What Lightning Doesn't Know

Her hand grazes his arm as he walks closely by her side. A chill runs up his spine.

She runs past him and he catches a whiff of her sweet scent. How can anyone smell so good even after not showering for days? he wonders.

She shoots him a tender smile-one she reserves only for him-that makes the blood in his veins throb with excitement.

Her few choice words of encouragement leaves him feeling as if he could fight off a hundred PSICOM soldiers.

Hope didn't really understand why Lightning had that affect on him. No one had ever made him feel the way he did when he was around her. She filled him with happiness, strength, courage...and even hope.

Hope looked out at the magnificent view in front of them. The air was moist with the morning dew and he could feel the dampness on the grass soaking his bottom. A thin fog coated the valley beneath them. The brown rocks of the cliffs sparkled in the light of the rising sun. The wide rivers were steadily flowing and he could see some larger beasts drinking their first sips of the day.

It was truly a sight to behold. He turned to look at Lightning sitting next to him. Her transfixed gaze on the valley before them told him that she was just as impressed as he was. He was thankful that he was able to see so many things during their travels. Never in his life would he think that he'd be able to see this many beautiful things. He was so happy to be able to see them with her as well.

The two of them woke up early that morning. Lightning had a habit for waking early and preparing for the travels ahead. She also liked to keep an eye on them as they slept and Hope knew that she'd wake up frequently at night to check on them too. Recently, Hope had synched his internal clock with hers so when she woke up in the morning, he did as well. The others were fast asleep a few feet behind them. Snow's snoring was loud and clear so there was no way he could forget about them. Although, being there with Lightning watching the sunrise...he definitely did.

"I wonder how many sunrises we've seen since we started our journey..." Hope wondered as the sun peaked over the horizon and dyed the sky a brilliant crimson.

"Quite a few by now," Lightning said and ran her fingers through her hair. The dampness of her hand from the grass left glistening streaks of moisture on her pink strands.

Hope found it very comfortable being alone with her. When he was with Vanille, he felt as if he had to talk all the time. With Lightning it was different. It just seemed like so much was being said through their silence. Even if all they were silently communicating was "I enjoy your company".

Sometimes, Hope thought it was more than that though. At least it was on his part. He often found himself looking at her hand beside him and longing to reach out and hold it. He wanted to feel the warmth of her hand on his and not have it last for only a few seconds like it had in the past. He wanted to really hold it in his.

Like many other mornings they shared together, he found his attention focused more on her than the sunrise. He tried his best to be discreet about it: look at the valley, back at her, gaze at the sky for a few minutes, look at her hand, play with the grass a bit, then peek at her pink lips out of the corner of his eye.

Was it so bad that he found her beautiful? Completely breathtaking? No sunrise could compare to her beauty in his eyes. The very thought of it made him feel as if a feather was tickling the inside of his stomach. He felt so strange and embarrassed for thinking those thoughts about her. She was an older woman and he was just a boy. Still, it didn't stop the feelings he had that were growing with every passing day.

Their lives were constantly in danger. Either one of them could easily die as they fought so desperately to stay alive. It was the calm moments they shared every morning that made it worth fighting for. It made him think that maybe one day life could always be like that. That just maybe they could spend every morning together watching the sunrise. Like a new beginning every day.

Hope's eyes wandered up to her face once more. He couldn't help but want to kiss her. He wanted her to be his first kiss but he knew that the chances of that happening were slim. There was no way a woman like her would ever return his feelings. He knew that she only looked at him as a child and maybe even a little brother. A part of him felt guilty for feeling so much more. She was so much more than a friend or a guardian to him.

It was too late for him to stop the feelings now. What was he supposed to do? Pretend that he didn't want to hold her had? To kiss her? Force himself to not look at her? He had already tried that and it didn't work. He was a boy with a crush and a bad one at that. He wasn't going to call it love just yet. He had no doubts that it was the start of it though.

He found himself suddenly suppressing a laugh. Look at her! Look at her sitting right next to me! She's sitting right next to a guy who has a massive crush on her and she doesn't even know it. Hope covered his mouth with his hand and tried not to burst out laughing. His little secret was far more entertaining than it should have been.

She doesn't know that I think she's beautiful.

She doesn't know how much I admire her bravery.

She doesn't know that she gives me the courage and the strength to fight every day.

She doesn't know how much I've changed for the better since I met her.

She doesn't know how much she truly means to me.

She doesn't know.

"Hey...Light."

Lightning turned her head to look at him. "What is it?"

"I have this," he paused and looked away, "secret that I haven't told anyone."

She gave him a quizzical look. "Is that so?"

He nodded.

"Think you'll ever tell someone?" she asked as she looked off into the distance.

Hope smiled. "I hope to one day."

Lightning let out a small laugh, reached over, and ruffled his hair. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I hope you do too."

There it was again. The comfort that overflowed him by even her most casual touch. Her soft laughed echoed in his ears and it was all he could hear until he refocused himself on what she was saying.

Without even thinking, he reached over and took her hand in his. She looked over at him and he could see the brief flash of shock in her eyes before she looked down at his hand over hers. She raised her light blue eyes to meet his. He couldn't read her face. It was completely void of all emotions. He was about to pull his hand away when she looked back at the valley. He could see that the corner of her mouth was upturned in a small smile.

He gave her hand a small squeeze. They sat on the cliff looking out into the distance together with their hands interlocked in the damp grass. She may not know his feelings for her now, but one day she would. He was sure of it.

AN: This story came to me tonight while I was supposed to be doing homework. Did I do any homework? No. I wrote HopexLightning fanfiction instead. If I fail my classes and have to drop out of college, I'm blaming you guys.

Kidding. ;)

Anyways! Just a fluffy short little one-shot for you guys to enjoy while I go back to work on Separate Ways. Here's hoping it'll hold you over for a little bit longer. I also love how the dialogue at the end was one of the first things I wrote. Everything else just kind of filled itself in.

Reviews make my life so let me know what you thought.

-Lady Val