So it seems that the return of Cid Raines has not been met with favor. I dunno, I always thought he was a really good character, a compelling tragic figure. His demise seemed a bit anticlimactic, so I wanted to give him a spot in my story to try and do his character a bit more justice.

Chapter 8

Hope lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling and trying to recover from his recent attempt to draw on Eden's power. It had been a week since he and Lightning had been infused with the power of two of the twelve fal'Cie who had once been the maker, Ultima. It had taken them that long to merely be able to tap into the massive power of the aspects and remain on their feet. They now encountered similar problems when trying to focus that power into spells. When they condensed the raw magic to channel it into the form of whatever spell they were trying to use, it would literally backfire, and the energy would course painfully through their bodies until it dissipated. Hope winced as he recalled the time earlier that day when he had been able to form the magic into a fire spell. As he tried to release it however, the energy had combusted in his grip, nearly costing him his arm. It had taken the combined spellwork of both Odin and Alexander, who often sat in to observe their training, to undo the damage the failed spell had done to him.

He looked over at Lightning, who lay a few feet from him after having suffered a similar episode while trying to put Kujata's power to use. They exchanged frustrated looks and pulled themselves to their feet.

"Don't give up hope yet," Alexander rumbled at them. "You have to give your bodies time to adjust to the level of power that Eden and Kujata possess. Under normal circumstances, the powers of a l'Cie develop gradually on their own, at a pace that humans' can handle. With your powers increasing as much as they did, however, your bodies need time to catch up."

Hope hardly found the words of his eidolon comforting as he tried to shake the ache from his bones. He knew that Alexander spoke the truth though; as he repeatedly tried to grasp at the power and release it in the form of a spell, he could feel it become easier as the hours wore on. This realization, though, was not enough to keep his spirits up. Far worse than the pain caused by a botched attempt at a spell, was the alien feeling of the place where his own magic used to dwell. When he had regained his power, it had felt like being reunited with an old friend. Tapping into his l'Cie abilities, feeling the strength he possessed, had been something of a security blanket to him. It was a comfort to him when the pressure of what he and Lightning were expected to accomplish became too much, and it was his confidence in the face of battle; while Lightning had her soldier training to help her keep her cool during a fight, he had relied upon his magic to keep himself focused. He now understood why what happened during the fight with Leviathan in the springs had affected Lightning as much as it did. The loss of the comforting feel of his power and the unfamiliar presence that had replaced it disturbed him greatly.

"I think that's enough for today," Odin said. "If you push your bodies too hard, you'll end causing more harm to yourselves in the long run."

Lightning and Hope left the room that they used to train, grateful for the reprieve. When they weren't training, they had taken to exploring the ark. The ancient pulse relic contained several wonders that they could spend their time studying. Aside from the hall of reliquaries, the ark held a vast armory of ancient and exotic weapons. It contained conventional weapons such and swords and spears, magical devices that still pulsed with power, and many implements whose use Hope and Lightning could not guess. When they weren't exploring the ark, they rested in their room, passing the time conversing with each other. Hope usually let Lightning do most of the talking; she had taken to reliving several of the missions she had gone on in the military, before and after Cocoon's fall. Hope noticed that she had become much more relaxed talking about herself, and he was happy to see that she was beginning to break down her stoic soldier walls.

After the exertions of the day, Lightning and Hope were too tired to roam the corridors of the ark, and headed for their room to relax. As they entered, Hope made a beeline for his bed and flopped down with a groan.

"You okay?" Lightning asked him as she settled down into a squashy recliner.

Hope rolled over to look at her. "I guess…it's just…I didn't think learning how to use this new power would be so…" he trailed off.

"I know what you mean," she said, stretching her aching limbs. "I haven't been this sore since boot camp."

"It's not that. Controlling the magic was always easy for me…I was always much better at fighting with spells than weapons. And when we lost our l'Cie brands after Cocoon fell, not having it there took me a long time to get used to. When our brands came back, despite the situation, I was relieved, I felt like I was complete again. Now we have this new power, and I know we need it to fight Anima, but…it's so different, I feel like I've lost a part of myself. And the fact that it's a fal'Cie…" He sat up on the edge of the bed and sighed. "It might sound stupid….but I guess I didn't realize how much I depended on my powers."

Lightning got up and took a seat beside Hope, putting an arm around him. "I understand," she said reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll get it back."

XXXXX

"…Evening…" Rufus said curtly to Snow, Serah, Sazh, and Bartholomew.

Although the four were still imprisoned, their circumstances had improved over the past few days. The news that Cid Raines had returned from the dead again along with the fal'Cie to become the primarch had thrown them all for a loop. But even more surprising was Rufus's sudden change in demeanor. He seemed to find the entire situation distasteful, and had lost some of his rough edges. Shortly after Raines' coronation, he had moved them to a small house on the edge of the city. The place was under heavy guard and their chance of escape was small, but the sparsely furnished home was a large improvement over a jail cell. They had even been allowed to contact Gadot and Lebreau so that Snow, Serah, and Sazh could have reassurances that their children were safe and being well cared for.

After that, Rufus had frequently visited them, spending more and more time with the prisoners. At first, the four were skeptical of the man's intentions and were put off by his presence, but they had developed a grudging tolerance for him. He was never accompanied by guards, for they all new that with his l'Cie powers, they could not harm him.

The four acknowledged Rufus as he entered, the atmosphere tensing up slightly at his appearance.

"Don't you have better things to do than come here?" Bartholomew said coldly. Out of the four, he still harbored the most hatred and distrust for the man. "Doesn't the council have its hands full assisting the new primarch?"

"The council," Rufus said slowly, "has no real power any longer. Raines has the complete faith of the people since he has put Carbuncle to work. With all the raw materials and food that the fal'Cie has been producing, a large portion of the population has been freed up to continue working on the ark." A bitter look crossed his face as he finished.

"Having second thoughts?" Bartholomew asked him. "You're the one who allowed Raines to take control."

"I had no choice," Rufus replied, his hand gripping the spot on his arm where his l'Cie brand lay.

"So you say," Bartholomew replied. They all knew that the return of Raines and the apparent ease with which he had assumed power meant that there was something much worse behind it all. Rufus had not revealed anything to them, claiming that his brand prevented him from telling them anything.

Bartholomew sighed heavily. "Bickering is pointless, I suppose. There isn't much we can do from here. Has there been any word of Hope or Lightning?"

"No. Their whereabouts are still unknown."

"Probably for the best," Sazh said as he walked over to the two men. "No news is good news for now."

XXXXX

Hope sat cross legged on his bed in the darkness, engaged in a silent struggle. It had been five days, and he and Lightning were still having trouble using their powers. They had made progress, but only about half of their spells were successful; the other half either sent them to the floor in spasms of pain or blew up in their faces. Even when his spells did work, Hope knew that something was wrong. Releasing the power felt…off somehow. Where before it had felt smooth and natural, like the energy was waiting to be released, now it felt forced and rigid. At first Hope had attributed this to his body not adjusting to the magic yet, but after a few days, he realized that he had stopped making progress; the energy's unnatural feel was not lessening. Despite Odin's warnings about not pushing himself too hard, over the past few nights he had been waiting until Lightning had fallen asleep, then delving into his mind to try and work through whatever barrier was preventing him from mastering Eden's power.

Hope attempted to probe the vastly unfamiliar consciousness that now shared a space in his mind, but he could only feel what he knew was the tip of the iceberg that was the fal'Cie's essence. Try as he might, no matter how much he pushed or prodded at it, he could elicit no response. He could feel that Eden was still aware, but he could not reach him.

After several more minutes examining Eden, Hope gave up trying to contact the mute fal'Cie. He instead turned to the well of power that had once been a source of comfort to him. When he reached it, he flinched slightly; he was still not used to the endless abyss that he found instead of the warmth of his old power. He stood at the edge of the abyss, gazing into its depths with a profound sense of dread. Since the night he had first started these meditations, deep down he knew it would come to this. During the training, he had been drawing power from this abyss while standing at the edge, and he felt that was part of the problem. He steeled himself for what he knew he must do, and flung himself into its swirling depths.

All awareness of his body was obliterated, and for a moment he thought that he was dead. After a few seconds though, his senses returned to him. He opened his eyes and was assaulted by pulsing lights of every color. He examined himself, and he seemed to be floating. Looking around, he saw currents of what he could only assume was magic in its purest form. He watched, mesmerized, as it flowed around him, shifting and swirling with no discernable pattern. Sometimes it would move like water, and then suddenly it would move like air. It was not the raging abyss he had expected, but it was every bit as chaotic…yet there was an inescapable beauty about it. He could float there for hours and watch it.

Engrossed in the spectacle as he was, he forgot all about his original purpose, until a green tint came over the dancing energy around him. He glanced around, startled, looking for the cause of the sudden change.

Interesting…. The single word reverberated through the space around him, and at the same time it bounced maddeningly around his skull, as if it came from both without and within. As he looked around once again to try and determine the speaker, he gasped as the consciousness he had been trying to reach for the past few nights washed over him in full force. If brushing the tip of Eden's essence had disturbed him, being enveloped in it nearly drove him insane. He struggled to maintain a grip on his identity as the fal'Cie's very being pressed in on him from all sides. Just when he thought he was about to lose himself in it, the pressure vanished.

You are the host came the voice again, as Hope tried to recover.

"…Eden…" Hope murmured. The word echoed back at him several times.

You are strong willed for a human the fal'Cie said. Not many of your kind could withstand such close contact with the mind of a fal'Cie.

Hope was taken off guard by the compliment. After a few moments, he managed to compose himself and ask "What is this place?"

The deepest recess of your mind, of course. The place where your power dwells.

"But how can I be in my body inside my mind?"

Your consciousness takes whatever form is most comfortable for you.

"…right," Hope said, still trying to get a hold on the situation. Deciding it was best not to try and think about it, he pressed on to the reason he was there in the first place. "I came here because I need to learn how to use your power."

I thought as much. I've felt you struggling for the past week, but I could not assist you while the barrier in your mind separated me from your magic.

"Barrier? What barrier? The eidolons didn't say anything about that," Hope said, confused.

The Menhirrim are powerful, and they know more of Gran Pulse than any others, but even they do not truly understand the fal'Cie and their relationship with humans. The barrier I speak of stems from your l'Cie power.

"…I don't understand," Hope began, "how can my l'Cie power be keeping you out? My magic is my l'Cie power."

Humans truly are curious creatures Eden said. Hope thought he could detect a trace of amusement in the fal'Cie's voice. You have greater potential than any other beings in existence, even the fal'Cie, yet you go through life without ever realizing it. The l'Cie brands that we mark you with serve only to unlock the door to that potential. Your magic is your own power, not ours.

"W-what?" Hope sputtered, trying to digest what Eden had told him.

All humans possess the capacity to use magic, however the route to awakening that latent power has been lost to them. When taking humans as servants, making them into l'Cie, fal'Cie open a portal to allow the human to access their magic. As the l'Cie grows stronger, the portal opens wider, allowing more power through. But it is that portal that keeps you from fully merging with me.

"So what do I have to do?" Hope asked.

Because your l'Cie power comes from me, I can remove the portal. You just have to keep the path to your magic open long enough for me to enter.

"How?"

That is something you must figure out for yourself.

"And if I can't?" Hope asked, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

If the pathway to your magic closes, there will be nothing to restrain my power. It will course through you until your very being is burned away from your body.

Hope sighed. Figures he thought to himself. But there's no turning back now.

As if he had heard Hope's thoughts, Eden said Tell me when you are ready.

Hope pulled himself together as best he could, shutting out all the things he knew would distract him from what he had to do. The fact that no other person in known history had been able to access their magic without the help of a l'Cie brand and the fact that if he failed to do so, his body would be hollowed out to a burnt husk were pushed aside. He was within his own mind, surrounded by the magic that gave him the strength to keep going, and he was fighting to reclaim that power.

"I'm ready," Hope said with all the conviction and determination he could muster.

Eden's overwhelming consciousness closed in on him again, but he did not falter. He could feel the fal'Cie reaching into his being, and he gritted his teeth against the intrusion. He struggled against himself to let the fal'Cie in while the magic around him began to swirl more violently. The gentle pulsing had become angry. Gone was the elegant beauty of the energy, replaced by a maelstrom of chaotic power.

Hope felt his body seize up, and saw the energy grow even fiercer around him. A burning sensation from his left wrist told him that Eden was removing the l'Cie power that was in his way. As the sensation lifted, he could feel the fal'Cie's essence closing in tighter around him, and he looked down at himself to see that starting from his feet up, a green tint was enveloping his body. At the same time, the magic around him starting closing in, as if the space itself was imploding. The crushing weight that resulted from this was far worse than Eden's presence had been. The space was becoming smaller around him, and he knew without a doubt that if it swallowed him before he merged fully with Eden, he would die. He fought with every ounce of willpower he possessed to hold back the vortex of energy around him.

As Hope struggled, the progress of the magic slowed, but did not stop. A quick glance down told him that the green tint was almost to his waist. Studying the progress of the imploding magic told him the current pace would result in his death. He struggled harder, but could not slow the energy down.

He cursed silently to himself as his efforts continued to be futile. Think, Hope! There has to be something you're doing wrong. He thought over what Eden had told him, trying to find the answer. He told me I had to keep the path to my magic open… Hope closed his eyes and tried to calm himself and shut out his impending doom. This is my power he told himself. Not something that some fal'Cie gave to me. Instead of trying to push the energy back, he reached for it, like he would if he was using it to cast a spell. The familiar sensation of the magic coursed through him, and that more than anything, helped him regain his composure.

He opened his eyes to see that the torrents of magic had stopped closing in on him mere feet away. Letting the energy flow through him, he tried to will it to back off, but it remained unmoving. Looking down, he saw that the rising green tint that was Eden's power had stopped just under his neck. Hope quickly realized he would need to provide the last nudge to complete the process, but try as he might, he could not summon the strength. Between Eden's presence, the smothering energy swirling way too close for comfort, and the effort required to hold that energy at bay, he was taxed to his limit.

As he continued trying to find a way to break the stalemate he was in, he thought about why he was here, risking his life to become stronger. He would have liked to think that he was fighting to protect the people of Cocoon, to keep them safe in the harsh world they had been thrust into. He would have liked to think that he was fighting to do the right thing, to prevent a tyrant like Anima from coming to power. He would have liked to think that he was fighting to protect his father and his friends. But as he floated within his own mind, locked in a struggle that would result in his death if he lost his concentration for even a second, he found it hard to lie to himself. When he thought about why he was fighting, he could think of only one person.

"Light…" As he said her name aloud, images of her filled his head and he finally found the strength he needed. With a burst of energy he threw open the path to his magic, blasting away the torrents of it that had surrounded him. In the next instant, Eden's power merged fully with his own, and his vision was filled with a pale green burst of light. Before the area around him faded, he thought he heard a distant Well done…

Hope's eyes snapped open, and it took him a few moments to realize he was once again sitting in his bed. He looked around and saw that the room was bathed in a pale green light emanating from his brand. He looked down at it and let out a small gasp; the brand had branched out, sending the green arrows snaking up his arm towards his shoulder. He rolled up his sleeve as the lines disappeared under his shirt, and saw that they went over his shoulder, stopping a few inches onto his chest.

Almost unconsciously, he reached for his powers, and this time his gasp was much louder. The alien presence of the fal'Cie was gone. The magic he had been so familiar with came flooding back, but its strength had increased tenfold. The warmth that had given him focus was now a blazing inferno, but it was not uncomfortable. His body hummed with energy and magic, and he had to stop himself from casting a spell right then and there and destroying the room. He was unable to stifle a fit of relieved laughter.

A groan from the side startled him, but he quickly realized that it was Lightning, stirring from sleep. She opened her eyes and looked around at him, tensing up as she noticed the green light. Before she could take in the scene and question Hope, he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I did it," he told her. "I talked to Eden and I got my power back."

"W-what?" she stammered out, taken off guard by a combination of grogginess and the sudden embrace. Hope showed her the green brand that had crawled up his arm, and her eyes widen. He pulled her out of bed and out of the room, leading her through the ark to the room they trained in, while trying to explain what had just happened to him.

As Hope opened the door and entered their training room, Lightning stopped him, an annoyed look on her face. She didn't seem to have taken in half of what he told her, still trying to shake the sleep out of her eyes.

"You…talked to Eden?" she said, as she gathered her wits.

Unable to contain the magic any longer, Hope decided to answer her question with a demonstration. He released the power in the form of a thundaga spell and was stunned by the unexpected ferocity of it. Huge bolts of lightning erupted from his arm and slammed into the wall, sending tremors through the room. As the spell ended, he noticed large scorch marks on the walls despite Odin's reassurances that the room was fortified with enough magic to not be affected by their spells.

"Damn…" Lightning murmured after the tremors subsided.

Hope went over what had taken place within his mind with Lightning once again, giving her a detailed account of what Eden had told him and how he had been able to fully merge with the fal'Cie's power. After he had told her all he could, she sat down and entered the meditative trance that he himself had just gone through. Although he did not doubt her, he could not suppress a pang of anxiety as he was bathed in the soft purple light of her brand glowing through her night shirt.

Hope sat down across from her and waited, watching her intently. After about twenty minutes had passed, beads of perspiration began to form on her forehead and her face began to twitch as if she was in pain. He balled his fists in frustration over his inability to help her.

As the minutes dragged by, Hope's apprehension grew. Finally, ten minutes later, Lightning opened her eyes. Hope watched as the purple spikes on her brand extended up to her collar and across her chest to her left arm, stopping just after her elbow. She was panting heavily, but she flashed him a triumphant grin.

"That was…intense," she said as she caught her breath and stood. She held up an arm and released a thundaga spell as Hope had. Though it was less powerful than his, it still left ugly burns upon the wall.

Hope stood up too, stifling a yawn and suddenly realizing how exhausted he was. "We should get some sleep," he said to Lightning as she flexed her arms to get a feel for the new power she possessed.

"Yeah," she agreed, "we'll tell Odin and the others in the morning."

Hope looked over at the far wall, and cringed as he examined the scorch marks caused by their spells. "They're probably gonna be a little upset when they see how badly we scuffed up their ark."

XXXXX

"The restoration of the ark goes well," Cid Raines said as he looked around at the assembled council members. "The fal'Cie Carbuncle's production output is exceeding all of our highest expectations, and the people of New Eden have complete faith in their leaders."

"Is that why you called us here?" Heidegar said gruffly. "To gloat over the success of your new regime?" Over the past few weeks, the council members had fostered a growing resentment towards the developing situation in which they were quickly being shut out by their new primarch. Heidegar was the most outspoken about this particular issue, but was far from the only one harboring ill will towards Raines.

"I do not idly brag, I merely state the reasoning that has lead me to the decision I am about to share with you. It has become clear to me that the authority of a single leader is undermined by the continued existence of others who appear to have influence. A strong hand is necessary to rule, one that is not held back by the parasitic clutches of those who try to grasp at power."

An undercurrent of muttering and worried glances crossed the chamber. Rufus alone remained silent, but tensed up as he realized what Raines meant to do.

"You think you can just walk in here after six years and dissolve this council?" Heidegar asked angrily. "As much as you claim they love you, the people won't stand for a move like that!"

"Dissolve? No, I mean to tell them that the collective council decided that it was in the peoples' best interest for there to be one voice ruling them, not many," Raines replied smoothly.

"So we're to just step aside then?" Heidegar spat back at him.

"No, that won't due either. Political dissidents are a threat I will not tolerate." Raines snapped his fingers, and the doors on either end of the room burst open, a dozen armed soldiers filing in from both of them. Before any of the council members could react, the soldiers open fired on them. Rufus threw up a protect spell over himself, lamenting that it did not block out of the sound of his dying comrades.

As the sound of the soldiers' automatic weapons stopped, Rufus looked up at Raines, fury etched on his face. "This wasn't part of the deal!" he snarled at him.

Raines looked over at him with a puzzled look, as if he had forgotten he was there. "Oh, you're still alive Rufus?"

"I held up my end of the deal!" Rufus shouted at him. "You weren't supposed to kill them!"

Raines let out loud chuckle. "Deal? You were tasked with clearing the way for me to come to power, then step aside. That is all. You have no further use to us."

Rufus could not contain his anger. He let loose a blast of magic at Raines, who sighed, and held up a hand to block the spell. Rufus's attack did not even phase him.

"Well, I suppose you did complete your task admirably, and that's worth something," Raines drawled. He snapped his fingers again, and Rufus's brand began to pulse angrily. He looked down at it, but before he could reach out to touch it, his body was encased in crystal.

Raines walked over to Rufus's crystallized form, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm, perhaps we can find a use for you after all…"

XXXXX

In the week since they had mastered the use of their aspects' power, Hope and Lightning had begun training against some of the ark's living weapons. The eidolons had been shocked to learn of how they had connected with Eden and Kujata, and were eager to put their new power to the test. With their enhanced abilities, Hope and Lightning were able to destroy waves of the normally magic resistant Pulsework knights, and even the intimidating tyrants were dispatched with little effort. The only thing left to do was hone their abilities while they waited for the eidolons to locate the ark that Anima had scavenged. Since they could not track the vessel while it was inactive, they were attempting to locate the energy signatures of aspects that had been pressed into a human shell. So far, however, if any of them were currently in a l'Cie host, they weren't using their power.

In their most recent training session, Lightning and Hope had just dispatched a trio of tyrants, with one left lumbering towards them. With a quick glance and nod to each other, they jumped back, widening the distance and dropped into casting stances. As the artificial monster raised its shield to create one of its sentient swords, it was hit with dual firagas, one from each of them. The tyrant convulsed, then fell to the floor, a charred wreck.

Although Hope shot her an encouraging grin, Lightning wore a disgruntled frown. She had made great progress in improving her spellwork over the past week, due in no small part to the power she had gained from Kujata. Aside from simple raw power, she had also improved her technique quite a bit. Lightning thought she might have been catching up to Hope in skill, but in that last attack, she could easily tell that his firaga was much stronger, both in terms of size and power. She could tell that her own abilities had stopped improving, as if she had hit a wall that halted her progress.

Putting a hand over her face, she angrily thought back to the reason that she was focusing so much on her casting abilities. Four days ago, she had been working on energizing her gunblade with magic, wanting to see how much stronger it would be with her new power. Military issue gunblades, however, were not designed with the extreme levels of energy she could now produce in mind, and the blade quickly deteriorated from the intensity of the magic, and eventually shattered. Odin had assured her that he could make her a new gunblade that could withstand the energy using the technology of the ark, but until then she was stuck working on her spellcasting. Lightning knew she needed work in this area, but she was much more comfortable directing her magic to enhance her strength, agility, and her weapon.

"You okay?" Hope asked her, noticing the agitated look on her face.

"I'm fine," she said dismissively, forcing a smile.

"You're a bad liar," he responded, walking over to her.

She sighed heavily. "I've gotten better at casting, but I've hit some kind of block. Is there something I'm missing, or have I just hit my limit?"

Hope looked at her pensively. "I don't think you're at your limit. Eden told me that humans have 'greater potential than any other beings in existence.' Cast a spell, maybe I can figure out your problem."

She obliged, turning and dropping into her casting stance. Hope studied her intently as she loosed a thundaga spell.

"Hmmm," Hope said as he walked over to her. "Your stance is too tense." He came up behind her and gently moved her arms into a more relaxed stance. She felt a slight heat rising in her face as she felt his breath on the back of her neck. "If you try too hard to force the energy to do what you want, you'll get results, but they won't be as strong as they could be. It's more like…you have to guide it. I'll show you."

As he continued to move her arms through a graceful range of movement he indicated as his casting form, she felt his body begin to pulse with energy. As she followed the flow of energy coursing through him, she could immediately notice the difference. Hope let his magic enter his very being, became one with its warming presence. She reached for her own power and let it suffuse her body, and the difference became even more noticeable. While she could feel the energy and its warmth, she could not give herself over to it as Hope did. Years of fighting, of depending on maintaining total control over her body made it difficult for her to allow her magic to flow unchecked.

"You have to relax," Hope whispered to her, and she tried to ignore the tingle that ran up her spine as she once again felt his breath on her neck and his voice in her ear, attributing the sensation to the energy running through the two of them. "The power comes from you… you have to trust it to do what you need it to do." Lightning tried to clear her mind and do as he told her, but she could not dispel the tiny piece of her in the back of her mind that would not relinquish control.

"Watch," he said to her softly. He let go of one of her arms and held his palm up, away from them. She could feel the energy within him quicken and was startled at the sudden blast of frozen magic that was his blizzaga spell. She marveled at how smooth his cast was, he didn't even have to focus on the energy to get it to take the form he wanted it to. She mimicked his spell, and cringed at her own sloppy technique. Next to Hope's spellcasting, hers felt like half dried cement next to a crisp stream of water.

Hope did not comment on her ability, but returned his arm to hers, and continued leading them through the same calming movements. "Let me help you," he told her.

"How?" she whispered back to him.

"Just trust me." Once again, Lightning felt Hope's steady flow of energy quicken, and without warning, it began to stream into her. She was unable to stifle a small moan as it washed over her, quickening her own magic to match its pace. She threw up walls of resistance subconsciously, and had to fight against herself to pull them down. After a short internal struggle, she was able to lower her guard, and Hope's power flowed smoothly with her own. Their joined energy coursed between the two of them, uniting them as a single entity. With the help of Hope's calming presence, she was able to finally release her grip on the magic. The tranquility that settled over her mind as she did so was unlike anything she had ever felt.

Knowing what to do next, Lightning channeled her power into a spell. As soon as the decision to use blizzaga flicked across her mind, the magic complied. An enormous burst of frozen magic erupted from her hand. Drawing upon Hope's power as well as her own, the spell was stronger than anything she had thought possible. It struck the far wall of the room, which instantly began to freeze. When the magic was spent, the entirety of the other side of the room was covered in ice, and tendrils of frost reached nearly to the middle of the room on all four of the adjacent walls.

The connection between them broke, leaving both Hope and Lightning panting heavily. She turned to him, and he gave her a small smile while he caught his breath. "You just have to let go," he said to her simply.

XXXXX

Serah, Snow, Sazh, and Bartholomew were sitting around the living room of the house that acted as their prison, watching the news on the vid screen.

"Progress on the ark continues, while more and more volunteers flock to undertake the project from all over the city. Current estimates place the completion of the Pulse relic in a week's time," the reporter said pleasantly.

"That can't be good," Sazh muttered, shaking his head. "Whatever the hell is going on around here, you can bet that thing is the key to all of it."

Snow clenched his fists angrily. "I can't take this, sitting here not being able to do anything while our city gets taken over by who knows what…"

Serah put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do. Even if we could get out of here, we can't take on the whole military to stop them."

"She's right," Bartholomew said solemnly. "We have to trust in Hope and Lightning now…they are the only ones who can stop this."

The four turned their heads away from the news report as the front door suddenly opened. They looked over, expecting to see Rufus, and were startled when several armed soldiers entered the house.

"What's going on?" Snow demanded.

Loud clicks were audible as the soldiers took the safety off their weapons. "We're here to relocate you," the soldier in the front said, taking aim at Snow who had risen to his feet, and was cracking his knuckles menacingly. "You will be moved to a high security detention center. You are to be executed one week from today."

XXXXX

Lightning lay in her bed sleeping, but far from peacefully. She was tossing and turning, and her eyes fluttered beneath her lids. She thrashed around for several more minutes, when she awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright.

"Dammit…" she said with frustration as she held her hands over her ears, trying to drown out the screams of her friends, a sound that haunted her dreams nearly every night.

"Light…?" She looked over at the sound of her name to see Hope sitting up, rubbing his eyes and looking at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

She sighed. "Yeah…sorry…just some nightmares…" she said wearily.

But Hope was far from reassured by this. He got up and sat on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his. "Are you still dreaming about them? The soldiers?" he asked her.

"…No," she murmured. "Lately I've been having nightmares about the people I care about…dying, being burned alive. Serah, Snow, Sazh….you." She brought her free hand up to rub her eyes, where Hope saw a wet film of tears begin to form.

As her body began to shake with silent sobs, Hope pulled her into a gentle embrace, stroking her back and trying to calm her. "It's okay," he whispered to her, as he felt hot tears drop onto his shoulder.

After several minutes, Lightning regained her composure. She pulled away slightly, resting her head on Hope's shoulder as he draped an arm around her. "How do you do it?" She asked him. "How do you deal with all of this?"

He smiled as she looked up at him, waiting for an answer. "I have you," he said to her softly. Her eye widened a bit, but when no response was forthcoming, he continued. "When all this started again, when we got our brands back, I was worried but…I was happier than I had been in a long time. I felt like I was just drifting through life on auto pilot, not really living it, not the way I was meant to. When we got our powers back, I realized that was what I was missing…purpose. I missed fighting against every monster that the world had to offer, knowing that with each triumph we were making it a better place. I missed knowing that I had the power to protect people, the power to fight for what I believed in. And most of all…I missed being with you."

"Hope…" she started, but he cut her off.

"Whenever things got to much back then, you helped me through it. You were there for me when I had nobody else, you helped me find the strength I had within myself. It's the same now. Whenever things get to be too much, when the weight of the burden we carry becomes too much to bare, I think of you. When I was fighting to master Eden's power, you gave me the strength I needed to get through it. You give me the strength to keep going. Let me be there for you, too. Let me help you through this. Let me be your strength when your own isn't enough because…I love you, Light."

As he confessed to her, Lightning once again felt the energy course through his body and pour into hers. She let him in, and as the calming tranquility settled over her mind, he guided her down to the bed. She fell asleep in his arms, and for the first time in a long time, she slept soundly.

XXXXX

Lightning awoke first the next morning, and it took her several moments to remember what had happened the previous night. Hope was still asleep, his arm draped over her protectively. She could feel his heart steadily beating in synch with her own, as their magics were still attuned. She gently severed the connection and quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake him. She walked over and sat on one of the chairs in the room, and mulled over what had happened.

He said he loved me she thought, and the memory stirred an array of strange emotions. This was something new to her, something she had never dealt with before. After her parents died, she had worked hard to shut everyone else out, even Serah, to an extent. Hope was the first person she had really let in, the first person she had trusted in a long while. She knew that the young man had some kind of feelings for her, but she had never thought they ran that deep. She thought back over their time together since this whole mess had started again. He was there for her when she needed him, despite how often she tried to push him away. He could always keep her from losing herself in her own despair. I care about him, but…do I love him too? She tried to sort through her emotions, while the memory of Hope's confession ran errantly through her head.

XXXXX

Nix sat in front of the glowing screen of a console, tapping buttons every so often and looking bored. It was her shift to scour Gran Pulse for the energy signatures of Anima or his servants, but nearly two weeks of finding nothing was starting to wear down the patience of all of the eidolons. Several more minutes passed like this, but when Nix began to doze off from the tedium, the monitor began to flash, and a soft chiming sound emanated from the console.

"W-what?" the startled eidolon stammered as the elbow holding up her head slipped off the console. She looked at the flashing screen, pressing buttons frantically and reading the foreign characters that were appearing on the screen. "Uh…Stiria?" she called to her sister. "I think you better come take a look at this…"

Stiria walked over to her sister, a concerned expression on her face. "What is it?" she asked. "Did you find something?" Stiria leaned over and read the writing flashing across the screen.

"…Get the others," she said to Nix, her voice shaking. "Now."

XXXXX

Hope awoke some time later, looking around for Lightning as he noticed her absence. He sat up and saw her sitting in a chair, lost in thought.

"Light?" he called to her. Startled, she looked up at him, her expression unreadable.

"Morning…" she said tonelessly.

"Light…" he started tentatively. "About last night…I…" but she held up a hand to silence him.

"Hope, I know you meant what you said, but…this isn't something I'm used to…I don't know if I can give you what you want…" she looked down at the floor, a sad expression crossing her face. "You deserve to be with someone who can love you back…someone who isn't an emotional disaster like me."

"Light, I'm not pressuring you into anything….I know you need more time, and I'm willing to wait as long as I have to for you. You're the only woman I could ever be happy with."

Before she could respond, a sharp knock on the door echoed through the room, followed quickly by Odin entering.

"What's wrong?" Lightning asked him, looking around quickly at the eidolon.

"We've…found something," Odin replied grimly.

Lightning and Hope pulled on their gear in silence while Odin waited at the door, oblivious to the palpable tension that had settled over the room. "Follow me," he said to them as they finished.

He started down the hallway, and Lightning went to follow, but Hope grabbed her arm to stop her. She turned to look at him, a wide mixture of emotions in her eyes.

"When this is all over," he said to her quietly. "We'll figure things out."

She offered him a small smile, and they left the room, following in Odin's wake.