Chapter 6: A Run With Despair and A New Revelation For Tommorrow

'Filled with remorse, the sadened wanderer flees the light of Sanctuary. Wanting no more bloodshed and war, the key travels with sadness and remorse, companions of the past.

Overcoming the past is no simple task, for only a Goddess will light the way to a new tommorow of happiness...'

The cresent moon shined in the light as night continued through out the town. After sleeping for the rest of the night and all day today, Karin couldn't take this anymore. She had a nagging fear that if anyone was close to her, they'll die by the foot soldiers of Chaos. She wants to escape, but without no one noticing.

'If I stay here, these people will die...I can't allow that, even Lorena..I'm so sorry guys..I know you risked everything to find and protect me,' thought Karin, 'But this isn't what I want. I don't want anymore people dying because of me. I just want my old life back...'

Karin quietly makes her way out of her room and heads to the door of the shack. She knows her stuff is still in the car, because the others didn't get it out, but was more worried for her and her woumds from Garland. Karin moves swiftly, but quietly to her car and turns her key to start it. After a couple of tries, the car reeves to life and she pulls out of the driveway out onto the road behind her.

'I'm sorry..But I don't want anymore of this...Forgive me if you can...I don't care anymore, I just want to return to my normal life, nothing more..' thought Karin as she drove away into the night, away from the hideout for Cosmos's soldiers.

Driving away as fast as the car can go without speeding, Karin drives the lonely road with a song from her favorite soundtrack playing a song titled "Cosmos" from 'Your Favorite Enemies'. The moon sank into the horizon, revealing a sunrise as she continued to drive far away from the hideout. Her thought turned to her father, Cecil, then to the others that risked everything to protect her. Next it turned to a memory of when she saved Tidus from his own brutal father, Jecht, and a memory of saving Zidane from Kuja til backup arrived. The memories continued to haunt her. 'This is happening...Because of me...I need to vanish somehow...I...I don't wanna be found, I'm done...Just let me go...' thought Karin.

It was now 7:30 in the morning and Karin was growing weary from driving all night. She spots a nearby vacant building and stops there for the night in the parking lot. It was now 11:35 almost to noon and everyone on Cosmos's side was awake and alert doing their normal tasks, that is until they hear Cecil scream in panic.

"Oh, no!! She's gone!!" screamed Cecil. Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushes to Cecil, including the Warrior of Light. "She must've ran away last night while we were asleep...This is not good!" panicked Cecil.

"I had a good feeling this was going to happen..." said Firion, "Yesterday after Garland and Golbez fled, she was so upset and said that she didn't want anymore of this...That's probably why."

"I'm afraid for her safety to herself and from the enemy. She's so upset about all this that...Oh, god...I don't want to think about it," said Cecil. Lorena, now fully recovered, then said, "We gotta find her! I'm worried about her as well..."

"I'll go look for her...Boko's worried about her, too," said Bartz, "I'll come back with her..Until then, I won't return til we're coming back together and that is a vow."

"Be careful, Bartz...The enemy is still out there...If you encounter any of them, including Exdeath, run.." said the Warrior of Light. "Alright, let's go, Boko!" said Bartz.

Boko chirped with determination and both him and his human companion rush out to find Karin. Back in the parking lot, Karin was asleep in the back. Another dream then began to envelope her, but this dream was like a messege, or a vision that Karin can move and act without her mind taking control. She was in the same battlefield of her first dream, but it was all quiet and the rushing of water under her feet was heard with a swishing sound. Karin looked around her surroundings, til she heard a female voice speak to her. The voice was soothing and calm, the sweetest voice she has ever heard.

'Karin...Come this way...Young one..." said the voice, directing Karin to the voice's location. Karin immediately turned around, spotting a woman dressed in a white, sleeveless dress that covered her feet and had designs of gold on it. She wore golden bracelets on both wrists and had long, wavy blonde hair. A type of see-through transparent shawl was worn around her arms and shoulders. Karin immediately knew who the woman was. It was Cosmos herself, the Goddess of Harmony.

'Your...Your the Goddess of Harmony, aren't you? Cosmos?' asked Karin, 'Why am I part of your war against Chaos? I didn't want any part of it..I was having a normal life til this happened, Why!?'

Cosmos could sense the anguish and sadness in Karin instantly, then replied, "Everyone has a special role in their life..A role they do not know til it happens. From the day you were born, you was special and unique from the very beginning.'

'How was I able to take on Kuja and Jecht? I'm just a human, but somehow I act to save someone without thinking...Why is that?' asked Karin. 'Because...You inherited the courage and humbleness to those in need from Cecil. Lunarian blood flows through your veins, just like both Cecil and Golbez...I am sorry for your loss...But in order to do something good...Something bad has to happen,' said Cosmos.

'...Good things must come to an end, huh...' said Karin. She has heard that saying before, 'Why me?..' Karin asked. Cosmos stepped forward and Karin had a bad feeling she might've angered the Goddess. 'I'm sorry...I didn't mean to anger you, Cosmos...If you want me to leave your sanctuary, then I will--' 'No...You didn't anger no one...' Cosmos said, grabbing Karin's shoulder lightly, 'I have forseen the day you would aid us in battle against Chaos...From the day you was born, I knew you were special, not because of parentage, but by destiny. The stars were aligned correctly, just like the day your mother was born...And she aided us to war against Chaos..'

'You mean...She was destined too?' asked Karin. Now it was starting to make sense. Karin's mother helped in the early war against Chaos, as if like ascending; it was Karin's turn to take her mother's place in the war against the God of Discord. 'Cosmos...I can't do this...I ran away from my friend..Your allies..I can't do this anymore..' said Karin.

'Yes you can, young one...The strength deep inside of you is waiting to be set free, deep inside your heart. Your friend, Lorena is also involved in this war as well...Not like you, but as a guardian for a special friend...Have faith in your stregnth and it will guide you to the victory of peace..' said Cosmos, cheering Karin up instantly.

'I bet in the future...I'll meet you in the final confrontation against Chaos...Will I?' asked Karin. Cosmos nods, smiling to Karin with a sweetest smile, 'Don't be afraid of what you can do...You have already made so many new friends...Be careful..The light will always guide...And protect you on your journey...Farewell, young Karin...' The dream ended and Karin wakes up from her slumber. 'Cosmos...Now I understand..But...' Karin then hears a tapping on the window to the back of her SUV. She turns to face where the sound is coming from and sees Bartz and Boko looking into the car at her.

"Hey!! Your okay!" said Bartz. Boko chirped and cooed with happiness to see Karin again.

"Bartz...Boko...How did you find me?" asked Karin. "We already knew what the car looked like, and you wanted to be alone, so this was a good place to be...It was all thanks to this good luck charm I always carry with me..Its one of Boko's feathers," answered Bartz. Boko nodded in response. Karin couldn't believe this, they were worried about her, then a memory of Lorena telling her that they were in this together. Karin felt sick, as if she abandoned everything. Bartz saw this and said, "Don't cry! Everything's gonna be alright!! Don't cry!!" He immediately gets the back trunk door open at the back of the SUV and hops back there to Karin, including Boko, which there was surprisingly enough room for a Chocobo.

Boko cuddled up to Karin and Bartz held onto her to comfort her, "Its gonna be alright...We too have something in common, like losing a parent...Your not the only one..Me, Tidus, Firion, I don't know about the Onion Knight..and possibly others, Your not alone," said Bartz. Karin by instinct held onto Bartz in sadness, crying til she was done. Bartz also cried along with her, as if he was feeling what she was feeling, like they were connected. Fifteen minutes go by and the three stayed were they were til things settled.

"I bet you guys are mad at me...And don't want me back...I abandoned everything..." said Karin. Bartz disagreed, "No..We were really worried about you..Firion and some of the others knew this would happen, and Cecil is even more worried..Did he tell you?" Karin knew what Bartz was talking about.

"That he's my father...He did.." answered Karin. "When he told me he didn't yet...I was upset allittle, but had to keep telling myself that in time he would," said Bartz. Silence flooded the area, only the sound heard was them breathing and their beating hearts, but then the silence was broken with a sound of clanking metal. A booming voice was then heard, saying, "At last I found you, key..And return you to the void where you and your friends rightfully belong." Bartz ecognized that voice and looked up to see a familiar foe before him. He sees a suit of armor walking towards the car with designs and colors of silver white, gold yellow, and tints of purple, dark blue, red, and black.

Types of spikes rose from the shoulders and the backs of the lower fore arms. A strange side way spike-like crown was on the top of its helm. Its weapon was alittle demented, but ended in a blade, held in one of its cloud white hands; the same color as its cape. Karin knew who it was too, it was the antagonist from Final Fantasy V: Exdeath. 'No...Its Exdeath...' thought Karin. Bartz was carefully instructed to run when any of the enemies appear, especially Exdeath. As if guided, Bartz climbs into the driver's seat and calls out to Karin, "Close the back door!" Karin rushes to the back trunk door to close it, but as she was reaching out to close it, Exdeath grabs her wrist and said to her, "I have found you at long last, spineless worm! I will return you to light's end...And back to the womb of the void where everything began and ended."

"Let go of me you overgrown, void lover!" Karin roared out, kicking Exdeath in his torso, knocking him backwards to the ground. 'Whoa, did I just knocked Exdeath over backwards? I better close this fast!' thought Karin, closing the door in time. She quickly moves to the front of the car and both her and Bartz switches spots. Boko moves forward to poke his head between Bartz and Karin. "You gotten stronger! I saw through the rear view mirror of you knocking Exdeath over backwards..Awesome!" said Bartz.

"Is there anything else that behemoth talks about, other than about the void?" asked Karin. "Nope, but lets not find out, hang on to something, Boko!"

Boko braced himself and holding onto Karen's things. She races her and the two travelers out of the area, racing away from the 'Void' warrior before he got a chance to catch up. "Whooo! I gotta learn how to drive!" said Bartz.

"I don't think he's not finished, look!" Karin pointed at a whitish purple light in a shape of a circle moving quickly past them to the far front of the SUV, "Exdeath is trying to cut us off by teleporting,"

"How do you know that about Exdeath?" asked Bartz in confusion. "I'll explain when we get back..Oh, crap!" Karin said as she brought the car to a quick stop, about two yards away from Exdeath after finishing his teleportation move. "Spineless worms! Follow me to light's end!" said Exdeath.

"...Come closer...You tree freak...Come on.." growled Karin. "What are you doing??" asked Bartz.

"I'm gonna try and return him..'To the Void'," said Karin, trying to impersonate Exdeath. "You mean run him over?" said Bartz.

"Exactly," answered Karin. Exdeath takes eight more steps forward, then he said to them, "All things will return to the void in the end...--" "I got an idea, why don't you shut the heck up about the void and go back to it if you love it so much!!" screamed Karin, pressing the accelerate pedal hard, driving quickly at Exdeath. "Brace for impact! I'm gonna ram him!" said Karin.

"Hang onto something, Boko!" cried Bartz. Boko held onto the interior of the SUV and Karin's belongings for the impact. In less than five minutes, Karin rams into Exdeath at full speed, and driving over him in the process.

"Bullseye! You nailed him!" cheered Bartz. "About time he shutted up..He's so annoying, talking about the void too much," said Karin. "Tell me about it...I have to deal with him everytime I fight him," said Bartz. He turns to Boko, then asked, "Okay back there, buddy?" Boko pokes his out between Bartz and Karin and gives out a happy chirp. "That's good," said Bartz, patting Boko's head.

"I had a dream...I was talking to Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony. I asked her why I was part of this war in it, and she told me that my mom was assisting on her side in the earlier war. Its like that it was my turn to take my mother's place in battle..." said Karin. Bartz and Boko listened carefully.

"Maybe it ran in the family...Cecil...Your mom..Your destiny was to help us win against Chaos," said Bartz, "Its gonna get much worse, but I know we'll make it."

"As long as the winds of victory is blowing our way," said Karin. Bartz was amazed she said something he says.

"We better get back to base...Everyone is worried about you, even Cecil...Don't worry...We'll make it, together as one...Its better to work together than alone. That's why we have friends so we don't have to be alone," said Bartz. Boko lightly pecked Karin's left arm in affection. Karin nodded, but hesitant.

"Let's get back...I bet I'll face everyone's wrath one way or another...Eitherway...Lets go.." said Karin. The three drive back to the base, leaving the 'Void' warrior Exdeath on the road with two sets of tire marks across up and down his armor body. "Guh...I hate cars...Stupid...Vehicles..." groaned Exdeath. Karin knows that everyone is waiting for her, Bartz, and Boko, but she has a good feeling that she will be in big trouble, or will she? To her, there's only one way to find out.