Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sowing the SeeDs ❯ Chapter 12

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

Sowing the SeeDs : Part 12

a fanfic by Greenbeans <gbeans@tyrlen.org>
with His lordship Chaos <hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com>
based on the world of Final Fantasy 8
created by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. <www.squaresoft.com>



With complete disregard for recent chaotic events, the school year pressed
onward. Most students were prepared as the end of the term approached. Xu was
not. She was caught off guard when Cid he asked her to help administer this
term's field exam. She'd done it at Galbadia Garden, certainly, but she was so
wrapped up in the restoration of things within her own realm that she wasn't
expecting the duty to fall on her.

Myn and Nym were ready. It came as no surprise when they easily passed
the written exam. That was anticipated. They'd been well trained at Trabia,
and then shined to a polish by the teaching staff at Balamb. The true test
would be in three days. Cid already had the contract lined up.

Cid went over Balamb's graduation requirements with her since they did
vary from Galbadia's on several points. It took her a day to psyche herself
into the proper hard ass state of mind required for this exam. She must grade
the students harsher than she would under any other circumstances. It was for
their own good as much as for the honor of Garden and SeeD.

There were only five cadets testing this term. The small number seemed
appropriate for the exacting mission Cid had lined up for them. They traveled
to the Galbadian continent to land near Mandy Beach. The assignment itself
took place in a rural region on the outskirts of Timber's capital.

An item of undisclosed nature (to the cadets) was stolen a week ago from
the Galbadia government. The perpetrators of the crime were tracked down to
this remote location. Their choice in venue was a good one. The Timber
resistance factions would see any movement by Galbadian forces within the
region as an attack. Galbadia wanted their property back, but at the same time
didn't want to add fuel to a situation that had cooled down for the time being.
That's where SeeD came in.

The mission had two objectives. The first was to retrieve the item. The
second was to eliminate any of the suspected criminals that were encountered.
There would be no trial to establish their innocence. That would likewise stir
up the situation in the region. Galbadia felt safe with the assumption that
anyone found on the grounds were somehow linked to the crime.

Xu had mixed feeling about requiring the second objective of the cadets.
It was a hefty demand to make of someone who is just starting out, but by the
same token it was the nature of their profession.

A land transport carried them from the beach to the remote farmhouse that
the targets used as a base of operations. From SeeD's research, these people
had claimed responsibility for many crimes committed against Galbadia. They
didn't pretend to have a noble cause such as freeing Timber. They were crooks,
plain and simple, and never tried to portray themselves as anything else.
Galbadia couldn't go after them as long as they were hiding in Timber
territory, but SeeD could.

"The cadets will be spilt into two teams. Squad A will back up the SeeD
operatives, who will retrieve the stolen item. They will be responsible for
clearing the immediate area of threats," Cid explained to the five cadets
ranged along the wall seats of the land transport. "Cadets Myn and Nym will
make up Squad B. They will clear a path for the extraction of their comrades
once the item is within our possession.

"In addition to these roles, both squads are to eliminate any targets that
they encounter. Admittedly, this is the most difficult part of the mission,
but it is a true test of your mettle. Be strong. Be thorough. Be the next
generation of SeeD."

Cid met each of their eyes before nodding to himself and retracting the
wall display where a map of the target area had been displayed. Even Xu was
feeling inspired after that speech and she wasn't the one being tested. Maybe
Balamb would have its first field exam with one hundred percent graduation? It
was a lofty goal, but she felt that they had a real chance of succeeding this
time around.

Squad A penetrated the farmhouse first with the SeeD operatives. Myn and
Nym lagged behind to secure a safe passage for retreat. By the time they came
through, the hallways were already lined with bodies. Nym swallowed down the
bile that rose up in her throat and cut off that part of her mind from their
immediate reality. SeeD trained them for this. They knew that there would be
bodies -- that there would be dead eyes watching them as they went about their
work.

Neither twin spoke, instead using hand gestures to convey their
intentions. Nym heard a noise come from a room off of the hallway they were
in. She motioned for Myn to back her up while she investigated. A stack of
boxes tumbled over as soon as she eased the door open. A child no older than
twelve looked at her with round eyes. He then darted to an adjoining room.
Nym rushed after him with Myn a step behind her.

The kid was crawling out a window when she entered the room. The cuff of
his pant leg was caught on something and he couldn't free himself fast enough.
It would be an easy shot for her to pin him down with her darts. Instead, she
hesitated, thus allowing him to tear free and fall out the window. That
snapped her back to reality. She ran up to the window, where she still had a
clear throw. With a sad look on her face she watched as he ran as fast as his
legs would carry him. Ten meters, fifteen, twenty, and out of her throwing
range.

"Nym?" Her twin questioned, reaching the window once it was too late.
There was nothing he could do to catch the kid, or to carry out their orders.
It was entirely in her hands and she let him slip by.

Nym shook her head firmly then went back out the way they came. There
were more rooms to be searched and secured.

Xu watched Nym intently from her hidden position. She had thought it
ironic that she drew Squad B as the one for her to observe. Now the irony
twisted into a moral dilemma.

Nym knowingly and purposefully disregarded an order. The way the contract
was written, it didn't matter that it was a child she released. If Galbadia
learned of this, they could argue that the contract was breached and refuse
payment. It wasn't likely, but that wasn't really the point.

What to do? Xu could follow Nym's lead and turn a blind eye to her
transgression. Even a paid killer needed a sense of mercy, didn't they? There
was little chance that a mere child was involved with the crime. But by the
same token, she shouldn't underestimate someone simply because of their youth.
The Garden was a good enough example of unassuming packages containing nasty
surprises.

Xu sighed. What an uncomfortable position to be in.

A half-hour passed and SeeD was already well underway in returning to the
Garden. SeeD prided itself on its quick execution of its contracts. There was
no clean up to be done of the site once it was secured. That wasn't their
responsibility. The item they came for was successfully retrieved and in the
Headmaster's possession for delivery to the Galbadia government upon receiving
payment for SeeD's services.

Xu submitted her recommendations for graduation and then sulked back to
her quarters. Slime wasn't low enough to describe how she felt. She carried
out the task placed before her as fairly as possible. And after careful
consideration the report she submitted passed Myn and failed Nym.

The graduation ball was at 2000 hours. She didn't want to go. She
*really* didn't want to go and see Myn there but not Nym. Why was this so
difficult? She'd failed students before, but it seemed wrong to split them up.

As she changed into her best uniform she shook the feeling off. It wasn't
like Nym was out of luck. She could retake the field exam next term and pass.
She was just a term behind her twin; that was all.

"Good evening, Xu," Cid greeted her outside of the large auditorium. He
gave her an appraising look then frowned slightly. "Your eyes betray you.
What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, I'm just not feeling up to tonight's festivities," she hedged.
It wouldn't do to admit the doubt she felt about her own decision.

He accepted her answer with a slight bob of the head. "Perhaps retiring
for the evening after you've greeted the new SeeDs would be for the best?"

"Yes, that's likely what I'll do."

They entered the cavernous room together. Her eyes immediately scanned
the growing mass of bodies for the graduates being honored tonight. The sooner
she got social obligations out of the way, the sooner she could leave. A
server came by and presented them with a tray of glasses containing wine. Cid
took one of the offered drinks while Xu declined. She didn't plan on sticking
around long enough to finish it.

"Headmaster!" A man pressed his way through the crowd to meet up with
them. Xu's heart sank to her knees when she recognized Myn looking sharp in
his newly acquired SeeD uniform. "Instructor Xu," he greeted her once he had
joined their small group.

"You're looking well, SeeD Myn," Cid gave him a friendly squeeze on the
shoulder. "Enjoy tonight, the real work begins tomorrow."

Myn squirmed under his kind words. Xu's guilt ebbed away enough to add to
the conversation. "He said the same thing to me and two days later I found
myself in Galbadia. Heed the Headmaster's warning."

A bark of laughter answered her. "That I will, Instructor!"

"About time you listened to someone. You're lucky she never kicked your
butt!" A familiar voice teased from behind Xu. She spun around to see Nym
proudly sporting a SeeD uniform and her favorite beret atop her head.

"Congratulations to you as well, SeeD Nym," Cid lifted his glass in toast
to her. She blushed slightly; a warm smile lighting up her entire face.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I couldn't have done it without Instructor Xu's
help. She got my magic casting back on track."

Xu kept the confusion she felt from reaching her expression. How is this
possible? She shot the Headmaster a questioning look. A slight wink was her
answer as another server came around with an offering of drinks. She accepted
one this time, suddenly feeling the gloom around her spirit lifting.

After an enjoyable evening Xu meandered back to her quarters. One of the
cadets hadn't passed the exam, but it wasn't the one she thought. She didn't
want to bring the subject up with Cid, but was still curious.

Only a dim desk lamp illuminated the main room of her quarters. Even in
the Dormitory wing she could hear that faint sounds of the revelry that was
still ongoing in the auditorium. Tired hands undid her necktie and set her
neatly folded tunic across the back of a chair. Despite her weariness, she
wasn't quite ready to call it an evening, so she turned on her desk terminal to
see if she had any messages come in.

Much to her surprise there was one from the Headmaster. Why would he send
her a message when she'd seen him no more than an hour earlier? She opened the
message. It was brief and to the point:

'I value your evaluation of the students greatly, but the final decision
regarding graduation is mine alone. Consider this evening a respite from the
day when your decisions will be final. You've done as you ought and I thank
you for your diligence. --Cid Kramer'

Xu sagged back in her seat. The Headmaster went against her
recommendation and graduated Nym. Was she that far off base from this Garden's
precepts? No. It wouldn't do to doubt her ability to judge. Besides, Cid did
say that she'd done as she ought. That brought her some small comfort. Things
would work out for the best in the end, or so she hoped.

*****

Nym pulled a book out of the duffel then placed it on the shelf above her
desk. Along with the SeeD rank and title came quarters all her own. Honestly,
she wasn't against remaining Quistis' roommate; it was regulations that
insisted she move out. Those same regulations put the SeeD quarters on the
other side of the Dormitory block from the cadet's with the Instructor's acting
as a buffer between the two.

Her bed was covered with items that she'd dumped out of a bag so that she
could go back to her old room and get more. That was the bag she was currently
unloading. Quistis saw what she was doing and volunteered to help bring her
stuff over. It was kind of her to offer, but Nym should have learned not to be
a packrat in the first place.

On the good side, Myn's new room wasn't too far away from hers. He
started moving earlier in the day while she was still groggy from being up
until the pre-dawn hours. The joy she felt at graduating flooded her again.
It was hard to put it into words -- the feeling of accomplishment -- it was so
sweet. If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up.

Tap, tap.

Nym snapped out of her reflections and then noticed that Enju was leaned
against the frame of the open doorway.

"Congratulations," he said simply, inviting himself in. "I wanted to say
that last night, but I hear you were a party animal at the ball or something
like that. You know how Myn always paints you in the harshest light of
reality." He let his sunglasses slip down his nose slightly with an impish
smile on his face.

"Troublemaker. Don't you have somewhere else you need to be? Guarding a
few workers perhaps?" She picked up another book to shelve it. Before she
realized what he was doing, he had his hand around her wrist.

"I offer my sincerest congratulations and you brush me off? I came here
to give you what you've always wanted."

She favored him with an annoyed look. "And what's that?"

His smile grew, "A kiss."

Nym didn't answer. A flood of thoughts and feelings rushed through her.
He'd made his pursuit of Quistis a public one; to have him here flirting with
her was a new card for him. As he traced his hand along her cheek, she felt
herself leaning into that caress. But she couldn't. This wasn't something she
could have or even long for.

She pulled away from him. "We can't do this, it's against regulations."

Enju sighed softly and withdrew his hands. "Everything fun is against
regulations."

"Including getting the crap beaten out of you by a SeeD?"

Her barb regarding his fight with Kei was well placed. His nostrils
flared slightly before he pulled his temper back into check. That infallible
smile of his returned. "How did you know I enjoyed that?"

Nym shook her head and returned to her books. Enju watched her for a
moment then leaned forward to whisper into her ear. "I owe you one," he
breathed. He moved over to her bed and began placing the items that belonged
with her desk on it.

His sudden admittance of defeat made no sense until Quistis came through
the doorway with another load of stuff. She set it on the floor by the closet
then waved jauntily to Enju. "Got roped into helping her too?"

He gave her a look of sad resignation. "You'd figure that since the twins
had each other they wouldn't need outside help, but they seem to need it more
than us orphans!"

Quistis giggled and bantered with Enju for a few minutes before heading
off again. As they spoke, Nym couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty. Those
two really did have something special between them... but was it love? Damn
Enju for coming onto her like that. She didn't want anything to come between
her friendship with Quistis, especially a man!

*****

Xu remained vigilant as she escorted Cid around the Training Center to
inspect the recently completed repairs. The Headmaster seemed unconcerned
about the threat of monsters. With his whistle, he had very little to fear.
Despite that, she was still wary, knowing how crafty the T-Rexaurs could be.

"Hum..." was all Cid offered as he examined the re-enforced supports
carefully. He took a step back and examined the job as a whole. "I thought
all the trees were being removed?"

"They were going to, but I thought that they might add a new element to
the Center. The original environment couldn't be restored completely, so it
was changed into something that was comparable," she explained. She refrained
from mentioning how much time would have had to be put into the removal of
those huge trees. If the workers brought their trucks into the Center, they
could have done it in a couple of days at the cost of compounding the damage.
If they sectioned the trees into pieces that could be removed by more
traditional methods it would have taken a month. It wasn't worth it in her
opinion, so she told them to leave the fallen trees where they were.

"Are you satisfied with the repairs that were done?" He continued to look
around himself with hawk-like eyes. If something was out of order, he was
certain to catch it.

"Completely, the contractor was easy to work with. He seemed to have a
good idea of what I wanted accomplished and kept to it." That was the truth.
The Garden hired a contractor out of Balamb to conduct the repairs. She wasn't
expecting much because of the unusual nature of the job. After all, it's not
every day that you're asked to restore a monster habitat, but he and his
workers took it in stride.

Some seemed to be wary of the idea when they first entered the Center, but
once their safety was assured, they quickly got to work. Having just Enju
around was enough to protect them, but at the Foreman's suggestion she kept a
few extra SeeDs posted to provide visual reassurance to the workers. It was
with a look of bemusement that he explained his workers couldn't understand how
a single cadet was protecting them. Xu was privately surprised when the
Foreman turned out to be well read on matters such as magic and Guardian
Forces. He knew what the GFs were capable of and the importance of restoring
the Garden's training grounds.

"My wife is fascinated by the Sorceresses," he explained once while they
observed the reconstruction efforts. "They've got quite a history behind them.
She could probably teach a class about it for as much as she knows. I have to
keep up on the subject myself if I want to have anything to talk with her about
over dinner!"

The Sorceresses were a subject that never held much interest for Xu. In a
way it was ironic since the people of Centra and the Sorceresses both claim
ties that go back to the beginning of known time. When it got right down to
it, Xu didn't care about what happened 4000 years ago. She wasn't there to
witness the foundation of mankind, magic, or any of the other world shaping
events. Trying to sort them out in her mind usually left her feeling even more
confused than when she started. Today and tomorrow were the only things she
had influence over, thus they were all she concerned herself with.

"Now that this is complete, do you think Kei could cover for you for a few
weeks?" The Headmaster's question snapped her back from her ponderings. She
tried to make sense of his inquiry, but ended up having to ask him to repeat
it.

"I have an assignment that requires a very specific type of SeeD and
you're the only one stationed here that would be willing and qualified. Do you
think Kei is capable of covering for you while you're gone?" He watched her
with the same intense look that he'd inspected the structure with.

She considered his question carefully before answering. Would Kei be all
right if she was left to teach the students for a few weeks? She'd proven
herself capable, if not a bit strict when she worked under Xu's guidance.
"Leaving her on her own probably wouldn't be a good idea. If a Faculty member
paired up with her, they'd be okay. As it is, the start of the term is pretty
easy stuff with no advanced techniques being taught until week four."

He acknowledged her suggestion with a nod, then continued moving deeper
into the Center. "Headmaster?" She caught up to him.

"I'd have rather sent Kei. I don't want to lose you for as long as this
may take, but she would vehemently disagree with the nature of the assignment,"
he said more to himself than to her.

"What do you mean, sir?"

Cid stopped in his tracks abruptly to face her. "How do you feel about
selling your body?"

Xu couldn't keep her jaw from dropping open. Kei would be fit to be tied
if Cid even joked about that to her, and would likely blow a gasket if she knew
that he had suggested it to Xu.

"Not for real, of course. Though I'd be curious to see what kind of price
you could fetch in that line of work." His face creased into a mischievous
smile. He was enjoying her indignant shock entirely too much.

"Explain, please," she managed to keep her request in the realm of polite
-- somehow.

He motioned for her to walk with him as he spoke. "Dollet has been trying
to crack a child smuggling ring for some time now. The children they've stolen
away were forced into their organization or sold off as slave labor. The
Dollet authorities have had mix results in fouling their plans, but haven't
stopped them. SeeD has been co-operating with Dollet to help find the weakness
that will bring these rogues to justice once and for all. I can say with a
small measure relief that we're close, but Dollet is still missing one very
crucial piece of evidence."

"Which is?" She asked, her anger at him draining away instantly. By the
Spirits, that was a monstrous thing to do. Her upbringing taught her to accept
those deaths that were at a monster's claw, but she would never accept fate as
a slave to a human. Even monsters had more respect for life than that by
taking it.

"The names of a few key members. The smugglers have done well to conceal
their identities. We're fairly certain that they are led by people well placed
within the Dollet government, but lack the evidence to prove it.

"The most promising chance we've had in years at getting this information
has recently presented itself, but it will require some things I wouldn't ask
many of my SeeDs. The person who holds the names we need has a few less savory
habits. Booze is one of them. Hookers are another."

Xu was beginning to see where this was going, but waited for Cid to
confirm it before letting her mind race ahead to the possibilities.

"He's becoming bored with the usual fair and is clamoring loudly for
something of more exotic origin," Cid paused again to regard her with an amused
grin. "I apologize, I shouldn't find humor in this situation, but it's with
anticipation that I see you delivering the hammer blow that will crush these
scoundrels. It makes me appreciate the diversity of the Garden all the more."

Xu shook her head with resignation. Kei would definitely not play along,
even if she were more 'exotic' than Xu was. Xu had enough Anshin blood in her
to give her most of the clan's characteristic traits; dark almond shaped eyes,
a narrow frame and dark hair, though it wasn't black, as most of them tended to
have. Her strong build made her shapely, if not too much so. There were ways
to soften her hardened appearance, she was certain.

"Specifics will be given to you by Dollet's agents once you arrive," Cid
continued. "I'm sorry that I can't give you more than an outline of their
plan."

"What is their plan, sir?"

Cid scratched the back of his head nervously before smirking again.
"You're to seduce him. Keep after him until you've gotten the names we need."

Xu continued roaming the Center after Cid bid her a good day. Her
feelings regarding the assignment were mixed. She would do it. If for no
other reason than because of orders, but she didn't have to enjoy it. The part
of her that saw the brighter side of the situation reminded her that she could
be doing something worse. Then again, she couldn't pin down exactly what
'worse' would be, but was confident that there was such a thing out there that
she could be doing instead.

"There you are," Enju's voice broke her free of her thoughts. She
followed the source to find him sitting on a tree limb above her. "You realize
that you've circled this tree more than a half dozen times in the last hour?"

Xu blinked, then scratched the back of her head with embarrassment at
being caught. Enju slipped off the branch to land lightly next to her. "When
you didn't show for our training session I decided to go looking for you.
Something's come up I take it?"

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry, but we'll have to take a break from our sessions.
I'm leaving on assignment tomorrow."

"Is that so?" He shrugged off the news with easy acceptance. "You're a
highly skilled SeeD. It's a waste to keep you tucked away in the Garden all
the time."

"... You're right." The pair returned to the main gate slowly. No
monsters attacked them along the way as they walked wordlessly. Of course,
Enju could have had a hand in that...

Once they were in the training room proper, Xu made a request. "May I
borrow one of your kinzoku-sensu until I return?" The fan-like weapon would be
a welcome part of her disguise. Her skill with it didn't nearly match his, but
she should be able to use it well enough to protect herself.

Without hesitation he unclipped one from his belt. Handing it to her he
said, "Please be gentle. It's the sensu's first time with a stranger."

That earned him a small smile. "Thank you, Enju."

*****

The next afternoon found Xu standing in civilian clothing on the train
platform in Timber. Her contacts had insisted that they pick her up in Timber
instead of her taking the train to the station outside of Dollet's coastal
capital. Apparently the ones they were trying to catch by the tail were on to
them and no precaution was too extreme.

Agents Lockrush and Rosenhall picked her out of the crowd by her stance
alone.

"We'll have to work on that," Rosenhall noted as she regarded the young
woman without her knowledge. Rosenhall's brunette hair flowed down her back
and across her shoulders in waves. She was a woman of classic beauty, poised,
and well spoken.

"Cid didn't do us any favors," Lockrush complained. "Sure, she's Anshin,
but she isn't much to look at." Not that he was either, by Rosenhall's
estimation. Lockrush's tie hung loosely around his neck and his clothes were
disheveled -- a perpetual state for him.

Rosenhall waved that aside. "Beauty is an illusion. She's got the raw
characteristics I need to make her into a creature that will turn the head of
any man."

Lockrush didn't respond. What Rosenhall boasted was the truth. Her skill
with creating beautiful women was something that had allowed them to get as far
as they had. Hopefully this would be the last illusion they would have to
create.

They approached the young woman. "Miss Xu?" She nodded in
acknowledgement, adjusting the bag slung over her shoulder.

"My companion doesn't believe in such frivolous things as pleasantries, so
allow me to introduce myself instead. I'm Michelle Rosenhall, I'll be helping
you prepare for your date," she mouth curved into a smile at the shared joke.

Lockrush wordlessly protested from his position next to her. "Harry
Lockrush," he grunted. Michelle favored him with a smile for his efforts at
performing such simple social graces.

"If you'll come with us?" Michelle gestured in the general direction of
the street. "Harry, be a dear and get her luggage for her, will you?"

Lockrush sighed heavily and held his hand out to take Xu's bag. She
surrendered it after a moment's hesitation. 'I wonder who I pissed off to keep
landing on the shit cases,' he thought darkly while following the two women to
the car.

*****

In his office, Cid greeted a friend he hadn't seen face-to-face in quite
some time. A man dressed in a plain green tunic and black trousers lounged
against the edge of Cid's desk.

"It's good to see you again, Master Talasu. May I ask what brings you to
the Garden?" It was a game the two men played to see if they could discover the
other's intentions. This time it was Cid's turn to guess Talasu's objective.

The Weapons Master gave Cid a wry smile and shrugged. "There's nothing
unusual about my visit. I came with hopes of speaking to cadet Enju and
Mistress Xu. And I must confess a good measure of curiosity when it comes to
your protege Quistis. The rumors of her keen mind have reached as far as
Kinzua."

Talasu's compliment of Quistis' intellect was a flattering one. Kinzua
was the small village where his dojo was located and not much else. With fond
memories Cid recalled the peaceful wilderness that shielded Talasu's home from
the rest of the world. It was a wonderful place to meditate. Lately, he
longed for the opportunity to leave the Garden and visit his friend, but too
much needed to be done for him to be allowed that luxury.

"As always, you're free to explore the Garden as you wish. Though I'm
afraid that Xu is on assignment right now," Cid said.

"How unfortunate, I haven't seen her since she became a Master," Talasu
remarked. "It's a shame that she's away."

"Do you have any idea how long you'll be our guest?" Some may consider the
question rude, but not Talasu. Cid understood that the Master drifted from
place to place like a leaf caught in the wind. It was a courtesy to Cid to
have some idea of Talasu's itinerary.

"I would like to stick around until Mistress Xu returns."

"Will you need lodging?" Cid tapped a few keys on his terminal to see if
anything was available.

Talasu waved him off. "That won't be necessary. I've rented a room in
Balamb. I'll let you know before I leave for good again."

"Unlike last time?" A small smile played on Cid's lips.

The Master shrugged with rueful resignation. "There was an emergency that
called me back. I would have told you that I was leaving if I'd had the time."

Cid chuckled. "You're responsible like that. Please try to enjoy your
time here and relax."

"As you say, Master," Talasu gave Cid a half-bow before leaving his
office.

"Intrigue follows you wherever you go. I'm curious to know what brings
you here," Cid reflected thoughtfully. Despite Talasu's nonchalance, it had to
be something pressing if he was willing to wait for Xu's return. Once again
Cid wondered about Talasu's knack for showing up during the calm before the
storm.

******

Enju was sparring with a few of his classmates in the training room.
Having noticeably improved on his throws, he was feeling rather good about
himself and opted to try a fancier over-the-shoulder toss on his sparring
partner. Sure enough, the cadet was caught off-guard and went flying over her
head, hitting the mat with an audible but harmless 'whump!'

Enju grinned to himself as he helped her back onto her feet.

That grin suddenly went acrid when he heard a mellow voice challenge his
accomplishment. "You call that a throw with such sloppy footwork?"

His baby blue eyes narrowed and Enju slowly turned around to face off
against the only person in the world he knew who had enough nerve to goad him
on like this. A number of surprised cadets stepped back to reveal Talasu
standing there on the mats.

Enju suppressed a groan. "What do you want, old man?" he asked, picking up
the verbal gauntlet he knew his former Master had thrown down.

"To teach you what you've been missing since you left the Guild," came
Talasu's playfully scathing reply.

Enju's hand pointed to the side of mat to where a sheathed sword laid.
"Will you face me with a weapon in your hand?" After seeing his former Master
shake his head, Enju muttered, "Thought not."

Talasu strolled over to Enju as the cadet picked up a tanto sword he had
intended to practice with after his sparring session was over. "Like old times,
isn't it?" Talasu remarked. He looked as if he was more enjoying a quiet, sunny
day rather than challenging a SeeD cadet and then some.

"Nostalgia is overrated," Enju retorted. After reassuring the supervising
Shumi Instructor that no harm would come to either participant, Enju made his
opening battle stance. He noted that Talasu stood perfectly relaxed, deviating
none from Enju's memory of him. There wasn't a single tense muscle in the small
man's body.

Enju paused momentarily to examine himself in the unique tanto sword's
blade. The weapon itself was exclusive to the Guild; it had a sword-catching
secondary blade, as well as finger grips for spinning. There were latches at
the end so that the sword could be attached to a chain and spun like a whip.
This particular style of tanto also happened to be the killing weapon he'd
preferred when acting as Death's Angel.

"Show me what you've learned!" Talasu ordered, suddenly looking every bit
the hard assed Weapons Master he was known to be.

Enju didn't let himself get baited by the taunt, instead unleashing
everything he had into a single, focused attack on Talasu. There was no holding
back of skill, strength or speed. He lashed out with his tanto, spinning the
weapon by its finger rings before grabbing hold of the grip and raking it down
where Talasu's face should have been.

However Talasu had already sidestepped the attack and mercilessly brought
the heel of his foot into Enju's side. Enju was thrown off-balance and stumbled
a few steps forward. In that moment where his guard was utterly destroyed,
Talasu grabbed the tanto. Enju righted himself, only to find his former Master
holding the tip of the blade level with his nose.

An odd smirk was on Talasu's face as he politely asked, "Do you yield?"

The glare in Enju's eyes was unmistakable, but he relented nevertheless.
"Bastard," he hissed under his breath as he relaxed his guard and turned away.
"You win," he announced in a louder voice, so the other cadets watching could
take the hint to mind their own damn business. "You always did."

For a moment Talasu studied Enju's demeanor. He then flipped the tanto
around so the hilt was offered to Enju, apparently satisfied with something.
"You've gotten faster since we last met," he remarked.

"I still manage to accomplish jack-all against you." Enju reclaimed his
sword and then stomped off the mats. Talasu walked alongside him as they cut
through the other cadets working out. Talasu whistled softly to himself while
following Enju into the corridor.

The Master stopped whistling to smile at him. "It's been a long time,
Sarkis," he said. "Far too long between our meetings."

Enju's brow furrowed, and he cautiously looked around the breezeway. They
were alone, but that did very little to soothe his paranoia. A shadow from his
past, Master Talasu, leaned against a nearby wall and smiled at him.

"I'd rather you didn't call me that," he said in a low voice. "Sarkis is
dead. You're talking to SeeD cadet Enju right now."

Talasu smirked. "Interesting vocation."

Enju gave an indifferent shrug and motioned for them to move towards an
adjacent corridor. Ideally he could get the two of them into the Training
Centre. Despite the monsters roaming within, it guaranteed a more secure place
to talk. Besides, he still had his tanto.

"When you're dead, you take what you can get," he replied. "So what do you
want?"

"I was merely curious about the fate of the Death's Angel."

This time Enju growled. "Be careful who you say that name around."

"Why? You going to kill me?" The amusement on Talasu's face was
unmistakable. He knew he was one of the few who could tease Enju like this and
get away with it. Partially due to Enju's respect for him, and the rest due to
his skill as a Weapons Master.

"I don't have the skill to do that, regrettably," Enju said.

Being an assassin meant he usually dealt with killing people before they
had the chance to see him. His proficiency had resulted in very few
hand-to-hand matches. If anything, his targets pulled out some kind of weapon.
Even then they didn't last long against whatever blade Enju had selected.

Talasu was unusually agreeable when it came to accompanying Enju to the
Training Centre. He must have something up his sleeve for him to appear all of
a sudden and then be co-operative. Enju's former master didn't do anything
without a reason. It was a trait that he and Headmaster shared, only Cid
wasn't quite as oblique about it. Enju could follow Cid's line of reasoning
once it was explained to him, while Talasu seemed to work from a base of
childish and impractical beliefs.

Once they were past the security gates and safely away from other prying
ears Enju spoke. "So how did you know I was here?"

Talasu shrugged, bent his knees slightly and then made a surprisingly high
leap onto a low-hanging tree branch. "For starters, there were rumours that
Death's Angel was alive."

"There were *always* rumours that I was still alive," Enju retorted. Some
guys with vendettas just couldn't take a hint.

"True," Talasu admitted, his hands in his pockets as he hopped onto
another branch. His wiry form caused the branch to way under his weight, but it
did not break and fall. From his perch, he looked around at the Training Centre
and was dully impressed by what he saw. "A lot of this looks new," he remarked.

"It is," Enju commented, absently twirling his tanto sword with one hand.

"What happened?" Talasu inquired.

Enju shrugged. "Nothing I wouldn't do at your place."

Talasu had to laugh at that. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. I'm
impressed to think you managed to do this much damage all by yourself."

"It wasn't just me," Enju replied, the tone in his voice indicating how
much he seemingly loathed the opponent in question. "A SeeD by the name of Kei
and I got into fight... and she kicked my ass rather harshly."

Talasu laughed even harder. "You always did have a way with the women."

"Shut up."

A welcome distraction abruptly presented itself as a Grat broke through
the brush, its jaws snapping at the two. Without saying a word, Enju tossed his
tanto over to Talasu. He caught it easily and gave it a few twirls to test its
weight.

Enju pulled out his kinzoku-sensu and unfolded the metal flaps, the
multitude of slender blades deployed. He gestured for Talasu to engage the Grat
first.

Between the two of them it was an easy kill.

The Grat didn't know what hit it as Talasu slashed at a fleshy fold
beneath its mouth, while Enju used the kinzoku-sensu to hack at its tentacles.
At the climax of the battle, Enju managed to get behind the Grat's back,
positioned to deliver the perfect deathblow if he had a longer blade. Talasu
saw the opening and dodged a few feeble strikes made by the monster. He bounded
up the trunk of a tree and then twisted his body in the air, launching the
tanto at Enju.

The cadet grabbed hold of the tanto and then twirled the blade so it was
facing the Grat's weak point. A moment later the Grat was killed, its limbs
twitching from the tanto being rammed into the core of its nervous system.

"Not bad," Talasu remarked, nodding his approval. He motioned to the
kinzoku-sensu. "May I see it?"

Enju gave him the fan once any loose droplets of blood had been shaken
off. Talasu flicked his wrist, and the once retractable blades suddenly
exploded from the fan. Attached to small wires, the individual blades burrowing
into whatever unlucky thing happened to be in their trajectory. A number of
trees and plants had the misfortune of being impaled.

Surprised, Talasu glanced over to Enju. "I see you've made some
improvements since you became an assassin."

"Saved my life more than once," Enju replied, stepping between some of the
wires and removing the sensu from Talasu's hand. Another rapid snap of the fan
had the wires broke off; with something as compact as the sensu, having
retractable wires was an impossibility. "I don't use that technique here in
Balamb; it would draw too much attention to me. Not to mention it would kill
whomever I was sparring against."

He handed Talasu the tanto and began to clean his own weapon. It felt
somewhat odd with Xu having his other sensu, like he was only half-clothed. But
he trusted her enough to ensure it wouldn't get lost. At least he had made sure
to disable the blade-popping mechanism in the fan before giving it to her.

"You could have tried to kill me just now," Talasu remarked idly, watching
Enju use the jacket sleeve of his uniform to wipe off the remaining gore on the
metal flaps.

Enju shrugged. "Didn't feel like getting myself killed."

"You always were one of the few who knew when to quit a fight, Sarkis,"
Talasu said with a grin.

"How many times do I have to tell you there is no Sarkis?" Enju snapped
irritably. "He died when he left your training hall."

"Enju, then," Talasu said, nodding in compliance. The cadet certainly had
a way of changing names and lives like some people changed clothes. "But only a
handful of students have had the wisdom and skill -- and above all, honest
courage -- to admit when they could not win against me. You tried to spar with
me many times, but you knew better to yield than to make a stupid and
mistakenly courageous attack. Very few did that before you, and only one has
done that since."

"I heard about what you did with Mistress Xu," Enju agreed. "From all
accounts, the crowd was almost ready to tear you to pieces if you had revoked
her bid for mastership."

Talasu was momentarily uncomfortable about that. "Oh, I think they
wouldn't have stopped there." He wiped the tanto blade on some of the larger,
nearby leaves. Most of the Grat's blood was cleaned off by the effort. "This is
familiar," he remarked, appraising the weapon. "You took this from my inventory
when you left, didn't you?"

Enju nodded.

At the time, Talasu hadn't tried to stop him as he left with only six or
seven of the Master's blades. Everything else were weapons he'd acquired over
his years of killing; Enju had put a lot of his Guild connections to good use,
procuring odd and beautiful weapons from craftsmen who only forged blades for
the Guild.

"Combat is something I excel at," Enju told his former master. "Don't
think that my yielding in a fight makes me a good and honest soul. I know
enough about the killing of others to know when my own life is in danger of
being terminated."

Silently, he admitted that Talasu and Niethe had drilled respect for
someone with superior skills into his personality. That was why he remained
very formal with Xu, and grudgingly admired Kei for her own fighting prowess.

Enju wiped the sweat from his face and took a moment to stand beneath the
shade of a rock outcropping. As his damp body adjusted to the darkness, it
started to shimmer.

"What's with the skin?" Talasu asked.

Enju glanced down and thoughtfully examined his currently pale status.
"Magic-induced eugenics. My skin only goes this white when exposed to darkness.
I had it done after I left the Guild, along with the feather tattoos on my
arms."

"You certainly have a way with handling puberty," Talasu sighed, spinning
the tanto around to present its handle to Enju. Enju accepted the weapon's
return. "You get tattooed and then become an assassin. I don't think I've ever
met a teen as rebellious as you."

Enju hmph-ed and looked away. "It's not like you're my father."

Talasu gave him a knowing smile before prodded him even further. "You seem
to be rather enjoying your new life. I'd almost swear you were reliving your
childhood."

"What childhood?" Enju retorted darkly. "My family was killed when
Galbadia seized Timber. Out of the entire village, I was the sole survivor." He
looked away. "You should know, you were the one who found me."

"Do you remember when I took you under my wing for your last two years of
training?" Talasu asked, sounding very much like the instructor Enju knew as a
child.

Enju nodded.

By the age of twelve, he had become quite the artist under Mistress
Niethe's tutelage, and so Talasu had requested that he personally train Enju.
Niethe had no qualms; Talasu was the one who had dropped 'Sarkis' into her lap
in the first place. Under Talasu's training, Enju had become an expert in
wielding almost anything that had some form of edge. What he had never liked
was all that other material Talasu insisted on teaching him.

"What about it?" Enju asked.

Talasu looked up, and saw the overpass high above the trees and foliage.
"Do you remember why you left after two years?"

"You told me I would help change the world, that it was my destiny," Enju
stated. "I left you to make my own future, to change the world my own way and
not yours."

"And if I recall correctly," Talasu countered solemnly. "I warned you that
with your skills, you would only become a killer. At fourteen, you were too
young to understand." His expert eye looked Enju up and down, and Enju bristled
at the inspection. "I see you can understand that now, but how much blood had
to be shed by your hands to make you see this?"

Enju stopped cold in his tracks, staring forward. "Too much," he answered
quietly. "And I still have yet to see your prediction about me come true."

Talasu remained perfectly calm. "Sometimes it's the legacy you leave, and
not the name," he answered.

Enju's glare melted away into confusion. "What the hell are you talking
about?"

An enigmatic smile played with Talasu's lips. "You'll understand in time."

With a beleaguered sigh, Enju started walking towards the exit. "You
always were an tenacious bastard, Master Talasu. Nothing's changed."

"But you have."

"You never did tell me how you knew I was here."

Talasu chuckled. "My dear boy, I have known Cid Kramer long before you
were born. When he suspected your forged past, I was the one in the Guild he
contacted."

"Figures."

Enju turned away as he heard a Shumi calling out his cadet title. "The
Headmaster wishes that cadet Enju report to his office immediately," it stated.

'Please tell me I'm not being coerced into studying under Talasu again,'
Enju silently prayed to whoever might be listening. That was the last thing he
wanted right now, period. "Why am I being called?" he asked the Shumi politely.

"Cadet Enju will be taking a leave of absence for a training session in
Trabia. Headmaster Cid will give you your papers and itinerary."

Enju gave a nod and then turned back to Talasu. However, the immediate
area was deserted, Talasu having silently vanished without a trace.

That didn't surprise Enju in the slightest.

*****

Lockrush drove the car that took them to Dollet. Along the way Michelle
maintained an air of casual conversation. Xu wasn't sure how she felt about
either of them. The woman seemed friendly enough, if not covertly curious to
know everything Xu was willing to volunteer. Her partner made no bones
regarding his doubts about Xu's ability to pull off this mission.

Doubts she privately shared. She'd never conducted herself in such a
manner as to purposefully use her body to manipulate others. Her mind edged
away from the idea that she might have to pleasure whoever this man was. It
was one hell of a request to make of a person, but if it were part of her
duty...

"We're here," Lockrush announced as the car pulled into an underground
parking garage. The building was unremarkable, unlike its neon clad cousins
further down the strip. Lockrush took her bag out of the trunk before leading
them in. On the third story he paused in front of a door to tumble the lock
with an old fashioned key.

"Make yourself comfortable," Michelle invited as she strolled over to the
window to look at something through it. Lockrush hit the play button of the
answering machine since the new message light was blinking a rhythmic red.

"Harry, we want the girl tonight. She damn well better be there by now.
Our client is becoming impatient with your delays. Have her here by 7
o'clock." The machine clicked and automatically reset the message.

Lockrush shot Michelle doubtful a look. "This doesn't give us much time.
Can you do it?"

Michelle flipped her hair over her shoulder and flashed him her winning
smile. "I'm not the best there is without reason." She pulled a chair out
from a rickety table, motioning for Xu to take a seat. She placed a finger
under Xu's chin and angled her face one way and then the other. She pressed
her lips together slightly as she considered what work needed to be done. She
ran her fingers through Xu's dark brown hair, then brought her hand down to
trace along Xu's jaw line.

"Do you trust me?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to complete my mission," Xu answered. The
private doubts she felt could eat away at her later. Now was the time for
isolating the part of her that was dedicated to her cause and nothing else.
She hardened that ball of resolve in her stomach and held tight to it.

Lockrush paced along the back of the room explaining their situation while
Michelle worked. Xu tried not to think about what Michelle was doing while
focusing in on Lockrush's words.

"The target's name is Richard Ruze. He's the middleman between those who
abduct the children and those who fund the operation. Ruze is smart enough not
to step on the toes of those who could have him killed, but he hasn't gone out
of his way to make any friends either. We've lulled him into thinking of the
local pub as a safe haven. The pub's proprietor is co-operating with us in
exchange for not busting him regarding some minor gambling charges.

"The pub has two levels. The street level is open to the general public.
The second level holds the proprietor's private Triple Triad tables. Nice
layout too. There's also a small bar in the back with a barkeep that acts as
both a 'tender and a bouncer.

"Are you familiar with Triple Triad? Do you drink?" He paused in his
briefing to ask.

"Yes and occasionally," Xu answered, not wanting to move too much while
Michelle worked on her face.

"The current rules in this region are Open, Plus, and Trade One. Think
you can play with that?"

"Yes, sir." She would have never counted on one of her favorite past
times as coming in useful for an assignment. SeeD worked in mysterious ways.

"Ruze isn't known for being a violent man, but I wouldn't count on that.
I'm glad that SeeD sent an unarmed combat expert; that makes me feel somewhat
better. I won't tell you how to get him talking. You'll have to go with your
gut feelings on that one. The entire place is bugged, so anything said will be
recorded. Also know that we have someone working on the inside in case you get
into trouble."

"That makes *me* feel better," she admitted, sharing Lockrush's sense of
relief. "I've brought a kinzoke-sensu with me. It's a weapon I thought would
blend in well with the appearance we're trying to create."

Lockrush briefly examined the weapon she presented to him. How such a
thing could be used in a life taking or saving capacity was lost on him.
Michelle refrained from comment except to say that it would add to the
illusion.

The transformation from SeeD Xu to a sensual woman was an involved
process. Her measurements (normally used for making uniforms) were apparently
sent ahead of time so that a dress could be prepared with her in mind.
Michelle was somewhat surprised when she discovered that Xu'd never gotten her
ears pierced. That was a situation she rectified as part of the metamorphosis.
As Michelle noted, her hair was well maintained, if little imagination used
when it came to styling. That left a lot of room for her to work with.

The cheongsam itself was form fitting and ruby red in color. It took
advantage of Xu's athletic build and muscular thighs. It had no sleeves, but
did have a high neckline. An aspect of it that puzzled Xu was a triangular cut
in the fabric that extended down between her shoulder blades. A mischievous
grin played across Michelle's lips as she explained that exposing one of Xu's
tattoos would invite a man to discover what else she had hidden beneath the
fabric. Xu had never thought of it that way.

Michelle was quite skilled in the art of makeup. Xu didn't recognize
herself in the mirror. Her hair was pulled up onto the top of her head,
twisted, and held in place with a pair of hairpins. Xu's primary objection
with the outfit was the high-heeled shoes. They eventually compromised on that
so that she could wear a pair of soft slippers.

"As you'll notice, you have no pockets in that dress," Lockrush pointed
out the obvious. "Your coin purse doesn't have much in it either. We were
told that SeeDs could store magic within themselves. I don't understand how
you can do that, but I'd recommend that you do else you'll have nothing except
your hands and that fan of yours if you get into trouble."

"Of course," Xu murmured. Not only did she feel awkward on the outside,
now she felt awkward on the inside as well. Energy Quanta wasn't one of her
better skills. The spells she absorbed from the stock she'd brought in bead
form settled uncomfortably within her. If she did have to do a casting, it
wouldn't be nearly as strong as if she'd absorbed the spell in the first place.
Hopefully the fact that she had them 'just in case' would be something that
wasn't tested.

*****

Xu took a deep breath to calm her nerves before entering the door that she
was directed to. Michelle's hovering by the window made sense now. They could
watch the pub from that position.

The owner of the bar, Franco, met her quickly at the door before shuffling
her up the stairs at the back of the room. Even though it was early in the
evening, the bar was already thick with the smell of smoke and beer. It came
as a relief to find that the private rooms were smoke free and significantly
quieter. Only a few men (who obviously belonged to the upper class) were
seated around the room.

Franco guided her towards a pair of men at the bar. The one who looked up
from pouring a drink had to be the bartender Lockrush mentioned. The bartender
was big enough to fill his other role as bouncer well. The collared shirt and
bowtie he wore seemed out of place on him, as though one would be more likely
to find him in scruffy clothing that wouldn't be ruined if he smashed someone's
face in. He had a full beard of fiery red hair that was neatly trimmed. His
eyes drilled into her as she approached. Xu demurred by turning her eyes
towards the floor.

"This is the girl?" He asked, coming around the end of the bar.

"Be nice to our guest, Nick," Franco warned, though it seemed to have
fallen on deaf ears. Nick held his hand out for Xu's purse and sensu to
inspect them. The fan fascinated him by its design, but he said nothing. Xu
had to admit that he was both quick and thorough in patting her down for
anything concealed. This was a man she'd have to keep an eye on. He grunted
his approval, then returned to his position behind the bar.

"This is Tsing. You expressed an interest in having something a little
different," Franco winked at the man seated at the bar who was being served.
Ruze, Xu was certain. He was of medium build, mid-thirties if she had to
hazard a guess at his age. His skin was tanned dark and leathery from spending
too much time in the sun.

His mouth twisted into a smirk as he examined her. Xu was certain that
'Tsing' was exactly what he was hoping for in a woman. She kept her eyes
turned respectfully downward with her hands folded before her. Franco stepped
aside as Ruze paced around her, taking her in from all angles. An eyebrow
arched when he saw part of a tattoo on her back through a slit in her dress.

It would be a game to see if he could get a look at the rest of the
tattoo. The hungry look in his eyes made Xu shiver on the inside. This wasn't
a man she would associate with voluntarily.

"You've done well," he complimented, stroking a hand along Tsing's cheek.
He idly flicked one of her dangling earrings before placing an arm around her
shoulders and guided her to his table.

"Are you familiar with the rules of Triple Triad?" He asked, clearing a
place at the table for her sit on a tall stool.

"I've played it before," she answered softly in a curiously accented
voice. He smiled to himself for becoming more and more enchanted by this
foreign girl. Franco had certainly done him right by picking her to be his
companion for the evening.

"Nick, a drink for the girl," Franco motioned for the bartender to bring
something for her to the table. Xu swore that she could feel the floorboards
give some as he stopped next to her and set a wine glass with an amber liquid
in it on the table. With all three of them watching her, she sipped from the
glass hesitantly. It was... juice? What the..?

Nick huffed and returned to his bar.

Ruze seemed satisfied and placed a deck of cards on the table. "Play me?"
He invited.

Xu nodded. He dealt them both cards from his deck after giving it a good
shuffle. Without any cards of her own to play with, she would have to borrow
his. Their first match went to him. She didn't try to lose; she simply didn't
have the cards needed to win. The next match was more even, and he had to play
skillfully to come out on top. He arched an eyebrow at her and she smiled.
She wasn't going to let him win without a fight.

"Tell me about yourself, Tsing. Where are you from?" Ruze didn't look up
from his cards. Glancing over at the bar, Nick glowered at them. Franco had
returned downstairs to keep an eye on things there.

"The Anshin clan," she answered in a thickened accent. Nervousness alone
made it easier to slip into the speech patterns of her childhood. It adding
weight to her story was a welcome bonus.

"I've been down south to the Serengetti Plains a few times myself. Damn
Thrustaevis's are as thick as mud."

Xu cocked her head to the side with confusion. "Thrustaevis's aren't
native to the Plains. Where did you encounter them?"

Upon seeing Ruze's shark-like grin she realized that she'd passed his
test. Thrustaevis were so common on the Galbadian continent that it would be
easy to assume that they lived everywhere else as well.

He pulled her closer to him, sliding his hand along the exposed skin of
her back. "You're a full grown Anshin, eh?" The bartender watched with
disinterest as Ruze tried to get a better look at her tattoo. "What position
within the clan did you escape to be my companion for the evening?"

Xu looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Whoever this man was, he
knew more than most. His knowledge was something he was trying to use to force
Xu into a submissive position. There was no way he could know the meaning of
her tattoos, so she was free to lie as she saw fit.

"Hum... too ashamed to tell me?" He mistook her silence. "That's okay.
I'll bring some value to your directionless life," he came in close to give her
ear a lick. Against her better judgment she leaned against him, tracing her
fingers along his cheek. The grin returned, pleased that they each understood
their roles within the relationship.

Nick abruptly set a glass in front each of them. Xu jumped, startled by
his sudden appearance. Ruze sighed heavily and returned to the game. "When
will your boss be back up? I want to play a few matches against him."

"He'll be up when he's finished downstairs," Nick picked up their emptied
glasses and returned to his bar.

"Damn ape," Ruze growled low enough that the man in question wouldn't hear
him.

Four hours later and Xu was more than ready to call it a night. She'd
always considered herself a serious Triple Triad player, but this was testing
the limits of her interest in the game. Franco and Ruze played with ferocity
as Nick kept the drinks coming. She never asked why he kept bringing her
juice.

Ruze's tolerance for alcohol was a high one, but he did have a limit. By
1am his speech was significantly slurred and his movements sluggish. He
nuzzled against her, sliding his hand through the slit in the back of her dress
to caress her shoulder blades. Xu didn't flinch, though she wanted to. He was
creeping her out.

"Let's go to bed," he pushed himself away from the table. Xu caught his
arm before he slid too far backwards. Nick came around from the bar to assist,
but Ruze waved him off.

Ruze led the way through a side door. This opened up to a hallway that
had four doors along it and a stairway leading down at the end. The door
furthest along the hall on the right opened up to a small room with a bed and a
table lamp.

He flopped down on the bed, not bothering to remove his shoes first. Xu
sighed to herself and took the hint; he expected her to undress him. She took
off his shoes and socks, and massaged his feet with strong fingers. Impatient
with her slow pace, he pulled her onto the bed with him.

Wordlessly, she unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hands along his chest,
stroking him, stimulating him. He laid back, letting her do all the work. The
shirt was discard. She then worked on removing his pant. Stupid man. This
was one area where women had the advantage in her opinion. It took zero effort
to slip a skirt off versus considerable tugging to yank his legs free of his
pants.

"C'mon, Tsing, stop teasing me!" He slurred, his head lolling from side to
side on the pillow.

What to do? Even if she did give him what he wanted, he'd likely fall
asleep midway through. Hum... She'd do him a favor by pushing him over the
edge of consciousness (and get herself out of this situation). She crawled on
the bed beside him, trailing a finger along his skin. He took hold of her
hand, grasping it weakly.

She leaned her face close to his, smiling as she kissed him. Their eyes
closed as their lips met. Hers opened after a moment. His did not. Xu smiled
at her handiwork. In his drunken condition, he was incredibly vulnerable to
Sleep spells. Maybe keeping some magic within herself at all times wasn't such
a bad idea.

Xu eased the door closed behind her as she left, suddenly concerned that
her movements may wake him. Her hand along the banister guided her down the
darkened staircase. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes were
adjusted to the darkness of the room. Even so, she didn't see the person who
pulled her back with his large hand over her mouth before it happened. She
couldn't scream. If she did, Ruze would surely be woken by it.

She bit down on the fingers blocking her mouth in an effort to free
herself. It had to be the bartender. He was the only one big enough to have
her outsized like this.

"Calm yourself," he whispered harshly into her ear. His breath tickled as
he continued, "When you leave go down two blocks and then turn left into the
alley. The third door on the right opens up to a stairwell. Go up and let
yourself into the apartment at the top. The door's unlocked. I'll be there
shortly."

He released her suddenly and she fought to regain her footing without
hitting the floor. She looked behind her where he was standing, but he'd
already melted back into the shadows.

What was going on here? Why should she go where he told her? Did he want
to have some 'fun' with her now that Ruze was done? Her heart froze at that
thought. She could easily refuse his request by not showing up. But if she
did, would he become an obstacle between her and Ruze? She couldn't allow that
to happen.

Crisp, cool air greeted her at the door. She took a deep breath; only now
realizing just how stuffy the pub was in comparison. A bright moon and a
handful of flickering streetlights guided her way along the sidewalk. Michelle
and Lockrush hadn't discussed what to do once she was finished for the evening.
She didn't even have a number to call to ask them to pick her up.

Would it really hurt to go to Nick's apartment and see what he wanted?
The cautious part of her reasserted itself. He was a big man. He'd have no
difficulty pinning her to a bed and having his way with her. As far as he
knew, she was a hooker, and thus someone to be taken advantage of.

She found herself standing outside the door he directed her to. 'Door'
was a generous description of the battered piece of framed screen that
separated the stairwell from the alley. Xu took in her surroundings and
quickly decided that this definitely wasn't one of the better parts of town. A
cat looked back at her from its spot atop a lidded trashcan. It'd been eating
from the can next to it.

The possibilities ran through her mind once more. If worse came to worst,
she could kill him. But that would throw away *years* of other people's work.
Or she could roll with the punches and hope she wasn't hit too hard.

Slipping through the doorway she walked up the stairs. This could be a
trap. But she had to go *somewhere* tonight. He could rape her. But she
accepted the mission knowing that rape was a definite risk. For all she knew,
he could be one of the criminals they were trying to catch.

The heavy wooden door that opened to the apartment was out of place in its
surroundings. She pushed it open to stand in the entryway of a studio
apartment. Under her feet was a small throw rug. She couldn't see much
further into the apartment than that, the light from the overhead lamp midway
up the stairs behind her didn't penetrate that far into the room's darkness.

She waited in the doorway for Nick to arrive. He didn't come in the way
she expected him to. Some rustling in the kitchen and a lamp being turned on
in the living room indicated that there was more than one entrance to the
apartment. He strode out to the entryway and regarded her as she stood there
feeling dumbfounded.

"Please close the door behind you. Now, would you like something to eat?
Take a shower perhaps? Go to bed?" He asked while undoing his tie and dress
shirt.

She complied with his request, but didn't answer because she was thrown
off by his unexpected questions.

His regarded her with returned confusion and then stroked his chin
thoughtfully. "It's the beard, isn't it? Don't tell me it's the kilos I've
put on, I plan on losing those as soon as possible."

Xu renewed her efforts to place him. Admitting defeat, she finally asked.

He held his left hand out to her, palm facing. "I'm Quistis' brother,
Eugene. I heard a lot about you from Sean. I'm sorry we didn't get to know
each other better before he passed away, and afterwards."

She reached her right hand out and laced her fingers through his. He
squeezed her hand, and pulled her into a comforting hug. Never before had she
been in a situation where so much was on the line. The stress of not just
failing, but also having to conduct herself in a way that she found repulsive
wore on her spirit.

"Are we safe here?" She whispered, wanting more than anything else to
lower her guard for a while. Remaining on her toes constantly was a drain.

"As safe as we are anywhere," he answered honestly. "You can rest. No
one will come for you."

She pulled herself away. "I think I'll take you up on your offer of a
shower."

"I've already laid some night clothes out in the bathroom. You'll swim in
them, but I think the only thing I have in your size is a sock you could use as
a shirt." She laughed at his good-natured jab. "I'll make you something to eat
while you clean up."

The shower did much to refresh her -- and not just physically. She felt
better for stripping off the persona of someone so shallow that they'd sell
their body for money. Once the costume was gone, she felt like she was free to
revert back to her normal self.

Eugene didn't comment on how long she was in the shower. It felt so good
to just let the water flow over her that she indulged the desire to lean her
head against the tiled wall and rest. A bowl of fresh fruit and a tossed salad
for each of them sat on the small table that was the centerpiece of his living
room.

His apartment wasn't large by any means. She didn't want to think about
how cramped it must feel for someone of his size. Maybe her memory was
slipping, but he seemed to be taller than she remembered. The showerhead was
high enough that it sprayed down on her. It was low enough that it must hit
him squarely in the chest.

When she mentioned this, he laughed. "That is one disadvantage of being
big," he agreed. "It doesn't surprise me that you couldn't place me. As you
guessed, I had a growth spurt after graduating. It's probably the farm boy in
me. They grow the boys large where I'm from."

"You're well suited to the job of bouncer. How'd you get to this point?"

He idly munched on a carrot while reciting his story. "Technically I'm
still on my first assignment as a SeeD. I was sent to Centra to track down a
missing archeologist who was exploring the ruins. Over the course of a
half-year I've been led back to Balamb, then southern Galbadia, and finally
Dollet. Once I made Dollet it became obvious that I was sniffing the same
trail as the local authorities. SeeD's contract was renegotiated and I was
assigned to help the government track down the child smugglers.

"The break we needed in the case came with Ruze. I got a job at the pub
knowing that he frequented the place. Catching the owner by the tail gave the
local law enforcement the last bit of leverage they needed and meant I no
longer had to wear bugs when I went to work. Franco doesn't know that I work
for SeeD. He does know that you're a government plant, but that's all." Eugene
paused to chuckle lightly. "He'd have a shit if he knew that two SeeDs were in
his pub. He may not respect the local laws, but he has a definite fear of us."

"Franco isn't the one I'm concerned with. It doesn't seem like they got
the information they needed tonight," Xu frowned slightly. Ruze didn't say
anything that Xu would consider to be incriminating or pointing to his
accomplices.

"We won't know until morning. Why don't you curl up on the couch and
rest? I'm sure we'll get a call with further orders."

"Do they know that I'm with you?" Xu asked.

He shrugged. "I'd guess so. They keep the pub under close surveillance.
You were looking sexy enough that whatever schmuck they have keeping an eye on
the place wouldn't miss you," he grinned impishly.

She couldn't stop her cheeks from flushing. "Don't tease me."

"I'm sorry. Sean would be disappointed if I didn't take the opportunity."
He chuckled at her discomfort as he took their plates to the kitchen. It'd
been years since she'd spoken with someone who knew Sean as intimately as she
did. She stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes to think. No, she
wanted to avoid thinking. Avoid feeling the pang of loss that hit her every
time she thought about him...

Eugene turned the lights off, then settled down on a chair to sleep. The
apartment lacked a separate bedroom. It was kind of him to offer her the couch
he usually slept on.

Xu's sleep was restless, her dreams were mottled with still images of Sean
laced heavily with overtones she tended to shy away from. She wanted... No,
what she wanted wasn't right. It was selfish of her. But what she was doing
now was even worse, acting like a whore. Sean wouldn't want that. He'd
understand the situation, but would still be disappointed that she wasn't... or
that he wasn't...

She opened her eyes slowly. Through the open window she could tell that
the sun hadn't risen yet. False dawn had only recently started. She could
rest for a bit longer if she wanted, but her dreams would be waiting for her.
It was time to get up. She walked out to the kitchen and started a pot of
coffee.

"Would you like a cup?" She called back to the living room.

Eugene snorted, then opened his eyes. "Sure. How did you know that I was
awake?"

"I could feel it."

He snorted again before getting up. Xu winced as he stretched out, his
joints popping loudly in protest.

The phone call Eugene had predicted came sooner than Xu would have
expected. Not many people would dare call someone before sunrise. He used an
old fashioned telephone with a hand unit. Xu reminded herself that she was
spoiled at the Garden by having access to data terminals and visual
communication links.

"Yes, she's here with me." He paused. "I'm sorry to hear that. Again
tonight? Let me ask." He cupped his hand over the receiver and gave her a
questioning look. She nodded. "She's willing. Ha! What else would you
expect from a SeeD? We're professionals after all. Yes, I understand. Very
well. Bye."

After he hung up, she spoke. "Am I to assume that I'll be playing the
part of bait again tonight?"

"Yes. I usually leave in the morning to run errands and am at work by
3pm. A courier will bring you another dress sometime today. Don't leave the
apartment unless you're called for. Don't pick up the phone unless the ID says
it's from our contacts."

"In other words, I'll be hiding out here until it's time for Tsing to make
another appearance?" Xu summarized.

"That's the short of it, yes," he gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll go
by the market today and pick up some things to eat that are more agreeable to
you. On the other hand, you might not be able to pull last night's
disappearing act again."

"I know," she conceded. "Oh, what was with you serving me juice
yesterday?"

"Heh, what was with you bringing a kinzoku-sensu?" He asked in turn.
"We're both practicing the art of deception. What you may not know is that the
juice I served you bears a striking resemblance to a type of wine that is
commonly found around the Lake Obel area. The only way to tell the difference
is to taste it."

"Things aren't always what they seem," she agreed readily.

Eugene left an hour later and Xu contented herself with waiting. He
didn't have a terminal for accessing the newslinks with and reading materials
were scarce. She worked with her Puzzle Stone to pass the time, slipping far
enough into a trance to be involved, but not so much so that she couldn't break
free easily.

In the early afternoon there was a knocking on the door. A man dressed in
a courier's uniform tapped his foot impatiently waiting for the door to be
opened.

"Xu Anshin?" He asked, reading off of a clipboard.

She bit back the urge to correct him. The package he had for her was
signed for and unwrapped on the table by the time he made it to the foot of the
stairs. A dress made of midnight blue velvet laid before her. It was
beautiful, just like the first one, and made to her measurements.

"I hate to think of how much they're spending on dresses alone," she said
dryly to herself.

"The costs are worth it if we succeed," came the unexpected answer. Xu
spun around to see Michelle standing behind her. The front door was bolted
shut. She must have entered through the same way Eugene had last night.

"I suppose so."

Michelle set a pouch she'd brought with her on the table. "I thought you
might like some help getting ready for this evening. By the end of this, you
may be ready to take over my job."

Xu shook her head with resignation. "No offense, but I sincerely hope
not."

*****

Boredom prompted Quistis to walk around the Garden. She could have sworn
that she saw a man dressed in green and black watching her intently from the
bench he sat on. But when she looked away and back again, he was gone.
Feeling somewhat disturbed by this she quickly continued on her way.

It had been a long time since she was last left on her own. Xu was on
assignment. The twins were on their first mission. And now Enju was on a
training mission. Everyone she cared to spend time with was out of the Garden
right now.

Well, not everyone. There was one person left that she wouldn't mind
spending the evening with, but the feeling might not be mutual. That left her
reluctant as she walked through the Instructor's wing to enter the SeeD's wing
in the dorms. There was Myn's room. Down that corridor and to the right was
Nym's. She abruptly stopped in front of a door seemingly at random. She'd
never actually been to this room before, but knew where it was because of Xu.

Quistis took a deep breath, then knocked hesitantly. Kei opened the door.
She didn't look amused to say the least. "Yes?"

"Um... Are you busy?"

Kei crossed her arms and continued to give her a level look. Or, more
precisely, looked up to her to give her a level look. Quistis had passed by
Kei's height a couple months ago and showed no signs of stopping there. "Why?"

"Well... Xu's gone, and so are the twins, and Enju," she ticked the people
off on her fingers.

"You're lonely and want someone to keep you company?" Kei offered dryly.
She'd seen the signs often enough in her cousin to recognize them in the cadet
standing before her.

She blushed, then nodded her head. Abruptly, Kei returned to her room,
leaving the door open for Quistis to follow her in.

Kei's quarters were in a state of disarray, to put it politely. Books --
many of them crossword puzzle -- and papers occupied her bed. Odds and ends
were tucked away in the strangest of places. Kei was like the anti-Xu when it
came to living space maintenance. Even so, Quistis couldn't say that the room
was a mess; it just wasn't organized using any form of reason that she
understood.

"Did you have something in mind?"

Quistis paused in her examination of the room to think. She hadn't
expected to get this far, and thus didn't have any ideas on what to do next.
"Triple Triad?"

"Why not play something that uses your mind?" Kei retorted sarcastically.
Belatedly Quistis remembered Xu mentioning her cousin's dislike of the game.

"Like what?"

"Like this," Kei pulled a thin square box down from a shelf occupied by
bits of electronics. The box was set onto the table (after space was cleared
by conveniently swiping her arm across its surface) and a square, checked board
was placed between them. In the box were many wooden tiles with letters etched
into them.

"The object of the game is to score points by putting down words built off
of ones already on the board. We each have a rack of tiles to work with.
Whoever has the most points after the tiles are used wins."

"Simple enough." Quistis sat herself on a chair across from Kei, who was
busily making sure the backs of all the tiles were facing. Apparently they'd
be drawing them at random during the game.

"When Xu and I were still beginners to the language we played this game a
lot. An evening a week was spent testing our skills against Cid. After a word
was placed on the board, he'd ask us both to use it in a sentence to test our
understanding." Kei confided while finishing the setup. "It's a great way to
build vocabulary and spelling skills."

"It sounds interesting. I wonder why Xu never taught me it?"

Kei laughed. "Xu doesn't like this game any more than I like Triple
Triad."

"Why's that?"

Kei rubbed her thumb up against her nose. "Hmm... Let me ask you this;
when Xu was away in Galbadia did she send you letters?"

"Of course!"

"Were any of them handwritten?"

Quistis tried to recall. Now that Kei mentioned it, none of them were.
They were always sent via HD or, if Xu sent a physical letter, it was typed out
and then signed. "That's odd, Xu has very pretty handwriting."

"Pretty handwriting doesn't make up for the fact that she can't spell
worth a damn," Kei smirked. "The terminal's spell checker is overworked when
Xu's the one writing the letter. Her dictionary is the most worn book she
owns."

Quistis couldn't deny this, remembering the condition of the book Kei was
referring to. She thought about it and Kei was right, Xu did seem to make
heavy use of it.

Kei laid down the first word, demonstrating how scoring worked and then
showed how Quistis would go about laying down her own word. The concept was
deceptively simple. She spent more time thinking about what she could lay than
she would have liked. And once she did have a word to put down she didn't get
many points for it.

As soon as she was finished with her turn, Kei put her word down for
double-digit points. Quistis groaned to herself. She was already getting
stomped and the game just started.

Quistis bit her lip as she considered her next move. She laid the tiles
down, but Kei protested with a chuckle. "The word you built works, but it
crosses these other letters and *that* isn't a word in the standard language."

Quistis' frown deepened. "If it's not a word in standard, what language
is it a word in?" She asked off handedly as she reconsidered her move.

"Anshin."

"What does it mean?"

Kei shook her head ruefully. "Xu would hurt me for teaching you foul
language."

"Oh..." Quistis put down her tiles. Kei thought for a moment before
pouncing on the opportunity. It was almost like she was setting Kei up for
these high scoring words. No matter, she would figure out the strategy for
this game soon enough.

"Why don't you talk about it?" Quistis asked, plotting out her next move.

"About what?"

"The Anshin, your life before Garden, any of that. Xu won't answer my
questions. Not that you will either, will you?" She sighed heavily.

Kei didn't snap at her, as she would have expected. "Why are you
curious?"

"I want to know about my friends," she admitted sheepishly.

Kei hummed to herself softly as she put down her tiles. "You haven't
answered those same questions about yourself. Why should I volunteer that sort
of information?"

Quistis flushed. She didn't want Kei to think of her as a hypocrite. No
one had asked her about her past. It was almost taboo to speak about it.
Everyone at the Garden wanted to look forward, not back.

"My life before Garden wasn't very exciting. I was born in Cottage Grove,
which is part of the territory seized by Galbadia when they took Timber. That
makes me Galbadian, I guess. My parents died when I was five and I was sent to
an orphanage in Deling City. Matron took me to her orphanage in Centra not
long afterwards. I stayed there for a little while, and then went to live with
a foster family. Things didn't work out well. That's when I came to the
Garden. Pretty boring, huh?"

Kei blinked. She never expected Quistis to outline her pre-Garden life
for her like that, but that wasn't even the bombshell. "You lived in Centra?"

She nodded. "Matron's orphanage was on the Cape of Good Hope near a light
house. It was a nice place." Quistis smiled fondly at the memory. "Going out
the back door led to the ocean itself. We all loved playing on the beach.
Fields of wild flowers surrounded the area around the orphanage. That was
another favorite spot."

"Thank you for sharing," Kei replied softly. Quistis could tell that she
was sincere in her thanks by the softness of her tone. For as brash as Kei
was, she also knew when to mellow.

"It's not something I purposefully hide. You don't have to tell me
anything in return if you don't want." She understood that there was a good
reason for them not talking about their homeland.

"Hmm..." Kei laid down the last tiles to bring their game to an end.
"Come back tomorrow. We'll play again."

Quistis stood up and bowed quickly. "Thank you."

*****

Xu eased the door closed to Ruze's room. He was more persistent tonight,
but she'd managed to slip by without doing anything that she'd later regret.
Damn pervert. If his idea of sex was the norm, then she'd sooner live as a
virgin.

*****

Kei had made more space for them to play her word game tonight. The table
was cleared of all superfluous objects and the board already set out.

"Are you ready to challenge me again?" Kei smirked as Quistis settled
herself comfortably across from her.

"I'll give it my best."

The smile didn't leave Kei's face at her answer.

Kei's domination continued from last night. Quistis had expected as much.
What she didn't expect was when Kei asked her what she would like to know. The
prospect of having her questions answered so startled her that she didn't know
what to ask.

"Um... What's my name in Anshin?" It was a lame question, but it was the
only thing that came to mind.

"Tch, you'd have to ask something difficult like that, wouldn't you?" Kei
complained good-naturedly. "Your name translates about as well as Xu's does --
which is to say that it doesn't. The closest I could come is 'KwisTwis'. It'd
be written like this," Kei pulled a sheet free of the tablet she was using to
keep score to write it out. Quistis held the sheet in her hand as she examined
it closer. It looked like a few squiggles to her. Was that what standard
looked like to the Anshin?

"No," Kei replied when she voiced the question. "We learn both languages
in school, though the clan's proficiency is lacking as Xu and I discovered.
You have to be able to read and write standard if you want to communicate with
the rest of the world. Speaking is an entirely different matter."

"Then why not switch to standard?"

Kei leaned back into her seat before answering. "That'd make sense.
Unfortunately, Anshin rarely do things that are sensible," she shrugged. "We
didn't gain a reputation for being stubborn and unreasonable for nothing, you
know."

Quistis wasn't about to question the validity of that statement.
Especially not when Kei was proof enough of its truth. She returned her
attention to the game they were playing. It'd been her turn for some time now.

They played the rest of the evening without Quistis asking another
Anshin-related question. When the game was finished, Quistis stood and bowed
to Kei. "May I return tomorrow night?"

Kei nodded. "We'll play again."

*****

Eugene offered Xu something a bit stiffer than the juice he'd been giving
her while 'on duty'. The bitter liquid in the glass couldn't make her problems
go away, but it'd loosen the tension in her shoulders some.

Things weren't going as well as she'd hoped, despite Eugene's assurances
to the contrary. Ruze didn't seem inclined towards talking about anything
except cards, liquor, and women. The last one made Xu irritable, which was to
be expected considering that she was the woman he continually talked about.
Last night he managed to get her fully unclothed before she knocked him out.
The more she got to know him, the more she didn't want to give him what he
wanted. How could someone do this type of work on a day-to-day basis?

"Don't let your heart get involved," Eugene advised, taking a sip from his
own glass. "I don't know about you, but I've done plenty of things that I
found to be repulsive. Just turn off your mind and do it. Like an autopilot."

Xu bit back her retort that this was different. He knew that already and
was trying to offer some condolence. It just irked her to have Ruze bragging
about his dominance of her when they hadn't actually *done* anything... yet.
The yet scared her. If he was this bad now, how insufferable would he be once
he pinned her down?

Eugene was helping her as much as he could. Sleep powder was added to
Ruze's drinks as the night wore on. Hopefully, by the time he got her alone,
he'd be close enough to sleep on his own that she could gently nudge him there
the rest of the way. It'd worked up to this point, but their ploy couldn't be
maintained on a long-term basis without him becoming suspicious. What they
needed was a break.

Xu looked at her glass again and sighed heavily. Quistis' fifteenth
birthday was in a couple days and she wouldn't be there to celebrate it. Given
the nature of the mission, she couldn't even risk sending a card or giving her
a call. Xu had really wanted to be there. This was one of the final barriers
standing between Quistis and graduation.

'Happy birthday, Quistis,' Xu thought silently.

*****

Quistis crowed with delight at coming within a hundred points of Kei's
winning score. Every bit of skill she had and a few lucky breaks made this
their closest game yet. Victory was close enough that she could taste it.

But beating Kei was second to gleaning what kernels of information she
could from the SeeD. That was the true game they were playing. Quistis had to
figure out what questions to ask to get the highest return in answer. Asking
stupid things like she did their second night of playing wouldn't get her very
far.

The more she learned about the Anshin, the more curious she became. It
was like she didn't know Xu at all judging by the feel she got from Kei. A
small part of Quistis feared that was the truth and Xu was just humoring her
all this time. No, Xu really was her friend, her best friend. There was still
a lot to learn about each other. The prospect was something to look forward to
as the years go by.

Shaking the grip of insecurity off, Quistis presented her question for the
evening. "Have you ever asked yourself what you would be if you weren't a
SeeD?"

"I've wondered that from time to time. For me the question is 'what would
have happened if I hadn't ran away?' That's a question I don't know the answer
to except to say that I wouldn't like it," Kei paused to laugh at herself.
"Ambiguous, no? Like Xu, I can't see myself doing anything else.

"Oh, if were back home, I would have likely been married off by now if
Father could find a mate willing to take me. It would have been amusing, at
least in part, to watch him try. Xu... She's good-natured enough that her
father would have no problems."

"Marriages are arranged?" Quistis tried to not let her horror show. Being
denied such an important life decision deeply disturbed her. She'd be inclined
towards escaping herself if she was born into a tradition like that.

Kei shrugged. "They can be if the person in question isn't moving fast
enough to find a mate. Settling down and forming a family is an important part
of Anshin life. Not many of us 'wander' away from the clan. The family bonds
are so tight that they're constricting in my opinion, but many take comfort in
them."

Quistis thought about it carefully while she prepared her next move.
There was something she wanted to ask, but she needed to be sure of her wording
for fear of offending Kei. "You left home to escape strong family bonds, but
aren't those bonds just as strong here between the students and SeeDs?"

Kei shot her a surprised look. "You've got me. There's more behind my
leaving than escaping my family, but it is part of the reason. The rest... I
can't discuss. I'm sorry."

The cadet shook her head. "No, thank you. I've learned a lot."

"I'd prefer if you didn't go blathering this around the Garden. It's
something I would only discuss with a few people."

"Of course," Quistis nodded her agreement as her curiosity continued to
grow.

*****

Ruze kept his hand on Xu's thigh beneath the edge of the felt covered
table. She didn't protest his feeling her up. With a charming smile she
leaned in closer to speak softly with him.

"You've never told me what you do for a living. It must be something
profitable if you can afford to come here every night," she noted. Her sweet
smile was meant to disarm him and hopefully pry something useful out of him.

Unexpectedly, he switched over to the Anshin language to answer her. "I
sell things."

Xu took the change in stride. The most important thing right now was to
keep him talking.

Laughing lightly she traced a pattern on his chest with a fingertip.
"Things? That's a rather broad term."

He caught her hand, smiling at her as he brought it to his lips for a
kiss. "I've always liked Anshin girls. The ones I find wandering in the
desert are too young for my tastes. It's a welcome change to finally catch one
who's all grown up."

She somehow maintained her coy act as her mind reeled. If he was a child
smuggler, then did that mean he was kidnapping children who were sent out on
their coming of age? The chilling realization froze her heart. Anshin
tradition was the perfect setup for them. The possibility of not all the
children returning from the trial was easily accepted. They could steal a few
away and no one would miss them. How *dare* those bastards intrude upon their
rite of passage!

"I'm glad to be of service to you," she purred.

"I know you are. Anshin revel in their placidity. Non-aggressive to a
fault," his eyes laughed at her -- laughed at what it meant to be her. She'd
never before felt so passionate about defending the honor of her clan. And
yet, she couldn't. Not without blowing her cover. She swallowed her pride and
continued to cater to his delusions of her weakness.

Switching back to standard he continued as he stood up, "It's stuffy in
here. Let's go somewhere quiet."

Xu obediently laced her arm through his and followed him down the stairs.
She shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Eugene. The expression on his
face was deadly serious. He wasn't happy that they were about to leave the
safe zone he'd established for her.

Xu clinched tightly to the kinzoku-sensu in her hand as they walked the
street together. Overhead lights flicked on and off, unsure as to which state
they wished to maintain. The neon signs of the businesses they passed
highlighted Ruze's profile in a variety of unflattering colors.

No longer able to control his urges, he pushed her against a brick
building and kissed hungrily along the neck. Xu forced her hands to reach up
around his neck and pull him into her. She wanted to fight him. She wanted to
kick him so hard in the groin that he'd never have children.

The communicator that hung off his belt beeped. He tried to resist its
persistent summons by concentrating on her more, but in the end he had to
answer.

"What is it?" He hissed. "I'm busy right now!"

There was a pause. Anger clouded Ruze's face. "They got the entire
shipment?! Where were you idiots, away from the dock drunk? You've done it
this time. I'm going to look like a real fucking genius when I approach
Travers and tell him that our rivals stole another boatload out from under us."

Xu's ears perked up, though she continued the act of disinterest. She
looked at her reflection in a nearby window as it was cast by the neon lights
behind her. Hum... if she wasn't mistaken, Denis Travers was the Minister of
Foreign Affairs for Dollet. He would have the authority to sign off on people
entering and leaving the country -- a useful link to have if you were dealing
in international crime.

She wasn't sure who the 'rivals' could be. As far as she knew, there was
only one ring that needed to be broken up.

"Oh, you think he'll understand, do you? I'll be sure to let him know
that it was your smart ass that didn't guard the port they were due in. You
were confused? There's only one port on the entire northern coast! Not even
you could mess that up."

'Only one port on the northern coast'..? That was likely Centra. The
Anshin were the only ones to maintain a port there that sea craft could moor
at. Not that it was much of a port, but it was the best around for hundreds of
kilometers.

"I'll take care of it in the morning. Yeah, say your prayers and maybe
you'll have an ass to sit on by this time tomorrow. Whatever," he clicked the
comm off. "What a bunch of dumb asses..."

With a soft sigh he turned his attention back to her. "Now, where were
we?" He slipped his arms around her to resume satiating his lust.

What to do? She could hit him and run, but under SeeD's contract she was
to use any means necessary to secure the information they needed from Ruze --
even if it means having sex with him. Would it increase the mission's chances
of success if she gave into him? She could only see the chance of failure
rising if she refused. What if he found out -- or even suspected -- that she
was a spy? It'd be damn near impossible to get this close to them again. They
could go silent and slip away. That was the last thing she wanted, especially
after learning about the kidnapping of her clansmen.

Ruze nudged them into an alley where their indiscretion would be more
private. He unzipped the back of her dress, slipping his hand inside to stroke
her soft skin. Xu closed her eyes. More than anything she wanted to resist,
but she also knew the potential consequences if she did.

Carbuncle exclaimed a startled warning in the back of her mind. Xu's
first thought was that her companion was reacting to Ruze's advances. She
opened her mouth to say something, but no words came forth. Dawning
realization that someone had cast Silence happened a moment before Ruze pushed
away from her in startled surprise at being unable to speak. He'd obviously
never been hit with the spell before.

Out of the shadows a figure dressed in all black with a red sash tied
around his waist slashed across Ruze's torso from shoulder to hip with a
katana. The assassin then spun around and lopped his head off effortlessly.
The impact of Ruze's body hitting the ground broke the deep cut open the rest
of the way to allow his innards to flow freely across the sidewalk.

Xu didn't scream, she couldn't if she had wanted to. Training kicked into
overdrive as she flicked open her kinzoku-sensu. The advantage was definitely
in the katana's favor, but if she could disarm the assailant...

He pulled a small object from a fold in his outfit's cloth and flicked it
at her. The sensu dropped to the ground as a shuriken slammed into her biceps,
rendering the arm limp. A heartbeat later she followed the sensu downward when
a second shuriken dug into her thigh. Valiantly, she pulled herself back to
her feet, though she was in no condition to fight. SeeDs didn't go down that
easily.

"You fucking bastard!" Eugene roared from behind Xu. He charged between
her and the assassin, his parasol already arcing through a wild swing. Their
adversary easily avoided his attack and lashed out with his katana. The
parasol clattered to the ground. He'd caught the SeeD across the forearm with
flat of his blade.

'How odd...' A detached part of Xu mused. As far as attacks went, it
wasn't a very powerful one, but would undoubtedly leave a nasty welt behind.
It was almost as though the assassin wanted them out of the way in a
non-permanent sense. There was no other reason for the assassin to rotate his
grip the quarter turn that differentiated between severing the limb and
creating a bruise.

Loud sirens blared at the end of the alley that intersected the street.
Their attacker quickly bent down to snatch Xu's purse, then darted off into the
darkness. Eugene picked up his weapon and began to give chase, but he wasn't
nearly fast enough to keep up. Returning to Xu's side, he released her from
the affects of the Silence spell with a casting of Esuna.

"I don't have anything on me that can revive Ruze, do you?"

Xu was obviously shaken by the surprise attack. She gathered her thoughts
the best she could. "My sai..."

"What?"

"If I had my sai I could have saved him. That's where my life magic is
stored..." Xu thought longingly of the sai that were still packed away in the
duffel she'd originally brought with her. She would draw comfort from their
familiar grip if she had them with her.

"Aww, shit," Eugene half-guided, half-dragged Xu away from the Ruze mess.
Even with the medics rushing to their position, both realized that it was too
late for their target. Magic could only do so much and their little katana
wielding attacker had been thorough by killing him in a manner that would be
damn near impossible to revive.

The medics realized the hopelessness of Ruze's situation and focused their
attentions on Xu and Eugene instead. The two shuriken that were still stuck in
Xu were removed and placed into a bag as evidence. An expertly applied Cura
spell had her healed up as good as new. Eugene only required a Cure spell to
place him well underway on the path of recovery, but he'd still need to keep
ice on his arm for the rest of the night.

Michelle and Lockrush weren't far behind the medics. The local
authorities focused on securing and documenting the crime scene. The two
agents wanted to question the witnesses. Michelle led Xu off to a quiet corner
(relatively quiet considering the sirens that were still blaring) while
Lockrush pulled Eugene aside.

"Did you get anything?" The urgency in her usually light tone couldn't be
missed.

Xu nodded between sips of a hot drink the medics gave her to calm her
nerves. "Ruze received a call right before it happened. I don't know to whom
he was speaking, but he did mention the name 'Travers'. The person he was
speaking with seemed to be in a position under him. They called Ruze because a
'rival' had stolen their 'shipment'. Ruze then indicated that the shipment had
occurred at 'the only port on the northern coast'."

Xu took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could feel the tension
in her back muscles. Michelle was recording their interview with a handheld
audio recorder for later playback. "Check comm on suspect for record of recent
use," she spoke into it. "Anything else?"

"Whatever the problem was with Travers, Ruze said that he'd take care of
it in the morning."

"Hopefully we'll get there before word of Ruze's demise leaks and the
suspect flees," Michelle said optimistically. "What were you talking about
earlier in the bar? I'm sure they'll ask you to do a transcription later from
the recordings, but could you paraphrase for now?"

Xu's fist reflexively tightened. "They've been stealing away children who
were conducting their first coming of age. The Anshin would then assume that a
monster got them. In a way, I guess one had," she growled.

Michelle gave Xu a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the
significance of your 'coming of age', but it's clear that the Anshin have been
victimized as well. We'll do everything we can to set things right, you can be
sure of that."

Lockrush waved for Michelle to join him away from both Xu and Eugene.
They spoke in hushed whispers for several minutes before Michelle returned to
Xu.

"We've got enough evidence to raid the serpent's nest. It's been a hectic
night. Go with Eugene and sleep it off, but please don't leave town. We'll
need to question you further."

For the first time Xu didn't see her as Michelle the Mistress of Beauty
that she had first been introduced to. In addition to her makeup skills she
was a serious investigator. Her case broke in an unexpected way and she needed
to catch the pieces before it shattered to nothing.

*****

Quistis enjoyed the nightly ritual of gaming in Kei's quarters. The SeeD
still beat her consistently, but that really wasn't why she came by in the
first place. Kei had a lot to say on a variety of subjects once Quistis got
her talking.

"I'm glad to have someone to play with. It's been too long since I last
played regularly," Kei commented while choosing her tiles from the pile spread
out on the table.

They didn't make it far into their game before the comm beeped. Kei got
up from her seat and hit the acknowledge button on her terminal. She read the
message, her face hardening as she did so.

"I'm sorry, but we have to call it a night." She strode over to her
closet and pulled out a small bag. Quistis recognized it immediately, and what
it meant. All SeeDs maintained a duffel with a uniform and vital supplies
(like rations) packed in it. They could mobilize on a moment's notice with
their duffel, weapon and belt -- which was exactly what Kei was doing. Quistis
scurried out to the hall with Kei on her heels.

"Be good while I'm gone!" She said over her shoulder already picking the
pace up to a jog.

"Good luck!" Quistis called to her in Anshin. Kei'd wished her that often
enough before trouncing her.

Kei stepped into Cid's office and was halfway into her salute before he
stopped her.

"We haven't the time. Come over here," he motioned for her to come around
his desk and look at the terminal under its flat surface. There was a picture
of a man in his late forties displayed.

"You're going to Trabia to find this man, Haf Galker. Your assignment is
to kill him. Be certain that you don't leave a trail that can be lead back to
SeeD. Having him die in an 'accident' would work out for the best, I think,"
Cid regarded the display thoughtfully. "You aren't to make contact with Trabia
Garden. And to make things even more interesting, you have to get to him
before the local authorities do. If they capture him first, abort the mission
and return. Understand?"

She didn't understand why she was doing this, but it wasn't her place to
ask those sorts of questions. "Understood. When do I leave?"

"Immediately. There's a transport waiting for you in Balamb. Make
arrangements with them regarding the return trip. I don't expect you to be
gone for more than a few days at most."

Kei took the file he offered her and left. Cid bit his lower lip, then
addressed the room's other occupant. "I'd say that I hate doing this, but I
don't. How long do you think she has?"

Kadowaki moved away from the bookshelf she'd been examining. Kei was so
intent on going that Kadowaki doubted the SeeD even noticed her. "If your
source is correct I'd say that it's going be close. You know that Dollet will
request SeeD's assistance in this matter. Being a world-wide organization does
have its disadvantages."

Cid sighed heavily. "I know. It's a shame I can't send out the Balamb
units now, but that would tip our hand. What a relief it will be to finally
have this matter behind us."

"You've worked hard to bring things to an end. I'm sure everyone will be
relieved once it's over," Kadowaki agreed.

*****

When government agents broke open the door to Denis Travers uptown
apartment they were unprepared for the sight that greeted them. Travers was
draped over his desk, his head leaning against the polished wood at an odd
angle. Lockrush pushed passed the agents securing the location for a better
look.

"He hasn't been dead for long," he announced. The knife his hand still
gripped was plunged up to the guard into his chest. "Think he caught wind of
Ruze's murder and decided to end his own life before we came for him?"

Michelle ran a finger along her nose thoughtfully. "One would be led to
believe that, wouldn't they? Even if he did learn of Ruze's death why would
that prompt him to take his own life? He didn't know that we were
investigating Ruze or that we were coming."

"Think Ruze's murderer got to him first?" Lockrush grunted and started
shifting through the papers set out on his desk. "Eugene did mention that the
guy who came after them had a red sash on. But I can't see the Steelsharks
being this daring."

"I'm not so sure about that," Michelle reflected. "Apparently they stole
a shipment of children out from under Ruze's men. If they're willing to make
that bold of a move, why not go for complete dominance of the market?"

"Huh, this is interesting," Lockrush turned on a desk lamp to better read
the sheet in his hands. "It's a letter to Travers from the South District
Governor of Trabia."

"What's so unusual about that? He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs."

"Here, read it," he handed the letter to her. The gasp he was expecting
came when she read the paragraph that had caught his attention. "If we move
quickly we can bust this ring up completely. I doubt we can get agents in
place before the rabbits dart back down their holes. Do you think SeeD would
be willing to co-operate?"

Michelle glanced over the top of the page. Her eyes held a quiet, deadly
look to them. "SeeD will co-operate as long as there is money involved. If
our budget doesn't cover hiring them I'll give them my first born child."

Lockrush gave her a droll look. "Not funny. Let's finish searching this
location quickly. As much as I'd love to jump on this lead, we still have to
get an arrest order. If we have SeeD nab the ones out of our reach and don't
have a warrant to back them -- and us -- up we'll be holding an empty bag."

*****

It was shortly after three in the morning Balamb time when an urgent call
got Cid out of bed. He managed to turn a small lamp on without fumbling, a
feat he was not able to repeat when it came to finding his glasses. Whoever
was calling him on his personal line at this hour would have to accept that he
was in his pajamas and not looking his best.

"Headmaster Cid," the screen blipped to life. Agent Lockrush from Dollet
looked as though he hadn't slept in far too many hours judging by his more than
usual disheveled state. Dark rings were under his eyes. He scratched at them
wearily, resisting the sleep that beckoned him.

"Agent Lockrush, I can only image you calling me at this hour due to some
unexpected developments?"

The other man bobbed his head. "We request that SeeD assist us in
apprehending the following people," he punched a key. A small box appeared in
the corner of Cid's display with a list of names. "We've attained arrest
warrants for these suspects. Due to the time-sensitive nature of this matter,
SeeD -- with its network of Gardens and operatives -- is the only organization
with personnel in place to conduct the captures."

Cid reviewed the files Lockrush sent him. Dollet worked faster than he
had anticipated. He had been hoping that they wouldn't have the evidence they
needed until morning.

"Dollet is willing to pay whatever fee SeeD levies for their services. We
don't have time to waste negotiating contracts," the agent added. "Please help
us."

"Negotiation won't be necessary," Cid returned his attention to Lockrush.
"Our contract was to do whatever it takes to bring these persons to justice.
I'll mobilize our units immediately."

Lockrush let out the breath he'd been holding in. "Thank you."

The Headmaster nodded. "May I inquire as to the status of the SeeDs you
already have under your command?"

"There was an incident last night. Both of them sustained minor injuries
that were treated fully by our medics. We'd like to keep them here for a few
days more while we question witnesses. Is that all right?"

Again, Cid nodded. "All I ask is that you treat them well. Please keep
me informed of the status of your investigation. I'll contact you as soon as
we've made progress on your latest request."

The transmission was terminated and Cid sat back in his chair with a
thoughtful expression. It was a mask to hide the renewed surge of outrage he
felt privately. Most of that anger had seeped away as he slept, but not all of
it.

The smuggler's method was crystal clear to him now. A ringleader on each
continent was in charge of that region's operations. They'd been tracking the
Centra ringleader, Ruze, who came north to do business for a week each month.
Centra was where they stored the children they abducted until they could find a
buyer. Dollet's Travers gave them the freedom they needed to move 'shipments'
all over the Galbadian continent without question.

Cid's grip tightened around a stylus reflexively. There was a ringleader
living in Balamb -- in his backyard! -- that they hadn't known of until
recently. Placing the stylus aside, he set the plans he'd already drafted for
capturing her into motion. He would throw every last SeeD currently stationed
at Balamb Garden after her.

Then there would be justice.

*****

Quistis wandered into the Cafeteria for an early breakfast. Even though
she'd gotten up a half-hour earlier than usual, the Cafeteria was disturbingly
quiet. Only a few students eating breakfast gave the room life.

"Good morning," she greeted the Cafeteria lady cheerfully as her breakfast
was scooped onto a plate for her.

"Good morning, Miss Trepe! Quiet morning, wouldn't you agree?" She handed
the plate over.

"I was noticing that. Any idea why? Or does the entire Garden get up at
exactly the same time?" It really was odd that there were so few people around.
She's gotten up at this hour before and seen more people milling about.

"Aye, I heard a rumor that all the SeeDs were deployed in the middle of
the night. It would seem to be true since I haven't seen one yet today," she
leaned across the counter to speak to Quistis privately. "Something is up,
that it is. Balamb was like a ghost town when I left for work this morning.
We'll have to wait and see!"

Quistis straightened up. "Thanks for the oatmeal. See ya."

First Kei disappeared in a rush and then the Garden is emptied of its
SeeDs. Curiouser, and curiouser.

The man in green that had been haunting Quistis lately was seated at a
table in the corner watching her. Enough was enough. Quistis purposefully set
her tray across from him and took a seat without invitation.

"Good morning, Miss Trepe," he greeted as though they were acquainted.

"Who are you?" She asked plainly, then belatedly tacked on a 'good
morning' for manner's sake.

He dipped his head. "Master Talasu of the Weapons Guild."

"Are you watching me?"

"Among others, yes."

Quistis frowned. "Why?"

He pursed his lips together. "Because some interesting things are about
to happen and I wish to witness them. Would you care to join me?"

She considered his invitation. She didn't know this man, but she knew
that *something* was going on. If he could give her a clue as to what to watch
for, the curious part of her could unravel the rest.

"What do I have to do?"

"Nothing you wouldn't usually," he assured her. "Just keep an eye on the
newslinks. I'm sure it'll make the headlines soon enough."

After finishing her meal, Quistis went to her classroom to follow Talasu's
advice. She would scum the newslinks to see if they held any clues. There was
no local news of interest being reported. On the international links their had
been a recent pair of murders in Dollet. Nothing new there, that place had a
rougher edge to it. She checked out Trabia news next to see if the Garden was
in on anything. Nothing was going on at the Garden, but the country was in
mourning because one of its Governors died in an auto accident. The newslinks
from Galbadia were devoid of anything except state propaganda. No surprises
there.

What on earth was going on?

*****

Xu slept until noon before Eugene decided that it was time for her to wake
up. She had managed to slip out of the dress she was wearing and into some of
Eugene clothes before falling asleep. A long shower was needed before she was
feeling ready to face the world again. When she exited the bathroom it was to
be greeted by a person she didn't know sitting on the couch. The stranger
stood up and straighten his sports jacket before extending his hand to her.

"I'm Agent Danielson. I was sent by Agent Rosenhall to ask for your
assistance in completing our transcripts from last night."

"Uh," Xu shook her head to be rid of the dullness in her mind, "okay."

Eugene entered the room and handed her lunch. "You can eat while
thinking. If you'll excuse me, I have to go to work."

"Work? How can you be thinking about your job at the pub?"

He shrugged. "The pay's good and I don't have anything else to do. I'll
put in my notice tonight, will that make you feel better?"

Xu waved him off as he left the apartment whistling an off-key tune.
Danielson coughed discreetly to bring her attention back to him. "Yes,
translations. Do you have the transcripts with you?"

"Not exactly," he said, pulling a tape recorder out of a briefcase. "We
didn't have the foggiest idea on how to write out what was said for later
translation. So you'll need to give it to us both ways if you don't mind. We
also have various other documents that the suspect had maintained that are
undecipherable to us. If you would translate those as well..?"

Xu took a bite out of the sandwich Eugene made for her. It was going to
be a long afternoon.

*****

"Hey sweetie, miss me?" Enju fell into step next to Quistis. She stopped
walking at his sudden appearance and he came around to greet her face-to-face.

"Yes, when did you get back?"

"This morning," he nudged in closer to her. Most girls would have been
put off by his boldness, but Quistis was somewhat charmed by this unusual
playfulness. Truth be told, she *had* missed him while he was gone. She was
certain that he'd missed her as well.

"How was Trabia?" Because Enju had missed a training mission due to being
confined to the Infirmary after his fight with Kei he was sent on a mission
with a group of Trabia students to make up for it.

He took hold of her hand, playing with her fingers as he answered. "Cold.
If there's one thing I hate about SeeD it's having to camp out in the damn
snow. Six of us were on Winter Island freezing our butts off all in the name
of training. I like Balamb better, the climate is much more agreeable." His
eyes bore into her, suggesting other reasons why the climate was more agreeable
in Balamb. "Do anything interesting while I was away?"

She leaned her head against the wall they were standing by. Students
passed by them, then whispered in hushed voices. The rumor mill would have
more fuel by the end of the day.

"Kei taught me a game. I've been going to her room every night to play
it."

"Oh?"

Quistis nodded. "I'd show it to you, but I don't have a board or pieces,"
she frowned slightly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we can find it for you next time we go to
Balamb," he squeezed her hand affectionately.

They walked together, Quistis leading them to upstairs to the classrooms.
"Haven't you gotten enough of school for the day?" Enju glibly protested.

"I want to check the newslinks again," she explained. "If you haven't
noticed, there aren't any SeeDs around."

"I thought I saw more SeeDs than usual at the port when I came in. What
are they doing?" He sat down next to her at the terminal. She called up a
search screen and typed in her parameters.

"No idea, but I'm dying to find out." Most of the headlines were the same
ones as this morning with the exception of the Dollet links. There was more
news regarding the two murders currently under investigation. Some group
calling themselves 'Steelsharks' was claiming responsibility.

*****

"I'm sorry, sir, we haven't located her yet. The Balamb traders are
becoming impatient with our embargo. Local officials are ready to clear the
ships for departure unless we come up with a good reason not to."

Cid scowled, then stopped, reminding himself that he was lucky that this
was a voice only transmission. "We can't stop trade forever. Lift the
embargo, but don't stop the inspections of outbound vessels. The continent
isn't that big. She has to be here somewhere."

"Yes, sir."

Cid closed the link.

"Take comfort in the fact that Dollet caught the Esthar ringleader in
Fisherman's Horizon. Who would have thought he'd be desperate, or stupid,
enough to try to walk across the Horizon Bridge?" Kadowaki offered.

He offered her a forced smile. "I am grateful for that, but I want the one
that was under my nose!"

"Aren't you taking this too personally?" She asked gently.

"Wouldn't you, considering?"

Kadowaki sighed softly. He was such a passionate man. Once his mind was
made up, he wasn't willing to let the idea go until it was played through.
That could be his undoing one of these days. "Don't kick yourself too hard if
you can't find her. Snakes are difficult to catch when they're intent on
escaping."

*****

Patience, skill, and a good measure of luck were on Dollet's side in this
case. After the Steelsharks claimed responsibility for the murders of Richard
Ruze and Denis Travers a break came in the Steelsharks' case as well. An
informant presented himself who told them everything needed to crush the
Steelsharks' ring in exchange for protection and a lesser prison term. This
good fortune presented the agents with an unexpected problem.

"Thank you for coming," Michelle bowed slightly to the SeeDs. She had
asked them to meet her at the station she worked from. Technically, they were
free to leave anytime they saw fit since they'd been cleared of any possible
wrong doing in Ruze's death, but they stuck around to assist as they could.
Michelle was grateful for that, especially considering this morning's turn of
events.

"What can we do for you?" Eugene asked. He seemed to be more protective
of Xu than social graces allowed. Were the lovers? No, she didn't get that
impression from how they interacted. They didn't have *that* look in their
eyes for the other. She had to admit that the last few days had been rather
draining. Perhaps the strain was taking more out of the small woman than she
was willing to admit.

"We've had a turn for the better. Fourteen children were retrieved from
the Steelsharks' storage facilities," she didn't try to moderate the joy she
felt because of that discovery. "Five of the children we found are Anshin in
origin. To be honest, we're having a difficult time communicating with them.
I know that you didn't join SeeD to be a translator, SeeD Xu, but please bear
with us."

"You found five children? Please let me speak with them!" The dullness
that was so often found in Xu's eyes as recently lifted at the prospect.

Michelle led them to a room with a one-way mirror between it and the
adjoining room. A doctor was observing the children as they played when the
three of them came in.

"How are they?" Michelle asked.

The doctor glanced over her notes briefly before answering. "Physically
they're in fairly good health, though I'm concerned that they haven't been
eating well enough. Psychologically I couldn't tell you. Is this the SeeD you
mentioned?" She indicated Xu with an end of her stylus.

"I'm Xu of the Anshin clan," she introduced. "May I speak with them?"

"By all means. The door is over there," her stylus pointed the way.

As Eugene and the doctor watched from the observation lounge Michelle
entered the room. The children became very quiet. They became deathly so when
Xu entered. Xu knelt down and said something softly. The youngest in their
group whispered a response. Xu repeated what she said and pulled the closest
one into a hug. They repeated what she said with awe and soon all five of them
were cuddled around her.

"I wonder what she said..." Eugene mused aloud.

"You can be sure I'll ask her when she comes out," the doctor replied. "I
should have given her a list of questions to ask them."

"Let her build their confidence up first," he chided. "They're five kids
who are desperately in need of a hug from what I can tell. And maybe a few
good meals. Are all the Anshin built on such a small scale?"

Xu asked Michelle to prepare a meal for them, specifying exactly what it
should consist of. The agent left to carry out the request while on the other
side of the mirror the doctor was scribbling notes furiously. While Michelle
was away, Xu stood each child up in front of the mirror and told the doctor on
the other side what the child's name and age was. The youngest was eleven with
the oldest being thirteen.

Michelle returned with everything Xu asked for. The kids devoured the
meal that was offered to them. It was the best they'd eaten in two weeks.
Once their hunger was satiated, Michelle suggested gentle questions for Xu to
pose to them. If they could get any more from this vein of investigation, she
would bleed it dry.

They had left on their coming of age trial roughly two weeks ago. Each of
them had gone their own way (per tradition). Then men in a large vehicle
chased them down, tied them up, and hauled them to somewhere near the coast.

"My translation isn't exact," Xu noted ruefully. "There aren't words for
some of the terms being used. They're using a derogatory term for non-Anshin
when describing the men who took them. The vehicle they describe is 'flat and
tank-like'. I'm guessing that they mean a hummer."

"Do they know where the storage facility is?"

Xu asked them if they could describe where they were at all. "Hum... Lots
of trees. There's only one forested area on the Serengetti Plains. That's
where I'd start looking."

"If Ruze's men are stupid they may still be there. We'll send a team out
to investigate after obtaining permission from Anshin authorities," Michelle
assured.

"That's not necessary. Centra doesn't belong to the Anshin, they belong
to it. They'll tell you to come and go as you please," Xu replied.

"Dotting my i's and crossing my t's," Michelle smiled. "We should get
going."

Xu nodded and got up. The kids immediately picked up on the idea that she
was leaving. It was obvious that they didn't want her to, but social training
dictated that they remained respectfully silent. "Is it okay if I come back
tomorrow?"

"Please."

Xu assured them that she would return the next day. The doctor was
hovering at Xu's elbow as soon as they re-entered the observation room.

"What did you say to reassure them?" She asked insistently. Eugene
growled under his breath. Xu didn't need to be hounded at a time like this.
Michelle seemed equally reluctant to test the SeeD's patience.

"'The Spirit of Protection has come to guide them home.' I assume you'll
be sending them back?" Xu turned to address Michelle.

"Yes, they belong home," she readily agreed.

"We should discuss it with Cid," Xu said.

"You'd be willing to escort them back?" Michelle was privately hoping that
the SeeD would agree to do it. It would make things so much easier to place
them in the custody of someone they trusted.

"I'd like to," Xu led the way out. Eugene was on her tail with Michelle
catching up to walk along side her. She didn't ask why Xu was suddenly so
adamant about taking charge of the children, but her desire to know was
obvious. "It's important that *I* do this. Important to the clan, I mean.
They'd be disappointed if I didn't fill the role."

Michelle didn't press for more of an answer than that. She had to accept
that there were some things she just couldn't understand. Xu would remain as
one of those enigmatic personalities to be fascinated by.

*****

Kei tossed her travel bag aside as she entered her quarters. She was too
tired to bother repacking it right this minute. The game she and Quistis had
been playing was still set up on her table. There weren't any messages waiting
for her, despite being gone for nearly a week. Once her mission in Trabia was
complete, she joined the forces searching the smaller islands and Trabia's
southern coast for the Balamb suspect.

She checked the directory of which SeeDs were on assignment and saw that
Xu was still out. What in the hell was she doing that took so long?

Cid had scheduled a debriefing with her in the morning. She was hoping he
had more to tell her than she had to tell him. It didn't take long to figure
out that SeeD was tracking down members of the child smuggling ring that was
all over the newslinks as of late. It was a story of international
proportions. Kei was fairly certain that the person Cid sent her after was
linked to the ring, but didn't understand how.

This was all so confusing. She would have to just trust that Cid was
acting honorably. There was little else she could do.

*****

It was raining the afternoon the SeeDs were set to leave Dollet with their
Anshin charges in tow. Paperwork had delayed their departure longer than
expected. Eugene thought they were dragging their feet so that they could be
absolutely certain that neither he nor Xu had killed Ruze. Such inquiries
couldn't be made up front without offense being taken, so they had to mole
around -- which always took more time.

Michelle drove them to the train platform outside of Dollet's capital.
They would change trains at Timber before arriving in Balamb in time for
dinner. Time zones had a knack for making funny things like that possible.

"I'm sorry that I didn't have the chance to get to know you better,"
Michelle apologized as they waited on the platform for the train to come in.
Eugene brought up the rear of their own little train of bodies with Xu and
Michelle in the lead.

Xu wasn't sure how to respond. Michelle smiled after a minute of awkward
pause sat between them. "Here," she handed Xu a small box. "Thank you again
for all your help."

The train slowed to a stop. Five pairs of wide eyes admired the gleaming
machine before them. They'd never seen a train before and the prospect of
getting to ride on one was thrilling.

"Leave here knowing that you have friends in Dollet and don't become a
stranger," Michelle said. The group headed for Balamb boarded the train and
they were gone.

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