything for, it was family. And Lebreau was family.

The general paused beside Gadot, eyeing the scene with a weary eye. "Estheim and Farron have taken off with Katzroy and Zalera. The rest should follow soon."

Gadot grunted, hating the fact that they were basically leaving the conflict to the four of them. "I don't like it."

Nodding, Amodar understood. He didn't like it at all. Who could say what would happen to the group once they were out of the city and being hunted down by Castea's crew. Hope and Lightning were so much more than his colleagues and soldiers and he cared greatly for their well-being and safety. But this action was needed to save the city. He had to believe this move would work in their favor, for they were out of options. "There is nothing that can be done about it now."

"And we're just going to leave Alyssa and Reuben to fend for themselves, too?"

He clenched his eyes closed for that one. They could fight to get Lebreau, there was still hope and possible accessibility to get her out. But the Academy building was far too unsteady. They needed more people and more resources in order to get to them. They had no choice. "There's nothing we can do for them now."

A sudden hit to their right wing snapped them all out of their daze. Sazh looked to the monitors to see a few rather large Sanctum ships hot on their tail. He cursed as he quickly dipped the ship down low, avoiding a missile intended for their hull. "Lightning, I need you to-"

"Got it." Grabbing the weapon controls, Lightning readied herself to fire. You want a fight, Castea? I'll give you a fight. You won't have him. At their heightened speed, it was harder to target, but not impossible. Lightning hadn't exactly been trained for such combat, though she knew the basics. She just had to strike them down before they were brought down first.

Zalera fought the urge to throw up as the ship swerved and shook. Flight was apparently something the Pulsian was not taking a liking to. She watched those upfront with wide eyes. Sazh's and Lightning's movements were hurried and fearful, but determined. They were making their best effort to protect all within the ship. Zalera felt useless in this instance. She was not helping at all and was only allowing the others to fight. She swatted away those thoughts and kept her focus on keeping herself and Hope safe in their seats.

Lightning smirked as she managed to land a deathly blow onto one of the ships. It tumbled down to the ground leaving only two to follow. Fighting back a stinging pain in her abdomen and thigh as well as the fogginess threatening her vision, the soldier continued to fire at the enemy, biting her cheek at every miss and inwardly celebrating every hit. Though as their craft continued to take damage, she felt a sinking feeling in her gut begin to overtake the pain of the wound in her stomach.

A missile came at them that Sazh was unable to evade and it hit right into the side of their ship. The side pod had taken too much damage now. If he didn't release it, it would lead to their fall. The problem was that the lever to detach the smaller ship was in the back with Zalera and Hope. "Zalera, I need your help!" he shouted, trying to yell over the noise of the alarms now going off around them.

"Shit!" Lightning was running low on missiles and ammunition. She couldn't afford to waste any more shots.

Zalera unclipped her belt and cried out as she immediately fell to the floor. She had grossly underestimated the ship's speed and how rocky the flight was. Walking alone was going to be tough. "What do you need?"

"There's a lever over by the left side hub, opposite of Hope. I need you to pull it. Think ya can do that?"

"No problem," she replied as she stared at the red lever and gave a breath. Heaving herself up, she made her way towards it, finding herself being tossed about with Sazh's jerky movements and the enemy's hits. By the time she made it to her goal, she found herself grasping onto the lever for dear life. She pulled the lever down, hearing a click of release.

"Okay," Sazh called after seeing the light indicating that Zalera had done as asked. "There should be a panel next to it. Open it and put in the code. It's 'three-seven-nine'."

Zalera's nails scraped against the metal interior of the ship as she tried to grip the handle of the panel. "C'mon," she whispered, sweat beading on her forehead. When she managed to get a good hold on the thing, she jerked it open and came to face the keypad inside. She counted the numbers off as she pressed them and when it was all done, she let out a sigh of relief. "Alri-" Zalera found herself flying into the wall as Sazh took a sharp turn. Her head hit hard into the metal and she fell to the floor as she soon lost consciousness.

"Zalera!" Sazh felt the ship give as the pod fell from its side. Zalera had accomplished her job, but what had happened to her? "Za-"

"There's no time to worry. Focus, Sazh."

"But she-"

"Will be fine." Lies. Zalera had been knocked out, Lightning could see her in the monitor. If someone didn't buckle her up, she'd end up sliding this way and that, getting hurt even more. But they couldn't risk leaving their posts.

Another sudden jolt to the ship had Lightning's belt constricting against her wounded abdomen. That was another thing that needed to be tended to soon. Her eyelids were getting heavy and her vision was fading. The pain of her wounds and her possibly cracked skull was beginning to take over her functions and soon enough...

Sazh watched out of the corner of his eye as Lightning's head fell forward, her hands loosening on the controls until her arms fell to her sides. She passed out.

The beach was as beautiful as any other day. Bodhum's ocean tides were calm and gracious, lapping gently at the sand. The brilliant sun was beginning to sink out of sight within the sea, as if it chose to take a dip in the water. Its dying rays shimmered over the ocean as it rippled. Birds flew overhead, singing and chirping amongst themselves. The light breeze floated about the scene, bringing with it the natural and innocent fragrance of salt, sand and serenity. The cheery beach dwellers laughed and played, their mirthful joy adding to the sunny atmosphere.

Lightning stood in the soft sand, the warm waves licking at her toes as the cooling air brushed against her face. She watched with a sense of pure tranquility as Serah swam in the distance. Calm blue eyes watched her sister's form in the water, happy to just watch and oversee.

A content smile tugged at Lightning's lips. Her sister was happy. She could see it in the way Serah let herself float carelessly on the surface of the sea. She could see it in the way Serah danced in the sun's caressing light as the water splashed around her. She could see it in her sister's blissful smile as she waved towards her, beckoning her closer.

Lightning rolled her eyes and knowing of Serah's persistency she gave in, taking a step towards the outstretched hand in the distance. But it wasn't Lightning that Serah was calling for. This became clear when Snow ran past the elder Farron, his heroic grin in place as he scooped up his giggling wife and spun her around. Serah laughed and kissed her husband passionately as they twirled. She wrapped her arms around the large man's neck as she was set down and rubbed her nose softly against his. Snow stood by her side, drinking in the sight of the ending of a normal day.

Lightning arms fell limply to her sides as she took a few stunned steps back. Her stomach dropped at the sight. Snow had taken her place. Lightning was no longer the one to bring Serah peace and happiness. She was no longer her protection and guide. Snow had replaced her. The hero had swooped in and stolen the princess away, leaving the dragon to wilt in loneliness.

The gaping hole within Lightning only began to grow deeper when two young children ran to Serah's and Snow's sides. A small girl with long, blonde ponytails gripped Serah's waist as a young boy with short, pink, curly hair and a broad grin jumped onto Snow's shoulders. Along with the title of Mrs. Villiers, Serah had gained the title of mother. She now had two beautiful kids. Serah had a family. Her own family.

Every limb of Lightning's tensed with loss. Her baby sister had grown up. She truly didn't need her anymore. What was she to do with her life? For years she had been the protector and caretaker of her sister. Now that Serah no longer needed her, what was to become of her?

That daunting question stilled her thoughts as well as her torrent of emotions. Lightning watched as the four of them laughed together as they played in the calm waves of the ocean. There was a deep love and connection within that family that she would never be a part of. Lightning longed for it, that sense of love and happiness, security and peace.

She would never find it.

A light murmur began to buzz in her ear then and Lightning swatted viciously at it as if it were a fly. She couldn't be bothered. She had to watch her sister. If she took her eyes away, Lightning knew she'd never be able to find her. The murmur began to grow louder, forming into more coherent words as time drew on. Lightning growled as her eyes focused on her sister's bright, loving face.

"Light..." a small voice seemed to whisper. The solder blinked at the name, but kept herself devoted to Serah. Her name kept repeating over and over, slowly becoming louder. As it grew more coherent and audible, Serah began to fade.

"Light... Light... Light... Light..." Lightning reached out toward Serah, but she was already gone, as if having dimmed out of existence. Serah had drifted away like dust in the wind.

Devastation came to the elder Farron's features as she was left with only the voice in her ear. Hostility burned within her. She couldn't let Serah go. She was her life.

"Light..."

Her murderous rage was quickly extinguished when the call of her name became soothing, like a melodious hum.

She recognized that voice and she almost yearned for its owner to appear. "Light... Light..." It was so familiar, yet she couldn't quite place who the voice belonged to. "Light..." Bright, compassionate, green eyes. "Light..." A wide, vibrant, heartwarming smile. "Light..." A gentle, calming caress. "Light..." It was just out of reach...

"Lightning!"

Lightning awoke to her name being frantically called by Sazh. The blurry world swirled before her as everything danced in her vision. Her head swayed from side to side, lulling her to almost doze off again until a large blast shook the entirety of the ship, snapping Lightning into grabbing the controls and regaining full control of her faculties.

A flood of relief came over Sazh as Lightning rejoined him and began attacking once again. He swerved the ship to the right, narrowly escaping a hefty hit. But it was no use. They'd taken far too much damage. They were going down. It was just a matter of whether they would surrender or crash land.

Lightning could sense it too. Alarms were blaring all around them, screeching that the ship could no longer handle flying. But she wasn't going to give up.

"We need to land, Lightning. Before this thing loses all control."

"We're not giving in, Sazh. I'll die before I let her win."

Sazh's eyes widened as he looked to his copilot. Lightning knew full well the inevitability of their crashing. She was just choosing to ignore it and fight instead of thinking rationally. We could all die.

But it mattered not. Not anymore. A final barrage of rounds tore up the back of the hull causing a small explosion to create a giant hole in their ship. They were going down.

The gunshot rang out, yet he felt no pain. There was no new hole inside of him, telling of the bullet lying within his body. No, that bullet was in the man in front of him. The man that was no longer his best friend. The man that had become such a stranger in so few years. The man that had been literally threatening him with death only moments ago and didn't care for the opposition he'd received in return.

Cass' body fell onto him, soon to lay murdered in his lap as Hope would look down upon this newly slain corpse and only stare. The gunshots around him held no meaning. Lightning's cries were, at best, an afterthought. For Hope could not move, could not stir. It wasn't Cass' eyes he was looking into, but his father's.

It wasn't Cass laying face down on top of him, but his father with his back to Hope's chest, lifeless in his arms. Hope's shock wasn't leading him to stare into dulling violet eyes, but into lens-covered hazel. Instead of Lightning protecting him and calling his name, it was Nivien.

Hope looked up, away from those hauntingly empty eyes, and came to see that he was in a hall of the Academy, dead soldiers laying around him. A deep, unshakable coldness seeped into his body as dread crept upon him. His arms wrapped around his father's body, trying to find that warmth and protection that he had once been able to find there. But it was gone.

"What? Not happy to see me, Hope?"

Hope's head jerked up sharply at the voice. There ahead of him was not the assassin he remembered, but Castea, wielding the gun that had killed his father and his men. The woman's white robe and porcelain skin were saturated and smeared with blood, though where all of it had come from remained to be seen.

Nivien ran up from behind Hope, weapon ready and aimed for the woman. Before the silveret could warn her to stop, she was shot down easily by the cackling l'Cie. Nivien's body fell to the ground with a thud, the sound echoing loudly in Hope's ear drums.

"Honestly, are you really just going to keep sitting there holding her like that? She's not just going to reawaken."

Clutching tighter to the body in his grasp, Hope scowled at the woman. Before he could retort, the words settled into his skull as confusion struck him. With a furrowed brow, Hope looked down at the body in his lap only to gape at the sight. His father's body no longer laid in his protection. It was Lightning's.

"She's dead," Castea hissed with a pleased smile.

Hope's lip quivered as his eyes scanned over the limp figure in his possession. Quickly shifting her in his arms, Hope shook her lightly, attempting to coax a reaction. This can't be happening. You can't die. You can't- A gloved hand cupped her cheek as he stared into pale blue eyes that appeared to grow duller by the second. Her name fell from his lips almost desperately as he clutched her cold form to his chest. With a pained gasp, he rested his forehead against hers, whispering for her to wake up.

When she never stirred, Hope swallowed thickly, his mind, his soul, his entire being begging for vengeance. A light breeze drifted over him and Hope looked up, bewildered once again. He was no longer in the Academy building, but at the base of Cocoon. It appeared that the monitoring facility that had been built around it didn't exist. As Hope looked out, he noticed that Academia no longer stood. Only plains and plains of Pulse surrounded the crystallized planet.

Hope stood, Lightning's body still in his grasp, as he looked at Castea with rage filled irises. "You'll pay for this," he growled lowly.

Castea's smirk deepened. "For her? Or for them?" Her bony index finger pointed to Hope's feet, showing him what he'd missed.

"No..." All of them were scattered around him in the grass, dead. Fang, Vanille, Sazh, Snow, Serah, all of them lay dead around him. Farther off, he could see others, such as those of NORA, Rygdea, and so on. They were all dead.

"Now that there's nothing left to fight about..." Castea snapped her fingers and they were all gone. Everyone disappeared, leaving just him, the vicious woman before him, and a vivid blue crystal in between them. "...we can get on with the show."

Hope stared down at his arms, feeling so very empty with the loss of Lightning's weight. All of the fury, all of the venomous pain that he had just been feeling, vanished in an instant as his eyes gazed into the floating crystal in front of him. It hovered there, unassuming and unwavering.

Hope looked upon the crystal and felt nothing. He only felt numb. Slender fingers reached out toward the crystal, fully ready to grasp his destiny to destroy all that was his planet. There was nothing left anyway...

A light smoke drifted through his nostrils as Hope began to stir. While the cobwebs began to clear from his mind, he could feel trembling hands carding through his hair. He opened his eyes tiredly to see Lightning sitting beside him, staring off with a storm of emotions warring in her irises. His hand reached up and grabbed Lightning's wrist, ceasing her movements. A light gasp left her as Hope slid his hand into her own, lacing their fingers together. "Hey," he spoke groggily. Hope lightly cleared his throat as it felt painfully raw.

Lightning gave a watery smile. "Hey..."

It was peaceful, laying there with Lightning at his side and her attention solely placed on him. He could pretend, if only for one moment, that it was just them. The world didn't matter. He didn't have to think or worry. It was just them.

Lightning slipped her hand from his as she attempted to guard herself. It was so much harder than ever. She knew he could see through the cracks of her mask. The tough as nails persona that no one dared to question might as well have been transparent when it came to the teen. She didn't know if she liked or hated him for it. "I'm sorry."

And the moment evaporated, its ephemeral beauty fluttering away before it could be acknowledged. "What...?" Hope's hand went to the back of his head as he felt a dull throb wrack his brain. "What happened?"

Her features turned grim as she looked down on him. What was she to say? That they'd crashed their only transportation and were now stuck on some mountain in the far reaches of Pulse? That he had been knocked out by Zalera because he had no longer been able to deal with his pain? That his best friend had died while trying to kill him? That his city had crumbled while he was powerless to save it? How far back was she to go?

Her hesitation led him to carefully sitting up, a groan slipping from him as he felt the incredible soreness in all reaches of his body. "What, Light?" He saw her eyes settle on his shoulder which he could tell had been bandaged. But what...?

The bullet. The bullet that had torn through Cass' heart had grazed the top of his shoulder. His shock had been so overwhelming that he had hardly noticed it at the time. Now it was clear. It was all clear. Hope's stiff fingers gripped his head as his throbbing headache grew. With each pound, a new memory reemerged from the howling abyss they had fallen into. "Cass is dead."

Lightning's eyes clenched shut as her head turned away from the man. She didn't want to see anymore of Hope's pain. She couldn't face it. She couldn't face him. She'd failed, again, to protect him. She'd let Cass die. Lightning had to live with that.

That and the fact that if Barsilisk had been one second slower, she would have been the one to kill Cass. She would have killed his best friend.

His hand squeezed hers as he attempted to look into her eyes, but she wouldn't allow him the pleasure. She felt his other hand cup her cheek as he brought her to face him. She allowed it, too drained to deny him anymore. His smile threw her, though, as she felt a rush of life and energy stream through her body from his caress of her face. Instantly her wounds and pain were healed, her fogged and dulled senses sharpened.

Hope gave her a light kiss on the forehead as he stood up, weak on his feet. He leaned against the wall, heaving in breaths as he began to cast cure spells on himself. It was premature to do so, but he'd been out of commission for too long. He'd allowed everyone else to fight for him and now it was his turn to enter the game. He had a world to save.

He took the time to survey his surroundings to find that he was in a small tunnel of a cave. It was chilly and Hope could see frost along the stone walls and small icicles hanging from the rough ceiling. A ways down from them he could see Zalera and Sazh laying around a small fire. They were okay, at least. They looked a little banged up, but they seemed to be peacefully sleeping.

"We escaped from the city," Lightning began as she stood. She went to help Hope stand better so he wouldn't have to rely so heavily on the frigid wall, but he shook his head, denying the assistance. "They followed. We fought them for as long as we could, but... we were struck down. We crashed in the Argodian Mountains. Castea hasn't shone her face yet. I'm sure she's just waiting around to see what we'll do." Lightning's hands fisted at her sides. She wanted to rip that woman to shreds.

Hope nodded and sighed. He walked unsteadily to Zalera and Sazh and touched their foreheads lightly, not wanting to wake them. When he finished healing their injuries, he fell back into Lightning, fighting the urge to sleep.

"Why must you always overexert yourself like this?" Lightning hissed as she helped him sit against the wall.

Hope tried to answer, but the words only tumbled out in the form of a groan. His body was exhausted and using his magic in such a state was stupid. He knew that. But they were all hurt because of him. He had to fix it. He had to heal all of their pain away. Since he couldn't properly explain that to Lightning, he gave her a look, urging her to let it go.

She did so reluctantly. Sitting beside him, Lightning remained while he dozed off. She stayed at his side as Sazh and Zalera woke up and inquired about his condition. She stayed at his side as the other two went off to collect what they could from the remains of the ship. And she remained at his side until he came to again. Ever the watchful protector.

Snow drifted in through the cave's entrance. Nostalgic eyes watched it fall and collect on the ground, the flakes slowly drawing nearer and nearer as time passed. It was odd, the snow. On Cocoon, snow only occurred at the fal'Cie's command. And never did it snow in Palumpolum. When Hope had woken up after the fall, the hazy world around him had been covered in the white fluff. The snow had been the first thing to welcome him back to the world. The snow and the crystallized statues around him had been the only things that kept him company on the cold and lonely plain of pulse.

Lightning watched the shadows of the flames of their little fire dance along the walls around them. Even though she was sitting right beside the fire, it was frigid, but not as frigid as the silence surrounding her. "I'm sorry about Cass." Her words seemed to hang in the air, just as frozen and overwhelming as the weather. Alert eyes scanned over their surroundings before they settled on the man at her side. His expression was bland as he contemplated her words. For this, her unease only deepened. Hope was the most expressive man she'd ever met. When he outwardly reserved his emotion, there was usually a storm brewing inside.

The young director hummed as he acknowledged her apology. It was unnecessary. Extremely so. None of it had been her fault. Though he supposed she would feel some responsibility. It was Lightning, after all. She tended to make all burdens and mistakes her own. "I know."

Hope retreated into his mind for the next few minutes, replaying the event and meticulously combing over every action. It was surprising that Cass had survived for as long as he had. The old Lightning would have killed anyone that got in her way, especially anyone that threatened those precious to her. Lightning was changing. Or maybe... she was finding her more humane side. "Thank you... for your hesitation."

Her jaw clenched in response. She should have shot him down. She should have killed Cass the moment he'd threatened Hope. "I would have killed him if it had come to it."

"I know." The knowledge of that weighed heavily on his mind. He was extremely grateful that she hadn't. "But you hesitated."

If she had used anymore caution on the kid, it would have been Hope's blood on her hands. Even knowing how close Hope was to danger, to death, something had stopped her. Why couldn't I have just pulled the damn trigger? "I'm sorry. I let him get so close to-" His hand closing around hers drew her into silence as they locked gazes.

"You gave him a chance. Thank you." Hope punctuated this with a light peck on her lips before pulling away and staring down at his hands in his lap.

That had most certainly not been the response she'd been expecting. He was grateful. He didn't blame her, he didn't accuse her, he didn't yell at her. He thanked her. That came as a bit of a shock.

Hope stared down at his hands, only now noticing that he'd lost a glove sometime in the day. The lone glove on his right hand was in shabby shape. Cuts and tiny burn holes marred its appearance. Its frayed edges had worsened. Dirt covered the ratty thing as it stuck to his hand uncomfortably, reminding him of just how long he'd had it on and what he had gone through. He squinted his eyes as he noticed faint traces of something along the seam. He visibly tensed when he realized that it was... "Blood," he murmered, restraining himself from violently ripping off the glove and throwing it as far away from him as possible.

He didn't know where the blood had come from, Cass, Emilina, Jun, Arden, Lightning, it could have even come from himself. It didn't really matter. It was there, a memento of the day that he had let so many people down.

There was literally blood on his hands.

Hope jolted as Lightning lifted herself over him, straddling his lap as she kissed him passionately, if not roughly. She wanted to show him how grateful she was. How happy she was that he was there, alive, and with her. She felt his arms snake around her and pull her closer to him as he kissed her back with equal fervor. She felt calm, serene in his embrace and she relished it. They'd made it through the chaos, through all of the trauma, and were able to still take the time to be together. She truly appreciated that. For even though they had been in that same position just the day before, kissing and ignoring the world in favor of their passion, she had felt such a distance, a rift forming between them over the course of the day. This reminded her of what she had, and what she never wanted to lose.

It was too overwhelming. The whole day. Every incident, battle, and death bore down on Hope. No matter how much he tried to push everything away, it all managed to stay, weighing heavily on his being. Irrepressible. Immovable.

But as Lightning slid herself against him, her lips against his and her hands in his hair, he found his mind batting away at it all a little easier. And so he kissed her back harder. He wanted to drown himself in Lightning. Lose himself in her passion, in his love for her. The one thing he could never regret was his love for Lightning. Although it had taken time for her to acknowledge his feelings and discover her own, she accepted him for who he was. For his achievements and his failures. When he was a hero and when he was cowering in an icy mountain.

Quickly, Hope began to take over their kisses more and more, becoming the more dominant one. He pushed Lightning down on the floor and nestled himself in between her legs, still hungrily attacking her mouth and hardly allowing enough time for them to breathe. Slender hands slid up and down her thighs, caressing the creamy skin as he kissed and nipped down her pale neck. He loved Lightning. He did. Currently, he wanted nothing more than to crawl inside of her chest and stay there forever. He held her tighter, unconsciously ignoring her questioning call of his name and swallowed anything more she had to say as he returned his attention to her mouth.

Everything was all right. Everything was just fine. All he needed was Lightning.

Hope was being aggressive. Lightning had been quite stunned when he had suddenly taken over and laid them down on the ground. She enjoyed it, really. He was usually so gentle and soothing whenever they were intimate. As if any rough treatment would break the connection they had. This was a side to Hope that was rather exciting. But as her calls to him went unnoticed and his touches and kisses seemed to grow more desperate, she realized something was wrong. The soldier began to half-heartedly push him away, pulling herself back from him. Something just wasn't right.

It took him too long to notice Lightning's resistance. When he did, he yanked himself back, practically jumping as far away from the woman as he could. He wasn't quite sure what had happened to him. One minute he was seeking comfort and the next he was ravaging an unwilling Lightning.

Lightning lay there for a moment until her stun wore off. She sat up, collecting herself and smoothing down her hair. She mentally forced away the caresses that still lingered on her skin. Warily she looked over Hope, watching him tremble and curse.

The Academy director sat against the wall, willing himself not to snap. He felt the world bearing down upon him and he would no doubt crumble. "I-It wasn't my intention to..." He cleared his throat, swallowing the sandpapery feeling. He hated that he'd used Lightning as a distraction. He just wanted to feel something good again. Something warm and soothing and real.

Shaking her head, Lightning scooted beside him just enough that their thighs and shoulders brushed together. This was still all so incredibly new for the soldier, but she found that it all came naturally when she was with Hope. She just let herself go. He brought out a side to her that she hadn't seen in years. She loved it.

But this wasn't about her. It wasn't even about them. This was about Hope dealing with the hell he'd been through since that morning.

No, since he was fourteen.

Lightning took his chin in her hand and forced his gaze upon her. His eyes were dark, darker than she'd ever remembered them being, but it didn't deter her in the least. She kissed him slowly, her tongue lightly caressing the roof of his mouth. All she could really do now was attempt to comfort him. She sucked on his lower lip before pulling away. Lightning would be there for him, in any way she could. "I'm here, Hope. We'll get through this."

Hope stiffened at the words. He wanted them to calm him, to assuage all of his struggling emotions and tormenting memories. But they didn't. He knew how this fight would end. This was his battle. It wasn't their little band of l'Cie against the world anymore. In the end, it was just him.

Exhausted green irises fell back upon the lone glove once again. He couldn't carry that weight on him anymore. In one swift movement, Hope tore off the glove and threw it into the fire. He waited and watched as the flames began to lap at the cloth, tasting it, before beginning to greedily consume it completely.

The grim satisfaction did virtually nothing to stop his chaotic thoughts. The bloody evidence of his sins may have been destroyed, but the guilt would remain within him forever.

Zalera and Sazh stood at the entrance to the cave, allowing the two to have their moment. The Pulsian sighed, staring out into the large expanse of white that covered the dark night. She was back in her world. Pulse. It wasn't as comforting or as thrilling as she would have thought it to be. Rather, it churned her stomach. There was nothing left for her out here. Only haunting memories and lasting remnants of her origin.

"How can you stand this? It's freezin' out here. I can hardly feel my toes," Sazh exclaimed as he wiggled his feet.

"Growing up on Pulse toughens the skin. The weather has nothing on me." Taking in a large breath, Zalera let the crisp air flow through her lungs. Through the quiet and stillness, she was already forming a plan. Hope was going after the crystals. It had been inevitable from day one. Their only hope now was that he'd be able to control the power and steer it towards eliminating Belphagor. They would deal with the rest in due time.

Pulse was her territory. She was going to be the main one in charge of their travels. Since her previous tribe had been nomadic, she knew most of Pulse very well. Their first stop would be Pulse's castle; the place where he had departed from the world. It wasn't too far from their current position, though as she thought about the journey, a large amount of dread sunk into her gut.

Viridian eyes flashed towards the two sitting in silence within the cave. Protecting Hope wouldn't be easy. From then on she was going to have to worry about not only Castea, but other Pulsians as well. They would not be very welcoming of a previous Cocoon inhabitant. Certainly not the leader of their new civilization. The one who bore the mark of a l'Cie. "I'm afraid."

Sazh's brow furrowed, though he said nothing as he looked toward the woman at his side. He watched her feelings war over her expression. Zalera didn't care to hide her emotions, but she didn't exactly wear them on her sleeve either.

"Can we protect him?"

Now that was the question, wasn't it? Was their little team enough to protect Hope? This question seemed rather silly to the old man. From what he'd seen of Hope's skill and power, the kid could protect himself just fine. And Zalera and Lightning were both the most exceptional fighters he'd ever seen. "Why you lookin' so gloomy?" He clapped her on the back with a self-assured smile. "We can take care of the kid jus' fine. Now let's get back in there before these old bones turn to ice."

The emerald haired woman gave him a warm smile in return for his words. Sazh walked inside, but she did not follow. She stood there as she turned back to the frozen mountains before her, processing the day. One thing stood stark against the rest.

She remembered that look in Hope's eyes just before she'd knocked him out. She knew that look. It was the same look he'd given back in the Ark when thing's had seemed hopeless. The same look Yeul had given her that last time she'd seen her. The same look Zalera had had the days after she'd lost her first home - when she'd lost her family and most of herself along with them. The look of someone who was devastated and shattered beyond repair.

"Can we protect him from himself...?"