Just Focus (FFXIII)

15) Underground

"That's it," Hope says, staring out over the inlet. We stand on a tall cliffside, shielding our eyes from the sunlight as is reflects off the water. The outskirts of the city are as ugly as always, marked with the greens and blues of the military. It was always so easy to slip past soldiers who had no fear of danger; now, they're keeping an eye out for l'Cie fugitives.

"Palumpolum," I mutter, longing to see my hometown behind the tall ridge of the mountains that divide the rest of the world from the city.

"That's where you live, right?" Light asks, resting a hand on her hip. Hope steps closer to the edge, eyes aglow with familiarity. "We'll stop in when we get there."

"No." Hope shakes his head. "We're l'Cie now, and no one's there but my dad. Even Amarhi doesn't have anyone." My heart sinks, and for a moment, I forget to be levelheaded like Light taught me.

"Hope, if my dad was alive, I'd do anything see him again," I insist, resting a hand on his back. He shrugs me away.

"You need to let him know what happened," Lightning adds, her voice soft. Empathetic, even.

"We need to move," he corrects, heading down the hill.

We hurry into the woods, winding our way through the trees, over the rocks, and occasionally sliding on dry brush. Hope slows down enough for me to lead the way, and I do so gladly, wandering slightly to the west until I find the shore that lines the forest and leads, in one direction, to Palumpolum. The other direction would take us to the Waterscape. The scent of the woods is more than welcome—I find it odd that after all the anger and sadness and heartbreak I poured into this path, it still feels more welcome than my home ever did. Nature is what I wanted more than skyscrapers and high-end fashion.

"We're getting close," Hope says, lifting his nose into the air. "I can smell the city."

"Yeah, me too."

"Smell the city?" Lightning repeats. Hope shrugs.

"Yeah. I don't know how to describe it."

"Where are you from?" I ask, glancing at Light over my shoulder.

"Bodhum," she answers, looking through the trees to the water. "We don't have as much mud on our beaches."

"Good thing this isn't a beach," I retort, tossing a stone into the water. "Just a path along a bay."

"Is that how you know where to go?" Hope asks. I shrug.

"That, and I'm not stupid enough to go backwards after seeing this from such a high vantage point."

"... Yeah."

"I didn't mean that you're stupid," I add quickly, feeling my face go red. "Just that... You'll figure out someday."

"I won't have to."

"Right..."

We march through the rest of the forest, and as we near the outskirts of the city, I keep my head low and watch the light beams that shoot through the trees morph as Hope steps through them. The trees clear abruptly, and we find ourselves in plain sight of the soldiers that pace the dock. They've tripled their security. Light motions for us to run and we sprint toward the nearest cover—a stack of covered crates. Hope kneels, peeking around the edge of the boxes to watch the soldiers gather.

"We can make it," he says in a hushed voice. "Get to the station, and board the train for Eden."

"You think it's still running?" Light asks.

"Well, if it isn't, we'll make it run."

"Then punch straight into the heart of the Sanctum?" Light scoffs. "Now you're thinking like a Pulse l'Cie."