Hi

Well, here's the next chapter. I hope the length isn't a problem, and I want to thank anyone who is reading this. Enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ok… out of all the weird things that have happened, and all the panic attacks I've felt, what I'm feeling now takes the cake.

As soon as I feel myself regain consciousness, my head pulses with my heartbeat painfully. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, making a small wince. Wherever I am, I landed on my head, and it doesn't feel good.

Wait… I don't know where I am. I try to ignore the pain in my head and remember what happened. After the play finished, the ship was attacked, we escaped Alexandria, and I fell off the ship as it started heading for the ground. And apparently, I hit my head when I fell, and it knocked me out.

So… where's everybody else?

Finally, I open my eyes. I'm lying in the dirt on some kind of small hill, and it's really dark. Not so dark that I can't see. It's more of a gray gloom, almost like there's never any sunshine here.

I lift myself on my hands and knees and groan. That didn't help my head. I instinctively put a hand on it, wincing again. I get onto my feet, and close my eyes momentarily. After a few seconds, my head starts to clear enough for me to think better.

I remove my hand from my head and look at it, flexing it a bit. I'm relieved to feel that it didn't swell as much as I thought it would. Actually, it feels good for a fist that just punched an iron face. But that was the least of my worries.

Lifting my head, I look around me. I'm on a small cliff surrounded by tall, dark pines. The sky is dark, and has a gray mist wafting about it.

Ok. I've never been here before, but I've heard enough about it to know where I am.

Evil Forest.

The stories I've heard about this place aren't pleasant. People have said how friends or family have traveled into its depths, and never returned. And those who did come out always managed to show up with terrible injuries, and not all of them survived.

But I can't let myself freak out. Right now, I just have to find the Prima Vista, and hope that everyone's ok.

So, I turn to my right and walk to the edge of the cliff. And I don't really like what I see.

There's the ship, lying on its belly in the middle of a clearing, falling apart and secreting smoke from a few areas. If anybody survived it, it's gonna be a miracle. But I'm not gonna find out by just standing here. So I looked to the right, found a small path, and headed down it.

- - - - -

Interlude

Where am I?

Garnet opened her eyes. At first, she couldn't remember what had happened, or why she was lying on the ground. She blinked, and the area around her became more clear.

She was lying on a patch of dirt, and she could see a dark pine tree in front of her. There was an occasional chirp of a cricket, and some more unfamiliar sounds wafted through the air once in a while. Almost like a growl that carried over the wind. It sent a shiver up her spine. Where was she? All she remembered was falling off the ship as it rolled over, and everything went black when she hit the ground. She had no idea where anyone else was.

Getting onto her hands and knees, she took a quick look around. Most of the area around her was covered in the tall trees, and there wasn't any path visible.

Her heart started pounding, and she took a shuddering breath of fear. This had not gone right. The ship she was escaping on was gone, and she was lost. Wherever she was, she was alone, and she didn't know where to go.

Turning her head more to the right, she caught sight of something in the darkness. She squinted slightly, trying to make out the shape. It was small, and she could see a pointy hat on top of its head.

Hey… wasn't that the Black Mage?

Staying on her hands and knees, she crawled over to him. He wasn't that far away. She stopped next to him, and looked down. He was lying on his stomach, and she couldn't see his face.

Although she didn't know this kid, she was glad that she wasn't alone. And she couldn't just leave him there.

Lifting one hand, she gently shook his shoulder.

"Hey," she said quietly, finding it hard to raise her voice to a louder pitch. Another strange sound carried in the wind and brushed against her ear, and she shivered. She shook the Black Mage harder, her fear beginning to get the better of her.

"Hey," she said a bit louder, her voice beginning to shake. This time, the mage responded. He made a small groan, and got onto his hands and knees. Garnet removed her hand from his shoulder, and waited for him to notice her. She couldn't make herself talk through the lump of fear in her throat. Instead, she cast her eyes around the area, feeling a negative vibe in the air. Something didn't feel right.

The mage groaned again, and fell back into a sitting position. His eyes were slightly closed, and he blinked them open, as if he had just woken from a deep sleep. His eyes landed on Garnet, and they widened.

"P-Princess Garnet!?" he asked, seemingly surprised at the sight of her, and not noticing where he was. Garnet nodded, stealing another glance over her shoulder. She really had a bad feeling. The air kept sending strange rumbles to her ears, and she kept feeling like she was being watched.

She turned back to him, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Vivi took a second to verify his body's condition. He gave a small nod. "Yeah. Are you ok?"

"Yes." Physically, it was true, but her mind was in a panic.

They sat for a few moments in silence, taking in their surroundings. Vivi began to shiver, feeling the negative aura in the air, and feeling like they were in danger.

Finally, Garnet stood up. Obviously, they couldn't just sit there. They had to try and find the ship, and see if anyone was still there. She couldn't figure out what to do on her own.

"Let's try to find the ship," she said, keeping her gaze on the forbidding trees. Vivi got onto his feet and followed her gaze, nodding in agreement. They couldn't stay here. Something about this place wasn't right.

Suddenly, as if their attempt to escape had been detected, they both swung their gaze to the right as a loud sound was heard, like breaking through underbrush and branches.

And right in front of them appeared a large, very angry monster.

Garnet's eyes widened, and her jawed slacked in pure horror. The monster had no eyes, but it faced them directly, whipping its two vines in the air threateningly, a strange, gurgling growl bubbling in its throat.

"RUN!" Vivi shouted, pulling on Garnet's sleeve briefly before turning around and running off. Garnet took a terrified breath as the monster spat a hissing snarl, and charged at her. She finally pulled herself out of her stupor, and ran after Vivi.

They broke through the trees, their blood racing and adrenaline carrying their feet faster than they would have thought possible. The cackling hisses of the monster could be heard behind them, along with its pursuit through the underbrush, and an occasional crack of one of its whip like vines.

The two ran side by side, shoving branches out of the way as they ran through the darkness. They had no idea how long they had been running, but their minds only let them think about escaping the attacking monster, and time was forgotten.

Eventually, they broke through the trees, and found themselves on a cleared path. It wasn't very wide, but it lead a straight path left and right. They both turned to the left in unison, and continued their rapid escape.

After an unknown amount of time, the monster's cackles began to fade. They became farther and farther away, and eventually, they could no longer be heard. The two slowed their pace, the came to a stop. They panted heavily, turning and looking down the path for any sign of the monster.

It was gone.

They stood still for a moment, hearts beating violently against their rib cages. Their breathing slowed, but the fear remained. What was that thing? Where were they? How were they going to find the ship with monsters like that chasing them?

Finally, Vivi gulped in a few more breaths, and said, "Is it gone?"

Garnet looked at him. "I… I think so."

Oh, how they were wrong.

No sooner did they words leave her mouth did something burst from the trees on their right and wrap its vines around Garnet. She gave a scream of surprise and terror, and Vivi stumbled back, falling onto his backside, watching with bugged out eyes.

The monster grabbed Garnet, and landed in the clearing. It set her on top of its head, and closed its vines around her like a cage. She tried to fight back, but a strange, green fog wafted from its pores, and she coughed as she breathed in the gas.

A sudden weakness engulfed her body, and it suddenly became hard to move. Her limbs stiffened, and her head fogged up.

Everything in front of her blurred, and in the next second, everything went black.

- - - - -

I leapt off the small boulder, and landed in a clearing. The ship is right in front of me, smoking wood towering over me. I can see a large pile of supplies just outside the doors, and someone kneeling next to a figure that's leaning against a box. I sigh. Looks like there's some survivors.

But… how many?

I rush forward, and hurtle over the dead log in front of me. I rush over to the figures, and find that it's Cinna, tending to an injured band member. He hears my footsteps, and looks up.

"Zidane!" he says, righting himself and facing me. I stop in front of him.

"You're alive!" he says with a smile, his voice echoing his obvious relief. "We were looking all over for you! Are you ok!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, casting a glance at the injured band member. I look back at Cinna, and say, "Where's everybody else? Are they ok?"

"Yeah, everybody's fine," Cinna says, calming his voice. "Just a few minor injuries. Nothing serious."

I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. But I don't let myself relish on it. There's a lot more things to worry about.

Cinna's face darkens a bit. "But…"

My shoulders sag. What's wrong…?

Cinna fidgets with his sheathed hammer, and says, "The only problem is that we can't find the Princess. Blank's looking for her inside, but we already checked most of the ship."

Great. We kidnap the Princess, and now we can't find her. If she's dead, we're dead.

For some reason, I feel like it's my fault. It was my job to kidnap her and get her to the ship. But I ended up messing up, and now look where we are. Sure, she was the one who decided to take us by surprise and try to run away. But it seemed like everything went downhill after I started chasing her. Maybe I could have tried something a little differently, and we wouldn't have ended up where we are now.

But I can't let myself dwell on mistakes. It does nothing but waste the time you could be using to make it right.

"Ok…" I sigh, scratching the back of my head as I think. I eye the ship for a minute, then look at Cinna, letting my hand fall to my side. "It doesn't mean she's dead. Maybe she fell off the ship like I did."

Cinna snorted quietly. "Well that makes me feel better…" he said sarcastically. I roll my eyes and ignore his negativity.

"I'll go back in the forest and look for her," I say. "If she's out there, she can't be that far."

Cinna frowns a bit, as if he doesn't like the idea. But I can tell he knows there's not much else we can do. He nods, and says, "Well, be careful. We can't send anyone with you cause we're trying to get the supplies out of the ship and put the fires out."

I nod reassuringly. "I'll be fine." With that, I turn around and rush around the log, heading into a path and out of sight.

As I enter the dark path, I start to get nervous. The stories I've heard about this place aren't giving me much courage to stand on, but I try to ignore it. I gotta try to find the Princess and bring her back. I gotta try to fix my mistakes so the Boss won't kill me.

But that's not the only reason. I just feel like I have to protect her, and not just because it was my job. I just feel like I need to protect anyone that I'm with, no matter who they are. If they're a friend, I'll protect them. And if I got them in a mess, I'll help them out. And if I know that it's in my power, I'll help who I can. I've always been that way. Blank always said that it was my best, and stupidest trait. He understood why I did it, but he thought I was nuts for being so willing to put my life on the line for people, especially ones I hardly knew. But it was ok. It was something that I just felt I had to do. Just my nature, I guess.

I emerged from the dark trees, and found a small path. I hear the occasional hoot of an owl, and a rustle of leaves somewhere in the distance. I slowly unsheathe my daggers, and hold them at the ready as I walk. I know I'm gonna have to be ready for anything.

And just as I tell myself that, I hear a scream up ahead.

The sound makes my stomach do a flip-flop. Unless there's some girl lost here, then that was definitely Garnet.

And she's in trouble.

I run forward, hoping that I can find the area where the scream was heard. There are no more sounds, so I hope that she's nearby, and that I'm not too late. I run for about a minute, and round a corner.

And I didn't expect everything that I see.

There's a large monster a few yards ahead, with Garnet wrapped in a vine prison. Just in front of it, I can see Steiner with his sword drawn, facing the monster and demanding it to let the Princess go. And just ahead of me, I can see the Black Mage sitting, facing the monster, shaking violently with fear.

Until now, I had completely forgotten about those two. I never saw what happened to anyone after I fell off the ship, so I'm wondering how they all managed to be together.

But I leave the questions for later as I remind myself the danger that Garnet is in. I run past the Black Mage and stand opposite Steiner, facing the monster that hisses as I approach.

As soon as I reach them, Steiner turns his head toward me, and his eyes bug out with rage and surprise.

"YOU!" he demands, his eyes now on me instead of the monster. What an idiot… Pay attention to the monster, would you!?

"What are you doing here!?"

"I'm here to help," I say, not taking my eyes off of the monster's hissing form. My eyes dart to Garnet. She looks like she's asleep. Yeah… I hope she's just asleep…

Steiner opens his mouth to argue, but the monster lashes one of its vines towards him, and he jumps back to dodge it. Now he keeps his gaze on it.

I flip my weapons in my hands as a small warm-up. "No time to argue. Just fight." I don't know if he's going to listen, but he questions me no further.

And the monster seems to decide its time to take action.

With a cackling gurgle, it lifts two of its vines and cracks one at Steiner and one at me. We both manage to dodge, and we leap in with the attack.

As I jump in, I slice my left weapon at the monster, leaving a slice on its front. It cackles in protest, and swings its vine at me. As I jump back, I hear Steiner give a war cry, and slice down, cutting one of the monster's vines clean off. It gurgles again, and lifts another vine to replace the one lost, swinging it at Steiner's head.

Well, those two injuries seem to have really ticked it off. Now, it's lifted two more vines, and is whipping them in a frenzy. I'm having a hard time dodging them. As soon as I duck one, another swings toward my side, and I just barely manage to step away. I'm too focused on dodging to see Steiner, but I can hear him grunting with the effort, and an occasional clink of metal as his armor gets whipped. It's got to be hard to move fast with that tin can.

By now, neither of us can get in any attacks. All of our energy is focused on trying not to lose our heads. I steal another glance at the Princess. She looks just as unconscious as she did when I first saw her, and I really hope that's all it is.

But I shouldn't have averted my gaze as long as I did. It leaves an opening in my dodging, and, before I know what's happening, I get a vine slammed into my stomach, sending me flying backwards. I land on my back hard a few yards away, and it temporarily winds me. I lift my head to see what's going on, and I see that Steiner is still having as much luck as he was having before. But what surprises me is that the Black Mage is now approaching the monster with his hands up in an attempt to cast magic.

I force some air into my lungs, and make an attempt to stand. As I do, I see the monster retreat slightly. It looks like it's threatened at the sight of another attacker. At first, I think it might let Garnet go and escape.

But instead, it takes a deep breath, and heaves a gaseous green air out of its mouth, engulfing the Black Mage and Steiner. It doesn't reach me because I'm too far away. As the green smoke fades, the two stumble a bit, then fall to the ground, unmoving.

What did that thing do!?

I look up as I hear the monster make another strange growl. No sooner did I catch sight of it did it flap its multiple vines like wings, and fly off with Garnet still trapped in a cage.

It disappeared from sight over the trees. I finally get onto my feet, wincing again at the welt on my stomach. It got away. That thing got away with Garnet. And who knows where it was going, or what it was going to do with her. What was I supposed to do now?

I look down, and I'm reminded of the Black Mage and Steiner. They're both lying on their stomachs, unmoving.

I put my weapons away and rush over to them. I might as well worry about the Princess later and help who I can right now. I kneel down next to the Mage, and gently turn him over. His eyes are closed, but he makes a very weak groan. At least he's alive. I get up and go check on Steiner. I can't flip him over because his armor makes him a bit too heavy, so I check his pulse. He's got one, so I sigh with relief. Now I just have to get them to the ship.

- - - - -

I fold my arms and glare at him. He's kidding. He's got to be kidding.

"This ain't no joke, boy."

I guess he's not kidding.

"Really?" I say with fake sincerity, "Cause your cowardice is what seems to be the joke here."

The Boss took a step forward and pointed a warning finger at me. "Don't you run 'yer mouth with me! I ain't no coward! I'm doing this for the sake of my boys, you included." He lowers his finger and uses a less angry tone. "Goin' after the Princess is too risky right now. We got too many wounded members to take care of, and going out in this place unprepared is suicide. She's just gonna have to survive on her own."

I unfold my arms and look at him like he grew two heads. "Weren't you listening to me before!? She was taken by a monster! She can't take care of herself!"

Baku waved off the comment with a hand. "And I told you that I've heard of the monster you saw. It's just a minion, and will take her to its master. She's still alive, and she's got time before it eats her."

I roll my eyes angrily. "Well, that just makes me feel so much better!"

Baku sighs in frustration and scratches the back of his head. "Zidane, listen." He looks at me and uses a more gentle and understanding tone. "I know you don't like it when you can't help people. But right now, we need to get ourselves prepared before we go anywhere. I can't worry about the Princess until I know my boys are safe." He pauses, seeming to be looking for a sign that I'll agree. Obviously, he doesn't see one, so he says, "But if you want, you know that 'yer always free to leave and go get her yourself."

"Then that's what I'll do." Without another word, I turn on my heel and storm out of the room. I can hear the Boss grumble something under his breath, but I ignore it as I descend the staircase.

What a jerk, I think as I make it to the bottom. I stand there and fold my arms. How can he think he can just abandon her like this? I understand that he wants to make sure that we're safe, but if someone is willing, why can't they just go after her? Sure, it might not be easy, but I have to do it. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her, and I knew that there was something that I could have done.

But… the Boss was right. Going out in these woods unprepared would be suicide. I know I can get enough supplies. I just have to get my pouch from my hiding place, and that would take care of that. But as much as I know I'm a good fighter, I can't walk around here alone. I'm gonna need help. But I don't know who I can get for that. The guys will just say that I'm being stupid for leaving the band again, and that I'll die if I leave. As much as they are my friends, they won't help me.

Just then, I look to my left as I hear a door open. Blank walks out of a small room, and shuts the door behind him. Now I remember that he was taking care of the Mage and the Knight. Apparently, the green gas that they ended up breathing in was some kind of seed planting thing, and they would have died if Blank didn't give them a potion he whipped up. That was his specialty; potions. Not a lot of different kinds, but he usually came up with the most useful ones.

As he looks up he sees me and approaches me.

"Hey."

"Hi," I say, unfolding my arms and turning to meet him. "How are they?"

"They're gonna be fine. I just gave some potion to the Black Mage, and he's resting right now. It won't take long for it to take effect." He smirked a bit as if he couldn't hide the humor he found in his next words. "The Knight seemed to be too high strung for bed rest, so Benero and Zenero gave him some seed remover and locked him in the instrument storage room. It was the only room besides the one the mage is in that he wouldn't be able to get out of. All the other rooms would fall apart if you so much as touched the wall."

I nod, the information making me feel better. At least they would be ok.

Wait… That's right! Steiner would go with me! Granted that he was more concerned about helping Garnet then killing me. Maybe I could convince him that it was the only way to help her. And, actually, it would be true.

"Oh," Blank said. "I almost forgot. I think the mage wanted to thank you for saving him."

Hmmm… Well, I guess I could wait a little longer. Besides, I have to thank him too. I nod and head for the door.

I close the door after I enter the room. I take a quick glance around. It's in bad shape. Most of the boards are gone or loose, and the walls are falling apart. We're lucky that this thing is still holding together.

I turn my head to the right, and see the mage lying on the single bed on the other side of the room. He heard me come in, and is sitting up, looking at me.

"Hi," I say, walking over to him. I stand next to the bed, and he sits a bit more comfortably, facing me on the bed. He doesn't look directly at me, and his shoulders are slightly slumped. I guess I can't blame him. He's probably still tired from the monster's poison, and he can't be very comfortable being in a strange place with people he hardly knows.

"How do you feel?" I ask, hoping to make him feel more content.

He nods shyly. "Better." He keeps quiet.

I glance to the side. This is a little weird… Guess he's just shy.

"What's your name?" I ask. Gee, that's something I should have found out quite a while ago. Then again, I guess it was kinda hard during the other times we met. I don't think 'This thing is trying to chop my head off! Hey, what's your name?' would have been very intelligent. He looks up at me.

"Vivi."

I nod. "Hi, Vivi," I say brightly. "Nice to officially meet you. I'm Zidane."

He nods again. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

I blink in surprise. That's weird… No ones ever call me by anything so respectful. You don't get a lot of that when you're in my 'profession.'

"Uh, you don't have to be formal Vivi," I say reassuringly. "I said my name is Zidane. Just call me that, ok?"

"Ok." He paused, then said, "Thanks for saving me."

"Sure thing," I say as if it was no trouble at all. "And I wanted to thank you for helping me in Alexandria. That guard would have sliced my head off if you didn't jump in with your magic."

Vivi smiled a bit, looking somewhat embarrassed at the thanks. "Well, I didn't really know who to help, but… the guards were after me, and they looked like they were going to kill you, so… I just wanted to help."

"And I appreciate it," I say sincerely. He smiles again, then stays quiet. He's a nice kid. Shy, but he seems like he almost has the same attitude as me. He helped someone who was in trouble even though he didn't know them. And hey, that was all good with me.

"And," he starts to say. I look at him and wait for him to finish. He averts my gaze and says his next words with a lot of guilt. "I'm sorry I couldn't fight when the Princess was in trouble."

I look at him sympathetically. "Hey, don't worry about it," I say. He looks at me. "You were just scared, and that's understandable." I smile. "Besides, I'm gonna go find her."

His eyes light up. "Really?"

"Yep. I'm gonna get that knight to go with me. With the two of us, I bet we can find her and help her."

Vivi looks relieved at my words. He straightens a bit and says, "I hope you find her."

I nod. "I will. Now you get some rest. You're gonna need it."

He nods. "Ok." He lays back on the bed, and turns his head toward the wall.

I turn, and head toward the bunk bed on the other side of the room. That was a pretty easy conversation. I hope that he doesn't find it rude that I'm leaving already. Then again, he knows why, so it doesn't matter.

Now, I have to focus on finding Garnet, and I doubt there's much time.

I kneel next to the bed, and look at the floorboards. I used to have a hiding place under one of the loose boards, but it broke during the crash. I can see my pouch underneath a couple of wood splinters.

I move them out of the way and pick it up. It's a small drawstring pouch, about the size of both of my fists. I turn it over in my hands and check its condition. It doesn't look like it was damaged.

Ok, I know what you're thinking; why is some little pouch so important that it had to be hidden under a floorboard? Well, because this isn't just a pouch. It's a rare make that holds an unlimited amount of items, no matter how big (well, ok it's not like I could make a house go in it, but you get my point). And I know what you're thinking now, and no I didn't steal it, I bought it. Some guy in Lindblum was selling them a few years back and I got one. The guys didn't care to get one, but afterwards they realized what a cool item it was and kept trying to 'borrow' it without asking. So, whenever I didn't need it, I would hide it here. I put it there just before the play to make sure I wouldn't lose it.

I stand up and tie it tightly to my belt. There's nothing in it right now because I haven't needed it for a while. So, I'm just gonna have to fill it up with stuff, then get the knight, and be on my way.

I leave the room, and decide to get the stuff first. I pass the staircase and enter the next room. I turn to the boxes on my left, and start rummaging through them. After about five minutes, I've found a few regular potions and about as much food supplies as I think is necessary, and put it all in my pouch. There's not many other useful things; just a bunch of extra weapons that I don't know how to use, so I turn and walk to the other side of the room. I see Benero and Zenero standing on either side of the instrument room. I chuckle slightly. I guess he's been giving them some trouble if they have to guard the room.

They see me approach, and Benero says, "Hey Zidane."

"Hey guys," I say as I stop in front of the door. "Why are you guarding the door?"

"Cause the knight's in there," Zenero says. "He kept trying to run off without taking his potion cause he had to 'Save the Princess no matter what the cost!'" Benero smirks, and Zenero continues. "But we got him to take the potion and stay in the room until he recovers. We just wanted to make sure he wasn't gonna run off and get himself killed."

I nod. Well, from the sound of it, it won't take much to get him to help the Princess. Now I just have to see if he'll agree to go without killing me.

"I gotta talk to him," I say. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not," Benero says, pulling the key out of his pocket and unlocking the door. "Just be careful," he says as he turns back around. "He's not very happy that he had to be near us."

"Sure thing," I say, then enter the room.

I shut the door behind me, and look to the other side of the room. Steiner is sitting on a table, and his eyes locked onto me as soon as I entered the room. I approach him, ignoring his death glare.

"Hey there," I say casually. Steiner's face turns red with anger. He jumps of the table and faces me.

"What do you want!?" he demands, doing nothing to hide how much he loathes that I'm in the same room as him.

I ignore his anger and say, "I just thought you'd like to know that I'm gonna go look for the Princess, and I wanted you to come with me." The request seems to surprise him. His face goes back to its normal color, and he looks at me quizzically.

But I guess it's not that easy. He scrunches his face in anger and says, "I will not allow a commoner to accompany me in the rescue of the Princess! This is just a trick for one of your schemes!"

I roll my eyes. This guy is stubborn, isn't he? I guess to be a knight he should be kinda suspicious when things involve the Princess… and for a knight, he sure has a good amount of rust on his armor. Well, at a first glance it's not visible, but when you're standing there talking to him, you can see a patch by his shoulder, his thigh, and his side.

Ok, now I'm looking at his stupid armor. Back to the subject, Zidane.

Keeping my voice casual, I say, "Actually, the Boss said that it was too risky to go after her, and I didn't agree, so I decided to go without him or the others. But I know I can't do it myself, so I'm asking you to help." Again, Steiner's face goes back to its normal structure. He just stares at me, his lip twitching occasionally. I hide a smirk; I can just see the cranks working in his brain as he calculates the risks involved in going with me. Not that there'd be any risks with me that there would be without. He'd be better off with someone.

Finally, he seems to have made up his mind. "Fine," he says grudgingly. He stares me down and says his next words like a warning. "But I am only doing this for the sake of the Princess. If I so much as suspect that you are pulling me into a trick, I will kill you."

"Fair enough," I say. I'm not trying to trick him, so I have nothing to worry about. Well, maybe I should worry that he might just decide I'm not trustworthy because I'm with a band of thieves, and kill me anyway. Guess I'll have to keep an eye on him.

"Now," he starts, surprising me with his sudden decision to talk, "We must go seek out the Black Mage's help."

"Vivi?" I ask, puzzled.

"Is that his name?"

"Yeah."

"Then yes, Master Vivi."

I blink and look at him with confusion. "'Master'?"

Steiner rolls his eyes. "Yes, you common thief. His powers are needed on this quest, and I trust his abilities more than yours."

"Wait," I say, still confused, "How did you know he had good powers?" Vivi wasn't able to fight against that monster, so how would he know?

Steiner looks impatient with my 'slowness.' He grinds his teeth and says, "Because he is a Black Mage, and they all have magical power. And, I saw him attack one of my knights in Alexandria. If he could make one of my knights flee so easily, he must be strong."

Ok, it's really hard not to laugh in his face. No, I don't doubt that Vivi does have a lot of power, but doesn't this guy realize that his knights ran because they were cowards? But I manage to keep my mouth shut. If I insult his knights, I bet he'd forget our compromise and just kill me right here.

"Well," I start, keeping my laughter inside (at a great expense to my stomach, which protests to keeping in so much laughter), "I don't want to force him, but I guess we can see what he thinks."

"Good," Steiner says simply. "Now, we must leave immediately. We have no time to waste." I nod in agreement, and turn to leave, his metal footsteps right behind me.

I lead the Knight to Vivi's room (and I'm a bit surprised that he seems to have recovered so well. I guess he just heals well, or he's determined to help Garnet) and we approach his bed. The mage sits up and faces us, seeming to have a bit more energy than when I left him earlier. He looks a bit surprised to see me back and to see another person with me.

"Hi, Vivi," I say as Steiner and I reach his bed. "Feel better?"

He nods. "Yeah."

"Good." I pause. So, how do I word this?

But Steiner beats me to it. He salutes Vivi like royalty and says, "Master Vivi, it would be my pleasure if you would accompany us on a mission to rescue the Princess." He says 'us' forcefully, as if it causes him great pain to admit that I'm going with him.

Vivi's bright yellow eyes widen. "W…what?"

"Well," I start, "It's gonna be hard to find her in these woods. Who knows where that monster took her, and the more help we have looking and fighting anything we run into, the better."

"B-but," Vivi stutters, making me feel guilty for even asking. Why did I let Steiner convince me to talk to him?

"I can't help… When she got caught, I was so scared I couldn't do anything…"

"But you jumped into the fight in Alexandria," I offered. "You were a lot of help, remember?" Vivi averts his eyes, and fiddles with his hands. He's quiet for a minute, and says, "…Yeah. I guess that if I can help, then I will. I wanna make sure that the Princess is safe."

"Wonderful!" Steiner chimes. He lowers his saluting arm and says, "We shall be off when all is ready!" Vivi nods, and scoots off the bed. He seems to have a little more confidence.

Well, I think we're ready. We got supplies and weapons….

Wait. "Vivi? Do you have a weapon?"

"A weapon? …No. I just use magic."

"Hmmm… Well, you're gonna need something. Come on." I turn and leave the room, the other two following.

I head back to the boxes in the other room, and look through them. I remembered seeing something in it that he could use. It only takes a second to find it.

I pull out a small wooden staff that's just barely shorter that Vivi. It's made of a hard wood, and the end is gnarled into a circular pattern. It's got a polished surface, and a two inch wide, three inch long curved blade on front of the gnarled top. I turn and offer it to him.

"Here." He hesitates, then takes it. He looks at it, and I say, "It's a Mage Staff. You can focus your magic a little easier with it, and you can use the blade in fights when you're too tired to cast any more magic." He turns it in his hands, then looks up at me.

"You can keep it," I add.

"Thanks," he says, clearly grateful for it.

"No problem."

Well, I think that's all we need. And we can't waste any more time than we already have.

"Ok, let's go." I lead the way across the room, and down the staircase.

After turning to the right and entering the room that connect the ship and outside, I turn as I hear the door bursts open.

"Zidane, hold on," Blank says, rushing over. Steiner grumbles under his breath, but I ignore him. "What's up Blank?"

He stops in front of me, looking at me seriously. "You didn't say you were leaving the band."

I fold my arms. Yeah… I guess I didn't mention it to anyone else. I just kind of decided it on impulse when I was talking to the Boss.

"Well, yeah," I say, feeling a bit sheepish for planning on leaving without saying anything. "But I've left before, so it shouldn't surprise you."

Blank chuckled. "It doesn't. I just want to know when you're leaving."

"…Sorry."

"It's not a big deal. I just found out cause the Boss was walking around mumbling about what a thick-headed moron you were, so I figured that meant you were leaving." I chuckled silently. Well, at least he was taking out his frustration with words, and not deciding to pummel me. Speaking of that, I better get out of here before he remembers that he hasn't 'punished' me yet for my mess up during the kidnapping.

I unfold my arms and say, 'Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later." Blank nods, as if it's nothing that should be doubted, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small vile. He hands it to me and says, "If you find the Princess, I bet she'll need this. It's the same seed remover I gave you guys," he says, temporarily turning his gaze to Steiner and Vivi. I look at the violet liquid for a second, then slip it into my pouch. "Thanks."

Blank nods, then says with a little concern showing on his face, "Just be careful."

I smirk. "Oh, come on Blank, you know me. I'm always careful."

Blank rolls his eyes and smirks back. "That's what I'm worried about."

We chuckle silently, and leave it at that. Neither of us is very comfortable admitting what might happen to me. But I know I'm accepting it easier than Blank is. Like I said, I'm willing to put my life on the line to help others, and the guys don't like the idea of me getting killed in the process. But they have to understand that I have to do it. They know I can't just sit back when someone is in trouble, and I know I can help.

I give him a small smile, and say, "See ya later." He nods, gives a small wave and turns around, going back through the door he entered in. I turn and head outside, Vivi and Steiner following.

Ok, time to focus on finding Garnet. I lead them to the opening in the path, and we start walking down it. I think it's a good idea to start our search in the place that she was taken. Even though it flew off, we might be able to find a way to track it.

We remain quiet until we reach the area. The trip there was a bit uncomfortable, considering that the only noises were that of monster growls and an occasional rustle of leaves. It's enough to put your nerves on end. But I remain calm. We're not gonna find Garnet if we panic.

Once we get to the area, I approach the spot where the monster was standing, and kneel down to examine it. There's scuffs on the ground from its strange footprints, and there's a black liquid staining an occasionally patch of earth. My mind thinks back to the fight; when we injured the monster, it oozed a black colored blood.

Well, this will make tracking a little easier, I think as I stand back up. Steiner comes up behind me and looks at the ground. "What is that?"

"Monster blood," I say, looking to the trail ahead. "We can use it to track the monster, then maybe we'll find the Princess."

"How long do you think it will take to find them?" Vivi asks, eyeing the blood.

"It depends on how often we find a trail of blood," I answer. I look up as I remember the monster flying over the trees. I look back at the trail, and see that it curves to the right. Good thing we can stay on the trail for now. It's not a good idea to go off into woods like this. I take off in a jog, and the others follow me.

After turning the corner, another trail the same size as the previous one comes into view. I slow a bit to check the surrounding ground. We go a few yards and find nothing, but I spot another blood patch just ahead. I stop and kneel down to examine it. Yep. It's the same blood. I get up, and continue down the trail.

We travel for a few minutes, jogging when we can and try to stay on the trail. So far, we haven't run into any other monsters, and we've found two more blood patches, but I'm still not sure how far we have to go. Steiner and Vivi stay quiet most of the time, both seeming to be a bit spooked by the negative presence of the woods.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, we turn another corner and, about one hundred feet ahead we see a large cave opening. It's about twice my height, and the inside is too dark to see. I look down, and see a steady trail of black blood leading straight into it.

Well, there's our destination, I think, drawing my daggers. I hear Steiner's sword clear it's sheath, and a rustle as Vivi readies his staff.

"Ok," I say in an undertone, keeping my eyes on the cave opening, "The Princess is probably in there, but I doubt the monster is. My Boss is a bit familiar with these kinds of creatures, and he says the monster that took her most likely brought her to its master."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steiner says behind me, his tone somewhat impatient and suspicious. I keep back my comment to his tone, and say, "It means that there's gonna be one big monster in there, and if the Princess is still alive, we're gonna have to kill it to get her back." He says nothing, but I hear him shuffle a bit, letting me know that he's a bit nervous at the news.

Well, here we go, I think, then I start forward, the others following.

We enter the cave without so much as a thought when we reach it. It's so dark that we can't see anything in front of us. There's a dead silence, and the only sound is that of our footsteps. I just hope that the thing's not gonna jump out at us.

After a minute, a weak light peaks at us ahead. Apparently, this was a tunnel, and that's the other end. We quicken our pace, and make it to the mouth.

And right in front of us is one of the biggest, ugliest monsters I've ever seen.

At a glance, it looks like a giant flower. But at a close inspection, it's a very large, moving flower, two giant arm-like vines lying on each side, and some kind of liquid seeping out of its petals. The one thing I'm thankful for is that it's planted in the middle of the ground (like a flower should be). At least it will have a limited reaching area.

As we enter, it senses us and faces us (well, at least I think it's facing us. I'm sure that the petals are its front and the thick root is its back), a low screech echoing from the middle of the plant (dang, the thing has a mouth). The vines lift into the air, fanning slowly.

And as it does, the Princess comes into view behind it. She's lying there, appearing to be unconscious, and within the plant's reach.

"PRINCESS!" Steiner shouts. The plant screeches loudly, and whips its vines at us, although we're well out of its reach.

"Steiner, shut up!" I hiss, keeping my eyes on the raged monster. "You're just gonna make it mad!" He clamps his mouth shut, but I know he won't stand there for much longer.

Ok, so how were we gonna do this? Just kill it, then get the Princess, or try to get her away from it while we fight, just in case it decided to eat her in the middle of the fight or it accidentally kills her in the struggle? Well, I know I might not be able to do a lot of damage. My weapons aren't very long range, but Steiner's sword can reach farther than me, and I'm sure that Vivi can cast magic at a distance.

Finally decided, I say, "Ok, here's what we're gonna do. You guys distract it while I try to get the Princess away from it. Better yet, try to kill it while you distract it."

And of course, Steiner has to stall with his stupid suspicions. "Hmph! And why should I trust you to get her away safely!?

I growl to myself, beginning to get impatient. If this guy wants to help her so bad, why can't he just stop wasting time!?

"Because you don't have any other choice right now!" I say, trying my best to keep the frustration out of my voice. "You guys can fight it better than I can, and I'm probably faster than both of you, so I can get in there and get her out!" Steiner is silent for a moment, and I think he might protest.

But I'm relieved as he says, "Fine."

"Good," I say. I absentmindedly twist my weapons, and say, "GO!"

Steiner runs up to the flailing monster with a war cry, and Vivi focuses a fire spell as I run to the left. Steiner's sword comes in contact with one of its tentacles, and it screeches angrily. It's followed up by a fire spell hitting it directly in the face. As it shrieks in protest, I take off in a fast run toward Garnet.

But man, that sucker can recover fast.

It's already over the fire spell, and swinging its tentacles blindly. I duck as one comes at me, and I continue forward. It's temporarily distracted again as Vivi sends another flame at it, and Steiner slices its vine. It gives me enough time to get to Garnet.

I kneel next to her, and look at her. She looks like she's sleeping, but I can't tell if she's alive. I reach out and turn her head upwards. Her eyes scrunch a bit, and her mouth makes a small wincing motion, followed by a very weak groan. Good. She's alive.

Before I can pick her up and get away, I hear a massive, ear-piercing scream echo from the monster. I spin my body around, to find that the thing's ugly face is looking directly at me, obviously angered that I'm near its prey. It makes a gargling sound and, before I can react, it spits some of the oozing green liquid at me.

The only thing I have time to do is move my body in front of Garnet's and put my right arm over my face protectively. As soon as I do, I feel the fluid hit my arm. I feel an intense burn as soon as it makes contact.

"Aaaahh!" I scream, dropping my weapons and lowering my arm, shaking it in an attempt to rid myself of the liquid. The intensity of the heat burns through my skin, and it sends a shooting pain all through my arm. I desperately wipe it off with my other hand, then clutch it tightly, closing my eyes and stifling another scream. It hurts so much I can hardly think.

But after a few seconds, I force my eyes open. I wince as the pain assaults my arm, and I look at the battle in front of me. The monster is again facing the others, and they're still locked in a duel of steel, vines and magic. I can't tell if they've been injured, and I can't tell if any of their attempts have weakened the monster. But I try to focus my mind getting Garnet out of here. My arm is still burning, and I can feel my own blood dripping off of it along with the green fluid, but I try to block it out and do what I'm here to do.

But just before I can, I see a figure appear form the tunnel opening. It takes my mind a split second to process who it is.

Blank comes running in, sword drawn and eyes frantically scanning the battle. He stops, and his eyes fall onto me. Without a word, he points one finger to his right, then to his left. I nod, knowing exactly what he's saying.

Quickly, I put my weapons away, then I gently reach down and sling Garnet over my shoulder with one arm. I hold my injured arm close to my body, using what energy I can to ignore the seething burn that still remains. I jump up and, with a glance at the monster, I run to the right, back the way I came. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blank run to his right.

We've done this maneuver before. One of us runs off to distract the enemy, then the other takes it by surprise and goes for the deathblow. But we've never done it with a monster this big. I just hope it works.

As I run, I cast a glance behind me. I see the monster face me, completely oblivious to Blank, who just ran behind it and out of my sight. I stop out of its reach, and it looks back at Steiner and Vivi, who continue to attack it.

Within the next three seconds, the loudest shriek yet erupts from the monster.

Steiner and Vivi stop their attacks and plug their ears, completely startled at the suddenness and volume of the screech. I want to plug my ears, but one of my arms is in too much pain to move and the other is balancing Garnet on my shoulder, so I have to close my eyes impulsively and hope I don't go deaf.

After a few seconds, the shriek lowers, then ceases. We all look up, and see it start to deflate, as if it had been full of air the whole time. A gray smoke shoots up from the ground around it, and it slowly shrinks to the ground. What's left after the smoke clears is nothing but a gaping hole where it used to be, and Blank standing just behind it, his sword in a downward position.

I heave a sigh. We did it.

Steiner immediately takes action, and sheaths his sword, running over to me.

"Princess!" he says, gently relieving me of the very light load. He cradles her in his arms and calls her again. I instinctively use my now free hand to cover up my bleeding injury.

"Is she ok?" Vivi asks as he approaches. He looks at me and his eyes wander to my arm. "Hey! Are you hurt!?"

"No, I'm fine," I lie. I don't want them to worry about me when Garnet needs help. I'll live, but she won't if we don't do something.

"He's lying, but I know why," Blank says as he reaches us. I ignore his comment and look at him. "The seed remover is in my pouch," I say. I don't want to get any of my blood or the green fluid on the pouch or the vile. He agrees without complaint, and opens the pouch, pulling out the container. He pops off the cork, and approaches Steiner. The Knight seems to know that this is the only thing that will help her, so he remains quiet as Blank tips her head back and pours the liquid into her mouth. She gives a choking cough, then takes in a deeper breath, her eyes remaining closed.

"How long will this take?" Steiner asks desperately.

"It's the same stuff I gave you," Black says as he pockets the empty vile, "So it'll take about as long as it did for you."

Steiner opens his mouth to say something, but whatever he was going to say is lost as we hear an echoing screech to the left.

You've got to be kidding.

As we all turn our heads toward the sound, a red, four-legged spider monster about the size of Steiner comes out of the hole. As soon as it clears the dark depths, it's followed by another.

"What's happening!?" Steiner demands, taking a step back as a third spider emerges from the hole. They cackle at us, almost like a clicking sound.

"Apparently it's the monster's back up army," Blank says, drawing his sword. He starts to run to the right, shouting, "Follow me!" We all follow him, deciding not to argue as two more monsters follow the first three.

Blank stops by another opening adjacent to the tunnel that we took to get here. He motions for us to go through, and I slow enough for Steiner, Garnet and Vivi to go first. I go after them, and Blank comes right after me.

We run as fast as we can down a trail that we have no idea where it leads. We're aware of the clicking of the monsters as they pursue us, and we don't care to stop and see how many there are now. Blank stays behind us, sword at the ready in case they catch up to us. I hate that I'll probably be useless if they overrun us, considering that the pain in my arm is preventing most of its movement. I just keep running, hoping that we can find some way out of here before they catch up.

We run for a few minutes, and I can't help but steal a glance behind me. My eyes bug out as I see countless spiders running at us, clicking loudly over each other. If that mob gets to us, we're dead.

I look back ahead, then look to the right as I hear another sound. I'm surprised to see more of the spiders running a little ways in the woods next to us. But they're not chasing us. They're running forward.

What…? I think, puzzled. Why are they running forward, but not paying any attention to us? Aren't these things after us because we killed the giant plant?

But what I see next it the weirdest, and scariest thing yet. The trees behind the monsters turns a dark gray, and it travels up to the monsters. It engulfs each one like a wave, and they all turn the same gray color, freezing in their tracks.

The forest is petrifying.

This isn't good. This really isn't good. I look at the monsters behind us again, and see that they realize how close the petrifaction is getting to them, and they start running faster, rapidly closing the distance between us.

If they get to us, they'll trap us and we'll get petrified just like the rest of the forest. We gotta stop them, or we're in trouble.

Wait… that's it. If they just trap something, they'll stop, and they won't reach the rest of us.

It's the only way to save them. And I know I have the power to do it.

Without a word, I abruptly stop, and turn to face the horde of monsters. They're reaching me fast, but I stand my ground. I'm doing it for the others. I know I can do it.

But when they're just seconds away from me, I feel something grab the back of my shirt and pull be back violently, sending me onto my backside. As soon as I regain my composure and look up, I'm in time to see the horde reach us, and one of the monsters wrap its pincers around Blank.

"Blank!" I shout, jumping to my feet. As I expected the monster that held Blank fell and all the ones behind it fall, stopping the pursuit. But the petrification is already taking over the ones right behind him.

"Get out of here! Now!" Blank screams, whipping his hand to his belt and pulling off a rolled piece of paper. He throws it above my head, and the gray wave reaches his legs.

Time suddenly slows as the wave travels up his legs and up to his middle. In the spilt second, we make eye contact, and his gaze is screaming at me to run. I don't want to. I can't leave him here.

But his eyes can't be ignored. I grind my teeth, then time speeds back up, and I turn and run.

I reach down and grab the paper he threw, and use my anger to carry my feet down the trail. The others are well ahead of me, very close to an opening in the trees. I can't get Blank's face out of my head, and his fate pulses through me angrily, making me run faster. I see giant vines flying past me and toward the opening, but they are ignored as I continue to run.

Before I know it, I've cleared the opening, not far from the others, and I fall to my hands and knees, panting heavily. I keep my eyes on the ground, and I can hear a creaking rush behind me, followed by what sounds like rushing leaves, and a low, long creak.

Then it goes silent.

Blank.

He saved us.

He knew what I was going to do, and he took the bullet for me. I can't believe it. That… that…

"Dammit Blank, you IDIOT!" I scream, clenching my fists. I jump to my feet and face the forest. The opening is completely sealed by barbed vines.

I run over, my mind blinded with anger and grief, and I pound the wall forcefully.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID IDIOT! I scream, venting my anger on the rock wall. I heave in air as I hit it. He's gone. Blank's gone. He saved us, and he's gone.

Finally, my legs give way beneath me, and I kneel in front of the wall, leaving my unmoving fists on it. I shut my eyes tightly and heave in a breath. I just can't accept it. I won't. My best friend isn't dead. He's just not.

Just then, I'm aware of soft footsteps behind me. I open my eyes, but I don't turn to look at whoever it is.

"Zidane…?"

It's Vivi.

"I'm fine," I say. "Just go help Steiner and Garnet." There's a short silence, then I hear him turn and walk away.

I close my eyes and take a deep, calming breath. I can't let myself do this. I have to take care of these guys. If I lose it, I'm not gonna be of any use to them. I gotta focus on who I can help. Blank wouldn't want me to act like this over him. He would want me to help the others.

It can't be too late, I think, reassuring myself. He's petrified… he's not dead. He can be helped.

With that in mind, I slowly get to my feet. I turn, and walk to the others, deciding to help who I can until I can help Blank.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Ok, as a small note, I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't put trance in there, and here's why. In the game, Trance is a kind of overdrive, and doesn't really have anything to do with the plot other than Kuja's trance at the end of the game. I will keep Kuja's Trance, but I thought it would make things too difficult to have it with the other characters. Trance will have the same idea, but it will have a different history, which will be revealed later.

Anyway, I can't tell you how much a review would be appreciated. Thanks.