Still alive, just busy. I went back into my research for this story and I just... cried. Yet again, I am reminded how much of a beautiful game Type-0 was and how important Ace is to me, ahahah.

Anyway, Thank you to Tmax 99, Nado-chan, Evilworld11, Stephanie0304, and ExOrienteLux94 for reviewing last chapter! Glad to know all of you care about me being alive and able to update~

Disclaimer: Ace's gift is that he can nap anywhere. He said so in the manga.

Chapter 8: A Path that Splintered

Ace honestly wasn't sure if he had an absurd amount luck, or a behemoth amount of misfortune. Keeping up with Lightning wasn't too much of a problem. She was quick with her pace and had a somewhat of a single track mindset, though at times he wished she slowed down for Hope. He was able to lend a hand with exterminating monsters that charged at them and simultaneously covered for Hope every time he slipped up, but Ace could really feel the exhaustion creeping up on him. He almost felt as tired as Hope looked when they finally came to a dead end in their trek.

Hope staggered over to sit on a piece of broken machinery, while Lightning looked around.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" he asked her. The ex-soldier placed her hands on her hips and shifted her weight.

"I've been here on a few missions."

Ace audibly clamped his mouth shut when he felt the sudden urge to snap a sarcastic comment. He decided to give himself a moment to sit on the ground next to Hope, not caring if his clothes smeared with dirt. It was already a sight to see. He closed his eyes and just let the two converse. He didn't quiet understand what they were saying, so he decided to stay out of it. Lightning was already suspicious of him enough, and he didn't know if he could handle all the information at once.

All he was able to gather was that the Purge was not Lightning's division's fault before Hope's voice rose.

"Wait a minute! If you're with the Guardian Corps, then why'd you board the train?" he asked her. Ace opened his eyes to look at her. He was curious, too, because it really didn't add up.

"To get in," came her answer. She launched into another explanation for her reason, "It was my only chance to save Serah before the entire Vestige was out of reach.

Ace hummed in slight understanding, "Hmm, that suddenly makes sense. The fastest way to get to your sister was to Purge yourself." but look where it got you.

The rest of his words didn't leave his mouth - mainly out of respect for Lightning. Hope, on the other hand, didn't keep silent.

"To do something like that... That's too crazy. Ridiculous even."

Lightning turned away from him, "I't not a question of can or can't. It's just something you do."

"For someone strong like you, that's easy to say," Hope said softly.

"You'll get there," Ace automatically told him as Lightning gave him an annoyed look. Hope didn't seem to hear him as stared at his hands.

"Ace," Lightning called, catching the teen's attention, "Keep an eye out."

She didn't give him a chance to respond as she suddenly leapt away, easily scaling the cliff. Hope called after her, but she never looked back. Ace grabbed the edge of Hope's jacket and gently tugged the cloth, "Take it easy, Hope. We're fine for now."

Hope eyed him warily before he plopped himself in place and sat next to Ace. He wrapped his arms around his knees and buried half of his face in them. His voice was muffled as he spoke, "I hate this."

Ace didn't know what to say to that, so he took his hand back and dropped his shoulders. He didn't like the way Hope's hands gripped his elbows, or how small he seemed, but there really wasn't anything Ace could say. He didn't exactly understand it, so what right did he have to add his own two cents.

Instead, Ace sat a little straighter and placed his hands on his lap. He wouldn't deny that he was tired, maybe borderline exhausted, but he had to stay alert - for Hope's sake.

His silent vigil didn't last long when he heard a few footsteps in the distance. Automatically, his body moved to stand and a card flashed in his hand. He spun on his heel, arm poised to throw his card.

"Ace! Hope! You're okay!"

Vanille's voice grounded him to a halt and his eyes widened at the sight of her and Sazh jogging towards him. He dropped his arm and dismissed the card, "You caught up."

"Where's the lady?" Sazh asked as he came to a stop. Hope finally looked up from his slouch and gestured up the cliff with his head. It was pretty self explanatory at that point. Ace reached a hand to Hope, silently telling him that it was time to move.

"I'm sure we can find a way to catch up to her," he said as he pulled Hope to his feet, "eventually."

Ace wasn't prepared for him to yank away with such a bitter expression on his face.

"This is pointless! I can't keep up, or go home- I didn't ask for this!" Hope snapped.

Home.

For some odd reason, Ace felt a twinge of- something pinch at him, but he didn't know what that meant. Maybe it was just a coincidence? He was exhausted after all.

"No one asked for this," he reminded Hope. Ace placed a hand on his hip and shifted his weight, "Being strong takes time and determination. Getting home is just the same."

"Going home is pointless- my mom- she's..." Hope trailed off focusing his glare to the ground. "We... we were just there by chance. It was supposed to be just a vacation! But then the Purge happened, and she was desperate. She wanted to fight to get us home- It's all Snow's fault! She wanted to fight and he killed her!"

His biting words stunned the others into silence. His eyes held a very familiar weight that Ace started to recognize. His mind told him that it wasn't important, but the hurt, sadness and anger that Hope expressed had his heart telling him otherwise. It was confusing to try and understand him, but for a moment, Ace figured that maybe- just maybe- it might've been grief.

And yet that still didn't sit right with him.

"Then let's get you home," Vanille suddenly said, "Someone's bound to be waiting for you."

Hope huffed, "My dad won't be waiting for me- he doesn't care."

"Any father would be worried about their son," came a muttered comment. Ace looked to Sazh, who deliberately didn't look his way. He agreed with the man, even though he didn't have a memory to back it up. It felt right.

"Sazh?"

Ace watched him turn on his heel and dismissed Vanille's concern with a quick, "Nothing important." The man walked up to a machine welded against the cliff and pulled a lever. It hissed loudly, as if it suddenly woke up, before blasting a chunk of metal from the side. Ace couldn't help but stare as that same chunk literally pulled some sort of walkway from the other side. Sazh grinned as he walled over to Hope.

"There's still time, Hope, so we'll get you home," he addressed the teen. He placed a hand on his shoulder with a grin, "Your dad will be glad to see you."

._._._._._.

Sazh didn't know what to think anymore. These teens- these three kids did not deserve this.

Vanille's happy personality brightened up the somber mood, but it was painfully obvious that she forced herself to stay positive. Hope still looked like he wanted nothing more than to scream and shout, but he focused on his pace.

Ace, on the other hand, was another story.

The odd teenager only made Sazh a little wary of him. He had a few theories on him, but so far, the only thing that made sense to him was that Ace was a child soldier of some sort. The way Ace held himself despite the clear exhaustion in his eyes showed an extraordinary amount of discipline. He only seemed to be a few years older than Hope, and that made Sazh all the more concerned.

Ace didn't even complain when Hope stumbled, and only catching him with ease. He listened politely to Vanille's occasional peppy comments, and kept her from getting too distracted from walking. He even kept an eye out for Sazh, subtly slowing his pace at times for the man to catch up.

The father in him felt a mixture of anger and relief for Ace. He was glad the teen was capable of taking care of himself and others, despite things happening one after another. Yet, his actions, the odd confusion that didn't seem appropriate at times, and the blaring ease that Ace had in battle sparked that anger. It didn't fit Ace, but at the same time, it did.

And that by itself worried Sazh.

"Whoa! This is...?" Vanille's curious voice brought Sazh out of his musings.

He looked up and almost frowned, "That's a warship from Pulse."

Vanille placed her hands behind her back and swayed in slight awe, "They made it this far?"

Sazh immediately brushed away that thought with a wave of his hand and launched into an explanation, "Nah. Not since the war. In fact, none of their forces made it to Cocoon. They damaged the outer rim, but then the Sanctum fal'Cie pushed them off. Sure you didn't nap during your history courses?"

She looked a little guilty as she shrugged with a laugh, "Kinda."

Ace shifted his weight and answered with a straight face, "Sleep is important."

Then suddenly, the teen blinked, as if he couldn't believe his own words, before schooling his face into a casual smile. It was almost painful to watch, but Sazh decided not to say anything.

"So!" Vanille piped up again, "What's a Pulse warship doing here?"

Hope grabbed his arm and answered for Sazh, "When the war ended, it was impossible for people to live near the rim, like Hanging Edge. So, the fal'Cie gathered scrap from Pulse and used it for rebuilding, but it just ended up like this: nothing but trash."

Sazh nodded his head. He was glad that at least one of these kids didn't sleep through history (though that type of excuse didn't seem to fit when it came to Ace). He placed his hands on his hip, "Hard to believe that there's a mix of Pulse and other things mixed into this junk."

Vanille seemed a little sad as she looked away from the warship, "Hard to believe, huh..."

Ace looked at her, eyes observant, but Sazh could see the hidden confusion in his gaze. He looked at each kid individually before dropping his hands, "Come on, we got a lot of ground to cover."

His words jumpstarted the kids into action, and he couldn't stop his own frown as he trailed behind them.

No kid, especially Vanille, Hope and Ace, deserved any of this.

._._._._._.

Lightning literally dropped back in to join them along the way, and Ace couldn't say that he wasn't expecting her to reappear. If anything he expected her to come and join them much, much later considering the direction she disappeared into. Then again Ace wasn't really paying attention which way they were headed.

He really wanted to sleep, but he did his best to keep his focus.

Needless to say, he was prepared to fight when an old piece of machinery woke up, but the look Lightning told him otherwise.

"Watch Hope," was she said as she brandished her weapon. Ace wanted to defy her and join the others, but he resigned himself to act as a support. Besides, he wasn't sure if he could cast magic without accidentally hitting someone. A few stray monsters decided to join the fight, probably thinking that the two boys were vulnerable.

Hope really wasn't the best fighter, but Ace was grateful that he could throw his boomerang well enough. With a bit of practice and some confidence, then Hope wouldn't need Ace's help as much.

And a lot of time, Ace added mentally as he caught Hope leaving himself wide open far to much. He did what he could to cover those weak spots, but even Ace had his limits. The ground shook from the Pulse weapon's movements and it didn't help at all. Hope managed to cut down the last Incubus, just as Lightning and the others took down the Dreadnaught. The machine's gear crunched and clanked before the entire thing crumbed to a heap.

"Don't tell me Pulse has these things crawling around..." Sazh said as the two boys rejoined the group.

Lightning sheathed her weapon, "Who knows? Not even the Corps has intel on Pulse. We know nothing when we're up against the enemy."

"Well, that's true. But wouldn't it be better to know what you're fighting?" Sazh asked.

Lightning began to walk, "An enemy's an enemy."

As Sazh, Vanille and Lightning chatted as they walked, Hope looked thoughtful, "If you have a goal, you can fight?"

Ace began to follow after them to gain his attention. As Hope looked at him, he offered a tired smile, "Not sure about you, but I think that a goal is a pretty good reason in itself, right?"

._._._._._.

They finally managed to take a break, and Ace was more than happy to just sit at the edge of a tiny pond of water and close his eyes. The others wandered around, even climbing up the ruins of a warship. He knew that they needed to move, but he just felt tired. He couldn't remember being this exhausted since he first woke up in Bohdum. Then again, he didn't exactly rest since the Purge began.

Blackouts certainly don't count.

Ace buried half of his face in his red 'scarf' and relaxed. He could hear Lightning's dead serious voice and a distraught Sazh, only catching bits and pieces of it. He didn't quite understand what Lightning meant by destroying Eden. He vaguely remembered Lebreau giving him a rushed run down of their government, but he couldn't seem to recall it for the life of him.

Eventually he gave up when he heard Vanille suddenly raise her voice. Maybe he should care since this was his life now, but he felt that he didn't belong here - that he needed to get off of Cocoon or something.

Pulse didn't exactly sound right either. He only looked up when he heard someone walking up to him. Lightning didn't spare him a glance as she strode confidently past.

"Snow's the enemy!" came Hope's voice above him. Ace couldn't help but stand on his shaky legs as Hope clumsily climbed down the ruins. He still couldn't understand why the teen was so upset at Snow- although 'upset' was an understatement. Hope rushed past him and followed after Lightning, despite how far behind he was.

Frowning, Ace placed a hand on his hip and stared up at Vanille and Sazh far above him. The man sighed with a shake of his head while Vanille looked a bit torn. He glanced at Hope's retreating back, then to Vanille, and then back to Hope.

He didn't know if he should stay or leave, but when he caught Hope trip as he ran, Ace made his decision. He only caught Vanille's eye and before he took off after the others.

He was able to catch up to them just as a flood of armed soldiers blocked the way. Yet, just as he passed a certain point, an explosion shook the ground and sprouted fire and smoke at him. He stumbled and found himself in the air.

Then he saw it before Hope called out for him. The rocks loosened and the support broke for a piece of a wrecked structure. He didn't think as he moved. Ace twisted in the air to narrowly dodge a giant pipe. He landed on steel bar, ran up the falling beam to kick off a plate of steel. The force of his momentum threw him into the air, over Lightning and Hope. The sudden rush of energy woke him up, and his attention sharpened.

He lashed out his hand.

His cards answered his call and he instantly fell into them. He reappeared behind a soldier and quickly knocked them out with a slash of a card.

Lightning immediately followed suit as she launched herself to the closest enemy. Hope quickly offered his support with bouts of fire and blizzard, with the occasional toss of his boomerang. It didn't take the three long to easily rout them, but the exhaustion was clear in the boys as they regrouped. Ace's posture was sloppy as he stood with a hand gripping his scarf to cover his tiny, stifled coughs. Hope slouched over with his arms acting as a support while he fought to catch his breath.

Ace was pretty damn sure that he had gotten lucky. If he didn't react fast enough, he could've been skewered in place. The very thought made a shiver run up his spine. Lightning huffed as she placed a hand on her hip.

"I can see you're not bad at fighting," she started to Hope, but then her gaze landed on Ace, "but you both should turn back. Stick with me and there won't be an end to the fighting."

She strode past them, fully intending to leave them behind, "There's no telling what could happen."

Hope looked up at her and straightened up, "I know that- but... I need to get stronger."

Then she stopped and just stood there.

The two boys shared a look of slight confusion before Ace broke the silence, "...Lightning?"

"Call me Light."

"What are we going to do now?" Hope asked.

She finally faced them as she gave her answer, "We'll get through Gapra Whitewood to Palumpolum. There should be a transport that will take us to Eden."

"I can show you the shortcuts in Palumpolum," Hope then added, "It's where I live."

"No side trips, though."

Hope had a lopsided grin on his face, "Wasn't planning on it. Besides, a l'Cie wouldn't be able to do anything."

Lightning looked to Ace, who titled his head with a prompting hum. She regarded him for a second before turning on her heel, "Stay close."

I really need to divert from the game, but like, I need them all in Pulse to do it. Hopefully next chapter I can get Ace into a more active role. Please stick with me until I get there!

Well, tell me what you thought of this- kinda barely moving chapter! (Yeah, I'm not completely proud of this one because I didn't get to where I aimed for)

I didn't hit last time's preview so here it is again + Bonus:

"What? Wait- Hope- no- please-" Ace gave up, seeing how the younger teen clearly ignored him.

Hope climbed up the oddly familiar machinery and settled in the cockpit, "Okay- how do you turn this on...?"

Ace placed a hand on his hip and huffed, "I don't know- maybe press a blaring red button or somethi-"

He didn't have a chance to finish as the machinery jumped to life, carrying a yelling Hope. If Ace wasn't so surprised, he would've laughed at how similar their voices sounded.

._._._._._.

"Where's your hometown?" Hope asked.

"Home...? Oh, It's Bohdum. Well, at least I think it is," Ace answered with a shrug. That caught Lightning's attention.

"You think you're from Bohdum?" she somewhat echoed with disbelief in her voice. She never did recall seeing the teen around town- even when she was on patrol.

Ace gave a soft hum, "I've only lived there for a short while. Someone was kind to give me a place to stay - even though I can't remember anything."

Lightning stopped, "...What?"

Later!

-CloudyLightning