Tough Love

Chapter 1- Surprise Encounters

The sun blazed over the plains of Gran Pulse, casting its fiery gaze on the crystal sphere that rested amongst the greenery, causing it to flash into an affinity of colours.

People swarmed around the sphere, shielding their gaze from the dazzling light of the orb as their eyes grazed over the clusters of the crowd. Amongst them was a young boy, no older than fourteen, bravely plunging into the crowd, his bright clothing and short stature standing out from the rest. He cut through the crowd with boundless energy, his face in concentration as he searched through the nameless faces.

After he made a complete circle around the crystal sphere, he eventually reached a static woman, her arms folded across her chest, as she wore a serious expression on her face. She patted the boy on the back, and they turned away from the sphere, the boy's eyes filled with sorrow and the woman's with disappointment, as the sun burned at their backs.

It had been a week since Cocoon had met its end.

"Hope."

The boy blinked and looked at the woman expectantly.

"Don't worry. We'll find him tomorrow."

The boy shook his head and looked down at his shoes dejectedly. "It's been a week, Light. NORA and the Cavalry rounded up all the survivors. He's not here"

The woman stopped walking and gripped his shoulders tightly. "Survivors are still being found even now. As long as we keep searching, we'll find him. I promise."

The boy blinked away unshed tears and gave her a warm smile. "Yeah. You're right. Thanks."

Lightning ruffled his silver hair affectionately. "Come on, let's get something to drink at the waterfall. This weather is leaving me dehydrated."

Hope nodded, a smile touching his lips. "Yeah. I'm beat."

As they walked away from the crowds and into a narrower pathway stretching from the plains, Lightning found herself once again contemplating her situation. After Fang and Vanille had succeeded in saving Pulse from an untimely collision with Cocoon, the former citizens of the latter had found themselves in utter disarray as families struggled to find one another after the mass evacuation process. Include the sudden shock of losing their homes, stability and living in the one place they were taught to fear, then this clearly caused wide panic. The only positive attribute Lightning could derive out of the panic was that the people were so focused on their current problems, that no-one made an effort to notice the l'Cie they were told to destroy. Not even the Guardian Corps, Lightning thought with amusement.

"What?"

Lightning snapped her attentions back to a rather confused looking teenager.

"Huh?"

"You were smiling...what were you thinking about?"

Lightning looked away. "Just about...well, what we're going to do next. I mean, everyone's so lost. You would never think that we were once a civilization, you know?"

Hope muttered in agreement. "I guess. But we'll make it." With this, he took out the knife that Lightning had loaned him from his trouser pocket and flashed it in the sunlight. "I mean, Pulse might be a bit...different, you know, with Titan and all the monsters and stuff, but this was Vanille's and Fang's home once. We can do it."

Lightning laughed darkly. "They lived here hundreds of years ago Hope. We both know that this place is almost inhabitable now."

Hope grinned optimistically. "Almost."

Lightning looked at him in disbelief. She hadn't realised to what extent, but Hope had really matured over the course of time that she knew him. When she had given him the knife, his heart had been heavy with hate and revenge, but now he was full of hope and determination. She found herself wanting to believe in a bright future in the same naive way that he did.

"We'll be fine. After all, even though we lost our l'Cie powers, I've still got Alexander, and you've got Odin." He reminded her. "If that isn't a sign that we're meant to survive, I don't know what is."

Lightning murmured in agreement. They never could figure out why the Eidolons had stayed with all of them, when the rest of their l'Cie attributes had vanished along with their brands. Her own theory was that perhaps the Eidolons were bound to their souls, rather than their brands, which would explain why they had not disappeared. Of course, she hadn't voiced this to anyone else, unsure whether it was even a valid opinion.

Hope's smile gradually disintegrated into a frown, one she had seen him bear in that week since the downfall of Cocoon. "Do you really think...he's here?" He mumbled. his eyes cast to the ground.

Lightning sighed. They had been consistently searching for Hope's father for the course of the week, Hope slowly believing less and less in his father's survival. It was all Lightning could do to keep motivating him, especially after his recent experience with losing his mother.

Ahead, they could hear the soft splashing of the waterfall softly hitting the riverbed. If he isn't found... Lightning began to think but quickly cast the thought aside. She was not the type to think ahead, not to mention give Hope further reason to doubt. They would slay that behemoth when it emerged. All Lightning knew was that whatever happened, she would be there for Hope. After all, she was all he had left in the current circumstances.

Suddenly, they could hear a piercing scream from beyond, followed by an earth shuddering thud. Instinctively, Lightning unsheathed her sword and darted towards the waterfall, Hope panting closely behind.

When they reached the waterfall, they both gasped in a mingle of horror and surprise. Standing before then was a rather enraged Adamanchelid, and crouched on the ground...

"Dad!" Hope cried, standing in shock.

The man turned in the direction of the voice, and his face creased from pain to pure joy. "Hope!"

The reunion was short-lived however, as the angry Adamanchelid was threateningly raising its leg, preparing to finish off the man that had disturbed its drink.

Lightning had to act fast. Without hesitation, she took out the pink, flower shaped crystal from her pocket and threw it in the air. In a flash of light, Odin emerged in his horse form, which Lightning instantly mounted before performing Zantetsuken on the beast with a flurry of Odin's sword. To Lightning's relief, the Adamanchelid slumped sideways, feeling the deadly after-effect of the attack. But then...

"Move!" As the staggering shadow of the beast began to descend upon the dazed Bartholomew, Lightning sprang off of the Eidolon, and launched her body towards him, resulting in both bodies clumsily rolling out in a tangle of limbs from under the creature. Lightning felt the body crash to the ground, and exhaled slowly, before feeling the thud of Bartholomew's heartbeat on her chest. Suddenly realising her intimate position with a certain boy's father, she threw herself away from him, her whole body feeling scorched from the contact.

"Wh-h-how..?" He spluttered, staring at Lightning in amazement. Before Lightning could utter a word, Hope knelt on the ground beside his father, tears bright in his teal eyes. "D-dad..."

This prompted Bartholomew to rise to his knees and pull Hope into a bone-crushing embrace. Lightning looked on with a smile at the tearful father-son reunion before turning away, acknowledging their right of privacy. She knelt beside the waterfall, pulling out some flasks that she had previously used for obtaining water earlier that week. As she plunged the containers into the clear water, she began to consider whether the Adamanchelid's flesh could be salvaged for meat. It was unlikely due to the thick hide and shell protecting the body of the creature, but perhaps, she thought, the shell itself could be used as a means of shelter down in the rundown houses in Oerba where they were currently residing...

"Um...Lightning?"

Lightning turned at the sound of her name and looked at Hope and his father expectantly. "Yes?"

Bartholomew cleared his throat before speaking. "I would like to thank you again for taking care of my son when I was gone. And for, well, saving me from that thing."

Lightning nodded, unable to look at him in the eyes. "It's fine." She dismissed him, before focusing on Hope. "See? I told you we'd find him. Although here?" She added, finally raising her eyes to Bartholomew's questionably.

He laughed awkwardly. "Well, you see...we arrived on a vehicle further north from here, myself and some others. There was a woman leading us...Lebreau, I think it was? Medium height, brunette, pretty...?"

"Yeah, I know." Lightning responded a bit too sharply. "And what? You just...wandered away from the flock?"

Bartholomew blinked at her scathing tone, and Hope intercepted him. "Light, that doesn't matter right now. He's here, and he's alive. That's what's important."

"Hope..." Bartholomew said softly, his eyes looking affectionately down at him.

Lightning felt her anger flare up. "What were you thinking?" She shouting, unable to hold herself back. "Why did you separate from everyone else? Lebreau's group reached the Cocoon Fields the day before yesterday! You could've gotten yourself killed! A lot of good that would have done Hope then." She pronounced this last part with frustration.

"Light!" Hope protested, looking at her in shock. Lightning looked away towards the trickling water down the stream, feeling the heat slowly vent from her veins.

"Hope, can you go ahead? I need to speak with Miss Lightning in private for a moment." Hope stared at his father, before sighing and retracing back towards the path that he and Lightning had used to reach the waterfall.

Lightning felt her body freeze under his intense stare as he carefully approached. She opened her mouth reluctantly to apologise.

"Sorry-"

"Listen-"

They both looked at each other, before letting out a chuckle at their clash of words.

"I'm sorry." Lightning repeated sincerely. "I was out of line. It wasn't my place to treat you like that."

Bartholomew shook his head. "No...no, you weren't. It was my fault. I should have taken better care of myself and not have let my curiosity get the better of me." He laughed at himself then, before once again fixing his gaze on Lightning's face.

Lightning once again felt heat spread across her cheeks and tugged at her glove subconsciously. "It's just...I lost both my parents when I was Hope's age, you know? No kid should have to go through that, let alone the whole moving location thing to boot."

Bartholomew nodded gravely. "Well, don't worry. Now I'm back with my son, I'll do everything in my power to protect him, I promise. Although I assure you, I'm no fighter." He added, with an edge of amusement.

Lightning's lips tugged into a smile. "Don't worry. Hope is more than capable of taking care of himself, and you for that matter." After Bartholomew laughed aloud at this, she added, "Although you should probably learn some basic self-defence techniques, especially out here."

Bartholomew smiled, before glancing at the now fallen Adamanchelid. "Against that thing?"

Lightning frowned. "Well...that is an exception. We should really avoid those if possible."

There was a comfortable silence lingering in the air, as the waterfall drizzled through the rocks. Lightning motioned to Bartholomew to start walking back in Hope's direction when he stopped her.

"What?"

"We never really formally introduced each other, did we?" Bartholomew asked seriously.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, we did. Back in Palompolom?"

Bartholomew shook his head. "Yes, but we never really...talked to each other properly, even though you were the one taking care of my son." He outstretched a hand. "Bartholomew Estheim."

Lightning looked at the outstretched hand, and grasped it with her gloved one. "Lightning Farron." She responded.

Bartholomew nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay...Lightning."

"Call me Light." She asked, letting go of his hand after realising that they had been holding hands a little too long than necessary.

"Light." He corrected. The word rolled off his tongue with a casual ease that made her insides twist. "But don't call me Bart. I hate it when people do that." He warned in mock seriousness.

"Right, got it." She answered, recovering quickly from the weird sensation in her stomach. "We better get to your son now, before we have another near-Estheim disaster."

Bartholomew sighed. "True. Like father, like son, after all."

Lightning smiled, and finally tore her eyes from him, as they began to descend down the narrowing path.

"I still need to repay you for all you've done." He said suddenly.

Lightning shook her head. "No, you don't. You don't owe me anything."

"But in all seriousness..." He began.

"No." Lightning insisted. "Forget it."

"Well, how about I take you out sometime?" He blurted out, causing Lightning to almost trip over an impeding rock.

Lightning paused, before feeling laughter escape her lungs. "Out here? With all the monsters, and tropical weather, and the fact that we have to survive by hunting said monsters?"

Bartholomew scratched the back of his neck. "Well...I'm sure I could figure out something appropriate. It may not be Nautilus, but at least it's beautiful."

Lightning had to agree with him there. However, she turned to him, crossing her arms in a serious manner. "I'm not the kind to take advantage." She explained, raising her eyebrows.

Bartholomew stared blankly before registering what she meant. "No! Of course not." He exclaimed, holding up his hands. "I'm not...I just..."

He let out a heavy sigh, restructuring his words. "I have to move on. It won't do Hope any good to dwell on the past. I have to be strong for both of us."

Lightning looked at him, understanding etched across her face. "Yeah. I know where you're coming from." She said softly.

"And I just thought...if you were interested..." He trailed off, looking sheepish.

Out of the corner of her eye Lightning noticed the silver haired teenager sitting moodily on a log at the foot of the path, drumming his fingers on his knee. "I didn't say I wasn't interested." Lightning mouthed to him, before reaching a rather bored Hope, and patting him on the back.

"Come on. Let's report to Team NORA. We got another survivor on our hands."