"Germany?"

The duo inwardly winced. Anna's echo was clearly a bad sign. And, it was predicted that she would be upset or shocked about the location of Hope. After all, after being shown a map of the world by from Snow, Lightning had to blink her surprise a few times as well— the area that Hope was located was across a giant ocean, miles away from their location. Of course, Snow explained that they could hitch a plane and simply fly there, what with his endless amount of money that seemed to flow out of his pockets. Of course, any type of travel was alright with Lightning, as long as they weren't actually swimming across the ocean to reach Hope. She had walked across the majority of Gran Pulse and walked everywhere in Cocoon, so she didn't mind any type of walking or running needed, however, swimming was a different matter. The two, of course, needed the "permission" from Anna to go out and recruit their much needed partner, as much as Lightning wanted to just get the trip over with and find him.

"And there isn't— he's not—" The woman pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing audibly. Light rubbed the back of her neck, the other hand settling in the pocket of her sweatpants. Anna obviously wasn't excited about the idea, nor did she seem to be able to even travel with them. "Germany?"

"It's the only place where we'll find him, Anna," the rose-haired woman replied, nodding slightly towards Snow's laptop which was set on the kitchen table next to a mug of coffee.

"The main office is somewhere in Berlin," The blond piped up from the kitchen table, running a hand through his messy locks. It wasn't weird seeing him like this, Lightning figured— he's stayed over with Serah many times before, so the image of him still sleepy wasn't foreign. Still, she couldn't help but crack a smile at his bed head. "The kid should be there."

The elder woman gave an exasperated look towards the two, slumping down in the chair across from Snow. Holding her head in her hands, she mumbled out, "How much will the plane tickets cost? A fortune?"

"Uh, excuse me," Snow rolled his eyes in a joking manner, leaning forward in his seat, "World famous baseball player here, I have the money to get us there and back twelve times. Leave it to me."

"Snow, I don't think it can possibly ask this of you—"

"Anna, seriously, it's no big deal. I trust you guys, you two are sincere. And," he turned to Lightning then, who had up until recently been preparing herself a cup of hot coffee, "I think I'm starting to get some memories or somethin'. They're kinda fuzzy still, but they're there."

Her hand continued stirring the liquid as she asked, "What can you remember?"

He pursed his lips in thought. "Um...I can't really tell. Maybe a few faces?"

It wasn't the best information, however it was enough for Light. Nodding, she confirmed her theory of returning memories and returned to the table, coffee in hand. The more time he spent helping her find the others, the easier it would be for their memories to come back. Perhaps the others didn't remember their adventures as well, something Light was afraid of. The question rang in her mind, keeping her awake most of the night: why did Snow not remember her? Not just her, everything she explained to him? It didn't add up to the soldier, first she woke up in a new world with a person calling herself her mom, then her friends couldn't remember who they really were? It didn't make sense. The thought of Serah thinking she's an only child, or if she has other siblings—

Her heart clenched. The possibility hurt too much to even think about.

Nonetheless, the soldier knew she had to find the rest of her friends, simply because they needed to find out who they really were. She didn't expect their memories to be mixed with someone else's, but Lightning knew they would eventually come around and turn to their old selves. She was a bit curious to see how they would differ from their original selves— Snow wasn't any different, so it was possible that the others wouldn't be different either. Either way, now that she had Snow to help her, Light wanted to find the others quickly.

Anna sighed from her seat next to Lightning, lifting her head up to face the two. "I guess if you guys are careful...and don't try anything funny," she gave a pointed glance towards Snow, "You have my permission, Light."

The rose-haired woman scrunched her nose up slightly at the suggestion that she and Snow would ever— oh, gross. "Don't worry, Anna. We'll be careful, and besides, I've got military training myself. I know how to defend myself and Snow."

To be honest, Lightning was a bit surprised at having to receive permission from Anna to leave the household on her own. It was familiar use to her own mother being protective like this, yet it wasn't normal. Light was used to doing her own thing and worrying about Serah, not the other way around. There wasn't anyone left to look after Lightning but herself, and having a motherly figure stand by and protect her caused a warm feeling to overtake her chest.

With a nod towards the dirty blonde, she and Snow decided to start packing their bags— who knew how long it would take to convince Hope to tag along with them? One could only hope things went smoothly and not as chaotic as it did for Snow's confrontation.

"So, this isn't an airship?"

"No, it's a plane, dude."

"You don't have airships here?"

"Er...well, define 'airship',"

"A ship that can fire bullets and runs on multiple turbines and engines, used mainly for war and the pursuing of—"

"Yeah, no, we don't," The blond interrupted, flipping through a magazine absentmindedly. "At least, not for traveling. Those are used in wars, though."

Lightning nodded, blinking. An airship was indeed smaller than this wide, long plane they were currently on, with less seats and no waitresses tending to your needs. You drove your own airship, there wasn't just one pilot doing all of the work while everyone else just sat back and enjoyed their snacks and drinks. The one thing in common was that there were small screens set up for the passengers to enjoy a movie, but even then on Cocoon the screens were used for new reports or status updates.

They had changed into civilian clothes, or what seemed to be civilian to Lightning, Snow obviously knew the fashion taste of this world. He did wear a black bandana, which she was used to seeing, and actually a bit grateful to see, because it made her feel more at ease seeing him as he usually was. She had picked out a few articles of clothing to pack for the trip, some of which were picked by Anna. She appreciated the help, honestly, but why did her fashion sense have to be so girly? Heels, mini-skirts, make-up— everything Serah would usually wear.

And don't even bring up the fact that Anna had never seen Claire's navel piercing until now.

Now settled on a plane to Berlin, Germany, Light and Snow took this time to catch up. While she wasn't very used to his new lifestyle, he did explain things pretty well to her, as did she. Both exchanged stories of their lives, people they've met, things they've done in the past, and overall, it was a comforting experience for the soldier. She never guessed that this was what it felt like to have a brother— a little brother, at that. It was, well, nice to have someone to talk to. Back on Cocoon, their relationship had improved due to Serah making sure they (or, rather, Lightning) didn't fight or argue too often, which resulted in a neutral relationship between the two. After giving him a chance, she discovered that he was more than capable of taking care of her little sister, something she regrets ever doubting.

More often than not, they would cause some sort of trouble, usually pranking, for the others— Serah wasn't so happy she made the two get along after that.

After being told that the flight would take more than a few hours, Light decided to get some shut-eye, what with her thoughts keeping her from sleeping the night before. Settling into her seat and getting a bit more comfortable, her eyes drooped closed and the soldier found herself asleep.

"This is the place?" Snow asked in slight disbelief, staring in awe at the large building before them— along with the chain of buildings behind the main one. It was a full-on operation, the large, sleek logo staring them back hung on the front of the building, and people bustled in and out of the revolving doors. Hope didn't joke around, Light supposed, when it came to businesses. "It looks pretty serious, Light."

"No kidding..." she blinked, her hands clenching into nervous fists at her sides. She wasn't about to let some big, official-looking building intimidate her, so with her head held high, she started walking towards the building, watching for traffic across the street. Lightning was here to get her friend, and dammit, she will.

As the two stepped into the lobby, furniture as sleek and modernized as the building itself, several people noticed them and gave them confused stares. Yes, their attire wasn't the most business-like or professional, however, they weren't here on that kind of business. Ignoring the stares, she went straight for the lobby desk, where a cheery blonde sat behind a desktop computer, typing away furiously. Having not noticed them, the rose-haired woman spoke up, "Excuse me?"

Tearing her eyes away from the screen, the blonde gave a smile towards the duo and quickly gave them her attention, "Hello! I'm sorry, I was busying myself with some work— how can I help you? Do you have an appointment?"

Crap. "Er, we don't have an appointment, but we need to speak to your director, Hope Estheim. It's urgent," Hopefully, the seriousness in her eyes would give away just how serious she was about seeing him. Of course they didn't have an appointment, as if they would get scheduled one in the first place. Why would a college student and a baseball player need to see an owner of an oil company?

"Well..." the young woman bit her lip, turning to her computer screen to type a few keys, her eyes sweeping across the screen. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of spots taken, so I'm pretty sure I can squeeze you two in."

"Thank you." she inwardly let out a sigh of relief, thanking the goddess that there was an open spot. The blonde told them to have a seat in the lobby and to wait for their appointment time after they gave their names.

"Just our luck, huh?" Snow asked with a grin, plopping down in a loveseat next to Lightning.

Again, she was reminded of Fang, and she gave a small smile in response to his question. After Hope, they needed to find Fang, and possibly with Fang, they'd find Vanille. Those two were inseparable, but there was a chance that they wouldn't know each other at all just like Snow and Serah. It would be weird for them to meet each other all over again, especially if Serah thinks she has another family other than Lightning. How will she explain that Serah was actually her sister? Would she even believe it, or will she brush it off and ignore her? It scared the soldier to no end thinking of all the possible scenarios between herself and Serah.

A nudge to her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Hey, you okay?"

Lightning nodded, rubbing her temple with a hand. "Yeah, I'm just...thinking. Worrying."

"Sis, seriously, you need to stop worrying. I believed you, so the others have to, too!"

"Not everyone goes with the flow like you, Snow," she sighed, letting out a huff of air in amusement. It was wishful thinking, she had to admit. "But I'm hoping they do."

"Miss Farron and Mr. Villiers?" The same blonde woman called from the lobby desk, their heads snapping in her direction. "The director will see you, now."

Both exchanged a glance, rising from their seats and following the woman's directions to Hope's office. Butterflies beat against Light's chest; after seeing the picture of Hope, she wasn't sure if she would be able to see him the same anymore. He wasn't a little kid, he was...grown-up. It was like she felt unneeded, as if all that time she spent training him and pushing him to get better was lost. He grew up on his own, with no help from the others or herself.

The minute they stepped through the door to his office, her butterflies grew more erratic. His back was turned, but Lightning could tell that the silver-haired teen wasn't a teen anymore, he towered a good five inches over her, now. His hair grew out a bit more towards the back, but he still retained the cowlick from when she last saw him, and his shoulders were more broad and built. Even with his suit on, she could tell he wasn't as scrawny as he used to be.

He shuffled some papers on his desk before turning to face them, a look of slight surprise on his face. Of course, she understood, their appearances were a bit...interesting.

Hope spoke in a language foreign to her, and Snow proved to be of no help, for all he could do was shrug in her direction, saying, "I don't know German, I took Spanish in high school!"

"Oh, you're American," Hope said in a language Lightning could understand, blinking his soft green eyes. "My apologies, I don't usually get visitors from America. How can I help you? You don't look like you're here to buy out my business."

He still seemed like the old Hope, Light figured as she began speaking. "Er, Mr. Estheim, my name is Lightning Farron, and this is my—" a pointed glance, "—brother, Snow Villiers. We're not here to talk about your oil company or stocks or such, we're here on different matters."

The man— it was weird calling him a "man" now— gave a look of curiosity as he leaned against his desk. "Do tell."

Taking a deep breath, Lightning attempted to explain the situation to the best of her ability, seeing as her people skills weren't the best. She chose to leave out the parts about their past, only mentioning that she knew him and he knew her, he just didn't remember it yet. Snow added his own thoughts as well, trying to help his sis out; the look of disbelief on Hope's face wasn't very comforting. His expression had melted from understanding (or, at least, attempting) to complete disbelief and there was also a bit of a deadpan in his eyes— as if this tale as far too stretched out. Lightning knew it was going to take some time to get him to actually believe this and go with them, however, she needed something to get him to believe it now. And it wasn't as if there was something to jog his memory with, like with Snow, who had called her "sis". The only thing that possibly could have sparked something was her survival knife, and who knows where that was right now.

"You seriously can't expect me to believe that," Hope said exasperatedly, and both could understand his slight irritation. Lightning didn't want it to be true; Cocoon was hell in the sky.

"Honestly, I don't expect you to believe it," Light replied truthfully, taking a step towards the man. "But— you have to, this isn't where you belong— you're not even this age, you're sixteen back home! And about a foot shorter!"

Her pale eyes caught sight of something then, something peeking out from one of the boxes stacked in the back corner of his organized office. It's handle was peeking out from the top of the box, and Lightning wasted no time in walking towards it, despite the protests from Hope of poking around in his personal belongings. She pulled out what looked to be an old survival knife— her survival knife, still shiny and clean as if it hasn't been used since it had been received. Blinking her eyes, she turned to face the two again, eyes on the knife in her hands. "Where did you get this?"

"Hey, isn't that..." Snow scrunched his face up slightly, as if trying hard to remember the memory that threatened to flood his mind. "Your knife from...from—"

"Serah, yes," The rose-haired woman faced Hope, "Where did you get it?"

"It's been with me since I could remember. I could never open it, though." The silver-haired man replied honestly, crossing his arms over his chest in slight thought. "How is it yours?"

There had been a trick to opening it, Lightning remembered at that moment, something that she had shown Hope when she lent it to him during the Cocoon event. Flicking her wrist quickly, the blade snapped open and the silver blade shined in the light, gleaming brightly. Giving a deadpanned look towards a surprised Hope, she simply replied, "It's mine, I would know how to open it."

"You know I never got enough practice with that thing—" His sentence stopped abruptly, a hand coming up to cover his mouth in surprise.

Due to his little outburst, Light and Snow both inwardly cheered, but kept their cool as they exchanged glances. Two down,

"He remembers."

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