A/N: Updated my action-packed fanfiction XD This is as per my beloved girlfriend's request since she wants to kill me from giving 2 cliff-hangers. so thank her for those who have been waiting for this update in this fanfic. XD

So changes! I know some of you found the Albhed translations at the bottom annoying coz you guys have to scroll down to find out the meaning. So now i put it in the dialogue itself encased it [translation]. There are those that would still be ending up at the bottom for suspense purposes.

Also, if you guys are using the main site of ffnet, you can see that I have included a cover art. :) courtesy of selfy creator, i've created the avatar of Natsuki :3 hope ya guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, Mai hime, and the songs used here. :)

So now, without further wait, the chapter 10 of Forbidden Guardian.

Chapter 10: Aftermath

The barrier crashed down with a loud glass shattering sound. Nao, ignoring the pale guardian, ran towards the ledge of the floor to see where her cousin might've landed. Green eyes looked down and gasped at how the clouds and smoke coming from the tower itself covered the path down. They were high atop an old Machina tower, a full 90 floors. Nao cried and shouted her cousin's name, cursed her in Albhed and even the normal language, but no response was given. The red-head lifted her left leg at the rail and was about to jump when strong arms pulled her back.

"Mad ku! Mad sa ku!" [Let go! Let me go!] Nao shouted in anger. She wriggled herself free from the strong grasp but was weak from all the sadness she felt. "Mad sa ku pycdynt! E haat du veht ran!" [Let me go bastard! I need to find her!]

The person who held Nao was Reito. When he saw the raider attempting to jump, he felt the urge to stop her and immediately went to grab hold of her. "It won't do you any good if you jump!" He said to Nao even if he didn't understand what Nao was yelling. He felt his long sleeves rip from Nao's clawing hands and his legs slowly giving up from the force of Nao's thrashing feet.

"Let me go! Natsuki!" Nao shouted weakly. She stopped struggling and went limp in Reito's arms. She was taken back a few meters away from the railings and was set down on the floor. With her head hung low, she looked beside her and saw her ward sitting stiffly. At first she wondered why the summoner was quiet after witnessing her cousin being impaled by the fiend and she decided to look at the face of the summoner.

Tears ran down from crimson eyes and silent cries were spoken by the lips of the summoner. Her eyes stared at the place Natsuki was pushed back as she continues to cry.

"Mi'lady…" Reito spoke out softly. It broke him some more to see Shizuru so shocked. He kneel before Shizuru, blocking her view of the railings and wiped the flowing tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He sobbed tearlessly. "She-We… the monster was too strong. I was not strong enough to protect her. She offered her life just to push me away." He said with a quiver in his voice.

The apologies made Nao's grieving turn to anger. The once was sadden eyes fired up to rage and she glare at Reito like he is an insect. "Don't apologize like she is dead!" Nao shouted in anger. She lunged forward and pinned the guardian to the floor. Both of her hands grabbed on Reito's clothes and pulled him up to level her face. "Natsuki is not dead! Frana'c ouin cdnahkdr huf [Where's your strength now] Strongest Guardian? Frana'c dra sekrdeacd [Where's the mightiest]Guardian dra [the] Fuuka Temple yna cu bnuit ypuid? Oui luimth'd ajah suja yfyo yht dra bnela fyc so luiceh'c meva! [are so proud about? You couldn't even move away and the price was my cousin's life!]You sat there and did nothing while my cousin was impaled by that monster! " Nao roared in anger. With the strength she mustered, she pulled her right arm back and punched Reito right in his left jaw and released him to land on the floor. The force was enough to create a cracking sound, indicating that the jaw somehow broke. The guardian screamed in pain and clutched his broken jaw.

"Reito!" Shizuru shouted in surprise. The sound of bone breaking snapped her out of her depressed state and went to check on her guardian. She went to Reito and pulled Nao away from the guardian. The red-head already conjured a small ball of flame and was about to cast it to Reito.

"Tsh! Uv ymm dra baubma! Oui cruimt ghuf ruf silr E fyhd du gemm res vun tuehk hudrehk!" [Of all the people! You should know how much I want to kill him for doing nothing!] Nao was now in a fit of fury over the guardian who was now cradling his broken jaw. "That fucking monster is down there with Natsuki, its horn on her stomach because of him!" Nao took out her knife and pointed it to Reito. She wanted to throw it straight to his head but the summoner was in-between them. "Move!"

The summoner understood what Nao said but only shook her head. "I know Nao. But what good this shouting can do? What can you gain if you beat Reito here?" she asked. Calm as she may, her insides are more of a monster rampaging than Nao's angered shouts. Silently calling out a cure magic towards Reito's jaw, she smiled at her guardian before looking back at the railings. "But Nao is right. I know Natsuki…" tears threatened to fall yet again. "She's alive. I know she is. She knows she needs to be alive." She spoke out. It was more of convincing herself than proving a fact.

"You know but you are not sure!" Nao shouted again and ran to the railings. She can't be at ease not knowing how her cousin is. Putting her life on the line, she planned on skidding down the side of the Machina tower. But before she set foot on the ledge of the open railings, a flash of light brown and a sad smile pulled her back to the floor and the voice of the guardian snapped her from the plan she made.

"SHIZURU!" Reito shouted.

In a flash, Shizuru jumped from the ledge. 'Wait for me…' she closed her eyes and clasped her hands. "Please fight with us." She whispered.

The only thing that came to Nao's mind was fear yet again. 'If the mutt is dead she'll definitely crawl from wherever grave she is and kill me for letting that stupid love of hers die!' her mind raced and her peered over the ledge. A breath of relief escaped her lips when a glyph and a fast paced bird-like being swooped down from the clouds above. An Elemental caught Shizuru. "Relax. One of her pets caught her." Nao said to Reito. Not taking any more time to spare, Nao stood up and ran towards the stairs, hoping to be on time to see Natsuki's breathing body.

Left alone at the tower top floor, Reito looked at the discarded items of Natsuki. The four protective gears, metal case and the sword. Being healed by her summoner, he went to pick them up and place them inside the metal case. Walking first to the sword, he grabbed on the hilt and pulled it up; only to choke on his breath when the sword almost didn't budge at all. Using two hands to pick up the said sword, it finally moved and he carried it near the case. "The hell does Kruger been carrying this?!" he said in surprise. Assuming the weight of the sword, it can be four to five kilos max. Then his eyes trailed on the guards that created small craters on the floor and wondered how much they weighed. "How strong is she really…" he mused, silently praying that Natsuki is indeed alive.

At the forest near the base of the tower, Shizuru dismissed her flying Elemental and began searching for Natsuki. The crash site created a huge crater but not a single strand of Natsuki's hair or even any blood, much to her dismay, was there. Even Duran who was dragged along the fall was nowhere near the crash site. The entire crater contained was the body of the Thu'ban, dead with a hole on its forehead through the back of its head.

"Natsuki! Natsuki! Answer me!" Shizuru shouted in despair. Every minute that passed, fear bundled over and over through her heart. Hope slowly diminishing as not even a single clue on Natsuki's whereabouts can be found.

"Did you find her?" a voice coming from the sky echoed. The raider clad in black landed on the ground and immediately look around the surrounding area for any signs of her cousin.

"No. Step back, I'll try to check if my Elementals can help." Shizuru said seriously. Wiping the tears away, the summoner closed her eyes and clasped her hands. Her mind pulled up the image of the Elemental she needs and began to chant the song of Salva Nos.

"Please! Clear us a path!" Shizuru said after chanting the song.

-Enter "Hymn of the Fayth – Yojimbo" -

With a wave of the summoner's hand, a night-time dimension forms, featuring a single cherry tree in bloom, with blue flowers. A bark is heard, and a dog, Daigoro, appears first to greet the summoner. Then a samurai slowly walks out from behind the tree, then turns with a sweep of his coat and calls upon his dog to his side.

"I am the blade if vengeance. They dare only whisper my name: Yojimbo." The Elemental said in a raspy voice. He stood high and proud and was looking down at Nao and Shizuru without any other movements. "Summoner, I ask of you. What do you want of me?" the Elemental said softly. The dog barked and ran towards Shizuru's side and sat beside her.

Shizuru bowed before the Elemental to show her respect. "Yojimbo-dono I need the aid of your partner, Daigoro. Someone dear to me is lost and I need Daigoro to find her." Shizuru asked humbly before the Elemental.

Compared to Anima or Ifrit, Yojimbo is a 'hired' Elemental. He gives his aid to those who gives him an equal price to his service. It's due to his human life that he was a hired bodyguard. "The services requested from Daigoro are the same as requesting aid from me. A service with a payment young summoner. If you desire my strength, you must pay my price." He said flatly.

This made Nao raise a brow. She couldn't believe an Elemental would need payment to be used. "Payment? As in Gil?" She asks the summoner.

Shizuru nodded. "Yes. Yojimbo is an Elemental who must receive payment to fight or be requested of his service." She checked her furisode for any cash but then realized she had forgotten her purse at the agency. She looks at Nao, silently asking for help.

The red-head shrugged and checked her pockets and took out a coin from it. Not even checking on the value of the coin, she flicked it towards the Elemental which he took. The Elemental examined the coin and threw it back at Nao with a strong force, making the coin hit Nao's forehead. "Fuck! Sonofa-!" she cursed and took the embedded coin away from her forehead. Her forehead is now etched with the

The Elemental grunted and placed a hand on his sheathed katana. "You ask for a phoenix, yet you offer chicken feed!" he said in grim as he stared at Nao menacingly.

Shizuru felt an ominous aura building within Yojimbo and she immediately faced Nao. "Please I'll pay you later on. Offer Yojimbo-dono a fair price. We need to have Daigoro in searching for Natsuki." Shizuru pleaded.

"Fine. I don't even know why such thing needs money." Nao grumbled, digging her right hand on her pocket. When she felt a certain leather pouch, she pulled it up and threw it to the Elemental. "There! Enough? Can we please use your dog to find my cousin?" said Nao. She gritted her teeth and balled up her fist in fear of every minute wasted is a minute of Natsuki slipping away from her.

Yojimbo nodded his head. "A fair price." He kneeled and called Daigoro to his side. "If you have a material, anything that belonged to your friend, Daigoro will check the scent and find your friend." He informed them.

Nao smacked her head with her palm. "Your phoenix is so great! Where can we find anything to help finding Natsuki?!" she then began cursing in Albhed and paced around.

The brunette summoner, Daigoro and Yojimbo stopped whatever they were doing and watched Nao's pacing and ranting.

"You have an unsual guardian today dear summoner." Yojimbo commented.

The summoner sighs and nodded her head, not even correcting Yojimbo in his comment about Nao. Shaking her head, she took her necklace and showed it to Yojimbo. "Would this suffice Yojimbo-dono? This jewelry was a gift from her." She informed the Elemental. Unclasping the necklace and offering it to Yojimbo, the Elemental looked at it and nodded its head.

"Indeed it can be used. Daigoro." Yojimbo motioned Daigoro to take a whiff of the jewelry's scent. The dog barked and started smelling the ground. "Let's follow." He then led on following Daigoro who began following the trail of Natsuki's scent.

Nao, finally calm, noticed how Shizuru held on the jewelry like her life depended on it. It was the gift that Natsuki gave to her two years ago. It was a gift that is worth millions of Gil. It was made from the rare item that is called 'Dark matter', carefully molded into a fine jewelry. "You kept it. That trinket." Nao pointed.

Shizuru nodded her head and looked at the jewelry in her hand. "Yes. It's the most precious gift she gave me." She told Nao.

"Pft! Should be. We got that from a Tanket and it's not an easy fiend I tell you." Nao informed Shizuru.

"Tanket*?"

"A fiend under the Helm species. Its small stature is encased with the hardest shell that no piercing ability can easily penetrate. A rough task for a mere human I must say." It was Yojimbo who answered. As they followed Daigoro, Yojiombo kept his senses wide open for any dangers ahead and heard about the conquest of the red-haired woman. "If you have beaten such fiend, I am guessing that jewel is made from Dark Matter." He spoke out.

"You know a lot for a dead guy." Nao eyed the back of the Elemental dangerously.

"Nao please don't taunt the Elemental." Shizuru said flatly. As she follows her Elementals, she felt the pit of her stomach churn. She silently prayed to the Fuukan Deity, Yevon, that Natsuki can be found in one piece.

-End "Hymn of the Fayth – Yojimbo" -

After walking for what they felt like miles, deeper within the forest surrounding the Machina tower, the sun finally set and they found a small campfire which made them stop. Yojimbo looked at his dog who sat on the ground, barking happily. "I see. Thank you dear friend." Yojimbo said, patting Daigoro's head. "The trail ended here. Your friend is near." He informed his summoner and the red-head. "My service is done. Fare thee well." With that, Yojimbo and Daigoro disappeared, leaving a clump of Pyreflies to roam free.

"This place?" asked Nao out loud. She looked around for any signs of her cousin but not even a flash of her midnight colored hair was found. "Natsuki! Baka Natsuki!" Nao shouted.

Shizuru was about to shout for Natsuki's name when a groan halted her attempt.

"Aye! Quit calling for miss ice princess! She's sleeping!" a thick accented female voice shouted back at Nao.

Nao's eyes narrowed and looked up at the huge tree beside her. Seeing a familiar figure at the lowest branch, Nao crossed her arms and growled. "Oerba Yun Fang. What are you doing here?" she asked with a growl.

A woman jumped down from the tree branch yawned and stood before Nao and Shizuru with a drowsed look on her face. Standing at a good 5'9, the woman's appearance is of 21 years old having bronze skin and wavy dark brown hair with a braid behind her left ear. The woman wore blue clothing adorned with tribal accessories. In addition to the blue clothing, the woman called Oerba Yun Fang wears a short black top, black sleeves over her forearm, tan leather open-toed sandals, and two fur pelts hanging from a cord beneath a belt that holds a weapon of some sort. And a ice-like tattoo on her right arm while her left arm was marked with a black tattoo.

But what prominent to her attire is the green colored eyes with spiral irises. A mark of a Garderobe citizen.

"Same goes to you Nao Zhang. Why are you here?" the woman called Oerba Yun Fang asked, eyeing Nao curiously. Then she raised a brow when she saw a beauty beside Nao, a famous beauty. Rubbing her left eye to make sure she still wasn't dreaming, she blinked and grinned widely when her eyes didn't deceive her. "Wow, never thought you would get a hottie like her Zhang. Are you cheating on my sister?" she grinned.

Nao was surprised by the woman's assumption. The looked at Shizuru then herself and began to shiver. Natsuki would kill her if she even tries to flirt with Shizuru and if the woman's sister were to find out that she was flirting so much, her life would be literally be fed to her pet/Elemental. "As if. The mutt will kill me if I even take a lecherous look at her girlfriend. Back to business, where is my cousin?" she said, looking around the somewhat empty campsite.

Oerba Yun Fang scratched the back of her head and yawned. "Too bad. Never knew that summoner was already marked by the ice princess. Anyway, she's over there by the camo-tent. Light is with her." she pointed at the well camouflaged tent with a bit of annoyance in her tone.

Nao showed an impish grin at the woman. "Oh jealous are we? Don't worry; the mutt's owner is here." Nao pointed at Shizuru who was silently watching them with her thumb. She then walked towards the tent that the woman told her.

Finally being spoken for, Shizuru smiled at the unfamiliar woman before her. "Hello. My name is Shizuru Viola." She introduced herself to the beautiful rough looking woman.

Oerba Yun Fang grinned and offered her hand. "Oerba Yun Fang. But please call me Fang." Her hand was shook by the summoner and her grin grew wider. "Ah I should be honored to have my hand shaken by the famous summoner." She told her.

Shizuru immediately felt a familiar energy radiating from Fang's hand. A strong energy. "You are?" she inquired, silently asking Fang on what she was feeling.

"Yeah. But just one though. I'm not like you who can control numerous of them. And we are not finishing the pilgrimage if you are going to ask." Fang informed her with a smirk.

Before Shizuru was about to speak, a loud thud echoed within the small camp site followed by a cry of pain from Nao. Shizuru and Fang turned to where the commotion was and found Nao with a handprint on her cheek.

"I think I should've mentioned that Light was in her sleeping clothes." Fang said while shaking her head weakly.

"The hell Zhang?! I'll tell Vanille of this!" a rough voiced female shouted from the tent.

Nao cradled her now searing red cheek with a scowl on her face. "I didn't know! Fuck! Claire! Don't you give Van some false assumptions again!" Nao retorted.

"False assumptions? Vanille caught you red handed at the agency in Oerba! And don't you dare call me by that name!" the woman inside the tent shouted back.

The sound of rustlings and frustrated groans sounded from the tent and after a few minutes, a pink haired woman emerged from the tent.

Standing by a good 5'7, the woman with pink colored hair wore a white belted shirt with a sleeveless brown zip-up turtle neck underneath, green metallic pauldron over her left shoulder bearing yellow stripes and brown mini-shorts and her legs are adorned by leather high-cut boots. Her blue eyes glared at Nao who was glaring back at her. "The hell! Why are you sneaking inside my tent?" the woman asked in annoyance.

"You didn't have to slap me! Like I would even look at your body!" Nao shouted back.

Fang smirked. "Now now, let's stop with the arguing." Fang said, hoping to stop the argument. She walked towards Lightning and propped up her left elbow atop her head. "Chill Light." she told the pink-haired woman.

The woman called Lightning creased her brows and crossed her elbows. She leaned her back at Fang's body and exhaled loudly. A low grunt was heard that made Fang chuckle a bit. "Easy now sunshine. Zhang and her companion are here to check on the ice princess. You are done with checking on her wounds right?" Fang asks Lightning who nodded.

Nao scoffed and glared at Lightning. "Be thankful it was me who went in the tent. If it was that summoner over there who saw the way you are checking on Natsuki's wounds, you'll be in deep shit." Nao pointed Shizuru who was now walking towards the tent. She can bet that the summoner heard that Natsuki was still in the tent.

Lightning eyed Shizuru and then turned to Nao. "The famous Summoner of Fuuka?" Nao nodded and she looked up to Fang. "Figures. Her wounds are healed. Surprisingly that is. We should bring her to Moonflow to have Vanille check on her."

"Alright." Fang nodded her head and placed a kiss on Lightning's head. "You did good job sunshine. Not sure on what Zhang is referring to your medical treatments but I'll just leave that one behind me." She told Lightning and hugged her close. Lightning blush a bit and tilted her head down to cover her blush.

Nao frowned as she cradled her sore cheek. Spiral irises locked on the camouflaged tent and waited for Shizuru to finish smothering Natsuki with whatever worried bantering she will provide her. Natsuki would need all the mother-hen banter from Shizuru after what they all saw and what Shizuru will see. 'Natsuki… Your stupidity is way beyond my reach'. Standing up from the dirt-filled ground, Nao dusted her pants and turned to Fang and Lightning. "So, while the mutt's girlfriend is checking on her, where's the metal wolf?"

Inside the tent, a single luminous lamp gave light within the small space. Filled with blankets and a few cushions, crimson eyes looked around and finally landed on the figure within the blankets. A small gasp escaped Shizuru's sleep seeing the condition of the person she was looking for.

Lying on a comforter surrounded by blankets, the blunette raider slept soundly as if the past events never happened. Her head was bandaged up until her brows and her right cheek was plastered by another bandage. Crimson eyes trailed its sight down and found Natsuki's once was clothed body are now covered with bandages at her chest area and abdomen. This time, Shizuru caught sight at Natsuki's abdomen, the part without a bandage, and saw black writings on them scrutinizing the writings, she read them out loud. "Vun oui E femm myo so meva, so lnescuh aoat payido."(1) Shizuru was taken aback by such words tattooed on Natsuki's abdomen. Suddenly, her eyes began to water and tears slowly fell down from her eyes.

in my long forgotten cloistered sleep
you and I were resting close in peace
was it just a dreaming of my heart?
now I'm crying, don't know why.

Shizuru began to sing and slowly crept beside Natsuki's body. Her hand glowed into a greenish color and she traced it on Natsuki's head as she continues her song. Shizuru made a walking gesture with her fingers from Natsuki's forehead down to her cheeks.

where do all the tears come from?
could no one ever dry up this spring?
if you find me crying in the dark
please call my name, from the heart

Sing with me a tiny autumn song
weep me the melodies of the days gone by
dress my body all in flowers white,
so no mortal eye can see

The finger walked down to Natsuki's collar bone and traced it from left to right then down to Natsuki's breastbone area. The pointer finger stopped at the middle of Natsuki's breastbone and the greenish glow spread widely at Natsuki's chest.

where have all my memories gone?
should I roam again up yonder hill?
I can never rest my soul
until you call my name
you call my name, from the heart

in my long forgotten cloistered sleep,
someone kissed me, whispering words of love
is it just a longing of my heart?
such a moment of such peace

The fingers moved again and this time it was on Natsuki's bandaged abdomen. Shizuru stopped her fingers from doing its walking gesture and placed her now open palmed hand on top of Natsuki's abdomen. Tears fell down some more when Shizuru felt Natsuki's abdomen having the deep wound.

Crimson eyes looked up to Natsuki's face and found it was now looking more serene than before. A relieved sigh escaped her lips and she moved her body up a bit to have her face near Natsuki's own. With her right hand still placed upon Natsuki's abdomen, Shizuru sang the last lines of her song. As she sang the song, her eyes took in the beautiful look on Natsuki's face. The solemn look, the soft breathing and her inviting lips. Lips that are taunting her, inviting her.

where do all the tears come from?
with no memories, why should I cry?
I can never rest my soul
until you call my name…you call my name
you call my name, call my soul, from the heart

Giving in the last lines of the song, Shizuru couldn't help herself and closed the gap between herself and Natsuki. Her warm lips connected to Natsuki's dry lips, finally claiming them once again as her tears landed on Natsuki's face.

And such, the light form the lantern faded and the tent is now filled by the greenish glow that Shizuru's hand was emitting. While outside, Pyreflies started to gather atop of the tent, roaming around it like performing a circular dance.

"Shizuru…"

(1) For you I will lay my life, my crimson eyed beauty.

Final Fantasy Fiend encyclopedia~ (imagine Bleach's Arrancar Encylopedia theme)

Tanket: a special enemy in Final Fantasy X, created in the Monster Arena when three of each Helm-species fiends have been captured with the exception of the Swamp Mafdet as that is only encountered when capturing fiends is not possible.

Helm: Type of fiend with a hard, thick shell-like body. Their armored bodies provide them with a higher Defense than other fiends.

A/N: So how was it? Suspense? Drama? Humor? Were you guys surprised by a familiar cameo in the chapter? I know I do :p ahahaha. Shizuru Finally kissed Natsuki! wohooo! Though the latter is sleeping/out of concious, a kiss is still a kiss right? :D

Please give me your insight and i'll be happy to read all of them.