Kai: Hey guys! I am glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter XD Now we get to more memories and stuff xD

Chapter 6: Snowballs!

Hope danced around in the snow, Lightning watching him carefully. Today, Hope had managed to take the beast outside into the beautiful snow. Lightning wasn't that enthusiastic in playing in the snow with some little boy but she really didn't have anything else to do. Hope laughed then turned his head to look at her, he was currently wearing a warm brown fur coat with gloves, his cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold and he tilted his head at her. She was perfectly fine with her fur coat but she looked back at him curiously. Hope then thought then got a idea as he saw some birds flying around. He smiled as he grabbed some bird seed and held it out for the birds to eat. Lightning watched, looking uninterested but actually was as the birds landed on the boy's hands and started pecking at the seeds. He sure was a interesting boy, having deciding to stay in the castle instead of continuing to run away. He could've just left her but he didn't. Lightning found it quite strange.

"Hey! Lightning!" Hope called with a bright smile then turned and held out the bird seed to her.

Lightning raised a eyebrow at him, her arms crossed as she looked at him then at the bird seed. "What?" she asked.

"Try it." Hope smiled hopefully.

Lightning blinked then slowly held out her paw like hands. Hope put some bird seed in her hands, ignoring the long claws that brushed up against his skin. Hope then knelt down to the ground, Lightning soon knelt down beside him. Glancing at him, she held out her paws to the ground. The birds flew away from her and she snorted a bit, thinking that the birds wouldn't dare go near her. Hope looked at her for a moment then at the birds then smiled. He took some bird seed from her paws and sprinkled it in front of a bird then made a small trail leading to Lightning's paws. The bird chirped curiously as it pecked the seeds, hopping over to Lightning's paws and looking at them curiously. Lightning held perfectly still, her blue eyes watching the blue bird as it hopped into her paws. She raised her hands a bit and looked curiously as the bird pecked the seeds. Chirping gently and softly smiled then glanced at Hope who gently smiled at her.

"I think he likes you." Hope chuckled as he gently touched her hands.

Lightning blinked and softly nodded. "I guess so." she said then watched as Hope stood and walked over to a tree and out of sight. What a strange feeling she felt in her heart. Strange indeed. Something deep.

Hope took a deep breath. The beast seemed so scary yet she seemed to actually have a kind heart. Deep down inside. Hope thought as he poked his head from behind the tree then almost busted up laughing when he saw the fearless beast now covered with a flock of birds. A red bird was on her right wolfish ear, a blue bird on her left one while a yellow was on her nose. Black and white birds on her shoulders and multi colored birds on her arms and hands. Lightning was glancing around all the birds curiously and muttering a bit. Hope then got a idea and grinned evily as he picked up a pile of snow and made a snowball. He then watched as the birds flew away from Lightning and she looked up at them with a slight smile on her face then Hope threw the snowball, managing to land it right into the side of the beast's head. Lightning grunted then looked toward Hope who smiled innocently.

"Oops... Sorry Lightning." Hope chuckled innocently while Lightning stared at him with cold blue eyes. He wasn't laughing long though. All of a sudden he was hit with a huge snowball and he yelped and fell to the ground. Covered in snow. He popped his head out of the pile of the snow and looked at Lightning who was calmly looking at him. But he could of swore he saw a slight smirk cross her lips. He had just got owned.

"Hey!" Hope yelled then stood up then picked up snow and threw it at her, but she ducked and swiftly picked up snow and hit him in the face with a pawful. Which covered his whole face and once again he fell to the ground. Hope once again stood up again looking determined. "Oh! I'm going to get you for that Lightning!" he yelled a challenge.

Lightning simply looked at him, her shoulder cape waving in the wind and her tail waving a bit. "We'll see." she replied. Then dodged another snowball and hit Hope once again with a snowball.

Hope growled then popped up out of no where and tackled Lightning. Bad idea. She flipped him over and slammed him to the pile of snow, then kicked over some snow, burying him. Hope popped his head out and pouted. But he got determined again and he continued the playful snowball fight.

Meanwhile, from a window just in the castle on the upper floor, the animals were watching them. Serah smiled brightly and giggled.

"Ah! They are so cute!." Serah said.

"Ya! I never seen Light 'play' before." said Snow.

"That's because she doesn't." replied Sazh as he watched with interest.

"There might be something she is feeling that wasn't there before." purred Vanille as she sat on Fang's back.

Fang smirked as she watched. "Just maybe."