Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sowing the SeeDs ❯ Chapter 20

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sowing the SeeDs : Part 20

a fanfic by Greenbeans <gbeans@tyrlen.org>
edited by Helen Fong <iriachan@yahoo.com>
based on the world of Final Fantasy 8
created by Square Enix <www.square-enix.co.jp>



The room she sat in was noisy, far too noisy for her frayed nerves. The
barflies chattered about their wasted lives over steins of the local watered
down brew. The air was thick with the scent of smoke, ale, and sweat. It
wasn't an establishment she would usually patronize but she had no where else
to go for a hot meal.

*They* were out there, searching for her, ready to kill her on sight. How
pathetic they were to think that they could stop her from completing Hyne's
work! So many false children plagued the world. She would collect what was
rightfully hers as an heir of the Great Hyne.

No, she mustn't! Too many times... Once was too many... She's already had
a once, and a twice, and a third time. The images, the faces, danced before
her eyes. She could see their fear frozen forever in her memory right before
she--

The bartender was watching her. She could feel his concern. His eyes
caressing her back, wishing to offer her comfort. Oh yes, it must be a
terrible grief that brought her to his grungy hole-in-the-wall establishment.

NO!

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying to silence the relentless
irritation. Their emotions were like an itch that she couldn't reach and she
would take extreme measures to bring herself relief...

She buried her face in her hands, careful to tuck her fingers under her
hood. She took a deep calming breath.

She should... She should turn herself in. No! They would kill her. Let
them try. Let the SeeDs *try* to kill her.

Ah... An idea. If she took the war to them... Yes, if she destroyed
SeeD then no one would be left who could threaten her as she went about Hyne's
work...

*****

[Flashback]


"This *child* is Quistis Trepe?" The Headmaster's doubtful tone made how
he regarded the teen standing before him abundantly clear. Martine gave his
personal aide, Eileen Pearcy, a disapproving look. "I haven't time to waste on
Cid's pet projects."

He paced to and fro behind his desk as he glowered with a sideways glance
at the SeeD who waited silently. "Well, speak up girl, what have you to say
for yourself?"

His voice cracked like a whip, startling Quistis from her stunned
disbelief. "I am Quistis Trepe. I've brought orders with me, signed by
Headmaster Cid Kramer, to enroll in the Instructors training program at
Galbadia Garden. I was under the impression that this had all been
pre-arranged, Sir."

"Oh, it had," Martine agreed with a sardonic drawl, "but had I known that
Cid intended to send a child I would have never agreed to train you."

Quistis' eyes hardened, though she was careful to keep her face an
emotionless mask. "I have successfully completed the SeeD curriculum at Balamb
Garden and all of the pre-requisites for entering this training programming.
There is no age restriction that I know of."

"Just because there isn't one doesn't mean there shouldn't be," he
countered.

Quistis sucked in her breath. She expected to catch flak about her youth
during her time at Galbadia, but she hadn't anticipated the Headmaster himself
to begin railing against her. She opened her mouth -- unsure whether to
concede to his resistance or fight to remain at Galbadia -- but he held up a
hand to silence her.

"Since Cid has given you orders compelling you to enter the Instructor
program I have no choice but to allow your admittance. I'm not happy about it,
make no mistake about that. And know now that I'll be keeping a *very* close
eye on you. If you lend yourself to the foolishness the people your age tend
to I'll have you expelled from this Garden faster than a Bomb explodes."

His piercing eyes bore into her, searching for any other flaw that he
could cite as a reason to turn her away. When he found none he snorted lightly
and motioned to his awaiting aide.

"Go with Eileen. She'll get you settled."

Quistis gave him a crisp salute and turned to Eileen Pearcy. The aide's
eyes flashed a wide range of emotions; amusement, concern, annoyance, and a
maybe even a touch of vindication. Those blue eyes were undecipherable to
Quistis, there was too much in them for her to sort out which emotions were
directed towards whom.

"If you'll come with me?" Eileen's deceptively neutral voice invited
politely.

The jarred SeeD nodded her thanks and followed the aide out of Martine's
office, unsure what the next two years had in store for her.



Quistis pushed herself up in her comfortable office chair and wondered
what prompted her to recall her first meeting with Headmaster Martine. She
swiveled slowly back and forth as she probed the memory.

She had since come to know Eileen and how to read the emotions that had
boiled behind her polite facade that day. Martine unbraiding Quistis the
moment she arrived was a carefully choreographed performance. Eileen didn't
exactly approve of challenging new Instructors that manner, but it was
Martine's show to run. And he demonstrated all-too acutely that things weren't
always what they seemed.

"Martine isn't the bigot you think he is," Eileen confined in her some
months later. "He tests all his Instructors to finds their weaknesses and then
will hit them as hard as he can to see if the Instructor bends or breaks. I
suspect that Xu's never forgiven him for that, but you shouldn't hold it
against him. It's his job to challenge you in every way he can because the
students definitely will!"

Learning that had lifted a weight off Quistis' chest. She'd felt
frustrated because she believed that Galbadia's Headmaster was a narrow-minded
man. It was hard to be loyal to someone she had difficulty respecting. And
that's why Eileen came clean about what Martine was doing. Eileen was careful
to point out that there may be situations where Quistis *didn't* respect her
superior and was expected to follow orders anyway, but that wasn't the point of
this exercise. Martine wanted to see how Quistis would hold up against having
her authority constantly in question because of her age. Would Quistis throw a
tantrum about it? Would she prove that she was worthy of the authority she
held?

Like Quistis herself, Martine wasn't what he seemed, and that helped her
feel a kinship with him, though his persona was an assumed one while her's
wasn't. All of this was part of a test to see how she would overcome the
obstacles that got in her way.

Maybe that's why she was thinking of Martine, because of the latest 'test'
he'd given her. Few SeeDs escaped from the duty of trying to track the
Sorceress down, and that included Instructors. Quistis remained stationed here
throughout the Sorceress hunt because the woman she was supposed to guard was
missing. When Quistis asked why she wasn't sent to find the woman, Eileen
explained that the Galbadians were going to take over the search.

Quistis had yet to hear anything regarding their progress, even when she
pressed for more information. She idly wondered if they'd forgotten entirely
about her mission. That is, until this morning. The folded sheets of her
updated orders were pressed flat and lying on her desk.

She didn't like them, not one bit. Martine couldn't possibly have come up
with more awkward conditions for her to work within. The missing woman, Anna
Corin, was last seen in the Lake Obel region. More specifically, she resided
in Cottage Grove. Quistis felt a ripple of emotions at the prospect of
returning to the home she barely remembered. She wouldn't allow herself to
dwell on that thought, instead focusing on other potential difficulties that
the mission presented.

Cadet Wedge, one of her best students (if not *the* best student), was to
accompany her. 'Field training' was how it was being explained away, but only
a fool would send a cadet on a mission like this. There was a very real chance
that they would encounter the Sorceress. The madwoman had already killed six
people, including one Galbadian soldier. They couldn't afford to send children
out!

She laughed mirthlessly. No doubt that was how they viewed *her*, even if
she was the commanding officer of this ill-conceived team. Their third member
would meet them en route. Martine was unable to provide Quistis with a dossier
on the Lieutenant. All she knew was that his name was Biggs.

This wasn't a test of her ability, it was downright insanity. The prudent
part of her wanted to ask Martine to assign another SeeD to go with them, but
that would confirm to him that she wasn't ready for a SeeD's responsibilities.
No, she had to take the resources she was given and make something of them.
Biggs may be a complete mystery to her, but she knew Wedge quite well. That
knowledge was something she could build on.

"First thing's first, I suppose," she said before sending a page for Wedge
to come to her office. He may not even know that he's going on this little
field trip yet.

*****

"Damn this is depressing," Sierra breathed as she took in her
surroundings. Mountain peaks were off in the distance, but there was a hell of
a lot of desert between here and there. Sierra was tempted to speak with the
ship's captain and ask to return to Dollet. She could wait for the villagers
to offloading supplies and then ask for a ride, but even before she stepped off
the ship she decided that she wouldn't do that. She wanted to walk there and
familiarize herself with this tortured land. Maybe along the way she'd be able
to convince herself that it was worth saving.

The dirt road that led from the docks cut across the land like a scar.
There were no crossroads, no deviations, only the distant village at the end of
the road.

When she heard the sound of an upcoming vehicle from the dock she hid
herself among the tall grasses until they passed. She closed her eyes as she
laid face down on the ground, the relentless sun beating on the back of her
neck and drew in a deep, dusty breath.

'If only this were snow instead,' she thought. Snow in and of itself
wasn't that pleasurable to lay in, but it would melt into water and bring life
with it. This... This was just grainy dirt with patches of dried brown
grasses. The grasses hinted that there may have been life here -- or at very
least enough water to maintain a miserable existence -- but nothing worth
saving. She dug into the ground with a fingernail and didn't come across
anything to alter her first impression. No worms, beetles, spiders, anything
to preserve.

A shadow came over her, relieving her from the sun's onslaught.

This couldn't be good.

Slowly she leaned up to see a pair of ugly Jelleyes floating right above
her. Didn't their three huge eyes see her laying here vulnerable to attack?
One of their whiplike tails traced lightly along the ground and went right over
her. Sierra remained frozen and the Jelleyes made no moves towards her.

Were monsters the only form of life around here?

She laid there for the better part of a half-hour, waiting to be
discovered, but it never happened. The monsters went on their way without
taking issue to her presence. Sierra wasn't about to chase them down if they
were content to let her go.

"Why did I let myself be talked into this?" She stood up and brushed the
worst of the dirt off her clothes. Not even Hyne would stop here to take a
shit. Arjun was out of his damned mind if he thought she could do anything to
help save *this* place. It wasn't worth the effort.

*****

Eileen Pearcy's carefully schooled features did not betray the anger that
was bubbling inside her. To all but a few people her upbeat tone of voice and
flashing smiles would seem completely in character. They weren't in character
when combined with the ice blue eyes that could kill on sight. Jennifer
Sakachi, Eileen's best friend and life partner, could read her mate like a book
and put her fork down with a soft clink.

"It's not like you to let concern over Martine's latest decisions follow
you home," she probed gently. In Jen's biased opinion, Eileen was far too good
of an aide to be wasted on a man like Martine. She may not have the military
experience that he does, but she outstrips him a hundred times over when it
comes to people skills and good old common sense.

Eileen's assumed smile faded after her bluff was called. "I'm upset that
he's selling Quistis short, but I'm also afraid that he's not." Her lips
pressed together in an uncharacteristic frown.

"What do you mean?" Jen stretched a reassuring hand across the dinner
table and gave Eileen's hand a squeeze.

"The timing of Quistis' deployment is all wrong. The Galbadians *haven't*
located Anna Corin yet, they only have a general area where they think she may
be. Martine insists on sending Quistis out now because..." And Eileen's rich
voice dropped off in a whisper. She didn't want to say it, even if it wasn't
true. As if repeating the words enough times would give them the weight of
truth.

"Because..?"

At Jen's prompting nudge she finished, "Because she's not going to
graduate the Instructor program, not at this rate. I know that you've been
helping her all you can, Jen, and it shows. But she just doesn't have her feet
under her yet. There are some things that can only come with age; an authority
and confidence that's only gained through having experienced life!"

It was Jen who turned away. The couple had always danced around this
topic, not wanting to dwell upon the possibility of Quistis' failure. It was a
personal matter for them. The teen was like a sister to Xu, and that meant
they would try to look out for her. Though they both knew it, they didn't want
to admit that this assignment was proving to be too much for Quistis.

"How is sending Quistis away now going to help matters?" Jen's tone was
devoid of emotions. When it came to the future of SeeD she had to do what was
best for the organization, above her personal desires. Even before voicing her
question she suspected the answer, whether she liked it or not.

"Martine expects her to be out on assignment during the next Field Exam.
Other Instructors will take over her candidates with hopes of preparing them
for graduation. We need the SeeDs too much right now to let sentimentality
hold them back."

"Are you saying that Quistis is preventing them from graduating?" Jen
accused sharply.

Eileen looked down at her forgotten dinner to escape Jen's eyes. "Quistis
is a brilliant thinker, but her gift is unique to her. A brilliant Instructor
doesn't automatically make the students brilliant. She must instill within
them her work ethic and value for learning. It's a task she won't be able to
accomplish fully as long as the students lack respect for her. Oh, they may
salute and act properly when authority figures are around, but they see her as
an upstart."

"That's been a problem since the beginning," Jen pointed out.

"It has," Eileen allowed. "Quistis tried compensating at first by
demanding their respect, doing everything by the book. That alienated the
students. Then she tried being their friend and gaining their respect through
loyalty. That got her a bit further, but it also undermined her position as
their superior officer. No, this problem will only go away with time."

Jen's frown mirrored Eileen's. She could understand the position that the
Garden's administration was in. They would graduate only the best of the best
and Quistis wasn't producing SeeDs of that caliber. They didn't view authority
figures with the proper respect because they were used to sliding by with their
youthful Instructor.

"I wish you were wrong," Jen admitted after a long silence.

Eileen nodded sadly. "I hate it when Martine's right."

*****

The sun had fallen below the horizon hours ago when Sierra made it within
yelling distance of her destination. She'd spotted the compound around dusk
and kept going straight until she arrived. It was a shame that it turned dark
when she'd finally ran across something to look at. Acres of crops created
their own barrier outside the walls that protected the Anshin people from the
monsters that roamed the Serengeti Plains.

Sierra placed a weary hand on the wooden door that was to the side of the
main gate. She balled her hand into a fist and rapped on it soundly until an
inset panel slid aside to allow the guard to see who it was. His greeting
wasn't the friendliest, or so she assumed. She didn't quite understand him,
but was certain part of it was asking for identification.

"I'm here to see Kei," she answered in broken Anshin. The guard quirked
his head slightly, having trouble with her accent. Well, tough shit, it was
the best she could manage.

The panel slid closed and she could hear movement from behind the door.
She was expecting him to open it, but that didn't happen. Fifteen minutes
passed and she was fed up with waiting. If they didn't let her in soon she'd
find a place where she could scale the wall or something.

The guard's face reappeared in the opened panel briefly before it was
replaced with Kei's.

"It's about damned time," Sierra adjusted the pack on her shoulders. "I
was told to tell you that silence sent me."

Kei's expression crinkled with confusion. From how her hair was sticking
out at odd angles it's likely that the guard had drawn her from her bed.

"Sierra? What are you doing here? And what do you mean 'silence sent
you'?" She opened the door and allowed Sierra to enter.

"To cut a long story short; I was guarding Winhill when I met a man named
Arjun. The Sorceress showed up and killed one of the villagers. After the
mayor dismissed me, Arjun said to come here and tell you that I was sent by
silence."

Kei's eye's narrowed. "Did he have coppery hair, blue eyes, and was a
complete asshole?"

"He said you two were friends," Sierra replied sarcastically.

"Bastard!" She slammed her fist against the door. Kei was wide awake now
and began barking orders to the few guards who had come to see who the late
night visitor was. As if someone had lit a fire under their asses they ran off
to perform the tasks she assigned them.

"What did you say?" Sierra asked, unable to follow the conversation, but
impressed with the results.

"I told them that a messenger from the Spirit of Silence has arrived.
They've gone to convene the elders."

Sierra's mouth worked itself soundlessly, confused by Kei's answer even if
it was translated for her. Kei gave a small shrug before heading into the
village with Sierra in tow.

"I'm sorry, but you won't be able to rest yet. I want to hear about your
encounter with the Sorceress. You can tell me what sort of things to expect."

"Expect to get your ass kicked," Sierra grumbled.

The SeeD gave her a disapproving look.

During her hike here she had hoped that she could arrive, tell Kei about
the Sorceress, and then leave. Instead she found herself in a dimly lit room
that smelled of incense. The relaxing atmosphere was enough to make her want
to go to sleep. It'd been a long day and she was more than ready to go to bed.
The Anshin wouldn't allow her that until she delivered her message.

Kei sat beside her on a floor cushion. The pair of them sat opposite of
five elderly men who had hastily gathered. So these were the mighty Anshin
elders who had banished her grandfather? They didn't seem that powerful to
her. Two of them looked so frail that a violent sneeze could shatter them.

They all spoke standard, thank goodness. Kei was careful to always
address her as a messenger from Silence. She had no idea why it mattered, but
if it made them listen...

Sierra found herself speaking more to Kei than with the elders, who acted
as observers to their discussion. She recounted every detail from the battle
that she could remember. It shamed Sierra to admit to the SeeD who had tutored
her that she was easily trounced by the Sorceress. It was like their hard work
had been put to waste.

"We thank you for coming all this way to deliver your warning," the head
elder said when the conversation was drawing to an end. "Please stay here
tonight."

Sierra looked around the room and decided that it would be better than
sleeping outside.

Before the elders left the room Kei had one final thing to say to them.
"You will let the messenger rest in peace tonight," her dark glare locked onto
each of them before she turned to help Sierra prepare a place to lay down. She
was too tired to ask what that was about. All she wanted to do was go to
sleep.



"How did you sleep?" Kei crouched by Sierra. The younger woman rolled
over lazily until her brain reminded her of where she was. In an instant she
was sitting bolt upright and taking in her surroundings. Okay, this room was
dark regardless of time of day. A lack of windows will do that. Kei had a
slight smirk on her face. Sierra flopped back onto the cushions and pulled the
covers over her head. Maybe she'd wake up somewhere else.

"None of that now," Kei gently prodded her with her foot. "It's time to
get up. We have a lot to discuss before the elders meet this afternoon."

"Yeah? Like what?" Came Sierra's muffled response.

"Like whether you're going to stay or leave," the SeeD took hold of the
covers and pulled them from Sierra's talon-like grip.

"I'm leaving!"

The smirk remained and now a twinkle in Kei's eyes accompanied it. "But
you just got here. I think we should talk before you make up your mind."

Grudgingly Sierra got up and followed Kei to a house that wasn't too far
away from the council chamber. Along the way her hostess pointed out things of
interest. Most of the tour was lost on Sierra, the sun was too bright for her
to see anything with her still light-sensitive eyes.

Kei promised to have brunch ready for her when Sierra was finished in the
bath. It had been years since she last soaked in hot water. The closest thing
would be the Bika hot springs that were a couple kilometer hike outside of
Summit. She allowed herself to revel in the warmth. The tight muscles in her
back unknotted as the heat worked its magic on her.

When she left the bath she was annoyed to find that her clothes were
missing. She should have known that this was too good to be true. What in the
hell was she supposed to wear, a towel? Annoyance gave way to panic when she
realized that she couldn't leave the bathroom like this. She spotted a pile of
folded sheets sitting on a stool by the door. It wasn't the most dignified way
to present herself, but at least she wouldn't be running around naked.

Peering out into the hallway she didn't see anyone. Good. She could find
her clothes and get out of this ridiculous sheet. Stealthily she slinked past
a room that had a few children in it. So far, so good. Her luck didn't hold
out when she heard a loud bark of laughter behind her. Kei made no effort to
hide the amusement that she felt at Sierra's expense.

"Where the hell are my clothes?" Sierra demanded tartly.

"Being washed and mended," Kei's eyes danced. "Want some help getting
dressed?"

"In what?"

"In that," Kei pointed at the sheet she had draped around her. "You've
never seen Anshin robes before, have you? I don't imagine they'd hold up well
against Trabia's bitter cold. In Centra they're the perfect thing to keep you
cool and still be modest."

Sierra rolled her eyes and gave Kei a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' sort
of look. The SeeD deftly maneuvered her guest into an unoccupied room and
helped her get properly outfitted.

"I would lend you one of my uniforms if it would fit," Kei snorted lightly
at the absurdity of that idea. Sierra towered above her former mentor. "I
want you to be ready for when the villagers approach you," Kei admitted in all
seriousness. "Word has gotten out that a messenger from Silence arrived last
night. People are already poking around trying to get a look at you."

"Huh? I don't understand why you keep referring to me as a messenger like
it's important or something."

"You know the stories about the Spirits," Kei reminded while tightening a
sash around Sierra's waist. "Silence is the Spirit of battle. The one who
sets the stage of war. Silence sent you to warn me, and the villagers are
understandably afraid of the upcoming battle."

Sierra twisted abruptly, almost knocking Kei aside. "You believe that
Arjun is *that* Spirit?"

"Most of the villagers do, yes," she confirmed. "When they met him last
he went by the name Enju. I can't discount what they say. I've seen all too
many conflicts follow in his wake."

"He didn't seem so tough to me," Sierra replied. Then again, she hadn't
seen him in a real battle. If he really was the kick ass warrior Anshin
legends made him out to be why didn't the little fuck help her defeat the
Sorceress? "Asshole," she muttered darkly under her breath.

"The villagers expect me to protect them," Kei continued. "And as a
warrior sent by Silence, they expect you to help me. And regardless of what
*they* think, I would feel better with you fighting alongside me. I think we
can take her if we worked together."

Sierra shook her head. "Not to be the voice of reason, but I hope you
have a plan. Otherwise the two of us won't be a match against her."

"As a matter of fact, I do," Kei motioned for Sierra to follow. They went
down the hallway to another bedroom. From a table beneath the window Kei
picked up a sheathed sword and handed it to her.

Sierra took possession of the sword and pulled it from the scabbard to
examine the blade. Suddenly it felt like someone had grabbed a hold of her
heart and squeezed. All her junctions were neutralized and the magic that
usually flowed freely within her body hung frozen like ice in her veins. The
sword clattered to the floor and all at once a rush of magic ran through her.
She staggered onto a nearby bed before she collapsed from lightheadedness.

"What's that sword?" She gasped.

"A special weapon created for the sole purpose of killing Sorceresses,"
Kei knelt and picked up the sword without so much as a wince. "I apologize, I
should have warned you to unjunction your magic.

"The Mage Slasher is plated in Odine metal. It neutralizes the magical
ability of the person who wields it; including drawing, casting, and summoning
Guardian Forces. It also nullifies magic that is cast upon the swordsman. The
person who holds this sword is in for a purely physical battle. Do you think a
Sorceress would survive having this plunged through her heart?" Kei smirked.

Sierra shook her head, finally recovered from the shock the Mage Slasher
gave her. "It looks like you'll do fine without me."

The SeeD laughed. "Hardly, I can't use magic to heal myself. This is
going to be a tough fight and I'll feel better having someone I can trust
covering my back. I'll be the offense, you'll be our defense. Together we'll
smack this witch down."

Sierra snorted. "Sounds good to me."

*****

Only the shopkeeper behind the counter looked up when the bell attached to
the door rang out pleasantly. It was a rare occasion when two customers he
didn't recognize entered his remote shop at the same time. Not many travelers
came this far off the beaten path.

The man wearing a green tunic who had just entered scanned the shop for
other occupants before spotting the copper-haired young man down aisle three.
The newcomer approached the young man and they began to speak. Ah... They must
be traveling together. That discounts the rarity of two customers coming in at
once independent of each other. Amused that he was even keeping score, the
shopkeeper went back to reading his newspaper.



"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"It's good to see you as well, Sarkis," Talasu gave the shopkeeper a
sideways glance before continuing. "I want you to return with me to Kinzua.
With regards to certain matters it is too dangerous for us to out in the open
like this. We will be safe in Kinzua until the situation has settled down."

Enju stared at the shopkeeper (who was doing his best to give the
impression of reading his paper and ignore them) until he went into a back room
for something. Once he was gone Enju railed on Talasu.

"You're out of your mind, old man! As I've told you before, I'm not going
back there. I don't care how 'advanced' you claim the security is, I certainly
never saw it."

Talasu's lips thinned and he leaned over to grab an item from the shelf in
front of Enju as a pretense to over his whispered response. "She's hunting
down you and your siblings. All I want is for you to come home until this has
blown over, then you may continue along your way."

"No," Enju growled. "I don't want your concern. Go find your other
students and leave me alone."

"I've collected everyone except for you," Talasu said. "You're the last
one."

"Good for you," the young man sneered. "Instead of hiding in a hole *I'm*
going to do something about this!"

"What do you intend to do?"

Enju weighed whether he should actually answer Talasu's question or not.
After a moment's consideration he decided there was nothing the Master could
say or do to stop him and so it wouldn't hurt to be honest. "I'm going to
protect Quistis."

"Protect Quistis? What leads you to believe that she needs protection?
Don't you think she would want you to take care of yourself by not getting
killed?"

Enju's eyes narrowed and then he rocked back on the balls of his feet and
laughed. "You've obviously never had a girlfriend before! Protecting them is
what any decent guy would do!"

"That's rather sexist of you," Talasu intoned. "Didn't Niethe teach you
any better?"

"Shut up, old man!" Enju picked up the basket of goods he was going to
purchase. He would never admit to Talasu how much he worried about Quistis or
how often she crossed his mind. He would go to the ends of earth to check on
her to put his mind at ease.

"I'll go with you," Talasu announced before Enju left the aisle.

"Don't make me laugh," he called over his shoulder, waving off Talasu's
offer.

"If you can chase after Quistis to protect her, then I go chase after you
for the same reason," the Master explained with a smirk.

Enju's shoulders slumped and he audibly sighed. "Whatever, but I'm not
buying your food. If you want to eat you had better buy something."

*****

A red-faced Seifer saluted an equally angry Xu before leaving her office.
The cadet's displeasure left a trail of unease in his passing. After exiting
the training center there was an audible sigh of relief.

Well aware that he was risking his life, Aucifer stuck his head into Xu's
office. Xu had her head down on her desk. She wasn't crying, that's a good
sign, but an aura of exasperated defeat hung over her. Weary, that was the
word that described her. She was tired of fighting the same battle over and
over again.

Poor thing, there was always a slump in Xu's shoulders after she and
Seifer spent any length of time together. She was too proud to admit that
Seifer was a handful. And they were like the proverbial oil and water that
would never mix.

Compared to the other Balamb Instructors she didn't have that many
students under her direct command; only the drill team and a few special cases
like Seifer. Most students (the drill team) saw it as an honor to have the
Assistant Headmaster as their scholastic advisor, but it wasn't that way with
Seifer. Seifer and Squall were put under Xu's wing because of Cid's desire for
gunblade specialists. But Xu wasn't the best Instructor for them. Aucifer
would have been a better choice since he spent the most time with them, but he
wasn't a SeeD Instructor. Thus, Xu was their advisor by default since she was
over both of them and Aucifer.

That and the fact that today was the Balamb Field Exam was undoubtedly a
source of Xu's current woes. Unless Aucifer missed his guess Seifer didn't
pass. He frowned. Sure, there were always disappointed cadets who failed, but
few turned that disappointment into anger against an Instructor or vise versa.

"What happened with Seifer?" Aucifer asked as nonchalantly as he could
after closing the door.

Xu lifted her head and gave it a little shake. "He nearly killed three
civilians who just happened to be between him and an Anacondaur. He didn't see
them before he summoned Shiva. One of his teammates spotted them and pulled
them to safety before Shiva's invocation."

Though her voice was level the emotions grated painfully behind it. He
was no fan of Seifer, but Xu was easily his harshest and most biased critic.
Seifer could do no right in Xu's mind and Aucifer found himself in the awkward
position of playing advocate on Seifer's behalf.

"Now Xu," he paused to choose his words carefully, "he made a mistake,
yes, but he's also human. You really shouldn't tear him apart for something
like that. I'm sure he'll be more careful next time."

Xu's dark eyes bore into him. "It was the *Field Exam*! This is it,
Aucifer! He's not allowed any more mistakes, none of them are! If he makes
mistakes, people die."

Her knuckles had gone white with barely contained rage. "He doesn't
*care* about those around him and SeeD doesn't need any sword-swinging
cowboys."

"The same could be said about Squall Leonhart," Aucifer pointed out.

The stoic cadet always ended up being the anti-thesis to Seifer. It
really wasn't fair to Squall to think of him in that light. He was certain
that the cadet had some distinguishing quality besides not being Seifer, but
Aucifer was hard pressed to think of one off the top of his head.

Xu pursed her lips together, biting back her retort. "Squall cares, he
just doesn't show it," she said instead. "Besides, this isn't about Squall,
it's about Seifer's irresponsibility. He should know better than this!"

"Yes, he should," Aucifer agreed, hoping to pacify Xu some. "How about I
have a talk with him? It doesn't look like yours went very well and maybe
it'll sink in better if it comes from another source."

"I doubt it will, but sure," Xu sighed heavily. "He won't be graduating
this time around. Cid has already told me to make sure Seifer's included in
the next Exam. Maybe he'll figure it out by then."

There was a knock on the office door. Aucifer scooted out of the way so
that Xu's Shumi assistant, Sree, could speak with her.

"The Garden Master wishes to see you," Sree announced solemnly.

Xu nodded and glanced over at Aucifer. "We were just finishing up here.
Good luck with your talk," Xu gave his shoulder a squeeze in passing. He
didn't know if he'd actually make a different with Seifer, but if took some of
the pressure off Xu the effort was worth it.



Xu's meetings with NORG were becoming all the more frequent as the urgency
of the Sorceress situation increased. A good part of that urgency was of
NORG's manufacture. Every week Xu heard about the Garden's lost revenues due
to the number of SeeDs deployed on non-profit missions. As a placating
concession Cid had agreed that all of the SeeDs that graduated from today's
class would be put to use on revenue generating projects instead of sent after
the rogue Sorceress. Undoubtedly that was what NORG wished to discuss with
her.

"I thank you for coming on such short notice," NORG said by way of
greeting. It was a game they played. NORG was always infallibly polite to
her, but there was a Ruby Dragon beneath that blubbery exterior. She was
always careful to dance the steps NORG led her through, but she couldn't help
but wonder when the day would come when she was no longer useful to the Shumi.
The thought wasn't one she liked to dwell on.

"Of course, Master NORG. What can I do for you?"

NORG somehow laced his long, fat fingers together and leaned over his
towering perch to look down on her. "You can begin by explaining to me why
Seifer Almasy did not graduate."

Xu quickly bit back a surge of anger. The test had been less than two
hours ago and NORG already knew the results. Even more curious, the Garden
Master actually cared about whether one cadet passed or failed. She had
underestimated NORG and how carefully it kept track of its assets.

When Xu wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, it continued.
"Your assistants have informed me of what a fine student he is. A man with his
skills would fetch a high price for his services. So I ask you again, why was
he failed?"

"Because he lacks the moral character to be a SeeD." Xu said through
gritted teeth.

NORG's large hands parted and were placed along the forward support of its
perch. "Is that all?" It asked in a very disapproving tone.

Xu wanted to retort by asking if that wasn't enough. No, that wouldn't
get her anywhere with NORG. It saw the bottom line and the amount of gil that
Seifer represented.

"Regretfully, Mr. Almasy almost killed three civilians. It would be
improper for us to pass him without giving him due time to consider the
consequences of his actions," she replied more diplomatically.

NORG's fleshy eye ridges hooded its beady dark eyes as it weighed the
sincerity of her words. With no choice but to take her explanation at face
value, it snorted lightly and leaned back in its seat.

"I'm certain that you will do all that you can to assure that he will
reflect upon his actions and succeed in passing the next Exam," NORG said
finally.

"As an Instructor it's my top priority to help my students succeed."

After another long look NORG dismissed her.

Sree accompanied Xu in the lift to the upper levels. Before the lift
reached the ground floor Xu hit the button to halt it. Sree's sleeves rustled
uncomfortably as it waited to find out why Xu stopped the lift.

"I appreciate the fact that you and your brethren report directly to NORG,
but don't you *ever* second guess my judgment regarding a student's
qualifications again." Though the words weren't said, there was a deadly glint
in her eyes. She wouldn't be crossed twice.

She punched the button to send the lift upwards. "Feel free to pass that
along to NORG if you wish."

Sree stood motionless for the remainder of the ride.

*****

Lieutenant Biggs shut off the engine of their jeep near the pump of the
fueling station. Almost before the vehicle was stopped Wedge was out the door
and stretching. It had been a long drive and they still weren't to their
destination yet. Biggs rolled his eyes at the cadet and got out. An old man
came over to offer to refuel the jeep. Quistis nodded her thanks and slipped
out of the passengers side to stretch her legs.

She regarded the Lieutenant without his notice and once again considered
her impressions of him. They were mixed, to say the least. She always tried
to give those who were older than her their due, but she had learned early on
that very few people were truly entitled to what they thought they were. Biggs
fit that category. He immediately took the lead of the group until Wedge
respectfully reminded the Lieutenant that Quistis was the leader of their
party. Biggs wasn't exactly condescending in his response, but he wasn't about
to let them go very far without tugging on Quistis' collar.

Quistis was willing to let the matter slide. They were a search party and
if Biggs had any ideas on places to look she was willing to listen. Though, to
be honest, Wedge was proving to be their sleuth. He had a knack for prying the
information they desired out of the people they encountered while keeping the
conversation to friendly topics. The ease with which he gathered information
wouldn't have been possible if he and Biggs were wearing their Galbadia issued
uniforms.

Though this region was firmly under Galbadia's control, it had its share
of Timber sympathizers. The lands that made up the Lake Obel province were
once ignored by their bickering neighbors. That changed during the war against
Esthar. Galbadia was determined to secure any front that the advancing
Estharians might have used to their advantage. The Horizons Bridge drove a
bitter wedge between Timber and Galbadia. Timber's precautions against
invasion were insufficient in Galbadia's opinion and they refused Galbadia's
offer to provide "peace keeping" forces to guard the Bridge. When Timber
couldn't be reasoned with, they were invaded. And since Lake Obel was a
traditional ally of Timber, they were seized as well.

This was all textbook history to Quistis. She was too young to have
experienced firsthand the devastation that came with an overthrown government
(however loosely based the government in question was in the first place). The
nationality in Quistis' birth registry was Galbadian -- the same as Biggs and
Wedge -- yet they feared being persecuted as foreigners.

So, in a way, it was to their advantage to let Biggs act like he was
calling the shots in order to maintain their oblique cover. If anyone asked
about such a mismatched group of young adults traveling the countryside, they
would learn that Quistis was Wedge's girlfriend and Biggs was Wedge's older
brother. The situation was hilarious, but avoiding trouble made the absurdity
worth it.

Quistis had to admit that she enjoyed the chance to wear civilian dress on
a daily basis. It wasn't that she disliked the SeeD uniform, more that she
reveled in the opportunity to pick her own clothes and accessories. Kei would
be shaking her head at Quistis right now, but even the thought of that brought
a smile to her face.

She walked over to Wedge to see if he had figured out where they were
going next.

"We're going to..." he slid his finger along the map with the route they
were following, "Cottage Grove. It looks like a good place to stop for the
night. That would give us some time to pump the villagers for information."

"Let me see the map," Quistis took the offered map from Wedge's hand and
studied it intently. The possibly of passing through Cottage Grove had crossed
her mind, but she hadn't planned on stopping. "Why not continue on to
Lakewood?"

"Lakewood doesn't have an inn," Wedge twisted the map around to point at a
small icon the indicated the presence of an inn next to Cottage Grove. "There
are a ton of tiny villages in this area. Cottage Grove appears to be at the
center of them judging by how the roads are laid and what services are
available there."

"I hope this Anna Corin chick doesn't live out in the middle of nowhere,"
Biggs looked over both of their shoulders to see where they were going next.
"I hear there are some nasty monsters deep in the woods and I'd hate for either
of you to get hurt."

Wedge rolled his eyes at the boisterous Lieutenant without his notice.
"Then let's get there before it turns dark," the cadet suggested. Quistis
reluctantly nodded her agreement. This wasn't what she had in mind at all.

*****

"Do you have a moment?" Sierra looked up from the book she was reading to
the man standing before her.

Since this desert hell hole lacked anything that would pass for more than
a sapling in Trabia, Sierra had taken to reading in a shaded corner along Kei's
family's home. From her vantage point, she could watch the passing villagers
if she wanted or completely ignore them, whichever suited her mood.

Few people approached her when they saw her reading. In fact, Kei and her
insatiably curious young brother Mikel were the only ones who came to mind.
The rambunctious youngster *loved* to play and would pull anyone he could find
into his games. Yesterday Sierra allowed herself to be coaxed into an after
school game of hide and seek. She wouldn't admit to anyone (not even to
herself) that she enjoyed the chance to sneak around the village, but Mikel
seemed to know. She half-expected him to show up again today.

Pulling her thoughts away from that, she placed a marker in her book and
closed it before giving the man her full attention. "What?"

The man gave her a small bow before sitting down across from her. From
what she could figure, the importance of a person could be determined by the
style of their robes. This man wore robes that weren't cut like the 'common
folk', but not as elaborate as an elder either. (Never mind that he was also
far too young to be one of those stuffy bastards). Where had she seen robes
like his..? Ah! Not worn by one of the elders, but with the elders. He was
an acolyte.

He wasn't that bad looking either, now that she noticed. (That was the
annoying thing with the Anshin acolytes, they were masters of sulking around in
the background.) This guy's hair was inky black in color with dark brown
almond-shaped eyes and a serene expression on his face. It gave her the
creeps.

"I am Tsuyo," he introduced. "I apologize for interrupting you during
your studies but I have a favor to ask of you."

He paused, uncomfortable, though that didn't show in his manner. Sierra
made a motion for him to keep talking.

"I know this is inappropriate, but would you arrange for me to speak with
the Spirit? I cannot ask the elders to arrange such a meeting for me. It
would be very disrespectful for me to seek the Spirit's time to discuss matters
that they see as being trivial."

"Who are they to decide how Kei's time should be spent?" Sierra challenged
sharply. "You people are too damned polite, you know that? Respectfully this,
pardon that. What if I don't want to pardon your breathing the same air as me?
What if I want to take offense at your unpresumptuous manner?!"

Tsuyo's blank expression gave no hint at what was going on behind his
brown eyes. Sierra expected him to apologize for being so timid. Instead, a
small smile upturned the corners of his mouth and he chuckled softly. "You are
a woman who does not mince words; a valuable trait for a Messenger."

"Hmph!" Sierra retrieved her book and stood up. "I'm not a messenger. If
you want to tell Kei something why don't you do it yourself?"

A faint smile played on Tsuyo's lips as they walked together to the
elders' chamber. They would be convening shortly with Kei in attendance. He
could try to catch Kei before anyone else arrived.

He wisely ignored Sierra rolling her eyes when he insisted on opening to
chamber door for her. Kei was seated on a floor cushion in the center of the
dimly lit room with an unoccupied cushion at her left that was intended for
Sierra. Two of the elders were likewise seated in their places. He gave
Sierra a small frown and then shuffled off to prepare tea for those who had
already gathered.

Sierra took the shotaxe from the sling on her back and laid it out before
her, just as Kei's sword was in front of her. It was a concession between
Sierra and the elders. She refused to go around unarmed and they refused to
let her enter the chamber with her weapon. Kei broke the deadlock between them
by having the weapons set out ceremoniously before them. To emphasize her
support for Sierra she began bringing her own sword and laying it out.

These people were backwards, Sierra decided. How else could they continue
to go on with their rituals and traditions when the rest of the world was
changing to neck-breaking speeds. Not even the threat of a Sorceress could
prod them free of the rut they lived in. Life continued at its own idyllic
pace and nothing would change.

'And if they believed that, they're fools.' Sierra didn't have a problem
with categorizing them as such, but it would only make her job harder. Only
morons would convince themselves that they could accurately predict when the
Sorceress would attack. Whenever she asked they would say, "Not today and not
tomorrow." That was well and fine until it actually happened, and if she lived
through the encounter could she say, "I told you so."

Tsuyo handed them each a cup of tea and retreated back to his corner. How
could he stand being subservient like that? Sierra scowled at her tea and set
it aside. "Tsuyo wanted to speak with you," she said for Kei's ears only.

"Do you know what about?" Kei asked just as softly into her cup.

Sierra shrugged slightly and then straightened up when the remaining three
elders entered the room with another acolyte. As the head elder called them to
order, Kei held up her hand and asked for the floor.

"Tsuyo, what did you want to discuss?" Kei turned an inquisitive gaze over
to the person who wasn't supposed to exist during meetings like this. The
acolytes were always in the background, but never heard from or seen. They
served the elders as errand boys and messengers.

A look that could almost be called fear flashed through his eyes and was
just as quickly suppressed. He came forward and bowed before them all. His
eyes rested on Sierra the longest, as if he was drawing strength from her.

"Yes, Spirit... Kei," he spoke softly, with growing confidence. "You are
here to protect our elders from the wrath of the Sorceress. It gladdens all of
our hearts that a Messenger has come to assist you. I will never doubt your
power or skill, but what lies before you is a daunting task. And so... I would
like to assist you in protecting us with the gifts that the Spirits have given
me. I am at your servi-"

"TSUYO!" One of the elders rose to his feet. "This is outrageous! You
would insult the Spirit by offering to 'help' her with your pet monsters? You
never learned such disrespect from me!"

"But father," Tsuyo's unwavering voice interrupted his sire, "I only wish
to offer every tool we have available. The monsters will help us if we ask, as
we have helped them when they called upon us for aid. Did we not rescue that
nest of Jelleyes last summer?"

"We assisted them as a matter of course. To be left in peace is a high
enough price to exhort from them," another elder pointed out.

"Peace, brothers," the head elder held his hands up to call them to order.
"This is not our decision to make. Tsuyo has the right -- no, the obligation
-- to offer himself to the Spirit's service. It is up to her to decide."

Everyone's eyes went to Kei. "Tsuyo..." She took a deep breath and turned
to Sierra. "What do you think?"

Once again every eye in the room shifted and Sierra felt herself in a very
uncomfortable position. "I..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't think
monster trainers were real. The idea was preposterous! How could someone not
only tame a monster, but coax it into following his commands with his voice
alone? But, from how everyone reacted, it had to be real. What had she
learned about trainers when she was a child..?

"I remember a story my grandfather told me once about a trainer who
plotted revenge against his brother by setting a Death Claw against him. The
Death Claw moved as the trainer willed and his brother was destroyed. Then the
Death Claw turned against the trainer and consumed him as well. The hatred
within the trainer's heart fed the primal desires of the monster. Or that's
how the story goes at least, but I have to wonder if part of the reason the
monsters here are tame is because they have not seen the evils of men. Even if
the intentions are noble, the acts are not..." she shrugged. The knot of
tension within the room eased as the moral taught by the story sank in.

"Aisierra, your grandfather has shared his wisdom with you and continues
to enrich us to this day," the head elder complimented.

Sierra stepped on the urge to snap at him for using her full name. How
dare he speak to her about her grandfather?! She shouldn't have told them one
of her grandfather's stories.

"Thank you for your offer, Tsuyo, but for now we'll decline," Kei answered
the question that lingered between them.

He bowed once more before retreating to his post.

Kei felt a twinge of sympathy for him. It wasn't easy being the child of
an elder. Especially when your father insisted that you enter the service of
the Spirits as his had. He'd always been a kind person who spoke with more
confidence than was displayed here today. It took a lot of guts to present an
idea that was sure to be shot down.

"Tsuyo, while we don't need your help protecting the elders, you play a
vital role in protecting the village. Most people don't know of the work you
do and because of that they take their safety for granted. Know that your
efforts are appreciated and that we depend on you to guard us all."

There, that mollified the taunt expression on his father's face. If Kei
spoke so highly of his son in front of the elders, then no shame could fall on
him for Tsuyo's actions.

Tsuyo bowed once more and returned to the background.

"And with that out of the way..." The room went back to mundane noise as
far as Sierra was concerned. She didn't care about how the Chocobo breeding
program was coming along. Now that she was aware of them she kept her eyes on
the acolytes that hid in the shadows.



"Do you like Chocobos?"

At the sound of Tsuyo's voice Sierra turned away from the Chocobo she'd
been scratching over the wooden fence at. The bird gave a pitiful wark and
stuck its head across the barrier to recapture her attention.

"They're good companions," she answered, stroking the bird's head feathers
back. "We have a Chocobo forest in Trabia -- two in fact -- and the Garden
maintains a modest stable of its own. Chocobos are such surefooted mounts.
I'd choose a Chocobo over a Mesmerize any day when it comes to traversing the
trails outside of Summit."

Tsuyo leaned against the fence a comfortable distance away from Sierra and
her new friend. He was close enough to converse but not be intrusive of her
personal space. She twitched slightly at his ill-conceived notions of
etiquette. He didn't have to maintain a safe distance from her or Kei or the
elders.

"Do your people have monster trainers as well?" He asked.

"Eh? Trabians?" Sierra smiled. Of all the Anshin she'd met so far Tsuyo
was the only one who seemed to get it. She belonged up north away from this
sandy pit. When they were finished wasting her time she would go someplace
that as least had foliage and preferably snow!

Still pleased with that idea she answered his question. "They're not as
skilled as you. The only monsters that I know of that are occasionally used as
pack animals are Mesmerizes, and not just anyone is going to tame one. The few
people who do it have gone through a lot of training themselves. Heh, northern
animal trainers bear about as much resemblance to you as a pile of rocks does
to the Yohn mountains."

"What you say is flattering if not a bit disheartening," he admitted.
"How do the people of the north discourage monsters from harassing their
settlements if animal training is not widely practiced?"

Sierra stopped herself before she blurted out her first response, shook
her head, and then said it anyway. "We kill them. Local patrols keep the
immediate area clear of monster nests and drive away any that wander too
close."

"I see," he said slowly, not as upset by her answer as she thought he
might be. There was no reason to try to crush the man further by telling him
what they did to dispose of the carcasses...

"Isn't monster training a lot like Blue magic? I suppose not many people
have the gift for it," she asked to turn the subject away from northern monster
control methods.

"It is a less common skill," he demurred, "but it bares little resemblance
with Blue magic except that both involve monsters. Blue magic is when you
learn the animal's skills as your own. What I do... I talk with them... On a
one-to-one basis."

He paused to give her a sheepish grin. "I realize that sounds odd. It is
the only way I can think of to describe my relationship with non-humans. They
tell me what is on their minds. Like, right now, Teioh wants you to move your
hand up a few centimeters and get the itch above his eye ridge."

Her hand obediently followed Tsuyo's direction and Teioh whistled with
pleasure at having his eye ridge scratched. "How did you discover that you
could speak with monsters?"

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was a child," he replied;
fondness lighting his expression. "I understood the Chocobos. At the time I
thought everyone could hear them, but that wasn't the case..."

"There you are!" Mikel shouted from the other side of the pen. He waved
and then ran along the fence. "I've been looking all over for you cousin
Sierra!"

"What do you mean 'cousin Sierra'? I'm not related to you," she chided
less harshly than she would have most of these inbred yo-yos.

"Sister Kei said to treat you like family," he explained with an impish
gleam in his eyes. "So I figured you would be at least a cousin and since
you're a cousin you wouldn't mind helping me with my homework. Uncle told us
to memorize the names of the major northern cities for a quiz tomorrow." He
was a perfect model of student's distress; the helpless victim of a teacher's
unreasonable demands on his precious free time.

"You've been all over the north, right? You know both the standard and
the Anshin names for all the cities, right? You'll help me study them so that
I pass my quiz and don't disappoint Uncle and Sister, right?"

"Alright already!" Sierra threw up her hands in defeat. "I'll help you
study. You act like this is the end of the world or something. I hope you
realize that you'll be taking countless more quizzes before you're finished
with school, so why get all bent out of shape about this one?"

"Because I know that I'll do well on it if you help me," he answered.
"Come on, let's go!" He took hold of her hand and dragged her off.

Tsuyo didn't leave his spot resting against the fence even though they had
left. He let his eyes fall out of focus as he watched a handful of Chocobos
grazing in the backfield. Any time spent at the Chocobo stables always brought
back memories. There were so many reasons that he loved this place. The
happiness that filled his heart was always followed by a pang of sorrow when
the reality of his situation confronted him.

"I need to fulfill my promise before Father does something rash," he
murmured aloud. No one could fault him for not acting when he had the chance
and now that he was an adult he lacked the brazen resolve of his youth. He was
confident enough in himself to admit that he was terrified of following
through. If things went poorly his Father would get involved and it would only
get worse from there. If it turned out well...

He smiled.

That was the possible outcome that made the risk worth taking.

*****

the children are gone
The children are gone.
The Children Are Gone!
THE CHILDREN AR-

Silence! SILENCE! She knew it was an illusion, she knew what she saw
wasn't real. She swallowed down her rising panic. The children were here --
they had to be! -- perhaps on the beach or in the house?

Ethereal specters of her children dashed out of sight as quickly as she
spotted them. Where were they going? Why are they fleeing from her? She
followed the phantoms out the back door.

Seeing the bodies of her children sprawled out on the beach was like a
punch to the gut. She fell to her knees and wept. Jerrick. Jessica. Who did
this to them? Who killed her children?

The grief turned into an anger that was like a vile poison burning in her
belly. The children were gone and those that were left were dead. Who did
this? Who would she make pay for this?

*****

"We're on to something here, I can feel it," Wedge argued passionately
with Biggs over dinner. "I just need a few more days!"

The three of them were seated at one end of the generously sized dining
table. A couple of other guests sat at the opposite end of the table, engaged
in their own conversation.

"You've had two days already and haven't figured out where we should
search next," Biggs waggled his fork at the younger man.

"That's because we should be searching *here*. I'm sure that Anna is
around here somewhere, but it's like the villagers are hiding her from us.
With a bit more time I can gain their trust and learn where she is."

"And why would these backwater hicks be hiding her?" Biggs questioned, his
voice rising in volume.

"I don't know! Maybe because they know that we're searching for
Sorceresses right now."

"They may know that SeeD and the Army are looking for Sorceresses, but
we're neither of those things, are we?" Biggs challenged, breaking the
comfortable murmur of conversations around the room.

"If they didn't suspect us already they certainly do now," Quistis said
dryly and removed her glasses to set them down carefully on the dinner table.
The innkeeper had been silently tending to his guest registry when the guys
started arguing. Undoubtedly the innkeeper heard their bickering if not other
guests who had come downstairs for supper.

Biggs leaned forward so that the inn wasn't privy to anymore of their
conversation. "What should we do then?"

"If our best leads are here we continue searching Cottage Grove. If the
well dries up and we haven't found her we'll move along to the next village."
Quistis shook her head and went back to eating her dinner.

The last two days hadn't been easy ones for her. She found herself
spending far too much time watching the lake. Intellectually she acknowledged
that it was the body of water that her parents died in, but the slowly lapping
waves that hit the shore gave it a peaceful appearance. She wished that she
remembered her parents. All that she had of them was a photo that replaced her
memories of them as time wore on.

She physically shook her head to free herself of those thoughts. Wedge
hastily shoveled the last few bites into his mouth and stood up. "I'm going
out," he announced. Quistis nodded her head. A few minutes later Biggs left
as well. She was alone at her end of the table with her thoughts and her peas.

'Why is it always peas?' she mused silently, recalling another brooding
session involving chasing peas around her dinner plate.

Quistis focused on her meal and ignored the fact that someone was watching
her. At first she suspected the innkeeper, but he had left the room a few
minutes ago. Silently the other guests left as well with only Quistis and her
meal remaining. She could hear soft footsteps approaching her from the
doorway, but she childishly refused to turn around. Foolish, if it were an
assassin she should be on her feet to meet them. Then again, if they were an
assassin she would likely be dead already.

"Quisty? Quisty Trepe?" It was a woman's voice, older, matronly, but not
her Matron. She should have insisted on going by an alias while they were
here. She'd carefully avoided giving her name to any of the villagers, but
that didn't mean either of the guys didn't hand it out.

Fighting down the knot that exploded in her belly she turned around to
address the woman. "I am Quistis Trepe, and you are?" She inquired politely.

"Alis Thomas, the mayor of this village. I..." she paused and smiled
fondly. "I didn't believe Rudo when he told us that you were staying here. I
owe him an apology."

Quistis gave Alis an appraising look. She was in her mid-fifties, average
build, with wavy brown hair that was streaked with silver and bound at the nape
of her neck. Her face was that of a woman who had endured many trials in life,
but her blue eyes spoke of a caring woman at heart.

"You take after your mother." Alis said after regarding Quistis for
several moments.

Quistis shrugged slightly. "If you say so. I don't remember her or my
father."

The elder woman's expressive face tugged into a slight frown. "It hurts
to lose a member of your family when you're young," she murmured softly.
"Perhaps fate is kind for ebbing your memories away."

"I'm sorry, I'm not comfortable discussing this," Quistis shook her head
and glanced at her forgotten meal. 'Not with you, at least,' her mind amended.
Another knee-jerk reaction. This woman could potentially answer so many
questions if Quistis was willing to speak with her.

"I see. Rudo's inn isn't the best place for this," Alis allowed, "though
don't you dare tell him I said that!" Her mobile features changed into an
inviting smile. "Would you join me on an evening walk? I feel a certain
responsibility for whatever difficulties and opportunities life has presented
you since Rolf and I sent you to Deling City. I want to know what sort of
damnation my soul is up for." Though her words were light there was an edge of
concern to her voice. Quistis nodded once and snatched a bun from the
breadbasket before leaving the inn with Alis.

Dusk was setting on the village, making it the perfect backdrop for a
scenic postcard. An elderly man tending his vegetable garden waved to them.
Alis pointed out houses and introduced the families that occupied them. Three
children went buzzing by them in a wild game of tag. One of them looked to be
Quistis' age.

"Where do you live now?" Alis asked after the small talk had broken the
ice between them.

"Ahhh..." Quistis shuffled slightly. If she told Alis much about herself
it would compromise their mission, but Biggs and Wedge did that earlier this
evening with their little spat. Maybe Alis would give her the benefit of the
doubt, or maybe even help them find Anna Corin if Quistis played her cards
right. "Currently I'm stationed in Galbadia, though Balamb is where I make my
home."

Both of Alis' eyebrows rose at that. Her hands went to her hips as she
weighted the implication of Quistis' words. "You're in the Galbadia military?
Aren't you a bit young, even for them?" Her eyes reflected her concern.

"Not Galbadia. I'm a member of SeeD. I graduated from Balamb Garden last
year and am currently earning my teaching credentials in Galbadia," she
explained. If she was going to solicit Alis' aid she had to take some risks.

For the first time Alis' expression was neutral. "How did you end up in
SeeD?"

"That's a longer story," it was Quistis' turn to smile. She told Alis
about going to the orphanage in Deling City, her adoptive family that didn't
work out, living with Matron in Centra, and finally entering the Garden. Alis
was such an attentive listener. Quistis found herself telling the woman about
topics she hadn't intended to breech, like Sean and Xu, and her hopes of
becoming an Instructor. Quistis didn't get to why she was in Cottage Grove,
nor had Alis asked during their conversation. When a wide yawn punctuated one
of her sentences Alis chuckled lightly and apologized for keeping her up so
late. The sky was a blanket of stars, yet it felt as though they'd only spoken
for a short time.

"Please don't leave the village without seeing me. I would like to speak
with you again," Alis wished her a good evening and went home.



Rolf didn't get up from the comfortable sofa he was lounged in when he
heard the door open and close. He was used to Alis coming in late. She was
the type who wouldn't sleep unless she knew everything was right with the
village. That was part of the reason he loved her.

"How is Mr. Barker's garden doing?" Rolf asked while setting aside the
book he was reading.

"I didn't speak with him tonight," Alis answered from the breezeway. Once
her shoes were neatly tucked away she came into the living room and sat next to
her husband on the sofa.

"Quistis Trepe is at the inn," she said.

The next question he was going to ask about Justin Callahan's fishing boat
died on his lips. "I never thought she'd come back. Is she staying?"

Alis shook her head. "She's passing through with those two fellows who
have been lurking around the village lately."

"Did you figure out why they're looking for Anna?"

"I'm sure Quistis would have told me if I'd remembered to ask."

That curious response piqued Rolf's interest. "What stopped you?"

Alis looked down at her hands. She'd been kneading them in her lap, "We
made a mistake, Rolf. We shouldn't have let her leave the village. We should
have raised her ourselves if nothing else!"

"Hon..." He took her hands into his own and squeezed.

They had watched over the village for more than twenty years now, taking
turns answering to the title of mayor. Whenever something dreadful happened
Alis always took it hard. The villagers were family to her and the tragic
deaths of the Trepes had been a harsh blow. Alis tried to find someone in the
village who was capable of raising Quistis, but no one had the right
combination of resources, time, and patience that it took to raise a child.
Rolf and Alis' son, Chaz, was an unruly teenager then. Bringing a toddler into
their home would have been a disastrous mistake. And so, lacking any other
option, they contacted the government's social services department about taking
Quistis into its care. It broke Alis' heart to make Quistis a ward of the
state (and she cried for weeks after doing it) but they really had no other
choice.

Rolf put an arm around Alis and pulled her up against him. "Why are you
still regretting that decision?" He asked gently.

She leaned into his embrace and took the strength he offered her. "She's
a SeeD, Rolf. She's brilliant, just like her parents, and the orphanages we
thought would protect her turned her into a mercenary." The last words were
spit out bitterly. They had both seen their share of conflict during the last
Sorceress War and neither of them wished such a fate upon another.

He stroked her hair reassuringly as he considered whether to sympathize
with her frustration or play Devil's advocate. Alis was too smart to let her
guilt-ridden conscience control her emotions like this. He chose his words
carefully before speaking. "Being a SeeD isn't like enlisting in the Galbadia
army," he reminded. "Their academies are among the finest educational
institutes on the planet. And," he poked her gently, "Skye attended SeeD's
academy. You've seen her since she graduated and haven't made any mention of
her no longer being a good person."

Alis snorted at the reminder. "Skye's different! She *chose* to go
become a SeeD, though I think she could have ended up just about anywhere but
here and been happy," she muttered. "The impression I got is that Quistis went
into SeeD because that's where the orphanage dumped her off. She never had any
other alternatives! What if she wanted to attend Deling University instead?"

"Hon," he hugged her tight because the upcoming truth would hurt, "How
would Quistis afford to go to Deling University? The village couldn't sponsor
her and orphans aren't known for having vast financial resources. Considering
what she had available to her, SeeD has undoubtedly provided her with the best
education she could get."

Alis glared at him in a manner that meant he was probably going to be
sleeping on the sofa tonight. He accepted her scorn and squeezed her again.
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. What could we have done differently?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know what we could have changed,
but I do know what we can change."

Rolf leaned back from her slightly. He knew that tone of voice. It was
the one she used before charging recklessly into battle when they were still
young and stupid. It was reinforced with determination and a refusal to be
satisfied with anything less than her intended goal.

"What are you up to?"

"It's Quistis' dream to become a teacher. Why should her talents be
wasted on a bunch of mercenaries when we're always struggling to find someone
to teach the next semester? Why can't we have our own teacher instead of
relying on ones we've hired from Deling City who end up teaching for a semester
and then leaving?"

"You're going to pressure her to resign from SeeD and become a teacher in
a rural area?" He drawled. "I'm not sure about this Alis. What teenager wants
to spend their time here? We're a village of retired folks and young families.
Quistis deserves the chance to see the world."

"Quistis deserves the chance to follow her dreams without running the risk
of getting her head blown off!" Alis retorted. "You know what it's like out
there. A single mission could be the end."

Rolf sighed and let go of his wife. "I think we need to sleep on this,"
he said while standing up. "I intend to study this problem in more detail from
the inside of my eyelids."



"I told you she'd be back before it got too late," Wedge mumbled from his
side of the darkened room.

A wide range of snide replies came to mind. Instead Biggs settled with,
"Who gives a fuck about Quistis? Do your job and find the Sorceress before
SeeD does."

Biggs could feel the disapproval radiating off of this upstart cadet.
Best to take him to task before he got it into his head to balk orders.
"Remember which military you're a member of, CADET. If Deling tells you to
piss on the head of a Hexadragon you'll do it. For us to make contact with the
Sorceress before SeeD does should be simple compared to that."

There was a shuffling of bedcovers and sheets, but no thump of feet
hitting the wooden floor. Wedge must have sat up. "I don't see why we have to
betray our superior officer. Aren't we all working towards the same thing?"

"Two things kid; first, Quistis ain't your superior officer. Second,
we're *not* working towards the same thing. Now go to sleep." Biggs snorted
lightly at how naive Wedge was and closed his eyes. He'd sleep well tonight,
even if Wedge didn't.

*****

It was a nice day, well, most Centran days were nice if you didn't mind
the extreme heat. Today was one of those days. The temperature was
comfortably warm with a gentle breeze that took the edge off the worst of it.
During these ideal conditions it wasn't out of the ordinary to see people
sitting outside enjoying the weather. However, it was unusual to see someone
so obviously working with her Puzzle Stone sitting outside where anyone could
trip over her. No, that wasn't fair. Sierra was leaned up against the elder's
house away from the path that ran along it. No one would disturb her unless
they intended to.

And Tsuyo was sorely tempted to do just that.

The only thing holding him back was a warning Kei had given him to stay
away from Sierra. Yes, he could understand the cause for Kei's concern.
Sierra hadn't gone out of her way to make many friends here. In fact, he got
the impression that Kei and Mikel were the only people she would tolerate
spending time with.

He stood there, watching her, wondering what had made her so bitter. The
force of her emotions was strong enough to drive away anyone who was sensitive
to such things. In fact, the grandmother who lived by the well refused to
leave her house when the Messenger was present. (Not that encouraging her to
stay hidden away in her home hurt many people's feelings, especially those of
his and Kei's generation.)

He was curious, oh so very curious, to know what sort of puzzles she faced
in her Stone. He knelt down before her, watching her stoic face that held
neither the concentration nor the relief that most people enthralled with the
Stone displayed. Discreetly he looked around to see if anyone was present to
witness his next act. Confident that they were alone he put his hands over
hers and laced his fingers so that he could touch the Stone nestled within.

It came as no small surprise when he found himself standing on the magic
plane of the village instead of in a Stone workroom. How many people outside
of the elders and acolytes even knew such a place existed? Sierra's presence
here only served to strengthen his assumption that she was blessed by the
Spirits.

This plane was as large as the village itself. Locating Sierra could take
a while if she wasn't inside one of the structures. If she was, he probably
wouldn't locate her before she decided to leave the Stone and eject him from
their mutual reality.

He walked to the central courtyard to being his search. A hint of
movement gave him a direction to go in. In this place there was no life
besides those who visited, no wind to caress the grasses, no water running
along its given path. He followed the kicked up dust through the main gates
and saw his quarry knelt next to a moat of Holy magic that had taken the
village founders years to construct.

"Jelleyes will not cross the Holy barrier," he explained. Then the
insanity of what he had done crashed down on him. He'd *violated* the sacred
recluse of a Spirit's Messenger. He's gone into her Stone without her
invitation to enter. His father's wrath would be the least of his worries once
they left this place.

She spun around at the sound of his voice, the mask of annoyance already
on her face. Her expression then softened slightly and she turned back to the
pools of magic she was examining.

"Cheater," she snorted. "Here I thought your animal training was doing a
lot to protect the village when it's this barrier that keeps the monsters at
bay."

"It is a combined effort," he huffed, momentarily forgetting his fear to
defend his honor. "Holy magic alone will not keep the Jelleyes away!"

He would have gone on to explain just how much attention a well-behaved
Jelleye required if it weren't for Sierra laughing at him.

"Thanks, I needed that," she said sheepishly. "You looked so serious...
Thanks. Being in the village puts me on edge -- it makes my skin crawl -- that
coming here, into the Stone, seemed like the only place I could escape from it
all."

"If I may ask, why are you uncomfortable?" He knelt down next to her on
the ground. There wasn't anything interesting to look at, not even the
motionless clouds forever inching across the sky. He would have given much to
fine something else to watch than her at that moment. There was so much pain
and anger in her eyes, it could kill a man if it were unleashed.

"You should ask your father that question," she replied tartly. "The
elders were the ones who banished my grandfather. It galls me to protect your
ungrateful hides."

He mulled over her answer and nodded. "I will ask him." He waited a few
moments before saying the rest of what was on his mind. "I know not of what
happened to your grandfather, but I am glad that you are here to guard our
village."

She nodded jerkily, but didn't say anything. It will take more than him
saying nice things to work her through the perceived wrongs. Nothing more
could come of them dwelling on the subject. So, he moved along to some other
things that needed to be said.

"I apologize for entering your Stone without permission. I... Let my
curiosity get the better of me. I have shown you grave disrespect and will
accept whatever punishment you deem fit."

"What are babbling on about?" She chided, a hint of amusement entering her
voice. "I thought you were here to do maintenance on the magic pools. Weren't
you just about to tell me how much effort it takes to keep the magic flowing?"

"I..." Again, he was at a loss for words. He was torn between correcting
her by admitting that he's purposefully followed her here, but her eyes said
that she already knew that. He mentally shook his head and told himself to get
a grip. Sierra was an interesting enough person but he shouldn't pursue her
any further than the village gates. There was someone else he wanted to chase
and this wasn't the time to become distracted.

"Yes, it does take a lot of effort," he said. "Gathering enough Holy
magic to keep the barrier full takes us acolytes all over Centra."

"Tell me about your travels," she invited, turning around to him her full
attention.

It had been a very long time since he had such a rewarding conversation
with someone. She knew the locations he mentioned, whereas most Anshin would
simply nod their head with false understanding. She asked intelligent
questions of him, wanting to know about these places that she had yet to visit.
They both had a passion for traveling that made them kindred spirits.



"Where have you been? You missed the afternoon session," Tsuyo's father
scolded as soon as his wayward son entered the house.

He bowed his head. "I apologize, Father. I spent this afternoon in the
service of the Messenger. I lacked the opportunity to inform you of my
whereabouts."

Tsuyo moved past his father down the hallway to the small room that was
his.

"I noticed that you and Aisierra have been spending a lot of time
together," his father said, following him down the hall.

"I consider myself fortunate to spend as much time with her as I have,"
Tsuyo dodged his father's unspoken question. "And she does not like her Anshin
name. Spirit Kei has instructed us to honor her request to be called Sierra."

His father grunted at the reminder. "When are you going to start a
family, Tsuyo? Is she the one you've chosen?"

Tsuyo felt the surge of angered annoyance that happened whenever his
father brought up this topic. "As much as I respect Sierra, she is not the
one."

"Is there anyone you would marry? You shame the family by remaining under
my roof when you should have a couple of children by now."

Tsuyo recited the names of the major Spirits to until his temper receded.
"I thank you for the patience you have displayed in allowing me the chance to
find the woman who is the other half of my heart."

His father's face clouded over with muted anger as his son's respectful
reply. "You cannot delay this forever. If you will not find a suitable mate
then I will find one for you!"

Tsuyo bowed in silent acceptance of the oft-heard ultimatum. Then he
retreated into his room and let out a heavy sigh of relief. These arguments
were occurring with increasing frequency. His father wouldn't be put off for
much longer. All thought of asking his father about Sierra's family had
retreated from his head while he concentrated on more pressing issues.

*****

"Hey! Cut it out!" Mel Alces, 14 years-old, ducked under the stick his
friend Jeffy swung his way.

"Awww... I was just joshin' with ya," Jeffy pouted and tossed the stick
away. Their teacher had let them out of class early today. Instead of going
home and doing their homework they went to the lake to play.

Mel was an adventurous lad, with a mop of dark hair and intelligent eyes.
He was smaller than Jeffy, but time may very well reverse that. Jeffy was the
more energetic of pair, with hair that was an unnaturally bright orange. (How
he convinced his mother to let him do that Mel had yet to figure out). The
boys were inseparable, which meant they got into twice as much trouble together
as they could individually. Despite the amount of trouble they caused they
were good boys at heart.

"I overheard mom and dad talkin' this morning. They said there's a SeeD
and a couple army guys in the village right now," Jeffy pondered, balancing on
a rock with the cat-like reflexes of an invincible teen. "Said the foreigners
were looking for Anna."

"Didn't she move away?" Mel asked, skipping a stone across the lake's
smooth surface.

"I dunno," Jeffy shrugged and jumped off the rock to land on another with
little slippage. "But I bet if we snuck around we could figure out where Anna
is."

"Why bother? She moved," Mel skipped another stone.

"Well, why would those army guys be hanging around if she wasn't here
somewhere, huh?"

Mel stopped with his rock skipping to consider it. A slow smile came to
his face and another stone was flung out over the water. "It might be kind of
fun to find out."



"What do you think?" Alis led Quistis into the single room schoolhouse.
She was torn between answering honestly and telling Alis what she would want to
hear. Truthfully, the schoolhouse was primitive by SeeD standards; lacking the
data terminals, wall displays, and presentation equipment Quistis was used to
having access to. This room was dominated by rows of long wooden tables,
chalkboards, and shelves full of hardbound books. Windows set high up in the
walls let the western sun flood the room with light.

"It's not what you're used to, I know," Alis admitted, freeing Quistis
from the fear of insulting her hostess. "The children here need an education
and fancy equipment isn't what makes the students smart, it's the teacher."

"What you say is true," Quistis agreed.

Alis nodded and ran her hands along the lectern at the head of the room.
"Would you considering becoming our children's teacher?"

The young SeeD's jaw hung slightly open with surprise. "I can't. I have
students back at the Garden to look after."

"Quisty..." Alis shook her head slowly. "Why are you wasting your talents
by being a *SeeD*? It's obvious that you're as gifted as your parents were,
and yet you throw it away by being a mercenary. Why not teach here and make a
*difference* instead of simply programming more soldiers to follow orders?"

Quistis' expression grew cold, "SeeDs are not robots. That's what makes
us different than other armies."

"Are you sure?" Alis kneaded the wood of the worn lectern as she spoke.
"I was a soldier too, you know. Rolf and I fought during the Sorceress War to
keep our village from being run over by opposing armies who cared so much for
their own cause that they forgot about the people in the middle.

"Your traveling companions -- the ones in the Galbadia army -- I bet
they consider themselves free thinkers, but they're not. If they're given an
order they will carry it out regardless of the morality behind it. The only
way SeeD is different is because they consider the financial consequences
before accepting contracts. SeeD has committed its share of atrocities against
people who had no way to defend themselves.

"I don't want to offend you, Quisty, but I do want you to consider my
offer instead of dismissing it out of hand. If you were here you would be safe
from those who would love to do a SeeD harm. You can make a positive change to
the lives of the villagers. You may not get such an opportunity with SeeD,
especially when your students start dying on the field of battle..."

"That's not fair," Quistis growled softly. "You assume that the people
who have been my family are evil simply because of what they are."

Alis rocked on her feet, at ease with Quistis' assertion. "Think about
this: Monsters have a mother, a father, and siblings. Are they not evil for
what they are?"

"I'll consider what you've said, but I make no promises to change my
mind."

"That's all I ask. And while you're thinking about it ask yourself if
you'll have regrets when you're my age. You're a smart girl, I'm sure you can
visualize the future ramifications of your actions."

"Yeah," Quistis left the schoolhouse, her day significantly gloomier than
when it had started.



"They have us pegged," Wedge grumbled to Biggs, who was seated at the base
of a tree watching the lake. "They all know why we're here and are dead set on
foiling us."

Biggs gave a snort of disgusted. "I guess we'll have to find a way to
'convince' them to tell us where Anna is."

"You think Quistis isn't going to object to coercing the villagers?" Wedge
challenged.

"I told ya already, it doesn't matter what Quistis or SeeD thinks. Just
so long as we get to the Sorceress before they do."

Wedge shook his head slowly. "I don't like this. Heads will roll if the
higher ups hear of this and I don't want my career to come to a crashing halt
before it even starts!"

Biggs barked a laugh. "Your career will come to an end if you *don't* do
it. Our orders are from President Deling himself. I am one of his personal
escorts, you know!"

"Yeah, I know," Wedge muttered. The fact that Biggs bragged about it at
every opportunity made sure the whole world knew. But what if the President
really did hand this mission off to one of his escorts. A court-martial would
be the least of his worries if he refused to carry out the Lieutenant's orders.
Deling wasn't known for being merciful when it came to failures due to
incompetence (which is what this would surely be seen as).

"As long as we don't burn down the village or anything like that..." Wedge
agreed hesitantly.

Biggs craned his neck up to look at his standing companion. "We'll work
on that iron-willed resolve of yours," he mocked. "The ends justify the means
as long as Galbadia ends up on top."



A few trees and a thick undergrowth away, two boys listened intently to
the Galbadians as they plotted a way to gain the villagers' co-operation. Mel
had placed his hand over Jeffy's mouth several times to keep the other boy from
yelling in outrage.

Once the soldiers were gone they felt safe to crawl out from their
hidey-hole. Twigs and leaves clung to their clothing, but that didn't matter.
They needed to tell an adult about what they overheard. That was the
responsible thing to do.

"Mom always said soldiers were baaaaad news," Jeffy said as they made
their way through the forest.

"Your mother was right," Biggs swung around from behind a tree to grab Mel
by the arm and hoist the boy up onto his shoulder. Jeffy made a break for the
village with Wedge on his heels. All things being even the footrace should
have gone to Wedge, but Jeffy, being scared witless as he was, used the extra
adrenaline to the fullest to duck and weave between the trees. He didn't stop
sprinting until he rushed through the door of the closest building he knew had
an adult present.

"What the hell are you doing, Jeffy?" Rudo, the innkeeper, exclaimed as
the boy dove through the door and rushed behind the counter. "I told you not
to play your games in here!"

Jeffy was unable to answer because of the huge gasps of air his lungs
greedily gulped. Rudo was about to ream the boy when he saw how frightened he
was. Quickly setting aside his anger he knelt down to see if Jeffy was hurt in
anyway.

"What's wrong? Was a monster chasing you? Where's Mel?"

A gurgled gasp answered the last question.

"Where's Mel, Jeffy?" Rudo asked again more urgently. He poured the lad a
glass of water from the pitcher he kept out on the dinner table for the guests.

"Army... Guy... Took... Him..." Jeffy gasped out between gulps.

Rudo's eyes hardened dangerously. "The foreigners who have been staying
here?"

The boy nodded, his sweaty orange hair clinging to his head at awkward
angles.

Rudo stood up and started calling for the maid and the cook that helped
maintain the inn. He quickly explained the situation and told the cook to go
find Alis and Rolf. The maid he put in charge of calming Jeffy down enough to
get a more detailed account from him. Then he went to his private office to
retrieve his weapon; a heavy gun that could punch a hole the size of his fist
into a Grendel.

With the weapon slung over his shoulder he jogged down the stairs to see
how Jeffy was doing. Alis and Rolf were both present and armed with swords.

Rudo growled. "Any idea why they took Mel?"

Alis shook her head. "I don't know. Quistis was upset after I spoke with
her this afternoon, but I don't see her going to this extreme."

"Even though she's been corrupted by SeeD?" Rolf drawled.

"I believe she's better than at. If she'd intended to come here and
kidnap our children she would have done it sooner than this. Has anyone found
Mel's parents yet?" She asked the growing crowd of villagers who got word of
Mel's kidnapping and came to the inn to offer their help.

"They're back here, Alis," a man waved from the back of the room where a
gaggle of women had gathered to offer Mel's mother comfort.

"We'll get him back, don't worry," a man near the door to the inn called
over to her. A rumble of agreement went through the room.

Jeffy led them back to where the struggle was and told the adults what he
and Mel overheard the Army guys discussing. From there search parties fanned
out as wide as they dared to locate Mel and his captors. The forests around
the village were usually clear of monsters, and tonight was no exception. Not
a single one made its presence known. They sensed the anger of human predators
and survival instincts kicked in.

The only person they were able to locate that night was Quistis sitting on
a log by the lakeshore. Luckily Alis was present to restrain the mob's anger.
She didn't have any idea what was going on, having spent the afternoon and
evening on the shore thinking about what Alis said. Of course, she had no
alibi, so it's possible that Quistis was in on the kidnapping, but she seemed
genuinely horrified and outraged when she learned of what Biggs and Wedge had
done.

Alis escorted Quistis back to her cottage, where Rolf would keep an eye on
her. Though it went against her instincts, Quistis surrendered her weapons
when Rolf asked for them. He never asked for her magic or Guardian Forces and
she didn't volunteer that she had them.

Quistis wasn't the only person in the village who didn't sleep that night.
This mission had gone horribly wrong because she didn't keep an eye on Biggs
and Wedge. If she had been less trusting and more attentive she might have
prevented this from happening. Maybe Alis was right, maybe all that soldiers
looked at was accomplishing their ends. That had to be the reason they
snatched the boy; to compel the villagers to hand over Anna. But why go to
such an extreme?

She should contact the Garden to let them know what's happened, but does
this village even have access to HD? Somehow she doubted it. Any message to
the Garden would take days to get there and this might well be over by then.
What could she do?



Her eyes were dry, finally. She'd shed far too many tears during the
night because of the helpless frustration she felt. The question that kept
twisting in her mind like a knife was if Alis was right? There was no doubt in
her mind that Biggs and Wedge acting under someone's orders take Mel. Would
Quistis have done the same thing if the Headmaster ordered her to? The answer
that came was like a bitter pill to her. All these people's grief was the
result of just following orders.

And once that insecurity had its claws in her other demons came out as
well... She began to doubt that she was good enough to be a SeeD Instructor.
Things weren't going as well at Galbadia as she could have hoped. Xu had
completed the requirements of her internship with a half year to spare while
earning her qualifications in the Weapons Guild and here Quistis was struggling
to even make the cut. She was even further behind now that she was in the
field and away from the students she was supposed to be teaching.

Worse yet, she was still undecided about what she could do to make things
right by the people of Cottage Grove. She wanted to be out there helping to
locate Mel, but Rolf wouldn't allow it. If she snuck out and they caught her
that would only make things worse. The benefit of the doubt that Alis granted
her would evaporate.

What would Xu do in this case? She'd been wondering that all night and
came to one very real conclusion; she wasn't Xu. She could try to talk her way
out of confinement, but that would take valuable time.

The tears started to well up in her eyes again. How did things get so out
of hand? All she had to do was find Anna and offer to protect her. She was
here to do a good deed, not to anger the villagers or cause them grief. The
saying was true... The road to Hell was paved with good intentions.



It was afternoon and the villagers had yet to locate Mel. Quistis watched
the hands of the wallclock in the bedroom she was confined to crawl across its
face. She was getting restless. Between her bouts of pacing she'd drafted a
half dozen letters to the Headmaster explaining the situation and apologizing.
All of them were discarded in the wastebasket as unacceptable. Neither Cid nor
Martine wanted to hear excuses or apologies, they would expect her to *do*
something to rectify the situation.

And all she could do was try to not make it worse. She was in emotional
quicksand, steadily sinking even when she did nothing.

There was a tapping on the window that startled her out of her self-pity.
She pulled the curtains aside, but saw nothing. While she watched a finger
came up and tapped the glass again. She couldn't see who it was because the
person was inched up against the cottage. She opened the window to speak with
the unexpected visitor.

A friend she hadn't seen in too long gave her one of his patented charming
grins while he carefully pulled the screen off of the window. "Miss me, babe?"

"En-!" She caught herself before she exclaimed his name. "Enju! What are
you doing here?" She asked in a whisper.

"Hunting Sorceresses is dangerous business and I thought you might run
into trouble. You really outdid yourself," his grin faded for only a moment as
he pried the last corner of the screen free and set it down next to the wall.
"Come on, we've found the kid, let's go get him!"

"Wait, wait, you found Mel? Where? And who's 'we'?"

"Always full of questions, aren't you? This really isn't the best place
to be having a discussion. I hate untimely interruptions," he purred, leaning
forward on the windowsill.

Quistis had to smile at that. "You can flirt later, but..." she looked
back over her shoulder at the locked bedroom door. If they discovered she
left...

Enju followed her eyes and sighed. "We don't have time to explain things
to your warden. If we told them they'd want to bring the mob and that isn't
going to help. We need you and only you to get the kid back."

She considered it for only a moment longer before Enju helped her over the
windowsill. "They have my weapons," she told them as they quietly slipped into
the surrounding woods.

"That's okay. You won't need them unless you encounter a monster and I
haven't seen one in two days."

They were outside of the village perimeter when an orange blur jumped out
of the brush at them. The boy was lucky that Enju had spotted him creeping
along back at the cottage, else the ex-assassin might have killed him by
reflex. Quistis hadn't seen him trailing them and was startled by his sudden
appearance.

"You're going to save Mel. Take me with you!" Jeffy begged. He had a
wooden baseball bat on his shoulder and a determined expression on his face.

"It's too dangerous," Quistis explained hastily. "This is a, uh, SeeD
only mission."

Jeffy caught the hesitation in her voice and looked to Enju. "You're a
SeeD, huh?"

"You bet, kid," he answered jovially. "We're going to bring your friend
back, but you can't let anyone know until we do. Can we count on you to keep
this operation a secret?"

The boy's eyes widened slightly and his mouth made an o. "This is an
operation and I know about it? Wow! Oh, yeah! I won't tell a soul!"

"Excellent! Go back to the village and wait for us. We'll be back soon,"
Enju gave him a SeeD salute, with Quistis quickly doing the same to further
impress him. Jeffy mimicked the salute and ran back towards the village.

"Damn I'm good with kids," Enju chuckled as they continued to make their
way.



"We're nearly there," Enju said. "The idiots took Mel with hopes of
exchanging him for the woman with the Sorceress powers."

"Anna?"

"Yeah, her. Anyway, while they were looking for a place to hide out they
stumbled across the cabin she was hiding in. They don't have any use for the
kid now."

"But..." Quistis frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. Why are they so
desperate to get to Anna? We're just going to take her back to the Garden if
she'll come, else stay here until we receive orders to leave."

"It's not Anna they're after," a light tenor voice replied. It was
vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it until its owner jumped down from
his perch in the trees.

"Master Talasu?" Things just kept getting stranger and stranger.

"I'm honored that you remember me." The elfish looking Master hadn't
changed a bit since Quistis last saw him. He wore exactly the same green tunic
and loose black pants. She reminded herself that this man was considerably
older than that mid-twenties he appeared to be.

"To elaborate upon your question, it is not Anna that they want. She's
nothing more than bait to lure out Sorceress Edea. As to why they would wish
an encounter with such a dangerous woman, I'm at a loss. The only possibility
that comes to mind is that they were ordered to make contact with her."

"So here's the plan," Enju continued. "Talasu and I will confront them.
They're looking for a way to get rid of the kid, so we expect them to hand him
over without any fuss. We'll pass him off to you and you'll get him back to
the village as quickly as possible. I've knicked the trees along the way so
that you can get back if the kid doesn't know the way."

"And what about Biggs, Wedge, and Anna?"

"If they aren't as willing to release their newest prize, we will convince
them to," Talasu answered without any of the malice that Enju's expression
contained. "Now that we are all up to speed, let's go."

Quistis followed Enju and Talasu to the clearing where Anna's cabin was.
"This is nuts! We're just going to *ask* them to give Mel and Anna back?"

"Indeed," Talasu answered, leading the way to the front door.

Quistis and Enju positioned themselves a few steps behind the Master
before he rapped on the door. A moment passed before it was hesitantly opened
by Anna. She was careful not to open it too wide, only enough so that her
guest would see her and not into the cabin.

"Good afternoon, Anna," Talasu gave her a small bow. "I would like to
speak with Biggs and Wedge if you would be so kind as to fetch them for me?"

There was a startled oath from inside the cabin and Anna's face paled.

"Please come out from behind the door, Lieutenant, we have business to
discuss," Talasu called into the house.

Anna was shoved aside and the door flung open. Biggs held his arm cannon
at Talasu's chest, his right hand over the trigger. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I am Master Talasu of the Weapons Guild," he bowed slightly again.
"Since Mel's presence is no longer required I've asked Quistis here to take him
home," he stepped aside slightly to motion to Quistis. "You have Anna, so give
us the boy."

Biggs' eyes narrow suspiciously. Talasu clasped his hands behind his back
and waited for Biggs to give his answer.

"Fine, the brat was eating too much anyways. Wedge!" Biggs stepped aside
so that Wedge could push Mel through the doorway. The Master caught the lad
before he fell to the ground. Quistis came forward and took Mel's hand.

"Go quickly," Enju whispered to her as she passed. "What happens next
won't be pretty."

Quistis ducked her head and rushed Mel along. No, she doubted very much
that Biggs would give up easily, though Wedge might listen to reason. She
didn't let her mind dwell on the thought too much. With Enju involved, things
were sure to get messy.

It wasn't until they were a good half klick away from the cabin that
Quistis allowed them to slow down and catch their breath. They could probably
run the rest of the way to Cottage Grove without stopping again, but she needed
to be certain for her own peace of mind that Mel was unharmed. He only
suffered a few bruises, scrapes, and an empty belly.

They were on the outskirts of the village when Jeffy pounced Quistis
again.

"Mel!" He flung his arms around the smaller boy and squeezed the life out
of him. Mel's feet didn't hit the dirt until Jeffy had spent much of his
exuberance.

"You kept your promise!" He bounced and then glomped Quistis as well. She
stumbled backwards as his full weight tackled her.

"Let's get him home," Quistis suggested kindly after extracting herself
from Jeffy's hug.



Enju watched Quistis pulling Mel away while Talasu kept his green eyes
level on the soldier standing across from him. "They're clear," Enju whispered
once the pair had safely escaped.

Biggs smirked and said, "You have what you came for, now leave." He began
to shut the door but Talasu's foot prevented that.

"Our business is not quite concluded," he smiled thinly. "I would ask
what insanity is driving you towards forcing an encounter with a Sorceress gone
mad, but I very much doubt you will enlighten me. So instead I simply ask that
you release Anna to us."

"And why should we do that?" Biggs retrained his weapon on Talasu's head
and laughed.

"Because I am willing to let you leave, unlike the villagers of Cottage
Grove."

The Lieutenant's laugh rolled like rumbling thunder. "That's rich! If
that's all you can offer then you might as well leave now!"

"Cadet Wedge?" Talasu inquired evenly of the man hovering at Biggs'
shoulder while keeping an eye on Anna.

"Wha-? Uh, I'm just following orders, Sir," he answered.

"I see, very well then," Talasu removed his foot from the door and backed
away. Enju wasn't happy about leaving matters as they stood, but obediently
followed the Master back into the woods.

"I thought we were going to save her!" Enju hissed.

Talasu bowed his head solemnly. "She's as good as dead, Sarkis. There is
nothing we can do at this point but wait."

"And people think *I'm* the heartless bastard!" Enju snapped. "Dammit, I
shouldn't have agreed to travel with you. If I was on my own I could save
her!"

"Take solace in the fact that a child's life was spared today, but lament
not those that could not be saved," Talasu advised. "They would all be dead if
we didn't interfere, now three of them will live."

"That's not how it should be! Fuck this, I'm going to kill those
Galbadian bastards myself and get Anna back. Stay here if you want you good
for nothing sack of shit," Enju kicked a clod of dirt at Talasu and ran to the
cabin clearing.

He approached the cabin from the back when he entered the clearing.
Silently he slid along the side of the house, looking for the most advantageous
way to ambush them. He was nearly to the front door when he noticed that it
had been blown off its hinges. Within a slender woman in a long gown of violet
that was so deep it was nearly black held Anna limply in the air. Biggs was
bowing profusely to the woman while proffering her an envelope. Wedge was no
where to be found.

'What the hell?!' His mind screamed. 'We were only gone for a few
minutes!'

Anna was going to die if he didn't do something *now*. And that sniveling
Biggs handing her over like a sacrifice to the Sorceress. Doubtless that was
his intention from the very start!

Pure disgust and hatred took over Enju's emotions. Diablos expanded his
presence, demanded to be set free on these 'people' who made such a mockery of
life. Enju may be a killer but even he recognized when a great wrong was being
committed.

Enju slid into the house, removed a throwing dagger from his belt, and
flicked it at Biggs. He aimed not to kill but to maim. He wanted the soldier
to survive witnessing what he intended to do to the Sorceress, and then he
would do things that were much, MUCH worse to Biggs.

Diablos liked that idea and roared from within the confines of Enju's
body. The Guardian Force would no longer be restrained. The invocation
brought havoc to the scene, flinging household wares around as though they
weighed nothing. Diablos roared again and Enju had an equally wicked sneer on
face as he considered what to do first to the witch.

The Sorceress was unfazed by the chaos reigning around her. Her eyes
flashed for but a moment before a lance of ice pierced Anna's body like a knife
through cloth. Blood splattered every surface in the room before her corpse
hit the wooden floor. The few, faint motes of light that represented the
disembodied Sorceress's power floated to their new Mistress. Compared to the
power she collected from Deana Frost it was barely worth the bother. Anna's
death was a cheap one.

"You bitch!" Enju spat out between gritted teeth. "I won't forgive you!"

"Whoever asked for *your* forgiveness?" Edea turned to face the wrath Enju
had summoned to destroy her.

Diablos had already gathered a ball of sickly dark energy in his upraised
hand. The demon brought his hand down and encapsulated the room in the
non-elemental energy of his Dark Messenger attack. Silence replaced the
whipping winds and then an explosion tore at the Sorceress. When the energy
was spent she was still standing there, defiant, even though she had been hit
with an attack that had destroyed more than a few of Enju's enemies.

"Now it's my turn," she extended her hands out to Diablos in a welcoming
gesture. Castings of his devastating Demi magic flowed to her.

"You can't kill me with Demi!" Enju snarled. Demi was an offensive,
non-lethal spell. It always took a fraction of a person's health, but was
incapable of taking that last bit that brought death.

"Stupid boy," she cast the pilfered spells not on Enju but on Diablos.
The GF writhed in pain and counterattacked by casting Curaga on the Sorceress.
"Don't you even know the limits of your pet?" She laughed as she continued her
assault on Diablos. Each attack was countered in the same manner, with healing
magic.

"Diablos!" Enju yelled, trying to get the GF to leave before the Sorceress
drained him of his life or he unintentionally helped her anymore. A barrage of
ice lances followed the last volley of Demi castings. Diablos' death roar was
something Enju heard physically and inside his head. It was like he was
suddenly deaf and blind to the world as a part of him died.

Diablos dissolved from the battered room, leaving a crippled Enju to face
the Sorceress alone. He removed the hands from his head, unaware that he
himself had been screaming until his throat was raw.

Before he could draw a weapon the Sorceress had him hanging helplessly in
the air as Anna was before her death.

"It's a shame I can't absorb your limited powers, but eliminating someone
as potentially troublesome as you makes it worth the effort." She ran her
elongated fingers along his jaw. In that moment, when faced with death, Enju
realized that she was a beautiful creature to look at.

"Edea!" Talasu's voice called from outside the cabin.

Her golden eyes flashed again as they darted towards the sound of his
voice. "Talasu, perfect," she purred. "He's not as worthless as you are."

She turned her back to him and paused for a moment, then turned towards
the door. In the middle of the floor she left a fiery orb that only grew with
intensity as Enju started at it. 'Flare!' his mind screamed. If Diablos'
invocation and Dark Messenger hadn't brought the cabin in on itself, that spell
certainly would! He fought against the invisible bonds that restrained him.

Edea glided out the front door. "Ah, Talasu, it's been many years since
we last met-"

And as if on cue the cabin behind her exploded. A barrier spell protected
her from the projectiles that flew in all directions. Talasu flattened himself
against a tree until the debris stopped flying.

She smiled. "I do hate loose ends. It was kind of you to save me the
trouble of tracking you down. Tell me, are you still Esthar's lap dog?"

Talasu brushed himself off and glanced at the tree that now had many
pieces of debris embedded in its trunk. "I remain in the service of the
President," he answered nonchalantly. "I'll warn you now that you'll enjoy no
success today when it comes to consolidating the powers of the Sorceress."

"Another one of your predictions?" She laughed. "My my, your precognitive
skill is powerful, but limited. I've already taken one false Sorceress today.
It's a shame that you can't see further than five minutes in advance, else you
might know what will become of you."

"Five minutes is more than enough time to get away," he replied.

"An admirable trait for a spy."

"I prefer to consider myself an observer on behalf of an isolationist
country," he corrected.

"Enough of these games, Talasu. The powers you have belong to the
Sorceresses. If you won't have the decency to die, I'll force you to surrender
them."

That elicited a chuckle from the usually courteous Master. "People might
be more willing to let them go if surrendering them didn't involve dying.
You've killed enough people, including the Mime. For that I cannot forgive
you."

"Oh? You noticed that a Mime was missing? Not even their Master knows
their location most of the time. They drift around the world like a feather on
the wind, never staying in one place for long."

"You're mistaken, Edea. I always know where my Journeymen are." And now
his expression was stone cold. Gone were his baby-faced features and the
kindness in his grass green eyes.

Mimes were different from other Weapons Masters in more ways than even the
Guild realized. Each one of them had that something special that allowed them
to mimic another person's actions with apparent ease. The trait they all
shared -- the well guarded secret to their success -- was that they had a
fraction of the Sorceress's powers to draw upon.

The Mimes were yet another part of a multi-faceted plan to create a system
of checks and balances to the Sorceress's powers. He trained his Journeymen so
that they could protect themselves and their rare gift, and offer aid to those
in need. Edea knew of the Mime's clandestine efforts, having been the one who
taught him how to sense the power within others.

In the time Talasu had been the Master of the Mimes, only one student had
realized they possessed such power before he unlocked it within them. And only
once had he made a mistake when it came to recruiting a potential Mime. That
mistake was a young boy by the name of Sarkis. He had been correct when he
sensed the power flowing through the lad, but he had not accurately identified
it. At the time he hadn't realized just how wide a variety of magical beings
roamed the planet.

Never did he regret taking the boy into his care. Sarkis was a special
student with magical abilities no one truly understood, not until Talasu was
more traveled and had learned the Anshin Spirit legends.

But even more than that, Sarkis was like the son he never had and Edea
just buried him. No, there would be no quarter offered today.

Edea was the first to attack, but Talasu knew she would be. He was
already out of range of her ice lances by the time she flung them at where he
was. She wasn't going to hit him with an attack that relied on physical
contact. Changing tactics she cast a Fira spell on him, only to see it
completely neutralized.

"You devious little man," she sneered. "You don't have much faith in your
abilities after all it seems."

"There's no harm in using a Hero's drink when entering a dangerous
situation," he replied in a chipper tone. The bitter tasting concoction was
difficult to manufacture -- especially in quantity -- but well worth the
effort. It made the person who consumed it temporarily invulnerable to injury
caused by magic or physical attack. The Hero's drink had taken decades to
perfect. Such alchemy was nearly a magic of its own, woven by the Chemists of
Esthar.

Talasu mimicked Edea's last Fira spell, turning her own magic against her.
The magical strike hit, but didn't do as much damage as Talasu would have
hoped. Their magical duel continued with everything Edea tossed at him being
thrown back until she cast a Reflect spell on herself. Then Talasu's hijacked
magic boomeranged on him with still no damage being done to the Master himself.

They were caught at an impasse. Anything Edea did Talasu could avoid or
counter while the unarmed and pacifistic Talasu was unable to perform a
finishing blow against her. The healing magics she possessed were capable to
completely neutralizing any series of strikes he performed.

Talasu captured her left hand with his right and pulled Edea off balance.
"What happened to the wedding ring that you asked Cid for?" He accused harshly.

"I grew tired of holding myself back. I don't need it or him!" She jerked
her wrist free of his grasp and fought to keep the distance between them.

'The madness has corrupted more than her mind, it ate away at her heart,'
Talasu lamented silently. The ring she asked Cid for was made of Odine's
wondrous metal. It was a symbol not only of their enduring love but of their
devotion towards defeating the insanity that plagued countless generations of
Sorceresses.

"Over there!" A man's shout interrupted their private duel. A dozen
villagers swarmed out of the woods and leveled their rifles at the combatants.
Edea's eyes flecked and an explosion of fire consumed the men in the lead of
the group. The others fired their weapons at the Sorceress, not afraid to die
as long as vengeance was served.

The flames from Edea's Fira spell caught the thick underbrush on fire.
The fire spread out across the forest's carpet and crawled slowly up the tough
bark of the trees. The men retreated only when they could no longer escape the
flames to take another shot at her.

Edea smirked and created a portal to teleport her from this place. Before
Talasu could stop her she was gone.

His eyes lingered on where the last wisps of the portal's distortion
marred the fabric of time and space. "I wish you could remember the oath we
made to save the children..." He whispered.

The growing heat of the forest fire licked his back as he went over to the
wreckage of the collapsed cabin. The Flare spell that brought it down hadn't
set it aflame. Sarkis deserved better than this. He was a rebellious lad, but
he deserved to be interned where he would be remembered.

Talasu reached within himself, drawing out the magics he had commanded
since he was a child. He knew where to look for Sarkis and what he would find.

And that brought him hope.

He shoved aside a piece of the ruined roof and dug deeper into the debris.
Sarkis was under here clinging to life. In a small pocket he was there,
broken, crumpled on the cabin's floor. Blood drained from his body as though
it were a prisoner escaping confinement.

"Sarkis," Talasu pled and crouched down next to Sarkis' head. His eyes
were open, but not registering his surroundings. Slowly and soundless his
mouth worked while blood slowly dripped from the side.

The waist pouch Talasu dug his hand into contained many small vials of
potions, elixirs, and drinks that would do everything from restore a petrified
man to bringing someone from the brink of death. It was the latter miracle he
hoped his vials would provide today. Magic was useless in this case, but an
all-restoring elixir should do the trick.

He carefully cradled Sarkis' head with one hand as he dripped the contents
of the vial into his mouth. Even the small amount of elixir that got into his
blood stream through absorption was enough to begin the healing process. The
cuts on his face healed and his eyes blinked once. He swallowed, spluttered,
coughed, and then the healing power of the elixir took over. Wounds all over
his body began to close up.

"Di...ablos..." It was a weak cry, childlike and uncharacteristic with the
raw wanting that prompted it.

Once again Talasu searched his pouch for the appropriate vial. Only the
commonly available "G-Returner" could bring a Guardian Force back after his
incarnation in this world was defeated. Talasu used the potion to restore
Diablos' avatar. The demonic Guardian Force was as weak as his human, but both
were alive.

The younger man's eyes recaptured the edge of awareness they were lacking
just a few short minutes before. He sat up and his left arm remained crushed
beneath the rubble. He sat there dumbfounded, considering the impossibility of
the missing limb.

Talasu wouldn't let him dwell on the thought right now. He and Diablos
survived and it wasn't safe to remain here. Talasu grabbed Sarkis around the
chest and pulled him to his feet. "We have to leave," he said, half-dragging
the other man behind him.

"My arm..."

"You don't want Quistis to see you like this, do you?" Talasu asked the
near panicking Sarkis. He shook his head silently in near horror at the
prospect. "Come along now, before the villagers brave the fire to find us."

*****

Traitors! Back-stabbing ungrateful children. How dare they..! She could
no longer forgive them for trying to stop her. Didn't they realize that she
had to gather the power of the Great Hyne?

She raised them, fed them, clothed them, educated them, and this was how
they repaid her! They betrayed her trust in them and each other. She would
never teach her children to turn on each other.

Cid... Cid must have been the one... That's with whom the treacherous
children lived, the ones who abandoned Jerrick and Jessica on the beach. Yes,
Cid was to blame for this. He was the one who allowed her children to mingle
with those filthy Anshin Travelers.

If they wanted a fight, she would take it to them!

-----
The characters Jennifer Sakachi and Eileen Pearcy are property of LeVar Bouyer
and have been used with permission.

If you hadn't guessed, the residents of Cottage Grove belong to Sega and were
used without permission ;)

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