Author's Note: I've noticed I'm not the best with writing humor. I'm more of a drama and angst person. And, about the cliffhangers... I like to give the readers something to think about. Let their minds wander. So, yea! On to the story! (This is my longest chapter!)

"What is it?" Mieu asked, bouncing up and down trying to see the paper.

"It's a map," Asch stated. He handed it to Jade. "Maybe you can make some sense of it." Jade examined it closely.

"It appears to be of the Radiation Gate." Jade pointed out. "There's a secret tunnel, leading to a room that's marked with an 'X'."

"Do you think something's back there?" Mieu asked. He bobbed up and down.

"Yea, probably." Luke answered. He glanced down at Ivalee.

"Are we just going to leave her here?" Luke questioned.

"I don't see why not," Asch retorted.

"Asch!" Natalia exclaimed angrily. "We can't do that!"

"You're right." Jade commented. "Luke, Asch, if one of you would be kind enough to carry her-"

"What? Why us?" They both asked Jade.

"Because making a woman carry someone is very rude, Guy has a phobia, and my bones are too old to lift like they used to."

"Whatever," they grumbled. Asch shoved Luke out of the way and picked Ivalee up. He centered her on his back. Everyone headed out of the lab and back to the Albiore 2.

--

What happened...? Ivalee rubbed her head. She glanced around. They were on the Albiore 2, and she just happened to be right in the middle of everyone.

"Uh, hi. What'd I miss?" Ivalee looked around at everyone standing. Then, it hit her. She grabbed at her wrist, but there was no paper or string.

"Looking for this?" Jade questioned, holding out the map with the string tied to it. Ivalee's eyes lowered to the ground. Damn, they're good.

"I can explain." She stated. "I found a note with that map in my room in Belkend in the middle of the night."

"Wait, where's the note?" Anise interrupted. Ivalee reached for her belt, but her sword wasn't there. Asch held it up.

"It's in there." Asch unsheathed the sword and a piece of paper floated to the ground. Tear picked it up and read it.

"Who sent you this?" she questioned. Ivalee shrugged her shoulders.

"Beats me, it was just sitting there when I woke up. Anyway, if you read the note, it demands that I go there, alone. I have to be there at an exact time, or they're going to destroy the cure for Lorelei."

"Destroy the cure?! That must mean they've found it!" Natalia gaped.

"Apparently so. I was just going to sneak off without any of you knowing since I didn't want any of you worrying." Ivalee explained. The floor suddenly became much more interesting for her.

"So, you were going to ditch us?" Anise asked irritability.

"Yea, pretty much." Tear passed the note around the room, letting everyone read it.

"You didn't mention that we weren't supposed to know about it!" Guy exclaimed. He held out the note to Ivalee. She took it from him and scanned it.

"Oh, oops. I must've skipped that part." She handed the note back to Guy. He continued to pass it along. "So... What are we going to do about it?" Ivalee asked when it came to Jade.

"Well," he started. "Since we weren't supposed to see this, then we'll have to act like we didn't. You'll sneak away while we all pretend to look around. Then, you will go to this area and see what they want. If they decide to let you go, just slip out and pretend to look around as if you were there the whole time."

"But what if they decide to hold me hostage?" Ivalee inquired.

"Then, you'll have to notify us with something. Like, leave a mark on the wall in that room so we know that you've been captured." Jade replied.

"Alright. I'll leave some sorta sign for you find."

"Make sure they wouldn't notice it, though." Luke added.

"Ok," Ivalee nodded.

--

They finally reached the Radiation Gate. It looked the same with all of the debris and trash everywhere. The spine stood as it always did, leading down to the Sephiroth. The party slid down the giant backbone with ease and they pretended to look around. Ivalee snuck off to the side and opened the secret passage. She glided through the hallway, her heart beating fast.

Ivalee came to the opening of a room and saw two God-Generals. Legretta the Quick and Arietta the Wild.

"You made it," Legretta told her. "With minutes to spare." Ivalee stepped in and glanced around. It was just a plain, stone room. Out of nowhere, she heard a loud crashing sound behind her. Whipping around, the hallway seemed to have disappeared. Instead, a wall was there.

"What do you want?" Ivalee turned around and asked.

"Revenge," Arietta answered. Ivalee scratched her head.

"What? To whom?"

"You."

"Why?! I never did anything to you!" Ivalee shouted.

"Yes, you did! You stole Sync from me!"

"...He never liked you..."

"He did until you came in the picture!"

"No, not really."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"I will!" Arietta moved in closer. She held a rope in one hand.

Ivalee backed up to the wall. It was ridged and jagged. Perfect... Ivalee swiped her hand against a sharp out jutting stone and felt a trick of blood. She wiped her hand on the rocks, leaving a small mark of blood on it.

Arietta pounced on Ivalee and held her to the ground.

"Hel-" Ivalee was cut off by the pain in her stomach. Arietta had jumped up and landed right on her. Legretta pointed her gun at Ivalee's head.

"Don't make another noise." Legretta threatened. Ivalee gulped. She watched as Arietta wrapped the rope around her arms and waist, and then tied it. Arietta yanked Ivalee's sword off of her belt and used it to knock her unconsious.

--

An hour later, Jade, Anise, Luke, Tear, Natalia, Asch, Guy, and Mieu wandered down the secret passageway. They came to a dead end.

"This is the right way, right?" Anise questioned Jade.

"Yes, this is where the map leads. The room should be right here." He answered. Jade summoned his spear and chipped some rock off the wall in front of them. It came off easily, a little too easily. "Hmm... Seems someone closed the door."

He swung his spear at the wall and managed to break a decent sized hole leading to a small room. Jade crawled through and started searching the walls. Anise, Luke, and Tear followed him in, but everyone else stayed out.

"If we go in, then it would be too crowded," Natalia explained. Everyone in the room searched the walls and floor for any sign.

"Hey, does this look normal?" Luke asked. He pointed to the wall, which had dim, dark red fingerprint on it.

"It's most likely Ivalee's," Tear said. "Which means she was caught."

"If I were to guess at where they went, it would be down this hallway." Jade had created another hole on the other side of the room, which revealed another hallway. He crawled through it, followed by everyone else. The people who had stayed in the hallway now jumped in the room and followed the others down the passageway.

This hallway twisted and turned all which ways. It curved left and right, making traveling longer than it needed to be. Cobwebs lined the outer edges, but none seemed to block the way.

"Are we there yet?" Anise asked. She scratched some spider webs off of her head.

"Not quite," Jade answered. He continued to walk towards the exit. "Now we are." The hallway widened up and snow covered the ground. The scene extended to the ocean.

Far off in the distance, there was a boat. It was barely visible.

Anise sighed. "Looks like we're heading to Daath..."

--

Ivalee woke up on a boat. She stirred around and noticed the three other people in the room. Arietta stood about five feet away, holding some thorny-looking rope. Legretta was on the opposite side with her guns out and ready. There was on Oracle Knight standing to the side, just in case.

"Where the hell am I?!" Ivalee asked irritably. She stared at the rope in Arietta's hands.

"We're on a boat near Daath," Legretta replied. She nodded to Arietta who got whatever message they were signaling. Legretta walked over to Ivalee and picked her up. She held both of Ivalee's arms behind her back.

Arietta strolled to Ivalee and straightened the thorny rope. She bent down and tied it around Ivalee's ankles.

Ivalee bit her lip to keep from screaming. The searing pain shocked every part of her body. It ached everywhere.

Arietta found another piece of the rope on the table near them and wrapped it around Ivalee's wrists behind her back.

Ivalee grinded her teeth. She glared at Arietta, who tightened the knot. Both girls stood there for a few minutes glaring daggers at each other. Legretta interrupted the moment by pushing Ivalee towards the door. She winced in pain as the ropes scratched back and forth on her wrists and ankles.

--

Minutes later, they arrived down in the cellars underground. She was lead to a small, dark room. It stunk of rotten food and dead animals. (Not a very good smell, eh?) There was a small window with steel bars in the door, so there was no escaping.

Legretta opened the door to the room and tossed Ivalee in. The impact on the ground was too much for her. She finally let out a pained scream. Arietta smirked and slammed the door shut. (She doesn't smirk often...)

Ivalee crawled to the wall, biting her lips. She positioned herself so that her back was leaning against the wall, her hands not touching the wall, and her feet slightly bent. Even with her new position, the pain continued to bite at her body.

Her head began to hurt. The small, lighted window spun around in circles. Her body slumped to the ground and her consciousness slipped from her.

--

Ivalee woke up and was greeted with pain. She crawled back in the position she was in earlier, but the pain refused to vanish. Blood trickled down her hands and feet. It dropped to the floor and oozed on the walls. Ivalee felt an immensely horrible headache creep onto her mind.

She sat there for what seemed like hours on end. Then, Ivalee heard Dist outside. He opened the door and motioned her to come out.

"Do you really think I can move?!" she asked bitterly. Dist rolled his eyes and flew his chair over to her. He picked her up by the back of her dress, avoiding contact with her blood.

They flew down the damp hallway and arrived at a bathroom. There was a shower with soap and shampoo and a toilet. One sink lay on the opposite to the shower. The room wasn't exactly the cleanest, but it was better than the dark cell room.

"Shower up and get dressed in this outfit," Dist commanded. He seemed slightly annoyed.

Dist dropped her on the ground and cut the ropes. He tossed a pile of clothes on the side of the sink and trailed out the door. The door slammed shut.

Ivalee stood up wearily and walked to the shower. She washed herself off and cleaned her hair, which was a complete mess. The whole time she had trouble doing anything with her sore wrists and ankles.

Ivalee stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She sat on the toilet seat lid and stared at the wall.

Minutes later, a knock was heard.

"Are you done yet?" Dist questioned angrily.

"No! Go away!" she replied.

"I have orders to have you ready, so hurry up!"

"No,"

"Fine, I'll just come in there-"

"Wait, wait! Hold on!" Ivalee interrupted. She slipped on the outfit Dist gave her.

It was a dark blue top with cap sleeves and a 'V' neck. The pants were plain white and ended between her ankles and knees. The clothes, amazingly, fit her.

Ivalee opened the door to reveal Dist, sitting on his chair, very impatiently.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. Dist grabbed her hand and pulled her on his chair. She cringed in pain since her injuries were still fresh. He floated back down the hallway and up some steps.

Dist opened a door and shoved Ivalee in. He slammed it shut quickly. Arietta stood in the middle, holding her sword.

"I'd like you to meet someone." She motioned behind her. A girl about fifteen took a few steps to the left. Her blood red hair ran down to her hips and she wore the exact same outfit that Ivalee had on. The girl's red eyes stared back at her.

"So this is the person I was created from." The mysterious girl stated. Her voice was so alike her own, except that hr voice had a touch of hatred in it. (It's like one of those snotty spoiled brats' voices, ya know?)

"Created from?" Ivalee questioned. She tilted her head to the side. She looks just like me, but how-

"You still haven't figured it out? Pathetic." The look-alike girl said sourly.

"Replica..." Ivalee breathed.

"Congrats! You're a genius!" the replica mocked dryly.

"What do you plan to do with this replica?" Ivalee asked and turned her attention back to Arietta.

"Well, let's see..."

--

"Where do you think she could be?" Natalia questioned no one in particular. They headed up the stairs and into the cathedral in Daath. Five soldiers wearing Kimlasca armor walked past them. They were formed in a circle and one person stood in the center.

"Natalia?" the man in the middle of the soldiers said. He stepped out and greeted her with a smile.

"Father!" Natalia rushed up and hugged him. "What are you doing here in Daath?"

"I'm here for an important meeting." King Ingobert told her. Jade raised an eyebrow.

"Meeting?" Anise asked curiously.

"Why, yes. I was invited here for the announcement of the new commandant. Well actually, both Natalia and Asch were invited too." Peony came out of the door on the left.

"Hey, Jade! What's up?" He waved. Jade held his hand to his forehead.

"Peony, where are your guards?" he inquired.

"I ditched them back at the chapel. Then I got lost in this library and ended up here." Four Malkuth guards came out of the chapel doors.

"Your majesty!" they saluted. His personal guards gathered around him.

"The auditorium is this way." One of them said. Peony nodded.

"Let's go. Nice seeing you, Jade!" The Malkuthian king trotted off behind his guards.

"I think I know where she is," Guy stated.

"Your majesty," Asch started.

"No, call me father." The king corrected him.

"Father," Asch started again. "We would like to attend the meeting with you."

"Excellent!" Ingobert exclaimed. He ushered the guards to surround the whole group. "We'll be on our way then."

--

"You can't do that!!" Ivalee yelled at Arietta.

"I can't, but you can." Arietta smirked. She and the replica walked out the other door behind them and shut it. Ivalee ran to the door, but it closed before she could get out.

"Damn it!" she cursed. "I can't let this happen!" Ivalee began pounding her fists on the door. "Is anyone out there?! Help! I need to get out!"

--

The party arrived in the auditorium minutes later. It was crowded with all of the high-ranking citizens of both countries and all of the neutral cities. (Such as Chesedonia and Daath.)

Sync stood off to the side, speaking to Arietta who blabbed on about her ligers.

"And then the liger pounced on the..." Sync spaced out and missed practically every word Arietta said. A familiar person, wearing a blue top and white pants, caught his attention.

Sync turned away from Arietta and walked over to the girl he knew so well. He whipped her around and stared into those ruby orbs.

"Ivalee, I didn't think you could make it." he said. Ivalee just smiled.

"I'd never miss something like this," she grappled onto his and pressed her lips against his. Her arms wrapped around his neck.

Sync wore a shocked expression when Ivalee let go of him.

"What-"

"Come on," Ivalee interrupted. "I think the announcement will started soon." She half dragged him by his collar towards the front of the room. Though, Sync was unaware that it was a replica that kissed him, not Ivalee.

--

"Why won't anyone open this door?!" Ivalee slammed her fists on the door. She sank to the ground. "I need to get out!"

"Why?" A voice finally answered from the other side. Ivalee breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just let me out!" she commanded.

"Now, that's no way to treat your elders." He teased.

"Damn it, Jade! Let me out!" Jade opened the door and caught Ivalee as she toppled over.

"What's with the hurry?" Jade asked.

"There are lives at stake here!"

"Technically, there are always lives in dange-"

"Jade! We have no time for facts!!" she shouted at him. "Look, Dist and Arietta made a replica of me and if someone doesn't get up to that meeting right away, then my replica will kill Anise!!"