Chapter 2

Hope and Souke sat outside at a small stone table as they ate. Hope shook her head and she watched her younger brother and rolled her eyes.

"Must you inhale that!"? Hope growled.

"I'm hungry." He said. "I sat in class all day hearing Professor Abaci lecture about Third Impact. Do you think…. you can cut me some slack, Sis?"

"Well the way you are eating is making me sick." Hope growled.

Souke again laughed. "Grossing you out is the highlight of my day!"

"Baka!" Hope growled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Souke teased as he ate his dinner. "Take a chill pill, Sis."

"Take…. a chill pill?" Hope asked. "Don't speak to me like that! I'm telling you that your table manners are terrible."

"Okay, Hope." Souke said as he put down his chopsticks and looked at her. "What's eating you today? You're grumpier then usual. Something's wrong. Spill it."

Hope sighed. Souke her little brother was her best friend in the whole world and she knew she couldn't hide anything from him if she tried. "I got passed over for promotion."

"Oh, Hope. I'm sorry." Souke said.

"It's not fair, Souke." Hope said as she looked down. "I worked so hard, y'know. I do everything I'm supposed to. Why did they pass me over? I'm due for major…. it's only fair."

"You should call Mom up and have her pull some strings. Couldn't hurt y'know?" Souke suggested.

"No." Hope said. "The last thing I need to hear is I got promoted because of my mother. I want to do it on my own. I want it to be on my own merit."

"Hey, Hope, did you ever think maybe you try too hard?" Souke asked.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Hope boomed as she stood up from the table with a vein popping out from her forehead. "TRY TO HARD? I WORK AS HARD AS I CAN! I'VE PUSHED MYSELF MY WHOLE LIFE! I WORKED SO HARD THROUGH SCHOOL, THE ACADEMY…. EVERYTHING! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT TO ME? HOW CAN YOU?"

"Hope," Souke said gently trying to soothe his sister's temper. ", I just mean that sometimes brass can pick up on the fact that you are really bucking too much for a promotion. If they detect it they may think that maybe once you get it you'll slow down. Why don't you just try to stop being Ms. Overachiever for once and just trying to be Captain Hope Ikari who is straight up and honest and forthright? Be the person I know. Be the person you know you are."

Hope sighed. She knew he was right. She sat down and smiled at her little brother who no matter how many times she yelled at him never greeted her with anything less then a smile. "Maybe you're right."

"Oh what was that?" Souke asked teasingly. "Did…. oh my god! Did my sister actually say…I was right?"

"Oh shut up!" Hope said with a smirk.

"You did, didn't you?"

"I said, shut up!" Hope growled with another laugh.

"Ha ha!" Souke said as he pointed at her with a grin. "You said I was right! First time for everything."

"Okay, okay!" Hope said with another smirk. "Don't let it go to your head, you idiot!"

"Heh heh." Souke said with a grin. "At least I made you laugh."

"That you did." Hope said with a smile.

"You know you should smile more often…you might actually get a boyfriend one of these days."

Hope shot a look at him. "You little creep!" She growled.

"I meant that as a complement." Souke said. "You were always all about school, all about work…. having a guy would be good for you again, Hope. I haven't seen you date once since I've moved here. In fact, I haven't seen you date since…"

"I don't have time." Hope said with a frown.

Souke picked up on that right away. "Don't have time or don't want to make the time?"

"Stop." She growled.

"Hope, it's been four years. When are you going to let it go?"

"I never said…"

"Hope, I know you too well." Souke said gently. "I know how you feel. You have to let him go."

Hope breathed out. "I don't want to talk about him, Souke."

"Hope, I just mean that you know with all of the stress and the pressures at work…you could use somebody to help you through those rough stops. I'm always here for you but you know maybe one day…you could meet a nice guy. There's this professor at school who always asks me about you…"

"I don't want to be fixed up." She growled.

"Why not?" Souke asked. "What do you got to lose?"

"Well, what if I don't like him?" Hope asked. "What if I think he's boorish and stupid and gross?"

"Then you climb out of the bathroom window at dinner." Souke chuckled.

Hope smirked. "You're weird."

"I know." Souke said. "You should though at least try…."

"Stop bringing it up, Souke." Hope growled. "I don't want to date anybody. I just…. don't want to right now."

"Well, I hope that soon you do." Souke told her.

"I don't know." She said gently. "You have to understand…I never met anyone like him before…. he totally changed my world."

"I know."

"You don't know, Souke. No one can really totally understand what its like to lose your fiancé and to know he's not coming back ever."

"The accident was four years ago, Hope." Souke said. "He'd want you to get on with your life. Isao wouldn't want you to wait around and mourn him forever."

"Maybe my heart isn't ready to let go of Isao just yet." Hope said as she could feel a tear come out of her eye. "Its still so unfair."

Souke sighed as he looked at his sister. "C'mon." he said as he stood up. "Let's go ride on the go carts down at the track."

"Go carts, Souke?" She asked.

"Yeah it would be fun." He told with a smirk. "You need to have some fun."

"Okay." She said with a smirk.