Rydia gazed around the wreckage of the crystal room. Yang and Edward lay nearby, out cold, and Cecil has passed out when Kain left. Rydia had to do something for them now Rosa had been taken away. She felt sad, but she wouldn't cry.

So she stood in the middle of the room and chanted under her breath, casting a healing spell on the fallen party. They got up quickly and their eyes darted round the room warily. It was Cecil who spoke first, his expression troubled and his injured shoulder running with blood, staining his armour. He ignored it and said lowly, "We failed."

"No, I failed," Yang groaned. "If I had not taken my men to Mount Hobs we would have won the fight."

Edward looked a little shaky, clearly still scared. "That was Golbez? And…Kain?"

"Yes."

"Who was he?" Yang asked.

"He used to be my best friend." Cecil bowed his head. "And now, he's taken Rosa." Unbeknownst to the others, a solitary tear slipped down his cheek. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. He had been so happy to see Kain again; he hadn't expected the proud Dragoon to even consider submitting to anyone. And here he was, taking orders from Golbez. It wasn't right.

Rydia squeezed Cecil's hand and said brightly. "We have to get Rosa back, right? But what about the other crystal?"

Cecil shook his head. "I don't think he will harm her. In the meantime, we must save the last crystal, which will be in Troia. We need an airship to get there..."

"But, Baron is the only kingdom with airships," Edward said doubtfully.

"Yes, so we will need to sneak into Baron and speak with the castle's engineer, Cid. Baron's strength lies in the air, so its naval defences are relatively low. If we can sail there…"

"I will ask the King for a ship," Yang said.

"What happened to His Majesty?" Edward whispered. "Did he escape?"

"I'm sure he did. He was once a powerful monk himself."

*...~...*

"Why are you doing this?" Rosa thrashed against her restraints but could not escape. Kain could only whisper that he was sorry over and over as he tightened the ropes binding her to a chair. They were on the airships again, heading back to Baron. Kain finished and looked up into Rosa's eyes. They were full of hurt. "Kain…" she whispered. "Please. You know this isn't right."

"I'm sorry," he said again, shaking his head sadly. "I have to leave you now. I'll be back, I promise." He could feel Golbez's rage inside his own head, pervading his thoughts. I'm going to be punished for failing…

He left Rosa alone in the little room and locked the door, then crossed the hallway to Golbez's room. Tentatively, he knocked. The click of the mage's boots could be heard as he walked to the door. He opened it and regarded Kain silently for a moment. Kain was just as silent, refusing to look at his master.

Suddenly Golbez's arm shot out and grabbed Kain by his shoulder, dragging him into the room. Golbez kicked the door shut and flung Kain away from him. He hit the floor with a crash of armour and he rubbed his bashed head. "You failed," Golbez whispered, stalking towards Kain. "You were supposed to kill Cecil, and you failed. We got a hostage out of it, but still you failed!"

"I'm sorry, m'lord," Kain murmured, getting back to his feet.

"Why did you hesitate?"

"It was Rosa…she-"

"Never let emotions get in the way of your mission." Golbez's fingers slid under Kain's armour, hooking it off easily and tossing it to the floor. Kain did not fight back, knowing full well what would happen if he did. Finally Golbez pulled off Kain's helmet, then got to work on his own armour. He looked strangely small without it, but he still towered over a nervous Kain.

Once the mage's armour was gone, so were his clothes, and he pushed Kain down onto all fours with a hand tangled painfully in his hair. I must not fight him, he thought as the waves of agony began to pulse through him, and tears welled up in his eyes. I...I will not fail again...

*...~...*

When Kain came to, his first response was to lash out, though he deduced from the strangely empty sensation in his mind that Golbez was asleep and therefore nowhere near him. His body hurt all over and when he tried to stand up his legs gave way, causing him to tumble to the floor in agony. His face also hurt where Golbez had hit him, but Kain tried not to think about what had just happened as he shakily pulled his clothes back on and got to his feet, gritting his teeth to stop himself from crying out. Rosa…I have to see Rosa. The key to the room she was in was still hooked onto his armour, and Kain retrieved it before leaving the little room and moving towards Rosa's.

He heard her squeal in fear as the key turned in the lock, but when she saw Kain her fearful expression turned to that of shock. "What happened to you?" she gasped.

"What do you mean?" Kain shut the door and leaned against the wall heavily so as to approach her.

"Your face…you've been bleeding, and you're limping…what did he do to you?"

"It doesn't concern you," he said shortly. He reached Rosa, still bound tightly to the chair, and slumped down onto the floor in as comfortable a sitting position as he could manage. "All you need to know is that you're a prisoner now, and you have to behave or suffer the consequences."

Rosa sighed. "You're trying to draw Cecil to you, aren't you? Why on earth would you want to kill him, when you've been friends for so long? Look inside yourself, Kain." She was pleading now. "You know this isn't what you are. You're considerate, and helpful, and you have a strong sense of honour. This isn't you!"

Kain opened his mouth a tad to speak, then shook his head. "No, that part of me died when I began my service to my master. Cecil is only in the way of our plans."

"Kain…"

"Please don't," he choked. "It's hard enough knowing we had to take you hostage…" He was crying now, the tears flowing freely down his bloody cheeks.

Rosa looked sympathetic. "You seem different to how you were earlier, Kain. Please tell me what happened. I heard screaming…"

"Don't!"

"I…I'm sorry." Rosa bowed her head. Even in a situation such as this, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her former friend. Kain hardly ever cried, so to see him do so was quite a shock. She fell silent, letting Kain cry himself out. Finally he sighed and scrubbed at his cheeks with the cuff of his sleeve. "You needn't worry, Rosa," he said in a tight voice. "Soon it will all be over."