Arca: *pops up from piles of books* Hello, there! I'm drowning in my own work!

Draco: {steps out of dark room with controller in hand} And I am getting my ass kicked in Cocoon.

Arca: And we're back to bring you another chapter of this *special* work! Excuse the updating being late, someone is terribly busy at the moment.

Draco: And someone is being an ass about it. {glowing neon sign with "ASS" appears over my head, and "BUSY" over Arca}

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

Upon the world becoming that little bit clearer once again, all source of light had disappeared once more, leaving her back onto the surface. Kyra had been set carefully onto the ground, on her hands and knees, slowly trying to adapt to the environment around her once again. Everything had been going too fast. "I've been chosen...and it's 'their' last hope? Just what was all that about?" A heavy sigh passed through her lips as she rubbed her forehead lightly, trying to clear her mind a little.

A sudden wind whistled through her hair, continuing on not far from here and to a small village found in the distance. Kyra looked towards the village, and - inhaling greedy lungfuls of fresh air, something far more pleasant than the stuffy oxygen below the surface - made her decision. She silently began to make the trek towards the village. As she got closer, she recognized it as her hometown of Ur; only her subconscious noticed that, however, for her active mind had more pressing matters to consider. During her walk, Kyra started to rattle through thoughts and questions in her head about the whole ordeal.

Why me? I was just passing through, retrieving something that was rightfully mine… The girl groaned to herself, beginning to rub her forehead again. Then a thought suddenly hit her, and she stopped in her tracks at the entrance of the village. What am I going to tell her? She wondered, nervous about going home to her mother, and explaining where she had disappeared to.

Another deep breath passed through Kyra's lips before she entered the village.

Ur was quiet as it usually was. People were either busy indoors with their daily chores and such, or out for a little fresh air before returning to them. Much business wasn't generated here, since it wasn't as big as the neighbouring town of Kazus - a settlement around the same size, if not a bit bigger, which seemed to do a good deal of trade and business more than what this village did. But Ur had its advantages. After all, most children were raised here rather than in Kazus due to industry and mining taking up most of the town's good name. Here, though, the children may have been free to do whatever they want, since it was hardly ever busy, nor loud and rowdy as that industrial town would have been.

Kyra began to take in the calm environment she was so used to. The wind rustling through the leaves of pine trees bringing a lovely, natural scent to her nostrils. Why, she remembered that clearly. She woke up to that everyday. The low murmurings from different villagers as if they didn't wanted anyone to hear their secrets, or at least, didn't want to ruin the quiet. It was actually so quiet that you could hear the birds get on with their own work, holding their own conversations. Even at times, there was a distant cry of an animal you could hear far from Ur.

She began going through each little humble home she passed, taking in the features of worn wooden shutters, aged and discoloured walls, and even the little bit of effort made by homeowners to make the house theirs. This kind of effort included some flowers or plants planted here and there, but really, that was about all the village could do for itself. Some doors looked like fresh, new wooden doors but others had their broken bits, or marks down them to signify how long they had been there.

And finally, Kyra came across a small house she had recognised all too well. It's house has been painted white, but faded to a darker colour over time. It's shutters were usually opened wide enough to look inside and see a humble home. Its door was in a relatively good shape to others eyes but often getting it open was a problem. You had to take push it open to get into the house, so there was no way of sneaking in or out.

Sighing, Kyra pressed hard against the door, managing to get it opened, and shuffled into the house, greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread. Shuffling further into the living room in front of her, she could hear a voice calling out to her - a voice that carried with it the silent echoes of worry.

"Kyra? Is that you?"

Kyra nodded to no one in particular, soon finding her voice. "It's me." She croaked.

As quickly as she made it clear it was her, a tall and lean figure entered the living room. To add to her figure was a thin face with prominently high cheek bones. Long auburn stands of hair were strewn across her face that had come away from her now messy bun. She looked generally... messy, as such, what with her apron crumpled and marked slightly.

"Where have you been?! You had me worried sick, you know!" The woman began, folding her arms as tired eyes managed to give off a stern look. Kyra flinched at that look. She rarely ran off like she did, and so worried her mother right off the scale of worrying.

She swallowed back before managing to stare into her eyes long and hard. There was no going back, no beating around the bush - she had to tell her mother what had happened. She started stumbling through words, the best she could find to help explain what a hell of a day she seemed to have. "That thief led me all the way over to that cave and it took me forever to find him until he led me to this temple. And then there was this giant dog, or dogs," She managed to emphasise during her fast paced explanation but didn't stop to let her mother react to it. "Either way all three of the heads ripped him apart and then there was this crystal-"

"Kyra!" Two hands were firmly placed on the panicked girl's shoulders in an attempt to stop her rambling. "Slow down, I can't comprehend anything you're saying!"

Kyra blinked a few times, her eyes locked with her mother's yet again. "I'm sorry, I-"

Her mother put a finger to her lips, her eyes still staring into her daughter's. "Don't apologise. Sit down, and then you can tell me what's happened."

What felt like hours passing to Kyra, the victim of it all, felt simply like fifteen minutes to her mother, Amina. Fortunately for the victim, her mother had a rather different reaction to the information that was spilled out for her. Of course, she had worried about where her daughter had run off to, any mother would. But Kyra didn't expect her mother to believe all that she had said.

"So, you truly came face to face with the Wind Crystal?"

Kyra nodded her head vigorously, her eyes full of exasperation. "It's true! I swear it to the gods, it's really true! And it did speak to me, before you ask!"

Amina took in her defined words, nodding her head slightly as she told her this. Still, she hadn't given away an one inch of surprise in her eyes, something that worried Kyra a little. It was like she had known something like this was to happen, that one day she was to come back to her mother and tell her of this…

Or maybe Kyra was overthinking things again. Her mom couldn't just know something like that, right?

Amina soon rose from the sofa that once sat neat and uncreased and faced away from her daughter for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. Silence filled the room, and only she broke it within moments of creating it. "You know, none of this was happenstance, Kyra."

Kyra couldn't help but blink at her comment. She was too dumbfounded to even reply to the fact that her mother may have known something about this, and yet, never thought to even make her aware of such knowledge.

The next thing she knew, her mother had crouched down beside her, and took her two hands in hers. Her eyes had locked with hers, sensing something of pride and respect from within her, but yet, all Kyra could see in her mother's soft blue eyes was misery. Still having no will to speak, her mother continued on.

"That crystal chose you for a reason. It recognises the will you have hidden inside you, and it knows... it just knows you're the first of the souls who have a duty."

"But I don't even know what this duty is!" Kyra suddenly blurted out, hardly shaking her mother as it came out. She sighed helplessly, looking down at the pairs of hands still tightly interlocked with one another. Aminia gripped onto them tightly, desperate not to let them loose.

Her mother continued to look at her, the uneasiness seeming to grow in them both. But the tension couldn't seem to wedge itself between the two. "Kyra... it's your duty now to seek out others who share your same fate... your same duty," Amina quickly corrected herself, swallowing back the lump in her throat. "Yourself, and the others, have a duty to help keep the balance in the world. The crystals can't keep the balance on their own anymore, not with their powers dwindling away. That's why the crystals need you - they need your will combined with their power. That is then enough to balance out the forces of light and darkness, the two things that co-exist and keep this world alive."

Kyra sat in silence, trying to take in what was always known to her as stories, silly myths in her eyes that her mother used to tell her when tucking her in at night. But they really were all true. They weren't as unrealistic as she thought they were. Looking up, with her mother still staring at her intently, she inquired, "And... how would you know all this?"

"I knew it when I first found you," Amina quickly replied, standing up as she still gripped her daughter's hands. "I may be a superstitious woman, believing all those tales and myths, but I know a valiant soul when I see one. Even as you grew up, and made your mistakes, and laughed and cried through every situation, I still saw that inside of you." Her hands then tugged at Kyra's, pulling her up onto her feet as well. "And that's what made me believe in those legends. You, Kyra. You're a Warrior now, and with what you have inside of you, you have to set out, and make use of it."

Kyra blinked a few more times at her mother, feeling the grip on her hands loosening and a cold air running past their separating hands after being together for so long. The girl still had so many questions that needed to be answered, but the urgent look in her mother's eyes had said something else.

She had to set out. Now.

Amina had ushered Kyra out of the house with a wallet full of gil, telling her to head to the storehouse at the other end of the village, and to take anything she needed. Her mother would explain the rest to anyone looking something from there later on. Not much was needed from there anyway; only a few potions, a bottle of what looked like eye drops, and a curious golden feather. A new sword and a small dagger were hidden in there, as well, and her mother's money bought a new shield and some proper defensive gear.

Once she was set, she took off to the best place she could find her future companions - Kazus.

The busy city was said to only take an hour or so to travel by foot, which meant it gave the new Warrior some time to reflect over unanswered questions...and what to say in order to find other 'chosen ones' within the town.

"Hi, there, I'm looking for...no, that sounds stupid." Kyra frowned, rubbing her head as she continued to think. She had difficulty finding the right words for some time on her trip. "Start with something a bit more casual. Maybe talk about the weather. That's always a good conversation starter, right?" She wasn't even convincing herself on that matter. She groaned, kicking at the ground as she walked along, thinking who she would even be paired with.

What are the chances I'll get caught up with an idiot... or someone who is the complete opposite of me?

A battle screech caused her to raise her gaze. Three goblins were standing there, their knives drawn; Kyra gazed at them for a long moment, trying to determine why they were trying to fight her - until her hand went for her sword, and collided with the wallet that was sticking out of her pocket.

A smirk rose on her face. After the fight with Cerberus, a few goblins would be a piece of cake.

If only coming up with conversation for a new companion would be so easy...

Kyra meekly opened the doors to the tavern, looking around inside. Enough of the afternoon light shone in from the windows to light the rather large place up. It was like any other tavern; full of people, drunk and sober alike, scattered from table to table with all sorts of beverages between them - and the occasional dancer seducing the odd man in certain corners of the room.

As Kyra gently stepped into the tavern, and the door slammed behind her, not that you could hear above the chatter and the laughter of the customers. She continued to examine her surroundings, looking for anyone who even remotely resembled some kind of 'chosen one'. People brushed and shoved past her without so much as a glance at her as she moved further on down into the tavern. Her eyes scanned from group to group, trying to narrow down those she could approach and come out with such a statement with. People still shoved past her, clearly not options for Kyra and were immediately ticked off her mental list.

Her eyes soon lay themselves on a tall figure in the corner, away from all the hustle and bustle of it all. Neatly combed black hair and dark eyes seemed to stand out more than the thin face they belonged to. They seemed older than Kyra, although, not incredibly older than what she would be. Whoever this person was, they didn't seem to belong in a place such as this. For starters, they looked too smart, not that those looking smart in appearance couldn't go to taverns. But the figure clearly stood out the more you looked at them. The figure kept to their own, talked to absolutely nobody and drowned out anything that would seem to distract them from... reading? The more Kyra looked over the man, after squinting and cocking her head to the side to discover what looked to be his gender, the more he looked to be a black sheep amongst this drunken herd.

It wouldn't hurt in asking him about something… Kyra thought to herself, despite being rather reluctant to approach the man. She shook her head, murmuring, "Just do it and get it over with." After building up enough confidence, her legs began to move, heading straight towards the man with a confident stride.

But all that was remembered was a clash and a crash as soon as Kyra had started into her motion.

"I'm sorry, I am so, so, sorry!" Came a squeak in front of her.

After Kyra had managed to recollect where she was again, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tall figure gliding past her and through the cliques of people. She started to panic. "H-hey, wait! I need to-" But it was already too late. Her cries weren't heard to the door of the tavern that silently shut behind the figure.

Her target was gone.

Kyra groaned in frustration. "Great... just great!" She soon looked around to the mess that had sprawled itself on the floor in front of her.

Among the spillages, scattered sets of broken china, and tankards, was a girl, no more than a few inches smaller than what Kyra was. Long blonde locks shielded the left side of her face from view, and even at times some of the sheer panic and embarrassment in her eyes as she stumbled to fix the mess she created. No doubt this was one of the workers in the tavern. With a fully buttoned white blouse - that had faded to a light grey over time - and a darkish-red skirt that had reached down to just above her ankles, it was pretty obvious that she worked here, and looked neat and proper.

Feeling a sense of pity for her, Kyra did what she could only do, and went to help her pick up the pieces of her mess that she mostly helped cause. "Here... I'll give you a hand..." She murmured as she bent down to help the girl as best she could. Only, not much help had been given as both of their heads had collided into each other upon both bending over at the same time. The two both flinched and jerked back as their heads collided and winced. "Ay...some hard head you have…"

"I'm sorry!" The girl squeaked again as she let gather up some broken pieces of china first before going to pick up other items she dropped.

"You don't have to keep saying sorry, you know."

"Oh, right, sorry…"

Just as Kyra was about to start speaking to the girl once again until she heard a yelp, and looked up to find the owner of the sound being tugged to a standing position by her very hair. The hand that tugged at her hair was a man, quite tall in size and considerably older than what the girls were - around his early forties it seemed. Already his short hair and stubble had a greying quality to them, and with the tense lines around his temples and the bags under his equally grey eyes said a lot about him on his own.

"Ya can't go one shift without messin' somethin' up, can ya, Kimiko?!" His voice boomed throughout the tavern, causing the normal bustle of it to suddenly quieten down. The more he shouted in the poor girl's ear, the more he drew attention to himself and one of his workers. What was worse, his worker didn't even try to defend herself. "Every damn shift, I've got to deal with you, all because you've started up something!" Anger visibly bubbling inside of him the longer he spoke, he gripped her hair harder and tugged at it more, more yelps escaping the girl's lips.

That was when Kyra decided enough was enough, and had to step in. "Would you stop it?! I ran into her; it was my fault!" She shouted at the man, fists clenched together in irritation. How could this girl, Kimiko, let someone else treat her like... like waste? And more to the point, how could this jackass think he had the authority to do so? Such people were nearly nonexistent in Ur - visitors to the town, most often, someone trying to get away from the bustle of the nearby places.

The man turned his eyes on Kyra, giving the unassuming Warrior a once-over - and lingering uncomfortably in certain zones. Without even looking back at Kimiko, he shoved her away, causing her to collide with a table and nearly knock it over. Kyra had little time to take notice before the man stormed forward, towering over Kyra threateningly. With his arms folded over his chest, he growled, "I don't play the sympathy card in my tavern, missy."

Kyra straightened her back, holding her chin high in reply, folding her arms in the same manner as the owner of the tavern. This was a game now, and she had to play her cards right. "You think you can scare me?" she reprimanded. "You think you can push me around like these other workers?! I'm a Warrior."

She regretted the words the moment they came out of her mouth. The crowd around her exchanged thoughtful glances... and burst out laughing, the tavern nearly returning to its previous volume. Kyra resisted the urge to shrink away, despite the embarrassment that threatened to enflame her face. What was she thinking, saying something like that in a crowd?

The tavern's owner smirked. "You've been enjoying your bedtime stories too much, missy," he warned. "I oughta-"

He never finished that sentence. His gaze had turned to straight ahead of him, his eyes widened for a moment. But, his expression quickly turned to rage as his ears turned red and a scowl was written all over his face. "Hey! Your shift isn't over yet!" Taking advantage of the distraction, Kyra followed his gaze as the crowd went silent once more.

The sight of Kimiko stumbling her way through the tavern had her boss almost too furious to move. Despite her constant stumblings, and trippings at times, she managed to summon up the will to shout back, "Get someone to cover it then!" Before the doors slammed behind her, and she had gone.

The man grunted as his eyes quickly laid back on Kyra once again, his nostrils flaring. "Get the hell out of my tavern." He growled in a low tone before turning his back and marching off, not even bothering to run after his worker.

Kyra turned to the doorway, and didn't hesitate to use it.

Just outside of Kazus stood the girl who suffered ill-fate wherever she turned. Kimiko was cursed with bad luck, or at least, so she was led to believe by the owner. If a customer was upset, it was her fault. If there was something wrong with the food or the drinks served, it was also her fault. Not that there was ever a logical explanation to how it was her fault but the girl couldn't question it. Not only that, but her tripping and collisions made things far worse than she wanted things to be.

Kimiko rubbed her temples, muttering angrily to herself as she usually had done. "You had to go and mess everything up again, didn't you?" She paced outside the town, careful not to miss her footing on the rough ground below her. "He's going to kill me when I get back! I'll have no job, nowhere to go…" She sighed before she groaned, and kicked her foot at a small stone - which she missed entirely and nearly lost her footing on. Kimiko then tapped her fingers on her chin, pondering. I need to find other options here...

"Everything alright?"

A panicked squeal died in Kimiko's throat as she turned to the sudden voice behind her, her heart in her mouth. But, to her relief, she only found it to be the girl that had helped her pick up the mess she made - the only one who had ever helped her clean up her mistakes. She swallowed back the fear she once had, and nodded slowly, gripping onto the sides of her skirt.

"It's okay, you know. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything like that," Kyra replied with a small smile, to which Kimiko half-heartedly smiled back. This wasn't going to be as easy as she expected it to be. Nevertheless, she tried the next best thing. An introduction. The girl held out her hand. "Kimiko, right? I sorta got that from the shouting match going on in there."

The girl in question snorted, just a little bit, before smiling with a more genuine interest and taking her hand. "That's me, alright... I'm a bit infamous around here, for... obvious reasons." She chuckled a little before clearing her throat. "And... you are...?"

"Kyra. I'm not from around these parts."

Kimiko nodded her head in understanding, musing to herself that the name Kyra hadn't popped up around Kazus at all. The two let go of each other's hands, and after that, an awkward silence swept over the pair. And it wasn't as if there was any background noise to fill the silence between them. All around them was surprisingly... quiet. Something that wasn't like Kazus at all.

"...Thank you. For what you did earlier. For me."

Kyra looked to the girl who gave the quiet statement, and couldn't help but frown at Kimiko. She said it in an almost... unfamiliar matter. Like it was the first time she had said so. Like the concept itself was unreasonable. "I couldn't just stand there while that happened," the Ur girl replied, but all she got was a simple shrug from the worker as she avoided her eyes. "You shouldn't let your employer push you around like that," Kyra continued.

Kimiko folded her arms and just shook her head. "It's a bit of a long story. Look," she said quickly, changing the subject around, eyes locking with hers in all seriousness. "I owe you one. What you did for me today meant... a lot, to say the least. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

That was when a glint flickered in Kyra's eyes, and Kimiko could easily see that. Already an idea had formed in the mind of the newcomer who had aided her, and the simple girl, who worked all her life in a ruddy tavern just to get by, was almost starting to regret her offer.

Kyra rubbed the back of her neck as she asked, "I have a... job to do. I'm looking for some people who might know something more about... erm..." She laughed nervously as she attempted to hastily think over her words. Kyra, don't you dare mess this up… "...crystal folklore. You know, more into it, who may be involved with it. You wouldn't know anyone else who... you know... someone who knows more about it?"

Kimiko cocked her head to the side as she considered Kyra's inquiry, humming as she rattled her brain for an answer. Kyra watched nervously, wondering whether this worker girl was actually thinking of someone who could help her, or something that could knock her out and provide a quick getaway. She suddenly snapped her fingers and grinned.

"Yes," she replied, "I know exactly who might be able to help! I've spoken with a man a few times he's been at the tavern here - goes by Cid." She continued smiling, and her smile widened as Kyra grinned back - and some tension poured out of her face. "He's a regular in the tavern. Comes all the way from Canaan too." Without further warning, Kimiko grabbed the village girl's hand and dragged her back into the village. "Let's go! I can introduce you, and then we can help you out..."

As Kimiko nattered away to Kyra to the things that could help the girl and where it could lead her, the child, born and raised in Ur, felt something in her gut that things weren't so right here. Sure, it was a different place from her village and it took some getting used to, but the atmosphere was completely different from when she first entered the village. Kyra's ill feeling of the atmosphere seemed to grow stronger and stronger right until Kimiko burst through the doors of the tavern.

And within, not a sound was heard, no scent of tobacco or alcohol or delightful heart-warming food wafted through the place. You couldn't even smell the very things you once could taste on the air throughout the tavern. And the thing that sent a chill of panic through both girls' spines?

Not a soul in sight.

Draco: {turns on FFXIII's Hanging Edge theme}

Arca: Ah, nothing says cliffhanger like ours does here. *sits in a ridiculously comfy red chair and drinks tea*

Draco: {lounging on big red loveseat, ankles crossed, bottle of cola in one hand} Clearly, you don't read enough manga, Arukuu.

Arca: Okay! That's us signing off with yet another chapter! Stay tuned for whatever will happen next, and make sure to tell us what you think!

Draco: Sayonara! {waves to readers and spills drink on self} Oh, for fu-