Jinx and Ekko had left the airship, finding it easier to walk through the Lanes than try and fly over them. Besides, Ekko had said that the Firelight's base wasn't a long distance away, so Jinx agreed to walk if it meant they'd save time.

They walked in silence. Ekko needed it to think. What was he going to say when he showed up to their base with Jinx of all people? He had been an advocate against her for the last few years. And now here he was, leading the way to their location.

There was no way they'd just welcome her with open arms, even if he was the one trying to convince them to. The boy hoped his comrades could look past it, just this once. For the sake of Zaun.

He was surprised at how silent Jinx had been on the walk. She had her arms crossed, kicking at any rock or piece of trash that lay in her path. Her eyes were locked on the ground.

Her pink eyes.

When did that happen again? The last time he'd seen her, they were the same bluish-gray he'd always known. Suddenly they were a striking pink, clashing pleasingly against the color of her hair. Would she tell him what happened if he asked? He internally shrugged, figuring it was worth a shot.

"So, uh, what happened to you that made your eyes... pink?"

Jinx blinked. She froze, making Ekko stop in his tracks as well as she recounted the memory of that night. After the bridge... She screwed her eyes shut at the remembrance of the gruesome torture she endured at the hands of that creepy guy.

Or was it Vi and Caitlyn? The memories kept flashing in her head, the unbearable pain feeling as if it were hitting her in waves again. Vi would never do that to her.

Voices rang in her head. Vi taunting her. Caitlyn laughing at her insults. She remembered wanting to die in that moment while those two just laughed at her. Jinx fell to her knees, leaving Ekko at a loss of what to do.

He crouched beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Jinx—"

"Shut up!" Jinx stuck her head out and screamed.

Her eyes reopened. Her breathing was labored and ragged. She stared at the ground. It was just another episode. Vi and Caitlyn had nothing to do with that night. Yet, some part of her couldn't remember it differently. Even when she knew it was true.

She flinched when she felt someone lightly squeeze her shoulder, shrugging the hand off. Her eyes turned on Ekko. His face was etched with confusion and worry. He let his hand fall back by his side. That's right. Ekko was here. They were on their way to the Firelights. Jinx focused on evening her breathing, reminding herself where she was.

"Sorry I asked?" Ekko's voice was unsure, his words coming out as a question rather than a statement.

Jinx shook her head, her voice surprisingly serious. "I try not to think about it."

Ekko nodded. "That's okay, you don't have to tell me."

"That night... on the bridge," Jinx started anyway.

Ekko wasn't sure if it was a good idea having Jinx retell whatever had traumatized her this much, but the words to tell her to stop wouldn't leave his mouth. He wanted to know what happened that night more than anything.

"I guess I was pretty busted up. After, y'know."

The images of Jinx's body on the bridge flashed in Ekko's mind. He was almost convinced she'd died that night. He waited for her to continue, but she remained crouched and silent. Her head remained down but she glanced sideways at him.

"Yeah," Ekko breathed.

She exhaled at his acknowledgement. "I guess Silco found me. He didn't know what to do, so... He brought me to this guy." She cringed. "Weird looking dude."

Ekko thought of everyone he'd come across, not sure who it could be that Jinx was talking about. If she said he looked weird, then it had to have been true.

"He gave me injections of shimmer. It's what brought me back to life."

"And changed your eyes?"

Jinx shrugged, tapping her knuckles against her head. "Feels like they make me have more hallucinations than normal."

"That's probably true."

Jinx just nodded. She stood back on her feet, Ekko standing too now and leading the way once more.

"Do you remember how it felt?" Ekko asked.

Jinx dug her nails into her palms to keep herself from having another episode.

"I'd do anything to forget."

They continued in silence for the next few minutes. Their strides synced while they wordlessly walked. So it was shimmer that saved Jinx's life? But why wasn't she affected by it the way others were? Her eyes had changed color, but that was the only physical change that was noticeable. Who did Silco know that could handle shimmer like that?

"What happened to you?" Jinx pulled him from his thoughts. "After... the explosion."

Ekko hated how much he remembered from that night. He hated fighting Jinx. Hated seeing her beaten and bloodied. Hated that look in her eyes. Hated how she pulled the pin from her grenade when he'd let up.

"I tried to jump over the bridge. Foot got caught in the railings and the blast."

"Oh."

Jinx regretted it all now. She should've just let them take the blue core. Something about the way Ekko was looking at her. How he stopped fighting her to pity her... She hated it. That look in his eyes. After all these years, she lost to little man. She pulled that pin, not to hurt Ekko, but to make him stop looking at her like that.

"Sorry about that."

Ekko snorted. He had gotten away with a broken ankle while Jinx was minutes from dying. He wasn't sure why going to the alternate universe had changed his perspective on Jinx so much, but it had. The bitterness in his heart from that night had dissolved. All he felt was guilty for even fighting in the first place.

And something about seeing Jinx at her lair... Seeing how ready she was to end it, how she tried multiple times. Without hesitation. It broke something in him. If he had been even a second late, she'd be gone now. The Jinx next to him was different than the Jinx he'd fought on the bridge. Ekko didn't know what all had happened in that time, but after coming back from the other dimension, his ultimate hope that Powder was still in there was relit.

"I came back. I saw you. After the bomb went off." Ekko remembered gloomily.

Jinx's head turned to him slightly as her eyes locked on him.

"I thought you were dead. You were covered in ash. I was too afraid to check your pulse."

"It would've been better if I did die that day."

Ekko didn't respond. His head shook slightly, but he didn't know what to say. He was glad that Jinx was still alive. Look at her now. The pair was actually working together. Ekko used to dream of days like these.

The remainder of their walk was in silence. Ekko guided the two through the Lanes, followed by tunnels and sewers. They neared the base, Ekko still unsure of what to say once they got there.

They made it to the chamber door. The boy took a deep breath before turning the valve. He pushed the door open, sunlight beaming and blinding them as they entered.

Ekko watched as people stared at Jinx. He saw mothers call for their kids, others running away, while some stood frozen in place.

"What's she doing here?!"

"You brought her here?"

"Ekko, you've ruined us!"

Ekko had been too caught up in the reactions of the people there to realize how taken back Jinx was. He turned to see her lips had slightly parted in awe. Her eyes still stung from the sunlight, but they remained locked on the tree.

"Are we still in Zaun?" She asked.

The boy didn't have time to answer. People were still shouting at him, at her. Some of them were angry enough that they began to move towards them. Ekko grabbed Jinx's hand, tugging her along before anyone could get to them.

She didn't protest, just let him lead her while her eyes wandered over the beauty of the base. The air was so clean. It was like she could taste it. She did manage to duck when things were thrown at her. Ekko hurriedly took them to a room, closing and sealing the door. It looked like they were in a bedroom.

"Jeez, not gonna buy me dinner first?"

Ekko was too caught up in figuring out what to do to even respond to her. The people were mad. They'd want Jinx out as soon as possible, no doubt. What was he going to do?

It wasn't like they'd believe him if he just told them she was different now. He was the only one who'd transported to another dimension, and even then, his feeling towards Jinx were still biased.

Shit

"Uh, everything okay?" Jinx asked sarcastically.

"No, it's not okay!" Ekko said frantically.

"Relax," Jinx coaxed. "Just go out there and work your 'boy savior' charm."

She pushed Ekko towards the door.

"It's not that easy!"

"Hey," Jinx said seriously. "If it worked on me, I'm sure you can get it to work on them."

And suddenly Ekko felt like the most confidant boy in the world. He nodded, more to himself than Jinx, and placed his hand on the lock. The two could hear the banging and protests just outside the room.

"Lock the door behind me."

Okay so I wanted this to be the chapter where they paint each other, but then I realized they still needed to figure out the Firelight thing and so I'm back tracking just a touch. I rewrote the ending of the last chapter just a bit to match this one. There was just a lot more conversations/moments between these two that I realized I wanted to include. I'm thinking i have one or two chapters before the final moments before the battle.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter :) The more reviews, the sooner the update.

Thanks!