Hope did show signs of remembering his true past and companions, however his professional side won in the end. He refused to actually go along with the pair, arguing that they were surely out of their minds if they thought he would easily go with them on their mission to retrieve a group of people. No ifs, ands or buts on this matter.
So, Lightning did what she did best in any situation - she thoroughly punched his lights out.
Snow was threatened to not say a peep; and as if he would, for he helped her drag Hope from his office and out one of the fire exits placed at the bottom floor of the building (He also laughed in amazement once she managed to knock him out with one blow, declaring to never get on her bad side) Light was sure they looked like oddballs, a man giving a piggyback ride to a knocked out director worth more than both of them combined. Of course, another thing Lightning was good at was ignoring people's opinions and looks of suspicion as they weaved their way across the street and back to their hotel, promptly locking the door shut once they reached their sanctuary.
"When he wakes up, he's sure to call the cops or something," Snow said as he plopped down on one of the two beds in the spacious hotel room, pulling off his bandana and running a hand through his blond locks. Hope lay on the bed next to his, face down and possibly still breathing. "Was that really such a great idea?"
"Did you have anything better in mind?" The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew he was right, as much as it pained her to admit. Seeing as how adult and mature Hope had ended up becoming, he was obviously going to dial the authorities and get them arrested. There was nothing they could do except try to convince him otherwise, if that was possible. The silver-haired man seemed just as stubborn as when he was a teen, and while it comforted her slightly, knowing that he hadn't changed that much, it was still an issue they had to tackle. "We need him."
"You mean you need him; I barely know the kid. My memories are still fuzzy." He raised an eyebrow in her direction subtly. Light shook her head and ignored the emphasis he put on the words "you" and "him". This was not just a problem for her, it involved all of them, even if they didn't know it yet. Soon they would be together, she kept reminding herself, and soon they'd find Serah and find a way back home.
"Not just me, Snow, all of you guys. Hope, Fang, Vanille, Sazh— we need to find Serah. And to do that, we need everyone together." We did it once, we can do it again, the woman wanted to add, but the words died on her tongue.
The blond flopped back on the bed, "Well, wake me up when the kid comes to." With that, he quickly dozed off, muttering something about baseball.
The soldier sighed, sitting down on the bed where Hope lay face down and unconscious. Refusing to fall victim to sleep like her companions, she instead tried to distract herself with the pile of magazines that had made their way from the coffee table in front of the television set to the bedside table next to her, possibly by Snow. Of course, her guess was confirmed when the first magazine she flipped through was a sports magazine - and a special edition on baseball, for that matter. Shaking her head in amusement she tossed it to the side, now flipping through a girly magazine, full of makeup tips, latest fashion styles, celebrity gossip and cheap finds. Something Serah would probably like, Light mused, absentmindedly turning the thin pages and barely paying attention to the eyeshadow tricks that were being showcased in an article. I wonder if she would use this -
Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when her eyes swept across the next page, meeting a pair of bright green eyes and a bubbly smile, bright red hair tied back into two curly ponytails— Vanille!
A smile spread across the woman's features as she gripped the magazine tighter, scanning the information box next to the posing teen. She was currently a fashion model in an area called Australia, part of a successful modeling agency and living a lavish life. The next few pages featured an interview with the teen, speaking of how she came to be a model and how she hopes she can get farther into the business and reach even more fame— all while donating half of her funds to a local animal shelter in Australia. Lightning had to roll her eyes at that information; Vanille had always cared for animals, even the monsters they had to slay during their adventure as l'cie.
Just as the rose-haired woman finished the article, the unconscious lump besides her began to stir, groaning and rubbing his head. Perhaps she had hit him too hard after all... Lightning extended a cautious hand as he sat up, wincing in pain and rubbing his jaw as she lightly touched his shoulder, "Take it easy, you got hit pretty hard."
"By- By what? A truck?" he asked in response, obviously still agitated. He stopped rubbing his jaw and suddenly became aware of his surroundings, bolting from the fluffy bed. "And what-what am I doing here?"
"You—" She bit her lip, trying to come up with something to say to him. If there was another thing the Farrons were good at, it was thinking on their feet. "agreed to come with us, but sort of... tripped down the stairs as we were leaving your office."
"I did?" Hope blinked before glancing at the sleeping log in the bed next to Lightning. "I just remember turning you guys down..."
"Anyways, Hope," Lightning quickly changed the subject, "I've located our next destination— somewhere called Australia. We should leave within the next few days."
He sat on the bed again, rubbing his temples and sighing, "Australia? I've been there once, when I was younger... How will we get there?"
The rose-haired woman nodded towards a now curled up Snow, "He's got it covered," her pale eyes swept over his stressed form, still a bit taken aback by his new age and appearance, "Hope, how old are you?"
The man in question raised an eyebrow in her direction before answering truthfully, "Twenty-seven. Why?"
She mentally cursed; depsite how childish it may seem, Lightning liked being older than him back on Cocoon. It felt nice to have a younger charge admiring you, but now the tables have turned and she seemed like the baby of their friendship. It was odd, to say the least. "...No reason."
Hope stretched his arms upwards, the bones making a small popping noise. It looked as if his stress gone, as he turned to Lightning and asked, "So, Lightning, why are you doing this? Gathering all of these people, I mean."
"To find my sister," Light explained, absentmindedly fidgeting with the zippers on her cargo pants that she had fished from Claire's closet again. "I told you back in your office, hadn't I?"
"Well, yes, but I'm still curious," he tried a smile, which, of course, worked on the woman. "As to why I don't remember any of this."
"I have a theory," she nodded, "That you'll regain your true memories the more you spend time with us. That explains your reaction to me opening the survival knife."
"Makes...sense." Of course, Lightnig hadn't expected him to truly believe her. But so far, her theory had been proven right by Snow; he had been calling her "sis" more frequently now. It was only matter of time until he remembered Serah and the others, and when he did, Light was sure he was going to revert back to his old self. She also had a strong feeling that he was sure to fall head over heels in love with Serah all over again— something she both hoped for yet dreaded. It would bethe puppy love look and constant fawning over her once more, like when they first met on Cocoon. It wasn't unusual to have to drive the blond from their home in the past, especially when Lightning wasn't there.
"It'll make sense, trust me. Ask me anything, if you're that curious." She rested on the palms of her hands as she leaned back on the fluffy bed.
"Okay, then," Hope stood from the bed, beginning to pace slowly. She briefly remembered him doing so during their adventure as l'cie, when he became nervous or anxious about something. "I'm still Hope Estheim...right?"
The soldier nodded, a half smile gracing her features. "I would hope so. If not, we kidnapped the wrong person."
"Kidnapped?"
"Ah— next question." He chuckled slightly, crossing her arms over his chest, "Alright, alright. Is your name really 'Lightning'?"
"Why? Too generic?" She raised an eyebrow and shot him a half hearted glare, which he answered with as nervous chuckle, avoiding her eyes. "I'll tell you some other time. But— call me Light."
"Alright then, Light, exactly what do I have to do with all of this again?"
The rose-haired woman crossed her arms over her chest, sighing lightly, "Like I said before, you were part of our group that helped saved my sister, and our home. We're heroes back home. I didn't want to just up and leave to find my sister without first finding my friends— granted, I didn't think they'd lose their memories..." She mumbled the last bit to herself, still a bit confused and upset as to why that happened. She hadn't lost her own memories, so why did everyone else lose theirs, too?
Hope pursed his lips slightly in thought, but you easily could have. I mean, don't you have parents? Aren't they more important than a bunch of strangers?"
Lightning hesitated, if only for a brief second, "Serah is my only family. Yeah, when I woke up in this world, I had a mother, but she wasn't-wasn't..." Her voice trailed off, and the soldier inwardly cursed for not being able to say it. Yes, her parents were dead. She had no problem saying it to herself in her head, but when she told Anna and now telling Hope, it was as if her throat was closing up and her lungs were shriveling. Even back on Cocoon it was hard telling a younger Hope of her parents' passing, leaving only Serah and herself to fend for themselves. Light could ony imagine what it must have been like for Hope to lose his own mother right in front if him, having depended on her so heavily.
She felt a sudden weight on the bed next to her, and she looked up to see Hope giving a sympathetic smile, which looked unusual on his pale features; the only emotions Light has seen on his face were those of fear and confusion, very rarely would he smile or laugh while on their adventures as l'cie. "I-I'm sorry if I struck a nerve," he started, suddenly nervous, "I lost my mother a few years back as well, so I kind of understand." And with a deep breath and genuine smile— not the kind that seemed to be childish and unsure, but an actual, real Hope Estheim smile— he added, "I'll go with you."
One of the strangest things that have happened in Lightning's twenty-two year old life happened next.
She blushed.
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