Her hand held yours.

After the sheer chaos of what had just happened, you were still reeling. All that kept you grounded for the moment, was the touch of her palm against your own.

Your feet pounded in unison against the glassy blue below- the crystallized remains of Lake Bresha, cast up into waves as Anima had crashed there. The impact of The Purge was magnanimous. Ships and crafts were littered around the crests and peaks, some wreckage still burning.

It was a miracle you had both managed to survive that. Though...it wasn't without some form of harm. Your limbs still worked and you bore no wounds, yes, but both of you were now marked with something different. Those intricacies were branded on your skin, possibly forever.

Everything was frightening. To have become l'Cie...to be forced to accept this new life as runaways...it was all happening at once.

Despite that...

“Don't worry! We'll find the others in no time!”

Even though she had endured such world shaking tragedies, somehow the girl was still chipper. Her highly pitched voice practically sang out like bells as she skipped across the crystal, blush curls bouncing as she went, adding an extra rhythm to your journey. It was miraculous that she was still managing to be so positive.

...You wondered. They were all fairly strangers to you, yet had all suffered the same fate. Attacked by the fal'Cie, turned into l'Cie.

Lightning, Sazh, Hope, Snow.

Vanille.

Sticking together was probably for the best. After waking up down here, you discovered you'd been separated. Yes, you didn't know them well, but finding them first was the smart choice.

Still...

Your rapid pace began to cease, forcing her to halt as well. The girl spun around and tilted her head, studying you.

“Something the matter?”

“...What's going to happen to us?”

Anxiously, you looked down at your bare ankle. The fal'Cie had marked you there, an ominous tattoo that would only get worse with time. You'd already seen what became of those who failed their Focus. You didn't want to turn into a monster...but how could any of you avoid it, when you didn't even know what you should do?

You weren't told anything...

Time was ticking now...until eventually...inevitably...

“Don't worry!”

Now both her hands were taking yours. Squeezing as confidently as the beaming smile she never let crack.

Her touch provided a warmth you'd been missing for a while now. The Purge had taken everything from you. Your home, your life, your family and friends...all you had ever known, lost to such a sick regime.

“As long as we stick together, and we don't give up, we'll find a way!”

You exhaled softly, and nodded. It sounded like something from a storybook. Yet as cynical as you could have been, you craved that kind of optimism. A hope you could hold onto, for you'd lost everything else.

For the moment, she was all you had, and honestly...you were okay with that. Of all the people you could have ended up stranded with, you were glad it was someone like her.

“You're right.”

Now it was your turn to be confident.

“We'll be okay.”