Chapter 5: False feelings
"Carefull, son." Sazh called out to Dajh, who was busy climbing up the squishy blocks, followed by Yuki.
"Don't worry, Sazh. Soft play areas tend to have very few accidents." Johannes chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah...I know. But I still worry."
"These places are pretty neat, huh?" Snow nodded, glancing around. "When me and Serah have our own kid, I wanna bring it here."
"Easy, tiger. Having a kid ain't so easy. Don't go thinking it's a walk in the park." Sazh reasoned. "Besides, you still got years."
"I hope I don't have to wait too long."
"Have you two even kissed?" Johannes asked. "I mean, you hardly hug..."
"I know, but we're adjusting to our new lives. We'll have time to refire our spark soon enough." Snow chuckled. "Everything's been leading up to it."
"Well, don't go rushing in ahead, is all I'm saying." Johannes warned. "It's never that simple."
"Entertainment corner is now open." A voice called through the intercom and all the children began to flee towards a corner filled with bean chairs and squishy block seats. Even Dajh and Yuki headed over, curiously.
"Ain't that something? The two are thick as thieves." Sazh chuckled.
"Yep. It's nice to see him finally having a friend." Johannes nodded, both men watching the young boys.
"Alrighty then. I'm just curious about the entertainment." Snow chuckled.
"You're a big kid, ain't ya?"
"Maybe so."
"Daddy, daddy!" Dajh came running over, grabbing Sazh's jacket. "Come quick!"
"Now hold on. What's going on?"
"It's her! It's really her!"
"Who's 'her'?" Sazh asked, being pulled along by his son to the entertainment corner where he heard a familiar voice ring out with joy. A chirpy, bright personality he had longed to see again after all this time.
"You know, Light. I don't think I would've lasted long in this world if it weren't for places like this." Fang glanced towards Lightning, who was wiping sweat off of her forehead with a towell.
"It does feel good to be able to work my muscles, but I was never ready for it" Lightning chuckled. "I may have been built like a soldier, but that was just in my programme. Being here now, none of that matters."
"Yep, that's why you have to train from scratch." Fang huffed, putting the weights back on it's holder and sitting up, wiping sweat away and taking a swig from her bottle. "But the hard work pays off; it feels good."
"Yeah, but it's already getting pretty late, so we should head back soon."
"Yeah, just give me another round." Fang laid back again, taking the weights and lifting them above her head.
"Ahhh" Vanille cried out, falling back onto her bed after dropping her bags down. "Today has been a long one." She sat up, glancing at the clock. "I better get dinner ready." Vanille skipped downstairs and into the kitchen, where Serah and Lumina eventually showed up.
"Want us to help?" Serah asked, both her and Lumina walking in.
"Sure. Aprons are over there" She pointed behind the door, and both girls put an apron on each and after washing their hands, began to help Vanille make dinner. Lumina had never cooked before either, so it was her first time and she was eager to get going.
"Hey, we're back" Fang called, walking in. "Something smells great." She plopped down on the sofa, followed by Lightning.
"Yep, and it'll be aready in about an hour, so you two go and get yourselves showered." Serah walked over, scooting them off the sofa. "You're all sweaty from all that working out."
"Alright, you're the boss." Fang raised her hands in defeat and headed up to her room.
"You're letting Lumina cook?" Lightning asked with concern. "You sure that's such a good idea?"
"Yes, she's doing really well, actually." Serah said in a 'matter of fact' tone. "Now go!"
"Alright" Lightning chuckled, leaving the room to go and shower.
It wasn't long before the girls were serving up the plates and Hope arrived with Alyssa.
"Hey, Hope!" Vanille chirped. "Oh, and Alyssa. We finally meet, huh?"
"Hey." Hope chuckled. "That smells good..." He could feel his stomach rumble like a behemoth.
"Hey, Vanille." Alyssa smiled, shaking her hand. "And Serah...I'm really sorry for what happened.."
"Alyssa, I said it to Lightning and I'll say it to you; we were programmed to do those things. You don't need to apologise." Serah smiled.
"Well, it's good to see you all again. It's a shame Noel can't be here." Alyssa sighed.
"Yeah, but you get to meet the others now too." Hope chuckled. Lumina was continuing to set the table while they all greeted Alyssa. Since Lumina never met her, she didn't feel the need to get in the way of their meeting. And strangely enough, she didn't want to be involved. There was a strange feeling brewing inside of her when she saw Alyssa.
"And who's that?" But as if being left out of it was too much to ask, Alyssa spotting Lumina in the background and called her out.
"That's Lumina." Serah smiled, gesturing to her. "Come say hello, Lumina."
"Oh, hey, Lumina. You helped cook today? It smells really food, if that helps." Hope chuckled, but Lumina couldn't help but feel angry. She couldn't even speak without fearing it was going to sound nasty, and she couldn't bring herself to sound chirpy. But, she wasn't a chirpy person anyway. She was a michievious little demon that never played nice, so why did she have to change it now?
"Mhm-mhm, but it doesn't matter since Serah and Vanille were the main chefs." Lumina stated, walking over and smirking. "So, you're Alyssa, huh? You're the one who let Serah and Noel fall into the trap?" She tilted her head, her smirk still clear on her face. "Ouch, must really sting to know you helped the man who succeeded in destroying the world."
"Lumina..! Serah gasped. "Don't say that."
"What? I didn't know I was hitting on a sensitive subject. I mean, it's not like she's the victem at all." Lumina giggled
"No, I guess that's true. It's you and Noel, and everyone else who were the victems. For all I know, my selfish choice could've been a big reason to why he won." Alyssa lowered her head.
"Now hold on a minute" Serah scolded. "We were in a game, meaning you were programmed to do so! Even if you didn't, there was no escaping it since it was a set ending. Besides, depending on the choice you make, Noel stabs Caius and kills the Goddess."
"I-I guess." Alyssa nodded.
"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself." Hope gave her a pat on the back, while Serah turned to Lumina and scowled.
"And you, young lady!" She huffed. "Don't be so rude and cruel. Sometimes you need to learn when it's okay and when it's not! There's a fine line, Lumina! You got that?"
"So it's okay for Lightning to be protective, but not me?" Lumina stared blankly at Serah, her face absant of any emotion whatsoever.
"Lumina, that's not being protective, that's being cruel." Serah sighed.
"Besides, you don't even know Alyssa. Just get to know her and I'm sure you'll be good friends." Hope smiled.
"Nah, I'm good. I think I'll sit on the fence on this one and wait for Lightning." Lumina said bluntly, skipping back into the kitchen.
"So, that's Lumina, huh?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow at Hope. "You made her sound so nice, but she really isn't. Either that, or she really doesn't like me."
"N-no, really...she's a great girl once you get to know her" Hope chuckled nervously. "I think it's just because of what she's heard about you, you know?"
"I see.." She stared at Lumina, her eyes narrowing slightly on the unaware girl.
After a while, Lightning and Fang came down and they all began eating. Serah put Snow's and the other's dinner in the oven for them until they got back.
"So?" Serah asked. "How does it taste?"
"This is...actually pretty good." Lightning blinked in shock, looking at Lumina. "You..can actually cook!"
"Yeah, this is great, Lumina" Hope complimented.
"It wasn't just me, you know."
"No, but she did do most of it." Vanille winked. "We told her what to do."
Despite Alyssa already apologising, Lightning, too, was weary of her. For once, it was something ber and Lumina had both agreed on. They didn't like her, and they both had their own reasons, maybe even without realising it, but they kept quiet. Lumina was biting her tongue, especially after Serah lectured her.
"I'll see you on monday, Hope." Alyssa smiled, waving as she left.
"Come again soon, okay?" Serah smiled.
"Yeah." They all saw her off until she was out of site, everyone heading back into the living room.
"Where on earth are the boys?" Serah frowned.
"Yeah, their food will be no good soon." Vanille gave a pout, feeling unhappy about good foor going to waste.
"You're complaining? The quite is nice without that loud idiot." Lightnign sighed contently, closing her eyes and tilting her head back against the sofa, and just like that, the door was opened and Snow came barging in loudly, followed by Sazh, who was carrying a sleepy Dajh.
"Aww, how cute." Serah giggled, looking at Dajh and patting his head.
"Yeah, I'm a go take him to bed. Also, there's someone you need to see." Sazh nodded towards the hallway before walking up the stairs and was greeted by a familier voice.
"Oh, Serah! It's been so long since I saw you. You've gotten prettier, you know. Oh, but not nearly as drop-dead-gourgess as me!"
"Chocolina!?" Serah gasped, and Lightning felt her headache get worse. Great. Snow and now her.
The chocobo woman was no longer such a chocobo and was 100% woman. She had hands and feet, and no feathers.
"It took me a while to get used to it, but it's super nice to be able to grab things and run without tripping over." She chirped.
"Hey, where's Johannes?" Serah asked, tilting her head. "Did he head back to his?"
"Yeah, Yuki had fallen asleep too, so he decided he'd call it a night" Snow answered. "Anyway, where's Alyssa?"
"You missed her." Hope answered. "But we'll see her again, don't worry."
"Great! Hey, Serah. Aren't you going to come give your hero a hug?"
"Uh, there's so much going on" Serah shook her head. "Oh! You guys, your dinner!" After an ordeal with getting their food ready, Sazh, Snow and Chocolina ate their food. "I'll take Johannes' round to him." Serah slipped on her boots with the plate in her hands, wrapped in clingfilm.
"Alright, don't be long." Snow called.
Serah stepped out into the cold night, looking up to see the sky full of stars.
"I really miss looking up at seeing cocoon, but this is pretty, too." She sighed before heading next door and knocking.
"Hello?" Johannes swung the door open. "Oh, Serah. What brings you here?"
"I brought you some dinner. We made you a plate, but since you're over here, I thought I'd bring it to you." She smiled.
"Oh, thanks." He chuckled, taking the plate. "Come in." He let her in, heading to the kitchen and sticking the plate in teh microwave after removing the film. "Smells. good."
"Yeah." Serah nodded. "So, did you have fun?"
"Hm? Yeah, yeah. You might wanna watch Snow mind. "Johannes raised both his brows, shaking his head a little.
"And why is that?" She giggled. "I mean, besides the obvious."
"Haha, well, he's a little too keen to have kids, for one." Johannes chuckled. "I don't think he really understands reality at all."
"Yeah, I figured he'd be like that." Serah sighed.
"Hey, hey. Most girls would be blushing, thinking of it and all, right? So why do you look so depressed about it."
"I'm not depressed" Serah frowned, folding her arms "I'm just...not pleased about it."
"And why is that?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Oh, really?"
"Really..."
"Hmm." Johannes eyed Serah, knowing something was clearly on her mind.
"Anyway, I just came here to give you that, not talk about Snow, so I'll see you tomorrow."
"You don't love him, do you?" Johannes question stopped Serah in her tracks. She just stoof there, frozen like ice with her eyes wide. "I thought so.."
"N-no, you're wrong. Of course I love him." Serah defended, turning around to face Johannes again. "He's my fiance and we're getting married. We've been through so much together, so of course I love him."
Serah.." Johannes cut her empty words off. "You're either in denial or lying to me, and I won't accept either."
"You're wrong. Besides, what's it to you? It's got nothing to do with you." Serah's gaze fell elsewhere as her hand fell loosely over her chest. "Snow loves me, and I love him, just like it's meant to be. We're going to get married and have our own family. The long and painful wait, it'll all be worth it."
"Serah, I don't know what you've been through, but to me, it sounds like you're forcing it. But you might think you're doing the right thing, but you're not. You'll be hurting Snow more than anything, and don't you want to be happy?"
"I am happy." Serah smiled, her attention back on Johannes.
"Serah-"
"Now, I'll see you tomorrow." She turned, not giving him a chance to finish what he wanted to say and left.
"You deserve so much better." He sighed, leaning against the counter.
When Serah got back, everyone was getting ready to head off to bed. Serah thought about what Johannes said, and gulped. Surely it was all a lie. Of course she loved Snow, and she'd prove it tonight.
"Hey, Snow. Can I sleep in your room with you tonight?" Snow glanced over, a little shocked.
"Sure, babe." He smiled walking over and hugging her, nibbling her ear. "Shall I tell Hope to sleep somewhere else for the night?"
"Yeah.." Serah nodded.
"Alright!" Snow chuckled, walking off to find Hope before returning. "Alright, he's gonna pop over to Johannes and see if he can use his spair room."
"Okay." Serah nodded and with that, Snow guided her to his room. It was as if Lightning had sensors for when Serah was doing something she didn't like because Lightning's right ear twitched and she popped her head up, glancing around with her eyes narrow.
"You okay, Light?" Fang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's nothing. I thought I heard Serah.."
So, shall we push the two bed together or are you okay with both of us squishing on mine?" Snow laughed, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
"It's find with just the one." Serah replied, unbottoning her shirt.
"Oh, okay. You're getting undressed there." Snow blushed, looking away.
"We're engaged, aren't we? So you can look." Serah felt uncomfortable, but she felt she needed to force herself to do this.
"Actually, about that..." Snow smiled shyly, and Serah felt her heart race all of a sudden. Why was she hoping he was going to call it off? "I proposed by programme, but not in this world. That proposal, it was meaningless to me." Serah stopped undressed and turned to Snow.
"I feel the same." She nodded. "I wasn't sure how to say it though..."
"Right? So I was thinking of proposing properly. I want to make it meaningful, so for now, we're not engaged yet." Snow turned to her, smiling.
"...right" Serah smiled, nodding her head. But she couldn't help but feel her heart sink. "Snow, how do you feel?"
"That's a strange questions" He raised an eyebrow. "But I feel like the happiest guy. I have my friends, a good job...and the woman I love right here with me at last." He pulled her close, gazing into her eyes before pulling her into a deep kiss.
Serah knew she should've felt something, but she didn't. She didn't feel her heart race, or her stomach go crazy. She felt like she was kissing a stranger, someone she had no bond with at all. She was close to tears, but was able to hold it in. The man she had spent so long loving, the one who had faught so hard to be with her, was nothing to her now. The feelings were really nothing but a programme.
"Serah, are you okay?" Snow asked, snapping Serah from her thoughts. "You seem distant.."
"I'm just tired, Snow. Life in this world is a lot harder than I'd thought" She smiled.
"Yeah, I know. But you can talk to me, you know that, right? We're a couple."
"Yeah, I know." Snow kissed her again before the two decided to get some sleep. For the first time, Snow was able to hold Serah in his arms and fall asleep like that. He had longed for it for so long, and it was finally here.
"Alright! I've booked the spa for the spring next year, when it's best to go." Johannes announced to following day. "We'll be there for a week, so make sure to pack things on time."
"Whoo, I can't wait!" Snow cheered.
"How many months will that be now?" Vanille thought, pursing her lips. "five months?"
"Yep, so we still have a good amount of time to save up. The price is £3578, but we'll have more than enough by then." Johannes informed them.
"Great, so we can all book time off work for then." Lightning got out her phone, texting the news to Lebreau before closing her phone shut.
"Right, but that's next year now." Johannes chuckled. "For now, lets just get excited for Christmas."
"Christmas?" Vanille asked, making Johannes look at her with a rather startled expression.
"Don't tell me you guys don't know what Christmas is..." He looked around at their confused faces and let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, jeez.." For the next hour or so, Johannes sat there, explaining to them what Christmas was and what people did. Vanille got excited at the thought of it, but after hearing it was less than a month away, they all got a little worried about getting gifts and decorations.
"I can't believe that even after all this time being here, we only just hear about this holiday.." Hope sighed. "Well what shall we do?"
"It's simple, isn't it?" Lightning sat there, her arms folded across her chest. "We'll have everyone come here. Serah, Vanille and Lumina can cook the dinner, and we'll all eat here."
"Sounds good" Serah nodded.
"Yeah, I don't mind cooking! But, er..we'll have to look into it a little more." Vanille giggled.
"Don't forget pressents for everyone." Snow mentioned. "What kind of things do you give someone, anyway?"
"It doesn't matter." Johannes sighed. "It's the thought that counts and besides, you all seem like you've been together for a while, so it should be easy."
"You'll be coming, right, Johannes? You'll bring Yuki with you?" Lumina asked, smirking as she usually did.
"Sure, but my other nefew will be coming too, since he spends holidays at mine."
"That's fine." Serah beamed. "It'll be fun."
And so, their busy weeks were about to get busier with the coming of December in less than two weeks. Their work shifts would become longer and busier, but they'd get more pay. They'd have to spend their free time looking for things to buy each other and buying other things like the food and decorations.
As december drew closer, the weather got colder and colder with each day. Soon they were breathing steam from their mouthes, getting excited from the new experience in this world. People were a lot more stressed this time of year, too, but they were still happy and beaming. After their long days at work, they drink hot drinks together, getting things ready.
And finally, December came. They put up their decorations and went into the town centre to watch the main lights get turned on. It was the best thing they'd ever seen; all those bright lights shining through the town. The shops were decorated brightly, too and Serah and Vanille even got cute seasonal maid outfits for work.
"It's less than a week, guys." Serah smiled, holding her hot drink close to her. "The weatherman said it'll be snowing in the next couple days."
"We'll finally get to see snow!" Lumina beamed. "I can't wait."
"You see me right here, everyday." Snow winked at the young, pink haired girl, who shot a frown at him.
"You know what I mean" She crossed her arms, pouting in the other direction. The other's laughed at the two, but were soon cut off from Johannes, who walked in.
"Hey, guys." He smiled, his nose red from the cold outside. "My nefew is arriving at the plan station soon, and I have to go pick him up. Could you look after Yuki while I fetch him?" He pulled Yuki in gently, both his hands resting on the young boy's shoulder. "I promise I won't be long."
"Sure, Johannes. It's not a problem at all." Serah smiled, walking over and bending down to Yuki's level and taking his hand. "You wanna come play with us for a bit?"
Yuki's cold eyes stared for a moment before he nodded, letting Serah guide him in and sat him down next to Hope and Dajh.
"Thanks, guys. I'd take him with me, but it's easier this way and it's rush hour as it is." Johannes sighed.
"I told you, it's not a problem. Yuki's a good boy, after all." Serah giggled, standing by Johannes again. "Hey, it's cold outside." She walked over to the kitchen, filling a large up with hot chocolate and putting a lid on top before giving it to Johannes. "Here."
"Er, thank's, Serah." Johannes blinked, taking the cup from Serah. "That's nice of you." He smiled at the pink haired woman. "Well, I better get going. See you all in a bit."
"Drive safely!" Lumina called, making Johannes stop for a moment.
"Thanks, Lumina." He chuckled, glancing back at her. Everyone was a little shocked by Lumina's caring demand, and stared at her while Johannes let himself out.
"That was a little odd, hearing that from you." Lightning chuckled.
"I was just going to say the same thing" Snow waved.
"Ouch, you guys are mean." Lumina pretended to sound hurt. "But whatever. I guess Johannes is just more important to me than any of you." She smirked, sticking her tongue out.
"Oh?" Hope raised an eyebrow, but Lumina ignored him and continued to watch the tv.
"Well, anyway." Serah shook her head, turning to Yuki. "Are you excited to see your brother, Yuki?"
"..." Yuki nodded his head, but didn't say anything.
"O-kay" Snow scratched the back of his head. "Why don't we play a game, Yuki?" But Yuki shook his head. "Aww, come on."
"Snow, don't force him." Serah sighed, placing a filled mug of hot chocolate in front of Yuki. "There you go, sweetie." She ruffled his hair gently, smiling.
"Thank you, Miss Serah." Yuki said with a small voice, taking the cup and taking a sip from the warm drink. His reply actually shocked everyone, even Serah, since they had never heard his voice before. He was a quiet boy that had only just spoke out to them, even after all their time here so far.
"You're welcome, Yuki. But please, just call me Serah." She smiled.
"...Serah.." He nodded.
"Well, ain't that grand?" Sazh laughed. "Now if only I could teach Dajh to be that polite."
"Huh? But daddy-"
"I'm kidding. You're adorable, son." Sazh gave his son a pat on the shoulder.
"I hate to ruin the mood, but when are we gonna eat?" Fang cut in, her legs up on the coffee table. "I'm starving."
"Fang, you just ate not that long ago!" Vanille cried, frowning at the older woman.
"Oi, I've never been able to appreciate the joys of food." Fand defended. "Now I can appreciate it, I want to eat all the time. Fill me up, girl"
"Fang, that sounds weird." Hope chuckled.
"Besides, Don't say something like that in front of Yuki"
"It's fine. He's just a kid, so it's not like he understands." Snow raised his fist in the air. "We can talk about that other world and our lives there, and it wouldn't matter because he wouldn't understand."
"Oh, you guys are terrible." Serah huffed, but her angry features softened when she looked at the young boy in question. He was sat quietly, watching the tv and not paying any attention to their conversation at all.
Before long, Dajh had fallen asleep in Sazh lap, leaving Yuki with no one to play with.
"It's getting pretty late. Do you want to take a nap, Yuki?" Serah kneeled down beside him, but he shook his head.
"I know!" Hope stood up. "Wanna come play video games with me and Lumina?" Lumina looked back, frowning at Hope.
"Why me?"
"Because you're the only one who's fun to play with." Hope chuckled.
"You like that idea, Yuki?" Serah smiled, and Yuki nodded, standing up along with Serah and Lumina, who he quickly took her hand while Hope took his other hand.
They headed up into Hope's room and switched on the console, sitting cross-legged on the floor with the remotes in their hands. Yuki was sat on Hope's lap, watching contently as the two played away. Lumina couldn't help but blush everytime she glanced at Hope, who was talking to Yuki and letting him hold the remote with him.
"Quick, shoot her!" Hope laughed, making Yuki press the shoot button and finish Lumina off.
"I'm only letting you win because you're playing, Yuki" Lumina defended, since this was her fourth loss.
"Sure, sure." Hope teased. "But I bet you're just no match for this little champion." Normally, Lumina would have made a smart remark, but since Yuki looked like he was enjoying himself, Lumina just simply continued to play, losing every battle. But it wasn't just because of Yuki that she bit her tongue with each loss, but because she was enjoying her time with Hope. It was the first time in a long time they had spent time together like this, and while she didn't want to admit it, she was happy.
Before long, Yuki had falled asleep though. He slept peacefully in Hope's lap while they continued to play, talking away like they used to.
"So how have you been spending your free time, Lumi?" Hope asked.
"I've been helping Johannes out with stuff. I've learnt some interesting things about him."
"Is that why you're so nice to him?" Hope chuckled, glancing at her for a moment before back at the screen.
"You could say that." She pursed her lips, recalling the story Johannes had told her a while back now. "What about you? How is work going?"
"Oh, yeah. It's going well. It can be a little hectic this time of year, but it's fun. It keeps me on my toes, you know?"
"Not really."
"Well, it keeps me from thinking too much about certain things." Hope laughed nervously.
"Like what?"
"Heh, nothing. Don't worry, Lumina...Think fast!" Hope laughed as he won another round, making Lumina frown and cross her arms.
"Seriously, I let you win."
"Sure, sure." He smirked. "Anyway.." Hope shifted a little, picking Yuki up and placing him on his own bed. "There you go, little dude. More comfy for you."
"Where are you going to sleep?" Lumina raised an eyebrow, still watching Yuki sleep peacefully.
"I'll wake him when Johannes gets back. If not, I don't mind sleeping on the sofa."
"Weirdo." Lumina sighed. There was a few moments of silence between the two, and Lumina felt like she needed to say something to Hope. She wasn't sure what it was, but the unbarable feeling was becoming too much for her. Unspoken words, begging to be spilled into the air between the two. But what? "..Hope-"
Beep, beep. Hope's phone went off. Perfect timing, right? He pulled out his phone and answered it.
"Hey." He answered. "Oh, uhm...tomorrow? Sure. Yeah, that's fine. Okay, bye." Hope put his phone back in his pocket and turned to Lumina. "Sorry, Lumina. It was work, they wanted me to work a little tomorrow." He chuckled. "Anyway, what was you saying?"
"Oh, nothing." She laced her hands behind her back, stepping backwards towards the door. "I've gotta go do something." She spun on her heels and walked out, leaving the silver haired boy to his thoughts. He looked down at Yuki again and let out a heavy sigh. He didn't want Lumina to have left, but he couldn't bring himself to say that. It's not that he couldn't, but because it was Lumina. She was such a strange girl, no one ever knew what she was thinking. If he had said something like that to her, who knows what she would've done. He didn't even know if she really considered him a friend at all. He didn't know if she loved every moment they spent together as much as he did, which was why...he wanted to forget those feelings. He wanted to not feel this way for that girl at all.
AN: Mhm, some odd pairings in this, right? But since I'm just letting the story flow, the ships are coming out naturally. I haven't planned any of them (appart from a few that'll come later) the rest have kinda just happened and I like it. Lumina and Hope have a cute relationship. Wether of not it goes further is completely up to how the story flows. Will Lightning find romance? I don't know either. I haven't planned anything for her, and I DO NOT want suggestions. :p thanks for reading~