Derivation

n. 1; The source from which something is derived; origin. 2; Something that is or has been derived; derivative. 3; Development of a theorem.

.

.

The first thing he saw when he woke was the bright sunlight outside the window, and the sky beyond it, filled with rolling clouds that looked like an oncoming storm. It was a beautiful day on Pulse, then, and it was going to be a wet, muddy night. Everyone would probably be staying inside.

Maqui blinked, feeling fuzzy even as sounds slowly filtered back to him, from the vague buzzing of electricity to the humming of machines. He was in a room. A white, sterile smelling room with machinery everywhere. This wasn't his room. This wasn't even the garage, since the garage was never that clean and he would never have painted it white. What was just asking for dirt and grease everywhere.

It took some effort to turn his neck from the window, but it was worth it when he realized he was in a hospital room. But... why would he be somewhere like that? The beds there were always uncomfortable, and they had crap food. He always avoided hospitals, since he loved whining to Lebreau over all his injuries. If he was annoying enough, there was a good chance of getting out of his chores, even if she was really bad at bandaging up whatever cuts and bruises he managed to get.

He squinted as he tried to recall why he'd be in a hospital. Was he injured? He didn't feel injured. He felt just fine, if not a little slow in his senses and very warm. Like being covered in molasses. He could barely move his hand.

Moving his head toward the other side proved to reveal more information when he saw Snow snoozing in a chair next to his bed, boots up on the bedside table and a face down book in his lap. If Snow was there, it had to be a big deal. Snow hadn't left Serah's side practically ever since the whole deal with Cocoon falling came through, and where-ever he went, sweet Serah would always be beside him.

It must have been early, then. Early morning? The sun always did like to shine the brightest in the morning, Maqui had found. And being under direct sunlight just meant sunburns, so he hoped that the architects were smart enough to at least equip the hospitals with UV proof glass. It was a new concept considering they had never had to do anything like that with daylight back on Cocoon, but the light on Gran Pulse was different. Heavier. Less forgiving.

Maqui frowned a bit at Snow's presence, and then focused to visually explore the rest of the room. The bedside table with flowers on it (lots of them, he thought in surprise. He expected nothing, actually, since none of Team NORA would have sent him flowers. They would have stayed with him and gave him food and encouragement, but not flowers) and cards as well. The room was large... bigger than the average hospital room, and Maqui could locate another bed closer to the door on Snow's other side. A double room, then.

He shifted in his bed trying to see who was there roomed with him, craning his neck slightly even as he struggled to sit up with little success. His movements must have been loud enough to alert Snow, though, seeing as the older man yawned and sat up with a stretch, the book he had falling onto the floor with a dulled plop even as his eyes squinted open and then widened when he saw Maqui staring.

"You awake, then?" Snow asked with a grin, although he still looked somewhat sleepy. But he didn't look mad, or even too worried, which made Maqui relax. That usually meant he wasn't in too much trouble. Good. He must not have blown up the garage, then. "That was a wild stunt you pulled there, squirt."

"What stunt?" Maqui asked, although his words came out more gibberish than anything else. Huh. His throat must have been numb, then. They must have drugged him better than he thought. Even with his brain waking up, he wasn't feeling any physical pain.

But the question in his tone must have gotten through, because Snow just kept that grin. The bigger man pulled a finger to his lips in a meaningful gesture of keeping their voices down before he scooted the chair closer to Maqui's bed, completely disregarding his previous actions as the metal of the chair scraped loudly against the linoleum floors.

"You're a real hero, kiddo," Snow said, reaching to ruffle at Maqui's blond hair. "It's all over the holo-vids and news. 'Teenage hero saves politician's kidnapped son!'"

What? When had he done something like that? Maqui wasn't that much of a hero. Sure, he was a hero on the basis that he was part of Team NORA, but... the others were the ones who charged into situations, not him. He liked to linger behind until he was needed, watching everyone's backs. One of the reasons was due to his dislike of hospitals. Was that why he was in a hospital right now?

"But more than that," Snow continued to say, although his tone dipped from excited to fond. "I'm real proud of you."

Proud? "What did I do?" Maqui croaked out, unsure of his own memories. What could possibly have make him rush out and injure himself in order to save some kidnapped kid?

Snow just nodded toward the other bed, and Maqui reluctantly pushed himself up into a sitting position in the hospital bed, feeling his arms shake with his own upper body weight. Those must have been some drugs. He leaned up against the headboard, peering over at the other bed only to realize that it was empty, although unmade and somewhat messy.

Was it the kid he had rescued? His brain was still a little fuzzy on the details. How would he even have been at the right place at the right time, anyway?

"Hey, squirt, you still with me? Or do you need a few minutes to find your brain?" Snow joked.

"With ya," Maqui muttered, although he wouldn't have minded a few minutes. As much as he liked the idea of being a hero, it wasn't exactly something he'd do to get him landed in a hospital for. It must have been someone he knew. Or a kitten. Maybe a kitten. But a kitten wouldn't have been a politician's son, would it?

"Just to warn you, though," Snow lowered his voice conspiratorially. "He doesn't take likely to heroics. So there might be some yelling. But if you get it over with right now, if he's been learning from Sis like he has, then he'll take it easy on your since you're still in the hospital bed."

"Oh, yeah? And where is he?" Maqui asked, brain still on that vacation. He could feel it coming back, though. Just not very quickly. Maybe on an old airbike. Or riding a chocobo through the dreamscape of his mind. It was coming back... just slowly.

"Out getting breakfast with Sis and Serah." Snow had the widest grin ever. "Hospital food's a bunch of crap and goo. Serah claimed it wasn't fit for a growing boy."

Someone who went out to get breakfast with Serah and Lightning? Serah he could understand, since she was so wonderfully sweet and awesome and kind, but-

And there. His thoughts. They were back.

He had... rescued Hope? From the kidnappers?

He had rescued Hope! He'd rescued Hope! Fuck, yeah! He was a big, damned hero!

Maqui could feel his excitement level rise even as his memories returned to him. He still couldn't remember how they had gotten out, but he could remember the night previous now- the kidnappers and the gas and waking up in that stupid cell and the plan that Hope had formulated. How they had gotten out, past the soldiers, up the stairs, and... how had that ended?

But what the hell, right? He had rescued Hope! It was the one thing he had wanted to do the entire time, because he was a member of Team NORA and he was a damned hero and the last time when Hope had gotten him out of the situation at Sulyya Springs had been embarrassing, and he was so proud of himself and proud of the fact that he had made Snow proud at him that Maqui felt like he could almost burst at the seams, he was so happy.

It was like a hundred birthdays at once, that was how it felt like to him. And the kiss had only been the icing on the cake.

Wait a minute.

Kiss?

All of a sudden, his good cheer all flew out the window.

He had kissed Hope! Right before he opened the door, he had... well, he thought he was going to die, and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to get out of that situation, so it was understandable, right? He could explain it off as a 'I thought I was going to die' kind of thing, right? He had worked so hard just to be Hope's friend... he didn't want to ruin that friendship because of that one kiss! (One that he didn't quite remember, either. What a disappointment. He should have taken that extra minute to make it more memorable.)

He scrambled around in his bed, hoping he could pretend to be asleep again by the time Hope came back, or maybe even just... jump out the window or something. Jumping out the window now sounded good; even better than it had the previous night with soldiers coming to get them.

By all that was good and right, what if Hope had told Miss Lightning?

He was going to be skinned alive. Flame boiled over a pot of grease. Chopped into a thousand little bits and pieces.

That's it. Didn't matter if he was on the twentieth story and completely doped up on drugs and could barely move his body out of the hospital bed... jumping out the window was definitely a better option than staying and dying by the hand of Lightning Farron. He was sure she's get super creative when she found out what he had done.

Snow must have noticed his panic then. "What's the rush? They won't be back for... man, how long have I been asleep? Maybe another ten minutes or so? I know you want to look presentable and all, but trust me, that war-torn look is all the rage. Makes you look pitiable so people will fawn over you."

"I stayed over at Hope's house," Maqui muttered, although he knew that Snow could hear it. "And he still got kidnapped... Miss Lightning'll kill me."

Snow just laughed, loud and hearty, even as he reached over to pat Maqui on his uninjured shoulder. "Kid, don't worry about it! You got him out all in one piece. If I could say anything about it... I'd say that she's pretty damned impressed. It didn't hurt that she didn't have very high expectations for you in the first place."

By now, Maqui was calming down, although whether it was because of Snow's reassurances or because the brief adrenaline rush was finally fading from his system, he couldn't figure it out. Probably a combination of both. Probably even because his body was finally starting to remind him that it was tired and injured, and movement around really wasn't the best idea because he was in a hospital and really, there had to be a reason the drugs were making him all fuzzy and slow. And the reason probably had to do with the fact that he felt no pain at the moment.

"I don't remember what happened," Maqui admitted reluctantly even as Snow stood up to stretch awkwardly. The hospital chairs must have been extremely uncomfortable to fall asleep on, especially for anyone of Snow's size. That he was willing to sit in them long enough to fall asleep really must have said something about his injuries or what happened.

Snow was quiet for a moment, and cracked his neck before sitting again, although this time his posture wasn't as slouched, and he picked up the book to place it on the bedside table, shoving a bit at the flowers to make some room. Maqui followed with his line of sight, wondering at all the bright and colorful flowers there as well. It must have been for Hope, then, if the other boy was in the same room as him.

"It's probably better if your memory stays that way." Snow admitted, and this time his tone was serious. "That way you can truthfully say that when someone asks you. And someone's definitely going to ask."

"Why?" Maqui asked. "I get the people asking part," because Hope was a big shot politician's son now. It was one thing that had gone on in Maqui's head in the two hours they had spent making a ruckus to make someone notice them in the cell. Hope was in the limelight now, and that meant more dangers. It was what Yuj had been hinting at when Maqui had tried to go pick Hope up from school- there was no way that would be possible unless someone knew ahead of time and had approved it. "But I want to know what happened."

Still. There was something he had been meaning to ask- something on his mind ever since they had first crashed in Sulyya Springs and had been rescued not an hour or so later. And what Hope had said about others just... knowing where he would be.

"Did you know where we were?" He asked Snow, feeling as though he might not want to know.

The big blond rubbed the back of his head for a moment, looking somewhat weary. "Yeah, kid. We knew where you were."

"How?" Even he hadn't known where they were, and he knew that Hope had been unsure as well, only knowing that they were underground. But the silver haired boy had sounded so sure that the others would know exactly where they were...

Snow just shrugged, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Don't know if I can explain it, Maqui. So I generally don't ask questions about it."

But Maqui was asking. It had been the same thing last time, hadn't it? When they had known immediately where they were, and when they were in danger. Although this time... this time they had taken far longer, seeing as the two of them must have been down in that cell for a good five hours at least.

"How come you didn't come get us earlier, then?" Maqui asked, not sure himself if there was an accusation in his voice. He didn't know what happened after he opened that door, but he knew it was something that had landed him in the hospital. And he knew that Hope hadn't wanted to kill that troop of soldiers down by the stairs. They were still kids, weren't they? They shouldn't have been doing stuff like this- Maqui would do it if it meant it would protect other people, and especially Hope or the rest of Team NORA, but it didn't mean that he figured it was a necessary evil. He hadn't wanted to see Hope twirl magic around his fingers and kill people.

But, if he admitted it to himself, what had scared him the most in those moments when Hope had asked him to imitate the motions of a manadrive while he got rid of the soldiers... had to be the fact that the younger boy hadn't looked twice at the corpses floating in the water afterward. That he had stepped over them gracefully and without fail while Maqui had felt queasy to his stomach at the stench of nearly cooked human meat.

And it was like another moment of revelations, knowing that Hope was cold enough that he didn't look back at the carnage at all.

"Look, kid," Snow looked as tired as ever. "Truth of the matter? We knew the general vicinity where you guys were at. But we hadn't expected underground. It was like something was blocking a signal or something, okay? We didn't notice where you guys were being held until we heard the gunshots, and then it just... took a few minutes for us to bust our way in through the guards."

Signal? What was going on? So they just... somehow they all knew where each of them were at all times?

...Did he really want to know, though? Especially right now?

Maqui wanted to sigh, but figured that would sound insulting after Snow had been so sincere in his statements. He'd leave the matter alone for now, no matter how much he felt like prying. The idea was that someone would tell him in due time, right? He trusted Snow. He trusted the older man a lot. No matter what, Snow would know when the right time was to tell Maqui.

"So what happened when you found us?" He asked instead.

"You took out the entire room, kid." The look Snow gave him, however, indicated otherwise, and then Maqui realized that Snow knew about the magic thing. He knew that Maqui knew, and wasn't going to say anything. He meant that Hope had taken out the entire room, but wasn't going to say it. "Firestorm that burnt everything to a crisp, including your own manadrive. Guess that thing wasn't built to last, or just couldn't handle the heat. Good job, by the way, with the troops downstairs. That was good thinking."

"Did any of the ones downstairs survive?" It was a question that he wished he could take back the moment he asked it.

Snow just shook his head. "If it helps, none of them died from the electricity. But they all drowned while unconscious."

What? Maqui startled. The water had been... just ankle deep and flowing away even as they had been stepping up the stairs. Surely no one could have drowned from that...? But then he remembered how the soldiers had been face down when they walked around the bodies, and masked as well. It was more than easy enough to believe that the water had soaked into their masks and they had drowned that way.

But did that mean... they had been alive when the two of them had walked past? And that those lives could have been saved if they had only taken the time to flip those soldiers over so they were face down in the water?

Maqui felt queasy.

"Don't feel guilty." Snow told him firmly as he saw Maqui's telling expression. "They knew what they were signing up for. And if they knew they were actively kidnapping children for bribery and ransom, then they deserve whatever was coming to them."

The taller man clapped him on the shoulder once again, and then ruffled his hair. "You did good. They would have killed you otherwise."

Maqui nodded numbly, even as he remembered what Hope had said about the soldiers wanting them alive. Could it have been that it would have been easier if they had stayed in the cell and just waited for the others to get them. Snow didn't look injured, and he doubted that Sergant Farron would be injured, either. The only ones hurt had been him and Hope... so what if he hadn't played the hero card? Maybe if he had just suggested their stay in their cells and wait, then neither of them would have been injured in the process, either.

Great. Now he wasn't a hero, but the reason that Hope had been hurt.

And he was still screwed if Lightning ever found out that he kissed Hope.

"How're you feelin', anyway?" Snow asked, and then indicated the bedside table. "You've got plenty of well wishers, kid. Man, if flowers and cards could really help heal someone, I'd have to say you're better than a hundred percent already."

"What, those are for me?" Maqui exclaimed, staring at the table filled to the brim with colorful flowers.

Snow laughed again. "Well, who else did you think they were for, huh?"

Maqui shrugged a bit awkwardly, but still grinned. "I don't know. Figured they'd be for Hope or something, from his classmates."

"They're for the both of you." Snow stated with a grin. "Big old sob story covered on the news about some new age terrorists kidnapping and attacking innocent children. They interviewed Bartholomew and everything- then they had to censor out half his words since he was cussing up a storm about his son being a target and how this was potentially enough to have him withdrawal from the political scene." He shrugged. "That pretty much sparked another uproar and eventually word got out that you guys were attacked in your sleep and the soldiers were going to experiment on Hope before killing him, and how you managed to get the both of you guys out of there..."

Snow just gave him a thumbs up. "Touching story, man!"

"News? Interviews?" Maqui's mind whirled. "How long was I out?"

"Nearly an entire week, really. You were shot up pretty bad- some of the doctors weren't sure how you managed to get by and avoid shots to the vital regions." Another meaningful look, and Maqui looked sheepish. Of course Hope had healed the worst of the injuries. "Of course, Hope was pretty badly off, too. But he said that you insisted he stay behind you and you tried to run through the room to draw fire." This time, Snow didn't look too impressed with him.

It was at that moment when Maqui was about to laugh nervously and wave that off when the door opened again, and Serah walked into the room first, although the sounds of conversation followed her. She was carrying a doggy bag with her, and brightened when she saw Snow, and even more when she saw Maqui awake.

"You're awake!" Serah all but squealed happily, rushing over to give Maqui a giant hug. He laughed as she did, raising his own arms shakily to pat her back, trying very hard not to stare at the other two who had just walked into the room at all.

Serah drew back after a moment and smiled brightly at him, patting down his hair and then taking a seat at his bedside, completely ignoring a protesting Snow. "How are you feeling? Are you hungry? You must be hungry! We brought back some food from the store so it's better than the hospital food here- you can have it."

"Hey!" Snow protested, looking hurt. "Where's my hug? Wasn't that food supposed to be for me?"

"You can have the muffin that Hope brought back," Serah volunteered for him, patting Snow placatingly on the arm, but then pointed at Maqui. "I'm afraid the hero today is this one over here."

"I'm the hero everyday, babe," Snow protested with a grin, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "But I'll lend that title just for today."

Serah laughed and turned her attention back to Maqui, her smile now as soft as ever. "But really, how are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere? Because according to the doctors, you're not supposed to hurt at all."

Maqui smiled up at her nervously, fiddling with his hands even as his palms started to grow sweaty knowing that Hope was in the same room observing him. "Feeling great, actually! Haven't felt better in a long time- docs weren't lying, I really can't feel any pains or aches at all."

Serah just beamed at him. "Good. You're the hero for today, and you shouldn't be in pain. Have you seen all the presents you got from people? You wouldn't believe the media coverage! This just might be the changing point for everyone, and you had a huge part in it."

"Serah, love," Snow spoke up weakly. "I don't think we're supposed to talk about that right now."

Serah nodded absently, but dropped the topic, even as Maqui's curiosity was peaked. She seemed to settle after a moment and pat his hands, gathering them to her. Maqui had to marvel at what small hands she had... that was what he always like about girls- their hands and how bright they always seemed to be. It had never been able the figure or even the make-up like Yuj like to rant about. It had been their smiles and personalities and their smaller hands still as capable as a guy's.

"Thank you, though." She said sincerely, personality much more subdued now, much more the Serah that Maqui was used to. "For bringing Hope back and never letting go of his hand."

"Serah!" Came the embarrassed protest from the other side of the room, and Maqui could feel his face heat up in what he imagined was the same with Hope right now. But Serah just smiled brilliantly and patted Maqui's hands again.

"You know about that?" He mumbled in embarrassment, and Serah's smile only grew wider even as Snow chastised her lightly for teasing them.

"C'mon, love," Snow was saying. "Let's let the boys talk, alright? I'm sure they have a few things they'd like to say to each other first, and a few memory gaps to fill."

"Right, right," Serah relented, getting up. Still, she gave Maqui one land pat on his hands before smiling and letting go. "I'll visit you in a little while, okay?"

He almost protested and asked her to stay, but relented from doing so, instead looking over to the other side of the room for the first time since the door had opened.

Hope was standing on the other side of the room awkwardly, just slightly behind Lightning even as he gripped on the edge of her shirt slightly, looking down at the floor with a hint of red on his cheeks. Maqui almost grinned at the sight, but refrained from doing so as he saw Lightning's frown in his direction. Still, she didn't comment, and as Serah and Snow passed her, she also turned to go, but not before giving Hope a hug and a whisper to stay in the room and that she'd be back soon.

It was just a few moments later that the door closed behind them and the boys were left alone, and Hope moved to sit on his bed awkwardly, the silence strained between the two of them.

It took a minute before Maqui could the courage to speak up. "About that. Are you okay? Snow didn't tell me, and..." He trailed off, mouth feeling extremely dry. He had been worried as well. It was mentioned that the younger boy had been hurt, but how badly?

And had it really been his fault?

Maqui swallowed heavily as he waited for the other teen to answer his question.

Hope just shrugged a bit, though, still looking uncomfortable. "It wasn't too bad. You were much worse off. I mean, if I hadn't-" he cut off there, and Maqui just nodded a bit, understanding what Hope was trying to say. "Well, it was pretty bad. You shouldn't just... just charge into the situation like that!" There, his voice turned louder in his scorn and he protested, "You could have gotten killed, you know? One bullet, just one in the wrong place, and there would have been nothing I could have done anyway."

The younger boy scoffed even as Maqui cringed a bit at the lecture. "Well. I probably could have done something, but it wouldn't have been good otherwise. And even still, that was dangerous. How... what made you even run into the fray like that?"

Maqui was quiet until Hope finished yelling.

"Are you done now?"

"No!" Hope huffed, although he sounded much more put out that the blond wasn't raising to his tone. "It's just... you ever think I'd be worried, too? Huh?"

This conversation was turning in a direction that Maqui wasn't sure he could understand. What was Hope even talking about? Was he trying to say that he was worried? That maybe... no, but Maqui wasn't ready to be that optimistic.

Despite Hope's protest, the younger boy fell silent and Maqui finally spoke up in wonderment. "Is that what the others said to you when they realized that we tried to break out instead of staying in the cell and waiting to be rescued?"

A moment of stubborn silence, and then Hope admitted reluctantly. "Yeah. Pretty much word for word."

The blond just laugh a bit, quietly but still more than a chuckle. Of course that was what Lightning would say to Hope... and he understood how the younger boy would be agitated by the injuries as well... Maqui may have slept a week, but that just meant that everyone had been worried for just about a full week. Really, he should feel more sorry than what he currently felt, but all he could feel right now was relief. Relief that the other boy was even willing to talk to him right now.

"I'm sorry," Maqui finally said when he stopped laughing, although he was unsure if that apology was genuine or not. It felt like the right thing to say, that was all. But still, he smiled up at the other scowling boy, wanting to do nothing more than to reach out and pull at his cheeks and claim that Hope wasn't made to scowl. "I should have thought it through, yeah, you're right. I'll be sure to do that next time."

"There won't be a next time," Hope claimed, although he didn't sound very sure of that. "You weren't supposed to be taken in the first place- they were only going after me, and then the others would have known where I was. You should have just..." He fell quiet, that familiar pink staining his cheeks. "You should have just let go of my hand. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have been over that night. I should have thought... well, everything had been so quiet lately, I thought it was okay."

"We still have to talk about that," Maqui insisted. He wanted to know. "What do you mean by predicting it? About knowing bad things was going to happen?"

But Hope just shook his head to silence him. "Not now. Not here. I might... I might tell you later, but not right now, and not in a public place. Still. I just thought that the past few weeks, it'd just be... a normal life, you know? Just going to school and coming home and doing homework... going to lessons and staying out of trouble. That's all it was supposed to be. Just... staying out of trouble and trying not to draw attention to myself." He chuckled bitterly. "I kind of failed in that, didn't I? We're both pretty well known now. All over the news and everything. At least it's not a bad kind of attention. I guess it could have been worse."

Maqui was quiet after that for a moment. He had been meaning to ask about that as well. It wasn't that he didn't want to be advertised as a hero, it was just that he had always been a hero in his head, and that was all he ever needed to be. Team NORA was a group of heroes, and they knew that. And that was all that they needed to know. No one else needed to believe in them as long as they could believe in themselves.

"Do you think it was a mistake, then? Inviting me over?" Maqui asked, and then amended himself. "I mean, letting me sleep over. I kind of invited myself over, I guess-"

"I invited you over." Hope interrupted. "It wasn't your fault. You just... asked if I wanted to play games, and I did, I really did." The younger boy was fiddling nervously with his fingers. "But... I can't go to the arcade. At least. It would make it too obvious."

"Make what too obvious?" Maqui had a feeling he should know this already, but he still wanted to clarify.

Hope sighed, finally looking up again so that Maqui could see his pale green eyes. "My dad. You already know he's important now. I mean, he's important enough that people want me out of the way so that they can blackmail him. I pretty much have people following me around everywhere... I'm not even allowed to walk home by myself, okay? I can't cross the street without..." He made a disgusted noise. "He's just... really overprotective right now, I get that. And I get that it's completely warranted, too. We talked about it, we did. I understand what it means, and what it takes, but..."

He looked down again, this time looking far younger than his years. "I guess I just wanted a weekend where I didn't have to think about it, you know?"

Maqui stayed silent through that, processing the information. It wasn't too hard to connect the dots. He knew that Bartholomew Estheim loved his son dearly, and would certainly be overprotective after the death of his wife. The new world wasn't an easy one, both physically and emotionally. People were still struggling with the changes they had to go through in order to survive on Gran Pulse, and a lot of them were bitter, he knew. Even more of them were grieving over dead family and friends, since a good portion of Cocoon had died during both the Pulsian invasion in Eden and when Cocoon had fallen. It was hard enough for the former l'Cie on Pulse, as he was pretty sure that the people who stayed in Cocoon had harsher prejudices than those who had chosen to move down to Pulse.

"Hey," Maqui spoke up, and Hope looked up at him. The blond smiled disarmingly, making himself more comfortable against the headboard. "I had a lot of fun, you know? And I'm really glad I got to come over." His smile wavered just the slightest bit at the thought of the kidnapping, though. Of being locked up and shot, of the rage he had felt against the soldier he had killed just through physical force, and the troop who had drowned in a ankle-deep puddle of water.

But he had been there when it mattered.

"Do you mind... if we kind of made this a tradition? Playing video games over the weekend? I mean, it probably wouldn't be every weekend since you've got schoolwork and I've got... stuff. And I'd really rather not be kidnapped every week. Every other week, though..." He trailed off with a grin, and Hope laughed, even if the sound was rough and slightly hysterical.

"I can't believe you'd still want to come over after this!" Hope manage to say in between his chuckles. "I mean... you were shot!"

"So were you!" Maqui protested, somehow feeling better about it. At least he wasn't hurting anywhere. "But hey, you know what I was told? I was told that I'm somehow a world hero now- after I spent a weekend with you." Maqui grinned lopsidedly. "That could only mean good things, right?"

Hope huffed, although he couldn't seem to rid himself of the slight smile. "You're an idiot."

"I've been told that before!" Maqui responded cheerfully. Really, it was more that he heard Snow called that by just about everyone, but he didn't mind the title. He had never really heard it used harshly before, after all. It had always been a kind of endearment, and he didn't mind being called that by Hope. "So does that mean we're on for this weekend? I'll buy the pizza."

Hope's smile grew wider even as he looked away. "I hope you're not going for extra cheese."

Maqui couldn't help it. Just seeing Hope smile like that was making him smile as well, and he felt warm just knowing that the other boy was still willing to spend time with him, even after the events of... last week, was it? "I'll order extra, just for you!"

He only laughed when Hope reached over to pull a flower from one of the bouquets on the bedside table and tossed it at his face.

.

.

Hope was asleep when Bartholomew Estheim came to visit, looking tired and very much relieved to see his son resting on the hospital bed, even as Maqui glanced up from the book he had been reading (the one that Snow had left behind- honestly, it had taken him hours before he was willing to pick up what was so obviously a cheesy romance novel. But sixty pages in, and he had to admit, the... story... was really good), bookmarking the page nervously and giving the harried father a timid smile.

"Sir."

Mr. Estheim just waved off his greeting with a tired smile, settling into the chair that Snow had sat in, reaching out to pull the covers over Hope's exposed arms. The teen in question grumbled for a moment before settling back into sleep as the two of them held their breaths.

"I heard you had woken up." Bartholomew said after a minute, making sure that Hope was well asleep. The man gave a smile as he took off his glasses to rub at weary eyes. "I would have come earlier, but apparently paperwork waits for no one."

Maqui was half tempted to protest that children growing up didn't wait for anything, either, but he kept silent knowing that the man only wanted what was best for Hope, and was doing his very best to give his son a better future. Even if he didn't exactly agree with the methods.

"I wanted to thank you, Maqui." Bartholomew said seriously, slipping his glasses back on to scrutinize the nervous teen. "I have to admit I was... hesitant when Hope called and asked if you could come over for the weekend, and even more dubious when he asked if you could stay over. He's a smart child. He could do so much with his life... and right now, what he needs to do is focus on his studies. But I suppose every child needs time to play as well."

He sighed deeply, and Maqui didn't dare to interrupt him. "That would be Nora's teachings. She always did encourage Hope to play video games and read fictional novels. She encouraged him to play outside as well, but luckily, my son always preferred staying in. But Hope has a great mind, even if he doesn't see it himself."

The older man was glancing sadly at his son. "So much like Nora. She could have been anything she wanted to be with that mind of hers... but what she wanted most was to stay and watch him grow up."

"I think she made the right choice... sir." Maqui protested, but Bartholomew just raised a hand to silence him.

"I didn't say that she didn't. She was a wonderful mother, and a wonderful wife. It's just a shame. But it was, of course, her choice, and I respect her choice. I just want to give Hope the same choice. I want him to be great... if he so chooses to be." The man leaned back in his chair. "Still, right now, I will have him learn as much as he can. So he has the chance to choose from everything when he grows up. That's all I want for him... do you understand this, Maqui?"

He didn't, but he managed a nod despite that.

The man just smiled, though. "Yes, I thought you wouldn't. It's alright. I suppose it's a thing for parents. But I know he's unhappy at school right now. Public school never did agree with him... I wanted him home tutored, but Nora was always against it. Said he needed to make friends as he grew up. He needed to play and be a child. But now that she's gone... I can't help but think that perhaps tutoring was the best idea, after all. But I want to honor her wish." He hesitated a moment, and then admitted, "I was thinking of enrolling him in a private school. One much smaller, but where he would be able interact with others his age. The school would be much better protected as well. I won't risk another event like this one."

Private school? It wasn't hard to figure out what Bartholomew was talking about, as there was only one private high school on Gran Pulse at the moment, seeing as most of the population had stayed on Cocoon and the ones who had moved to Gran Pulse were more concerned with rebuilding the basic essentials than private schools. But it was nearly a thirty minute drive from the area where the Estheims lived... halfway to where Lightning and Team NORA was staying. Directly in the middle of their civilization, completely protected from any and all Pulsian monsters.

"I understand that school only has a good hundred students, so that many of the classes are mixed. You've been a good friend to my son, Maqui, and even Miss Farron has good things to say about you."

What? Miss Lightning did? Somehow, Maqui found that hard to believe.

"As such, I have a request to make of you." Bartholomew said, and this time when he smiled, there was no humor to it.

.

.

Hope tried to stem his irritation even as the teacher continued lecturing on the laws of entropy and crap. He glared stubbornly at the screen in front of him, tapping his stylus in time to his own heartbeat, trying to pay attention but failing.

What the hell was his dad playing at, anyway? He understood, he did, and it wasn't like he liked high school so far (it was boring and somewhat pathetic and so much less than what he had expected. He couldn't understand why his mom had been so excited for him to attend before), but he didn't want to be transferred, either! Not so far away, where he had to be driven everyday rather than just walking the few blocks.

He had to hold back a scowl. At this rate, he might as well just stay at Light's half the time. It wasn't as if his dad was home most of the time, anyway. Hope didn't know why he had expected things to change after waking up from crystallization. His dad had always been busy at work, and just too busy to pay attention to his family. It was true that it was getting better... they always made an attempt to see each other for at least ten minutes every day, but with the way the new government campaigns were going, it was only going to get busier for whoever wanted to run as politicians.

But of all things... getting Maqui to tell him about the school transfer? What was so wrong with telling him himself?

He could deal with the empty house. Really, he could. As long as he had some sort of music blasting or the holo-vid playing in the other room, it wasn't so ghostly quiet. It was in the silence that he missed his mother the most, but it wasn't as if there was anything to be done. Nora Estheim had been an unfortunate victim of the Purge and everything that came after. With half the world dead, there wasn't anyone left who wasn't mourning for a loved one.

He got that he was only fourteen and supposed to start high school this year. He got that his dad was trying to make the world a better place, one without fal'Cie rule and where he could actually live in peace. There were still people on the streets that stared at him with hate in their eyes when he walked their way, after all, and Hope was no stranger to the violence that stemmed from hate like that. It was because of the laws that his father had lobbied for that no one had tried to knife him in the streets yet.

But he was still waiting. Maybe if someone tried to do that, he would finally be able to fight back. He felt so limited with all the rules and regulations that he had to play under. No magic, no games, no self-defense lessons... he wasn't allowed to be anything other than the model child of a war-torn family. Be played up as the victim of the fal'Cie and all their schemes. Be the innocent child dragged into the mess.

Except he wasn't. While he hadn't wanted anything to do with the entire journey, he wasn't ashamed of it. He had survived. Survived against all odds, and made a family outside of blood. He had grown up and learned how to fight. It was ridiculous that his dad wanted him to ignore that.

He pursed his lips as he tapped the stylus against the screen, bringing up the equations and solutions needed for the pop quiz that was just assigned to them.

Hope breathed out as he finished the quiz within seconds and submitted it, bringing up a hand to rub at his eyes. No. He was just irritated, that was all. He did understand his father's point of view. He agreed with it, even. He just... hated starting a new school. He had barely gotten settled into his last school, why did his dad really need to enroll him in a private school for, anyway? Besides, he hated the uniforms, and he was sure that his mom would have hated them, too. They were boring.

There was the hiss of the door opening, and he didn't bother to look up even as he doodling over his computer screen with the stylus, waiting for the clock to ring the end of the class.

It wasn't until he heard his teacher clear her throat nervously to grab the attention of the class that he looked up.

"Children," She said, tapping her desk. "It seems we have another new student today."

Maqui just grinned widely from the front of the class.

.

.

.

Part 3/3

.

.

AN: Aaand this is the note I'm ending this year with. I hope everyone had a great 2010, and is ready for an even better 2011! Gotta party it up if 2012 really is the end of the world, right? I've got the next story started, but oh man, it's going to be longer than this and Kinematics, probably combined. So I can post it slowly or I can finish the entire thing and then post it like these two stories, except it'd be... well, a long while before it comes out.

Hope everyone enjoyed this little piece, and wow, it's great to know there are some people reading this little universe! And liking it, wow! So it's really a thank you to everyone who read through this and actually remembered the previous story over half a year ago. I hope everyone continues to enjoy this small corner universe in the FFXIII fandom!