A/N: Well this was a relatively fast update huh? I was going to be spiteful and not update til I got 14 reviews seeing as how I got 17 reviews for chapter one and I really didn't think it was asking all that much, but… number 1 I should know better having this being my third story and I got 11 reviews anyway. So all is well. Well, uhm… The action starts in this chapter –grins- more towards the end, and I know some of the chapter doesn't seem relevant, but it kinda ties into an idea I have for later, sooo… Yeah. Ok, well Enjoy!

Da KeR MysTeRr: Hey, Joana, wanna help me with my disclaimer?
Reyavie:
sure
Reyavie: okkies, lemme see -coughs-
Da KeR MysTeRr: -hands you tissue- cover you mouth
Reyavie: alright, alright -rolls eyes-
Reyavie: Anyways Ker waves doesn't own anything at all besides a really annoying Karma
Reyavie: For a while that is. Because I say she will -laughs evilly-
Da KeR MysTeRr: -covers your mouth- JOANA! What are you doing!
Reyavie: huh...scaring the living daylights out of everyone?
Da KeR MysTeRr: -whispers fiercely- But you're giving away my evil plans for the world -turns to everyone else and smiles sweetly-
Reyavie: -
smacks forehead- Sorry...but it's not as if this will leave this fic
Da KeR MysTeRr: oh it better not -glares at readers, then mutters foul words bout non-reviewers-
Reyavie: I think...hope...okay. I'm going to be direct you -points- read AND review or else I'll be REALLY mad.
Da KeR MysTeRr: And that's not something you want
Reyavie: -narrows eyes- Last time that happened people thought it was a natural disaster -smiles- So press the button on the bottom ok?
Da KeR MysTeRr: -Whispers- She knows who you are and where you live, so you better do what she says -nods lots-
Reyavie:-grins evilly- Okay, we're done. You can read now. And remember...I'm watching you -creepy tone-
Da KeR MysTeRr: -shudders- Ok well you know the deal.. do it.. or... I'm sending her after you!
Readers: -Flee hastily-
Reyavie:Hey! Come back -runs after-
Da KeR MysTeRr: HEY THIS IS A NO FLEEING ZONE! CAN'T YOU READ THE SIGN? –points to sign-
Reyavie: Not really, no. And I'm running. Not fleeing
Da KeR MysTeRr: I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to them -points to readers-
Reyavie:...Good point. Stop running you lot!
Da KeR MysTeRr: -locks all doors and barricades all exits- Now… as we were saying -glares and in demonic voice- Read and Review!
Reyavie: -
bows to applause-
Reyavie: Now shoo -waves to fic-
Reyavie: okkies, I think this was direct -grins-
Da KeR MysTeRr: -grins- have fun! -waves and walks off-

888

The Search Begins

The next day around noon Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, and Gippal were all situated on the airship. Their destination was Bevelle. "And the reason we aren't just calling him would be…?" Gippal asked as he directed the airship through the sky.

"I tried," Yuna affirmed. "The lines we're busy. They have been busy since around 6AM." She crossed her legs at the ankles and ran a hand through her hair before she continued, "And Baralai is the Praetor, he has a right to know what's going on with the temples."

Gippal nodded his head as he turned his attention back to the control panel. The swoosh from the electronic door behind them was heard. Yuna turned her head to see her cousin and her husband coming back from their tour of the ship. "And that is the HighWind fastest airship in all of Spira" the perky Al Bhed informed the blitzer as they walked through the doorway. "Heya, Yunie," she greeted brightly. "You ever get in touch with Lai?"

The half Al Bhed smiled at her younger cousin. "Hi, Rikku. And… no, I didn't. We're heading to Bevelle right now."

Rikku's eyes went wide and sparkled with excitement. "Oh! I can't wait to see little Meva!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to Gippal. "How much longer till we get there, Gippie?"

"Hold your chocobos, Cid's girl," he said as he glanced at her. "We got a good hour left before we reach Bevelle."

She pouted slightly as she whined, "Awh, poopie!"

Gippal ruffled her hair. He smirked as she pulled away swatting at his hands, "Why don't you show our little celebrity around?" he offered as he motioned towards Yuna.

"I already saw the ship," Tidus said as he took a seat beside his wife.

The male Al Bhed gave him a dry look before he explained his prior statement, "I meant Yuna." Then without even allowing the High Summoner the chance to accept or decline the offer, Rikku grabbed her hands and dragged her out the door.

888

As they neared the main city of Spira, Bevelle, the screen before Gippal started flashing showing that there was an incoming transmission. He pressed a few keys on the board before him and the screen flickered a few times before a clear-cut image of a Bevelle soldier appeared. "Identify yourself," he demanded.

Gippal quirked an eyebrow before a smirk crossed his face. "It's Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction," he stated clearly as his good eye looked intently at the screen.

"What business do you have with the Praetor at this time?" he questioned sternly.

"I apologize, but I am in no position to disclose that information to anyone, but Praetor Baralai himself," he said before he turned his head. He glanced at Yuna and motioned for her to come over. When she was standing besides him he continued speaking, "The High Summoner and I have to meet with the Praetor… immediately."

Upon the sight of the High Summoner the guard immediately allowed them access to land the airship within the city's walls. "Told you. You're a celebrity," he altered his voice to a high pitched squeaky one before he finished up with a, "Yunie!"

"Hey!" the female Al Bhed shouted as she crossed her arms. "I do not sound like that," she said with a pout, "You big meanie!"

"Calm down, Riks, I'm only joking," Gippal said in defense. "Now," he pointed to her face, "Suck that lip back in or you're not coming with us."

She clasped her hands together and grinned broadly. "Squee! I can't wait to see her!" she grabbed her cousin's hands "Come on, Yunie!" she said as she pulled her towards the exit.

Tidus laughed and shook his head. "She's so tiny, but she has so much strength," he remarked as he watched the perky Al Bhed forcibly drag Yuna out of the room. "It's so funny to watch."

He nodded. "I know, I see it all the time," he started for the door, "She's a tough kid, no doubt bout that." He motioned for Tidus to follow him, "Come on, let's get this done with."

888

The Praetor shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He sighed as he placed his head in his hands. He remained quiet for a few moments before he said, "Do you think we'll be able to actually handle this problem?"

"We've saved Spira before, I don't see why this time would be any different," the blonde blitzer stated in a matter of fact tone. When he got no response he glanced at the people in the room with him. "Right?"

"Well, Tidus, we are kind of pressed for time, and we really don't know what we're up against…" Yuna stated, not making eye contact with her husband.

"You don't think we can do it? Since when have we ever limited our abilities?" he asked as he watched his wife slowly raise her head to glance at him.

She ran a hand through her brown hair as she explained, "Tidus, we're limited with time. We don't know if these people are even experienced with fighting… and if they aren't, we really don't have time to train them." She locked her bi-colored eyes with his. "It's not that I don't think we can do it, the question is can we do it in time. I mean... the odds are kind of stacked against us…"

His mouth fell ajar as he gaped at his comrades. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing," he looked intently as his wife. "Especially after your pilgrimage. They didn't think the cycle could be broken, but we broke it. And yet, you don't think we can do this?" He stood abruptly and looked around at his friends, "I'm not going to let anything happen to Spira. It's my home and I'm going to protect it," he stated firmly before he turned his back to them as he headed towards the exit.

"Where ya going, Ti?" Gippal called after him.

"Back to the airship. I need some rest if I'm going to be angel hunting tonight," he informed them. He paused from his walking and looked over his shoulder. "Don't worry, B., nothing is going to happen if I can help it." With those words spoken he continued his exit.

After the door swung shut again, Paine spoke up. "He's has a point." Everyone turned and glanced at the silver haired woman who had remain silent throughout this whole thing. "We have to believe that we'll do this. Trust me, once the people get word of this, there will be plenty of discouragement to go around. Besides," she glanced at Yuna, "Do you plan on letting anything happen to Spira if you can prevent it." The former Summoner shook her head 'no.' The warrior turned her head towards Gippal, "And you?" He too shook his head. "Then why are we doubting ourselves? Baralai and I will take care of things in here since we can't exactly travel. We'll try to keep this under control as long as we can, but if there are fiends coming out of the temples…" she trailed off. She closed her crimson eyes and brought her hands up to rub the temples of her head. "Be safe, and good luck," she remarked as she opened her eyes. "You'll need it to pull this off."

"Yep! Paine's right!" the chipper Al Bhed proclaimed from behind them. She bounced over to the group, the young silver haired girl in her arms. "When did we become such a bunch of doubters?"

"We got older," Yuna stated. "We are more realistic about things."

"You mean pessimistic?" Rikku asked as she popped an eyebrow. "Just because we got older we lost our 'we can take on the world' attitude?" She shrugged her shoulders and she placed Meva on the ground. "Because if that's the case, I don't wanna grow up."

"Enough with the browbeating," Gippal said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Point made."

"We'll go out, we'll look for these so called angels and we won't give up until we find them," Yuna said slowly, her voice gaining confidence as she spoke. "We'll start tonight with that club in Luca."

"Great!" Rikku exclaimed as a cheeky grin spread across her features. "Now all that is left is…"

"Oh no," Gippal muttered under his breath as he buried his face in his hands.

Yuna looked curiously from Gippal to Rikku. Her cousin's emerald eyes shone with excitement as she said, "Shopping!" She grabbed Yuna's hand and started to pull her towards the door. The High Summoner started to protest, but Rikku merely shrugged her off and said, "Yunie, you can't go out in you're clothes."

The bi-color eyed brunette placed a hand on her hip as she said defensively, "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"New places, new clothes," she stated. Then without further reasoning she ushered her toward the door. She waved over her shoulder as they walked out.

"Well," Gippal started as he rose from his seat. "Dr. P., B., we'll be seeing you again."

"Hopefully, with good news," the Praetor said as he pulled his old Crimson Squad partner into an embrace. "We'll keep in touch."

The Al Bhed nodded. As he went to speak again, the roar of the HighWind's engine starting echoed through the room. His eyes went slightly wide before he took off running. "C'ya!" he called over his shoulder before he was gone from their sight.

888

"Rikku, can we stop? We've been at this for hours, and I have enough clothes to last me till the end of the calm," the High Summoner pleaded with the young Al Bhed.

"Come on, Yunie, one more store," she turned her head toward her cousin, giving her puppy dog eyes. "Pwease."

"Oh, Fine, one more, but that's it," the half Al Bhed stated firmly after giving into the request of her cousin.

Rikku immediately smiled and pulled her cousin along the street. "This," she started motioning to the store in front of them, "is the last store." Without letting Yuna say a word, the Al Bhed pulled her into the store.

Yuna's eyes widened as she glanced around the store. "Rikku…' she started as she planted her feet firmly on the ground. "This isn't a store, it's a mini city…"

The Al Bhed smiled sweetly as she dragged her cousin into the heart of the store. "You said one more. Now, let's get moving."

888

"I hope I don't end up poor by the end of the day," Tidus said as he and Gippal walked along the busy streets of Luca.

"She's with Rikku," the Al Bhed replied with a smirk. "You'll be more than poor, you'll be in all out poverty."

He groaned as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He gave Gippal a side-glance and watched as he smiled at the girls walking by. "I see you still have a wandering eye," he remarked as he gave him a stern look.

"I can look, but no touching," he said as he held his hands up defensively. "Besides, I'm not interested in these girls, just checking that the Gippal Charm still works." He shot Tidus a cocky grin before running a hand through his hair. The blitzer shook his head and laughed. "What is so funny?" the green-eyed blond asked.

"Nothing really…" he replied as he moved his gaze towards the other man. "Just, the other day I ran into a girl, whom I'm sure you would have been chasing… well if you were single and a few years younger…"

"Oh, you don't say. Well, my dear friend, do tell," he urged the blitzer.

"She was just really attractive, but like I said, she's a bit too young for you. She looked about nineteen," he informed him as they passed by a few more stores, looking for the girls.

"I'm not looking for a girlfriend, Ti, I have one already. I was just curious if you know what kind of women I'm into," the blond Al Bhed said as he continued to urge him on.

"Ones that have a chest…" the blue-eyed blond said with a smirk accompanied with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Funny…" he remarked sarcastically. "Now, are you gonna tell me or not?" Obliging to the request of the Al Bhed, Tidus described the young woman that had shown up on Besaid the other day. After listening intently to the description of the woman Gippal nodded slowly. "You were right, actually… that sounds just like one of my ex-girlfriends." He shrugged his shoulders. "So, what was her name?"

"Sonya," he replied as he the turned the corner of the street.

Gippal looked at him curiously before he said, "Well, that's odd. That's what her name was, but," he ran a hand through his hair. "It couldn't have been her. She was nineteen when I met her. Actually, she was a year older than me. So, she's your age now."

He shrugged his shoulders as he scanned the street. "Yea, well, she wasn't much of a talker and as Lulu said, she was 'more than rude.' And she left really early in the morning, so I couldn't tell you more about her even if I wanted to." He stopped talking when they came to stand before the largest store in all of Luca Darby's Designers. "How much you wanna bet they're in here?"

"A lot, now let's go stop them before they put us in so much debt our great, great, great grandkids will still be paying for it," the Al Bhed said before pushing open the doors to the store and stalking off in search of the perky Al Bhed. After scouring the store he spotted her, "Rikku Siclari, put down the expensive jeans and back away!"

She glanced back and forth between the jeans and her boyfriend. She did this several times before she pouted slightly and put them back on the rack. She glanced at her boyfriend again; a mischievous glint sparkled in her emerald eyes. "Gippie, do you and Ti have something to wear tonight?" the perky Al Bhed asked with a grin.

"Yes," he stated quickly. He wasn't actually sure if he had something back on the airship, but he knew the slightest hesitation would have meant hours more of shopping. "Come on, Riks, I think you've done enough damage for the rest of eternity." He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door.

As they walked towards the exit, Rikku spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Oh! What's that?" She inquired to no one in particular as she abruptly moved in the direction of the item of clothing. Since Gippal still had a hold on her wrist, when she moved she jerked him along with her, ultimately knocking him into a nearby man.

"Rikku!" Gippal shouted in aggravation as he straightened himself up. He turned his head to the left as he spoke, "Hey, I'm really sorry bout that. Are you ok…" he trailed off when he got a good look at the man he had bumped into.

The man stood at five feet and eleven inches, about two inches taller than the blonde Al Bhed male. He had dark brown hair. His green eyes glimmered with recognition and animosity. He crossed his toned armsas his mouth turned into a scowl. "Gippal," he stated in a condescending manner.

The Al Bhed narrowed his green eyes as he glared at the brunette. "Nick," he stated as his eyes ran over the man with scorn.

The two men stood staring each other down for a few minutes before Rikku came bounding back. She looked between the two men before she said lowly, "Gippie, who is this?" She bounced on the balls of her feet as she awaited his reply.

"Nick," he spoke with disgust. "We were in the Crimson Squad Pre-training together."

"Really?" She chirped. "I'm Rikku," she introduced herself as she held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The brunette took her hand in his own. He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her hand before saying, "The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure." He released her hand and winked at her as he stood back up.

"It would be," Gippal remarked bitterly. He took Rikku's hand in his own before he said, "Much as I'd love to stay and talk, we're leaving." Then without so much as a goodbye the Machine Faction leader turned and practically dragged the petite blonde out of the store after him.

"Gippal!" she shrieked as she smacked his arm. "How rude are you?" she continued to rant at the Al Bhed in Spiran. When she realized he wasn't affected by her words she grew more irate and slipped into Al Bhed as she continued her tirade.

He ignored her insults and comments as he stalked off towards the HighWind. The only thing he said to her was, "We'll talk about it once we're on the ship."

888

A few hours after the incident at Darby's the blonde blitzer had finished getting ready for the club and gone off in search for the leader of the Machine Faction . He walked down the metallic hallway of the HighWind. The only sound heard was the echoing of his footsteps as he stepped down the hall.

When he came to the end of the hall he stood in front of a door labeled The Master's Bedroom. He shook his head as he knocked on the door. A few minutes passed before a wet Al Bhed answered the door. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a quizzical expression as he said, "Yeah, Ti?"

"Rikku and Yuna have taken over my room," he explained with a roll of his eyes. "So I thought I'd come and stay with you for a while." He watched as the Al Bhed shrugged his shoulders and opened the door wider. "Thanks," he muttered as he stepped in.

Gippal turned from him and walked over to the bathroom. He grabbed a towel and started to dab his damp hair. He looked in the mirror to see the reflection of the blonde blitz player leaning on the frame of the door. "Let me guess… You want to talk about what happened in Darby's right?"

"Well, I wasn't going to ask," he said only to receive a skeptical look from the Al Bhed. "But, since you mention it… what was that? I mean the tension was so thick, if you weren't careful you could have choked on it."

He sighed heavily as he pulled a jade colored shirt over his head. "That was Nick," he started before turning his gaze towards the blue-eyed blitzer. "I had met him in the Crimson Squad Pre-Training. We had gotten kinda close, we became pretty good friends. Then, one night he told me his birthday was in March. Now," he paused and ran a hand through his hair before he said, "the cut off for the Crimson Squad had been February…"

Tidus gave Gippal a look of disappointment as he said, "You gave him up?"

Catching the look the Blitzer gave him he said defensively, "It's not something I'm proud of, but I was already at a disadvantage being Al Bhed and he was one of the best guys there. He was stealthy, precise and efficient. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't risk it."

"Well, that would explain his displeasure of seeing you again, but you had just as much animosity towards him as he had you," the Blitzer observed.

"Yeah," the Al Bhed practically growled. "Well after that happened he knew it had to have been me who told them- so…" His eyes flashed with anger as he reminisced back to that time. "He slept with my girlfriend."

The blitzer grimaced. "Ouch, talk about low blow…"

"Yeah, it gets better. Two weeks later I get a letter that says, 'Life's a whore, it screws around with everyone… and what a coincidence… so is your girlfriend.' Then there were some lovely images included with it." He shook his head as the memory flooded his mind, "Regardless, that's what happened… now are you happy?"

"Hey, Gip, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pull up those kinds of memories for you," the blitzer said as he placed a hand on the Al Bhed's shoulder.

He shrugged and sighed as he said, "Eh, its not big… the past is the past and that's all it is… a memory." He gave Tidus a half smile as he walked toward the door of his room. "Let's go get our ladies and move out."

The walked down the halls silently towards the room Yuna and Rikku were currently occupying. As Tidus reached out his hand for the doorknob, it pulled back away from his grasp as the door was opened from the other side. He looked forward to see a cheeky grin from the perky Al Bhed. "Heya, guys, we're ready." She stepped out into the hallway and spun around, "Don't we look beautiful?"

"And expensive," Gippal commented as he looked over the new outfit Rikku was sporting. "Nevertheless," he said as he extended his arm, "Let's get going."

Tidus mimicked the Al Bhed's actions with Yuna and they started off towards the exit of the HighWind. When they reached the elevator, Yuna stopped walking and felt her hip area where her pockets were. "Oh… I forgot my dress spheres…" She looked over to Rikku who had stopped walking. "Don't worry about me, I'll catch up, I just want to have them… just in case."

"Yunie, we can wait its no big deal," the Al Bhed said to her older cousin.

She shook her head. "No, Tidus and I will catch up." She turned around and took off down the hall, Tidus following closely behind her.

Rikku shrugged her shoulders as she turned to Gippal and said, "Well you heard her, let's go."

888

They entered the club, holding hands. Tidus' eyes darted around the people filled club. "I don't see Rikku and Gippal," he commented as his eyes scoped the sea of people.

Yuna half smiled as she looked at her husband and said, "They'll be around. This is their thing; they both like dancing. They'll be on the dance floor."

Tidus started to walk through the crowds of people, his eyes continuously scanning the room for anything unusual. Yuna followed him, maneuvering around the dancing couples. Then almost as if reading his mind the High Summoner questioned, "You think we'll find the angels here?"

"I hope so, this is the biggest club in Spira, the most people gather here, so… we should," he replied giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Come on, over here." He tugged at her hand and pulled her in the direction of an empty table in the back. The brunette took a seat at the table. She scrunched her nose in disgust when she noticed the lack of up keepings for this specific table. Taking note of her condescending look, Tidus smirked, "Hey this is why the people dance and not sit around."

She nodded slowly, before taking a napkin and wiping down the table. "You won't even know if you find them. All we have to go by is 'Look for a contrast where there is great good the darkness will linger back sneering at the light.' That is a bit vague."

He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head. "Hey, we'll do this. Don't worry," he bent forward and caressed her lips with his own. "I'll get us some drinks." She nodded as he made his way over to the bar.

While he was gone, she sat with her hands folded in her lap, looking for anything peculiar in the crowd of people. 'The sooner we find them the better.' As she was scouring the mess of people, she made a double take as she thought she saw the familiar form of Sonya, but when she went to look a second time she was lost in the crowd of people. 'Well, that's odd.'

"Now, why, may I ask, is a beautiful lady like yourself sitting alone?"

Startled by the introduction of this new voice, she jumped slightly before turning her head in the direction the voice had come from. The stranger was seating himself in a chair across the table from her. He had dirty blonde hair that went well with his azure eyes and he wore a friendly smile as he waited for Yuna's response. She smiled sweetly as she said, "I'm here with my husband. He's getting us drinks."

He quirked an eyebrow as he said, "A young beauty like you is married?" She raised her left hand and moved her hair behind her ear before nodding. "Should have figured as much. The pretty ones are always taken." Yuna raised her hand to her mouth, to conceal a giggle. Her actions received a confused look and the response, "And what may I ask is so funny?"

"You just remind me of my friend Gippal, that's all," she responded after regaining her composure.

He nodded slowly. "Oh well… I'm Ryu." He extended his hand. She smiled as she took his hand and replied, "Yuna."

"Wait…" He took a closer look at her face, studying her features. "High Summoner Yuna?" She hesitantly smiled and nodded. "Wow, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, High Summoner." They sat in silence for a few moments before Ryu spoke up again. "I don't mean to be nosey, but… what exactly are you doing in a place like this? Not exactly High Summoner material."

"Well…" she shifted in her seat trying to come up with a reason for being there. She couldn't just voice that she was in search of two mystical beings, one of pure evil, one of pure good. Not being able to come up with a legitimate response, she merely shrugged her shoulders and said, "Even High Summoners need to get out some times."

At this time, Tidus decided to make his reappearance. He walked over to the table that was currently occupied by Yuna and Ryu. He placed the drink in front of Yuna before kissing her on the cheek. "Miss me?"

She tilted her head in his direction and with an impish grin she replied, "Not really. I had good company." She gestured to Ryu. Tidus looked questioningly at the dirty blonde haired boy. "Tidus, this is Ryu. Ryu, this is my husband, Tidus."

Ryu stood and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Tidus hesitantly took his hand and shook it, "A pleasure… I'm sure." They stood there for a few minutes, an awkward silence growing. Tidus shifted his attention towards the crowd. As he took in the people he blinked twice and rubbed his eyes. 'Is that Sonya?' But before he could be sure, she disappeared once more into the crowd.

Ryu watched him with an astonished expression on his face. 'This guy is married to a beautiful woman and here he is checking out the girls, with her right next to him no less.' He glanced at Yuna who didn't seem to be phased by Tidus' behavior. 'Well this is a little odd. Maybe they're looking for a little 'adventure' in their love life. He glanced at Yuna with a grin before his eyes came to rest on Tidus, which caused him to shudder. 'Well, I don't want to know, nor be a part of it.'

He shook those thoughts from his head as he plastered a smile on his face. "Well," he started, getting the attention of the couple. "It was a pleasure meeting you both, and until next our paths meet, I bid you-" But before he could finish his sentence an explosion rocked the building.

Yuna stood abruptly from her seat. "Ti, do you think they're here?"

He didn't get the chance to response, because another blast blew a crater-sized hole in the wall to their left. By this time, a full set panic had hit the people of the club. The people were all screaming and running. The entire place was in total chaos. Tidus grabbed Yuna's hand and pulled her in, against the rush of people trying to escape. "We have to help!"

888

In the center of the chaos stood two people. They stood about 7 feet apart and were staring at each other so fiercely that not even the frightened screams from the people could break their gaze.

"You missed," the brunette boy said as he stole a glance at the wall behind him and smirked. The raven-haired girl growled at her adversary causing him to smile all the more. "You know, Sonya, last century that growl may have actually frightened me, but now… you've been lacking in the fear department." Her faced relaxed and she laughed. Surprising him, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Though, I will admit, this is making me uneasy."

"Hm, well, I guess this is a good a time as any to show you my new… toys." She grinned as the brunette's eyes widened slightly. "Well, as you know, after Sin was destroyed, there was this lingering dark, evil aura left behind. Well, I spent some time there and customized my own little weapons." She pulled out twin pistols. They both had silver barrels and black handles. At the end of the handles was a set of crimson colored wings. "I call them 'Twins of Turmoil.' They don't hold the same amount of power as Oblivion Rapier, but these are a bit more accurate and they get the job done." She fired a warning shot past him to the remains of the wall, ultimately obliterating it. "So, run, Maximus…" She smirked as she cocked the gun in his direction and finished, "Run." Without further hesitation, he took off running. She laughed coldly as she rapidly fired the pistols in his direction. 'I'm playing for keeps.'

He jumped into the air as a bullet hit the ground near him. 'If she wasn't dangerous enough before…' The bullet broke up the floor sending pieces of debris flying everywhere. He continued running as he watched the people rush the exit of the club. 'I have to get her away from these people before someone gets seriously hurt.'

She shifted her left hand and deliberately shot the ground in front of him. With no time to react to this, the explosion sent him sprawling to the floor. She sauntered over to him, her hips swaying back and forth as she walked. She placed a foot on his chest. "You know, I'm getting a little bit tired of you messing in my affairs." She pointed the gun and aimed for his head, "However, that ends now…" She placed her hands on the trigger and began to apply pressure to it.

Maximus closed his eyes tightly as he heard a gunshot ring out. "Son of a Bitch!" was what he heard get screamed out before something remotely heavy dropped onto his chest. Confused, when the pressure from Sonya's boot disappeared, he opened his eyes to see Sonya wiping her bloodied hand on her pants. 'What in the name of Dios?' Maximus followed Sonya's gaze and his eyes fell upon the former Summoner who was currently wielding a pair of matching guns. Without thinking twice, Maximus jumped to his feet and rushed at the Summoner.

The raven-haired woman's eyes narrowed to slits as she lifted her gun, "You little bitch, I'll kill you for that!" Sonya glared once more at Yuna before pulling the trigger of her own gun. However, the shot was diverted and ended up shooting a huge hole in the club's ceiling. She cursed at the reason for her misaim. Tidus had come from her left tackling her to the ground. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Are you crazy?" Tidus shouted as he pinned her armed hand above her head. "Do you want people to get killed!" he yelled out as he vainly tried to wrestle the gun out of her hand.

"Honestly?" she asked with a hint of malice. "Yes, I do." With her free hand, she placed it on his chest and literally flipped him off of her, slamming him into the nearby wall.

He hit the wall with such force his body made an impression in it. Slowly he slid down the wall, hitting the ground with a thud. "That… was … painful…" he muttered to himself as he painfully got to his feet.

Yuna quickly ran over to his side. She immediately started casting curative magic over him. "Tidus, I think we're in a little over our head. We don't even know if these two are the people we're looking for."

He shook his head, his blond hair falling precariously over his eyes. "We have to do this," he ran a hand through his hair, "I have to do this. I said I wouldn't let anything happen to Spira." With those words spoken, he took off after Sonya and Maximus. He finally spotted them by the emergency stair well. He watched as the brunette shoved the door open, sprinting through and as Sonya followed closely behind. "She sure can run fast for someone in those kind of heels," he muttered to himself as he neared the door he had seen them run through.

Sprinting, Tidus finally came to the stair well and he pushed open the door. What he saw astounded him. Sonya was a flight behind Maximus, but not for long. She crouched down and pushed off the ground, jumping up. She twisted her body, flipping over the railing and landing in front of him. "Wow…" was all he could muster as he started up the stairs.

Just as he reached the top of the flight, darkness took over the stairwell before a body came flying down the stairs, slamming into the wall. Tidus was forced to blink a few times to adjust to the relighting of the stairwell. When he did, he saw the brunette Sonya had been in pursuit of. He lifted his head, narrowing his silver eyes. "Alright, I'll play your game, Sonya," he said as he brought his hand up.

Before Tidus could ask him if he was alright, a bright beam shot out of his hand, hitting the crazed dark haired girl square in the chest, catapulting her into the wall behind her. Tidus glanced between the two, unsure of how to react. He stood there, shock clearly shown on his face.

Of the two of them, Maximus rose to his feet first. He rubbed the temples of his head before continuing up the stairs. He paused momentarily over Sonya, who seemed to be completely knocked out. He shrugged and continued up the last flight of stairs. Tidus walked halfway up the flight of stairs when Sonya 'awoke.' Her eyes shot open. They gleamed with rage and a hint of vengeance. She stood abruptly and snapped her fingers, disappearing into thin air.

Tidus ran up the remaining stairs and stood where Sonya had previously been. 'This just gets weirder and weirder.' As he was standing there, he heard a considerably loud 'Crunch' followed by a cry of pain and the statement, "Damn it, Sonya! That was my nose!"

"Yea, too bad," she shouted as she lifted her leg to kick him in the stomach. As the blow was about to make contact, he caught her foot.

He smirked at her as he said, "Have a nice flight." As those words were muttered, he spun her round, and flung her down the stairs at the wall. She was rapidly approaching the wall… headfirst. Tidus didn't want to watch, knowing the impact would most likely be nearly fatal, but it was like a hover accident and he couldn't help but stare.

As she got closer to the wall, she rolled her eyes before twisting her body so that she would hit the wall with her feet. She hit the wall in a crouched position. When she made impact she didn't flinch, or bat an eye. Then, much to Tidus' surprise, she didn't fall to the floor either. Instead, she pushed off the wall and at a speed no normal person could travel she flew at Maximus. When their bodies made contact, he fell into the exit door hitting the handle, ultimately opening it. In a jumbled ball they rolled out the exit door and on to the roof.

"That is definitely not normal…" Tidus voiced to himself as he ran up the last flight of stairs. Once he reached the outside, Maximus was standing on the ledge of the building and Sonya was five feet away from him, holding her guns up, ready to shoot him into oblivion. "Sonya, stop!" The blonde yelled out causing a distraction to Sonya.

She jerked her head in his direction and glared at him before turning back to where Maximus had been. "That son of a…" she muttered as she ran over to the ledge. "Damn it!" she yelled out before she shot randomly into the darkness a few times.

By this time, Yuna had caught up with them. She walked quietly over to Tidus. She gently placed a hand on his arm. "Did she…?"

He shook his head 'no.' "He jumped off…" He took a few steps forward before saying "Sonya, can I ask you something?"

She kept her back to him and threw her guns down to the floor. She gritted her teeth, as she growled, "No, you can't."

"I have to know something about you," he persisted.

"Boy, you don't know whom you are interfering with," she said as she turned her attention to him. She circled around him, her long black hair blowing in the wind. She gripped her blade in her hand. It was four feet long and the majority of it was a dark ebony color. The only part that wasn't black was the sharp blade part. That was a crimson red. It looked as if she had just used it to annihilate someone and didn't have time to clean the blood off of it. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be burned from the inside out… to have your soul set ablaze?" She smirked to herself before she began to twirl her blade in an intricate pattern.

"You aren't listening to me, plea-"

"Tidus, let's get out of here!" Yuna pleaded as she tried to pull him away from the angered woman.

He turned to face her, his blond hair blowing over his eyes. "Yuna, we need to do this. I'm not going to run! I have to know!"

"Well, question and answer time is over," the woman smirked again as she stopped the blade in a vertical position. The blade was pulsing with a dark aura, sending chills down Tidus' spine. "And now, it's time to die…" she smiled sweetly before she shouted out "HELL'S DAMNATION." Thus, sending a huge wave of dark energy hurtling straight for the blonde.

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A/N: WHAHAHAHAHAHA A CLIFF HANGER! Yes! –grins and dodges the object hurdled at head- Whoa! Ha reflexes got better too! –slips on grape- owwww –rubs head- Okies, well now I'm going to be mean and spiteful, I want to see lots of reviews, or I'm leaving this as a cliffhanger –grins sadistically- Okies, well Enjoy! Tooodles! –waves and walks off-