>>56"I was just like you once."
Hope struggled to suppress a laugh. How in the world could Lightning, of all people, ever have been like him? He was weak, unsure of himself and naive about the wider world around him. His combat prowess was still laughable compared to her lethal grace and his emotions constantly plagued him. Dreams would torture him with pictures of happier days and times less fraught with danger. It was almost as if Hope's subconscious was trying to drown out his mind with pleasant memories to blot out the pain of reality.
Lightning, by contrast, showed absolutely none of those things in herself. Of course, like any human being, she had to have concerns at times but damned if she ever let it show. The fact that she was able to move forward with such a concrete composure was testament to her strength of will. So how in the hell could she claim to have ever been like Hope?
"My parents died. I had to be strong for Serah, so I though I needed to forget my past. And I became Lightning."
>Light…..lost her parents? In that instant, Hope's entire perception changed.
>That means….at one time…she must have felt exactly the way I did. So, Light knew everything that Hope was going through. It was no wonder then that she was able to relate so well to him. She had been just as confused and hurt as he was, if not more. And yet she was able to transform herself into a self-assured and composed young woman. Hope's mind was blown. But more than that, it was that she had chosen to tell him this. As far as he knew, Light wasn't exactly forthcoming with personal information. Judging by other people's knowledge of her, it was almost unfathomable. Yet his ears weren't deceiving him.
"Light…why are you telling me this?"
Lightning hesitated. That was actually a good question. Well, the least she could do was give him a straight answer.
"Because I can see you're having a tough time getting through this. It was hard for me when I was a kid since I didn't have anybody to confide in, save Serah, and the last thing she needed was to be burdened by my issues. I thought that if you knew that I'd been through, and had someone around who you could relate to, it might make getting through this whole thing a little easier."
>So you chose to tell me this to help me?For the second time, Hope was taken aback. In addition to all of Lightning's attributes and abilities, she could also help the people around her at the cost of showing herself to be just as fallible as the next person.
This gesture touched Hope deeply. Before his voice began to crack he needed to say something.
"Light?"
"Yeah?"
"I know it can't be easy for you, telling someone that sort of thing. I mean, it's not something you just blurt out to anybody you've known for more than 5 minutes, y'know? So I really appreciate what you're doing for me. And I promise I won't say anything if you don't want me to."
Lightning smiled. And it wasn't one of her platonic smiles to make people stop worrying. This was a smile of genuine warmth and sentiment. She didn't know anyone but Serah who took heart of her feelings like that, and it felt quite nice for them to be acknowledged.
"Don't mention it Hope. Now, we've got to keep moving before the Sanctum sweeps the entire tunnel system."
[Some time later.]
"I won't abandon you."
Hope felt re-assured by those words. He dreaded to think what would happen if he was left alone. To be left for the second time in his life by someone he cared for was something that didn't bear thinking about, not even for a second. Hope glanced towards Lightning and saw something he didn't quite recognize. Gone was the steely facade she usually wore, replaced by something more….tender. Affectionate, even. It almost seemed nurturing. But, why? What could shift Lightning's composure like that?
>Maybe she's worried for me. "Staying alive I can help you with. But I can't give you Hope."
>That's not true Light. You've been giving me hope this whole time - teaching me to be strong, giving me encouragement and just being there to listen. You've helped me more than I could have imagined. And for that, I'll never abandon you either. Continued.