Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy material rights are reserved by the Square.

About this chapter: I think I hit every genre in this chapter. Action, romance, drama, etc. Hope you guys like it as much as I did writing it.

Author Notes: I want to let you all know that popgoesthebaldie is now acting my semi-sorta beta reviewer, meaning, pop gives the suggestions directly to me on each chapter and I go back and revise based on the suggestions. Sometimes, however, I overlook something or simply decide not change something, so if you feel the story still has errors, that's still my fault :). And, I wanted to get this chapter out before the holidays (and I said I would too), but I didn't quite manage to do that. I apologize. I got too busy playing FF11 and working that I just never got around to it. Well, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and welcome to '05!!!

On with one of my favorite chapters so far…


Chapter 11

For You, I Will


"Victor!"

Blank ran down the hallway towards me like he was insane, his sword in his hand. There were no Black Mages working the mist engines when I came in from the back deck. I wobbled from the ship's inconsistent movement, but managed to stabilize myself.

"It is a Waltz!" Blank yelled, quickly regaining his breath. "He's blocked the main ladder, were gonna have to find another way up and fast!"

So, we split up searching for some alternate route to the ship's main deck. Grabbing on to the sides to steady myself, I went down the corridors to the small room. I feared that I might lose my Temper Soft during the battle, so I placed it by the bed. Then, I fell over from the ship turning hard and decided I should go ahead and put one more layer on in case the vase breaks. I moved as quickly as I could.

"Victor!" Blank shouted from down the windowed hallway. "I found it!"

After dabbing the gooey hand, I ran to the redheaded bandit. Blank was standing by an opened emergency door and pointed outside. It didn't look good.

"There's an emergency ladder, we'll have to take it." Blank yelled quickly through the rushing winds entering the ships hull. Then, without waiting on me, he leapt out the window, out of my view.

I ran to door and saw Blank quickly climbing the ladder to the top. Then, I made the mistake of looking down. My hair blew in my face from the rapid winds cutting around the ship's side and I held onto the doorway, scared frozen. The ladder was about two feet from the doorway, but in between those two feet was a long fall to a painful death in a foggy mist. Plus, I had to turn at a weird angle to grab the ladder since I couldn't grab it with my stone hand.

I looked back up the ladder and admitted, "I can't do this."

It was too much to be dangling on the side of a wobbling ship. I was just too afraid. I sat down and backed away from the door, ashamed of my own worthlessness. I am no hero. I am no white knight riding my valiant stead to save a damsel in distress. I am no one. I am nothing.

It's all I ever wanted to do…to be someone. I wanted to hold a sword in my hand and cry triumphantly at the end of some victorious battle. I wanted to be honored and respected by anyone. I definitely don't belong here or anywhere. A tear rolled down my cheek as I shivered, frightened to death.

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you too. Talk to you later."

"K." She paused for a moment.

"I love you." She continued.

"I love you too, honey." I replied slightly shaking my head.

"Okay, well have a good day at work."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Clutching the sword in my hand, I found a new strength deep in my gut. I slowly stood up and looked outside, still quite afraid. Gradually, I walked up to the edge and gritted my teeth. I can't do this, but I have to do this. If I die… If I die… Argh….. If I die, it'll be a rightful death for trying. It will be an honorable death. I have to do this!

Standing on the edge, I grabbed the ladder on my right side with my right hand, being that it stretched over two feet. Now, all I have to do is swing around and get situated onto the ladder. The wind blew so hard and so loud that I could not hear myself whimpering, but I knew I was. Some honorable death…whatever. Here we go.

1…2…3…

"Aaaaah!"

I jumped off the edge, still holding as tight as I could and became part of the sky as I swung back to the ladder. Placing the stone hand quickly on the ladder, I secured myself. I pushed against the ladder as if it would make me safer. I don't think I moved for a whole minute. Then, I looked up and realized I had to get up there, where things were going to get really interesting.

So, I made my way up, slowly of course, but when I got about halfway, there was a loud explosion and the sky darkened as electricity ran over the railing of the front deck. The impact of the explosion knocked my legs off and I could not keep the stone hand on the ladder. Thus, I became one with the sky again, but I did not let go with the other hand, which was bleeding now from all the twisting. Barrels tumbled over the edge along with Black Mages floating by me like heavy feathers. Glass shattered and shined as they turned, flying with the wind.

Screaming and pulling, I managed to recover a firm hold onto the ladder. Either I was breathing hard or not breathing at all; all I can remember was my heart beating fast inside my chest. Tears were naturally rolling down my face from the trauma, but eventually, I gathered enough strength to climb the ladder.

I rolled onto the deck after getting over the railings and thanked God I was alive, breathing heavily. My respite was short-lived. I looked up to see the entire group, except for Dagger, fighting against the most hideous creature I've seen thus far in this world. I knew what it was, but the realization didn't come immediately when I saw it. It was a Black Waltz.

A Black Mage is like poetry. They have a natural rhythm and move like poetry progresses. They touch your heart and make you think. They are not solid beings or concrete substances, but rather a compilation of imagination and wonderment. However, not all poems are nice and heartwarming, some are downright disturbing. These types of poems match the crooked bodies of a Black Waltz. Their yellow, curved eyes were like colliding crescent moons in the dark universe. Their clothes were ragged and torn as if they had been in a battle with an airship's propellers. They moved in juts and twitches, flapping their wings like the flutter of a recently squashed hornet. Black Waltzes were the poems that no one wants to read.

Vivi was the two-line poem that moved people to tears. Facing that evil being, Vivi became more than just words, but a spectacle of perfection. Vivi's body shined brighter than a flash of lightening. His hat stood straight up instead of its normal limping. Vivi was in "trance" and stood as straight as his hat, bravely confronting his enemy.

The others were limping, trying to keep their stance. The Waltz slapped the air and everyone was knocked to the ground, which made the Waltz cackle. Full of fear, I grabbed my sword with my bloody hand, yelled as I charged the monster. At first, the soulless being was confused at my rush, slightly tilting its head, but then, it reacted to my attack. I leapt across the front deck to stab the creature, continuing to yell. The Waltz caught on fire, which brushed off its body and swirled into a ball floating above the demon's hand. Before I struck the Waltz, the ball turned into flames that rushed all over my body.

My skin burned and charred, or at least it felt like it had. The flames did not remain on my body, but the shock from the spell caused me to drop my sword and I landed right in front of the Waltz. Standing there, face to face, my body twitching, I wanted to scream in horror, but only got a gasp. The Waltz didn't even wait for me to finish the gasp before it took its staff and uppercut me directly in the face, breaking my nose. I fell back on my knees as I heard someone scream.

"Get him out of there!"

Two people grabbed me and forcefully threw me back away from the battle. I felt like every part of me was on fire and wanted to shriek in anguish, but all I could do was wipe my eyes, which were pouring uncontrollably due to the smashed nose. The pain continued for what seemed to be an unfathomable amount of time and I tried to overcome it so I could rejoin the group in battle. I wasn't really much help, though.

I watched the battle through teary eyes at a barely safe distance. The Waltz was fast like a harsh, upbeat Hard Bop jazz song. When the melee team consisting of Steiner, Blank and Zidane got close, the fiend would parry their attacks with its staff, all at the same time! Then, after defending itself, the evil being took the offensive pushing them back one at a time. Whenever there was a distance between it and the melee team, it would quickly cast a spell. Vivi stood a few steps away, constantly whirling a barrage of elemental spells back at the enemy.

"Why…?" Vivi yelled, still in his trance. "Why would you do such a thing!? Weren't they your friends?"

"You fool!" Waltz No. 3 shouted as it bounced its staff off Steiner's head and into Blank's head. "Do I look like some lowly Black Mage soldier?"

Steiner quickly snapped his head back up. "Even if they weren't your allies, what you did was reprehensible!"

"Kwahahaha!" It cackled as it blocked three quick slices from Zidane's daggers. "Worry not about them; many more are being produced even now!"

"What are you?" Zidane demanded as he continued to strike. "Answer me!"

"It wouldn't do you any good if I answered because you are all going to die! I will eliminate all who stand in my way!"

Then, the fiend wrapped its arm around Zidane's elbow like a snake and turned so Zidane fell to the ground. Blank came running fast to help his friend, but his attack was easily blocked by the Waltz. The dark creature then took its curved staff and twisted it so that Blank's sword was locked with it. The Waltz laughed as it jabbed Blank in the face with its elbow, continuing to hold both the sword and Zidane down. Steiner came up from behind to stab the monster in the back, but the rampant fiend turned and spun Blank's sword causing him to knock down the knight. The Waltz continued to spin and threw Zidane into Vivi, interrupting his next spell. Now everyone was on the ground breathing deeply as the Waltz could barely stand from all its laughing.

"I thought the princess's body guards would be a greater challenge!" The Waltz taunted.

There seemed to be no hope in this battle. The creature was too fast and I had no answers of how to actually beat the monster in reality. I watched as the fallen heroes desperately searched for some kind of a weak spot. Vivi's trance ended as Zidane rolled off the exhausted child. The Waltz had not struck again because it had not stopped laughing.

I did something unexpected. Well, it surprised me. I don't know if it was adrenaline or pure stupidity, but I was the first one to stand up. The malevolent being instantly stopped laughing and cocked its head.

"Oh, so you wish to try again?" The Waltz's ragged wings stopped fluttering and the demon spread them to their full length casting a shadow across the ship. They were beautiful and horrid, but mainly intimidating. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Very well." It continued. "Come then, you fool!"

My face was numb and my body was still overheated from the previous spell, but I charged like a soldier at war. I ran straight up to it, picked up my fallen sword and leapt to stab it again.

"Victor! No!" Blank screamed as soon as I jumped.

Never show the same stroke twice if you can absolutely avoid it. A repeated motion is begging for a counterattack.

The monster repeated the exact same fire spell and the flames rushed over my body again. And, just as before, my sword fell to the ground. Back on my knees, the beast made its first mistake. It repeated its stroke.

The Waltz was going to break my nose again with the exact same uppercut move. I knew it and I saw it coming, however, I did not have a sword to block it. Acting purely on instinct, I raised my arms to defend myself; instead, I caught the staff in my hand… my stone-hand.

The monster was surprised but not nearly as surprised as I was. My fingers were wrapped around the staff…they had moved! My fingers were moving! The hand was in some intermediate stage where it could both move and was thick as stone. The Waltz tried to pull the staff out, but it wouldn't budge. Noticing I had a small window of advantage, I quickly bent the staff and it snapped like a twig. The tide of this battle had turned.

Blank was amongst the first to attack the fiend with its newly shortened staff and the Waltz could barely block the attacks. Zidane came up next and started making contact, causing the fiend to screech. I moved back and fell to the ground, trying to keep from passing out. I looked back to see that Steiner was now beating the beast down from its back.

The fiend could no longer take the strikes and jumped up into the rushing air screaming like a pig being shredded. Everyone on the ship fell to their knees, silent for just a moment as they watched the Black Waltz fly further away.

"Just how many Black Waltzes do we have to fight!?" Steiner shouted at the sky. "This is becoming ridiculous!"

"I think that was the last one." Zidane spoke between breathes.

"How do you know!?" Steiner questioned, turning his attention to Zidane. "Are you…!?"

Zidane slowly stood up. "He said 'Waltz', right? Don't you think No.3 would be the last one?"

Steiner's face turned hot red in rage as Zidane walked over to the front of the ship.

"I can see South Gate…" Zidane whispered to himself. "She's gonna go for it!"

The tired leader turned to me and kneeled down. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" I managed to answer.

"Damn, man, you're startin' to impress me. Maybe you should join the Tantalus guys, eh?"

I laughed at the thought, but didn't say no.


Fifteen minutes passed and the passageway to South Gate narrowed as we flew to it. Zidane and Blank had assisted me across the damaged ship to the head where Dagger was piloting. Glass shards along with wood chips and barrel parts were strewn across the front deck and the control center. I had sat down because I was dizzy and still had a temperature. Zidane had moved to talk with Dagger while Blank sat next to me.

"I thought you were a goner." Blank stated. "I couldn't believe you were gonna try and do the same attack. I thought I taught you better than that."

"I didn't even think about it." I replied. "I don't even know what came over me."

"What took you so long to get up here?"

I showed him my hand.

"Oh, right. Is it starting to heal?"

I twitched the fingers slowly and painfully. "Yeah, it seems to be."

It was a weird feeling, like when your hand falls asleep and then the blood rushes back to it. The feeling was constant and it still felt numb, but I could manage to move the fingers ever so slightly.

Suddenly, Steiner burst into the room.

"We must turn back!!!" He shouted.

"Face it, were going to Lindblum." Blank stated.

"Princess!" Steiner continued. "Please turn the ship around! The Black Waltz is heading straight toward us on an airship! He might crash into us!"

Zidane quickly peeked his head outside. "Dagger, Rusty's right! It's headed straight for us! Punch it! Go through South Gate!"

The large, circular gate was directly ahead of us, but we had to sway back and forth to dodge the surrounding hills. The sight was beautiful. The hills were actually mountainsides, but there plush green foliage made them look more like hills. Going through the narrow path, we could not see the sky unless we walked out onto the front deck because the mountains were so tall. Even though the gate was directly ahead, it looked far compared to the speed we were going.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Steiner yelled at Zidane. "What if the gate closes on us!?"

"There's no way we can out maneuver him in this cargo ship!" Zidane quickly replied. "We'll slide in before the gate closes and shut him out! That's our only chance! Rusty! Turn the power up to max with that lever over there! Dagger, stay on course no matter what!"

"Okay!" She said confidently.

Zidane clenched his fist and stared at the approaching gate. "I know we can make it!"

"This is insane…" Blank whispered to himself.

"We're gonna make it. I know we will." I said aloud.

"What makes you so sure?"

I shrugged my shoulders and managed to climb up some rubble so I could see clearly. Watching this event in the game was the part that hooked me in and I never wanted to stop playing again. However, like most things in this world, everything isn't quite equal to the game version. Sure, we were flying straight to South Gate and we were being chased by some crazed warlock, but there was no music, just the sounds of blades turning and engines pumping. I was also ill from my high temperatures and getting dizzy from the rocking, sailing airship. The wind was howling as it blew in my eyes, entering through the broken window. I felt the airship increase in velocity and I held on, heart in my throat.

Suddenly, the Waltz flew in front of us in his tiny airship. After going some distance, it turned around and headed straight for us. Vivi was still on the deck, staring at a bodiless hat caught on the railing. We all watched in horror as a white ball of electricity shot out from the Waltz's hands and hit the side of the ship. The impact caused the hat that Vivi was staring at to come lose and fall into the mist below. Without a staff in his hand, a fireball appeared in Vivi's hands and the little mage launched it at the Waltz, hitting the backside of its ship as it went out of our view.

The circular gate in front of us was large, exceptionally large. It was like a mouse going through a doorway. The golden plates, which made up the gate were closing. Beyond the plates was a long tunnel that led to one of the other providences of the Mist Continent. Our ship shook as it used its maximum settings and we were quickly inside the tunnel.

Another electric ball hit the other side of the ship and I fell to the ground. Zidane rushed out onto the front deck and I pulled myself back up. The Waltz was in front of us again and Zidane had caught Vivi who was dangling off the side of the ship. The howling wind ceased when we entered the tunnel and all that could be heard was the bouncing sound of two ships rushing towards a closing exit. Vivi launched another fireball at the Waltz.

I swear I heard the crazed demon laughing over the sounds of the ships. It was chaos. The Waltz kept ramming our airship and blasting parts away with its spells. Dagger was doing all she could to keep the ship steady, but I could hear her gasping and screaming every time we were hit. The exit gate was close, but only a sliver of light was passing through from outside because the plates were almost closed. My heart stopped as I wandered, "are we going to make it?"

"Come on, come on!"

"Hurry, Princess!"

"You can do it!"

"Faster!"

"AAAAAaaahhhh!"

Kablam! There was a loud explosion, but we were outside. We did make it. Of course we did, why wouldn't we? I wondered why I was so scared. Then, I realized Blank was holding on to me. He quickly let go.

"Well, uh, yeah. We're alive." He stated brushing himself off. I merely laughed at the redhead.


After getting my breath back, I went down to the cabin to rest. Blank told me it was a three-hour ride from the mountains of South Gate to the plateau that Lindblum rests upon. I was shaky and in pain so the small pull-out bed was nice to rest on. I didn't fall to sleep, but I did keep a constant eye on the door's window. After seeing the Waltz itself and remembering what the thing that had come up to the window looked like, I had deduced that they were not the same. Actually, the voices made the difference. Nonetheless, I had a new question to add to the queue: "what was that?"

After an hour or so, my body cooled down and I was able to feel my face again. My nose was broken, so it hurt to touch it or even to breathe. My hand was slowly turning back to normal, each finger slowly obtaining feeling. I continually attempted to make a fist out of them because it felt so odd. It was like a fetish. The large crack slowly turned into pinkish scar tissue and stung slightly.

The hours seemed like weeks but eventually passed. Blank came down to inform me that we were about to arrive and that I should come out to the front deck with everyone.

Everyone was outside watching as we neared Lindblum. Dagger was still piloting and she seemed to be enjoying herself at this point. Zidane was pointing things out to a wide-eyed Vivi and Steiner stood at the very front of the ship by himself. I walked over to the edge to see the city myself.

A narrow staircase twisted and turned all the way up to a door at the base of the mountain that Lindblum raised from. There were airships everywhere as if they were birds flocking together. We couldn't see the city from outside Lindblum's towering walls, but the enormous castle had some towers that peaked out above. A large, circular gate, like South Gate, was on the wall and opened when we neared it.

Flying steadily through this gate was like watching a beautiful display of flowers blooming. There were even more airships here hovering over the city. Small ones, big ones, fats one and everything in between. The city was alive with the sounds of Lindblum's murmuring people and ticking machines. It seemed like all of time converged together in this one place. The houses looked medieval, but the speedy airships looked like the future. The castle could have easily been mistaken for a mountain.

The castle also had a gate that turned and slid open allowing us safe passage. We were now flying inside the castle! Vivi kept 'oh'ing and 'ah'ing. Our airship was so tiny in comparison to the immaculate, decorated walls. There were several men on platforms extending from the walls that waved us where to go with their flags.

Dagger had somehow gotten very good at flying the ship. She maneuvered it perfectly through the large hallways and brought it down to one of the several docks. We all gathered and headed for the exit. As we walked through the hull, we checked to see if any Black Mages had survived, but none had. Vivi, however, was now distracted with the sights of Lindblum and was excitedly heading out of the airship.

"Wow! This castle's huge!" Vivi exclaimed as he ran out onto the dock. "It's even bigger than Alexandria Castle!"

Zidane strolled up beside the mage. "Yeah. They don't call it Lindblum Grand Castle for nothing."

"Ah, it's good to be back!" Blank noted.

"An indoor airship dock!" Steiner said following the group. "This is truly amazing! Even her Majesty's Red Rose would easily fit in here."

We all looked around and gaped at its beauty. It was fantastic. I tried to look at the top of the cargo ship so I could see how much room there was between it and the ceiling. The difference seemed incalculable. The princess of Alexandria was walking her formal walk as she kept her eyesight forward.

"Dagger, you don't look too impressed." Zidane said. "Have you been here before?"

"Yes, I came here a few times when I was little…" She commented seriously. "I haven't been here since my father passed away."

Zidane put his hands on hips. "Here comes the welcoming committee."

Two fully armored soldiers approached us, blocking our path out of the docks. Although mostly covered, their faces were stern, business-like, and not "welcoming." This was also the first time I'd ever seen a full-length spear, one held by each guard. The metallic, eight-foot spears towered over the guards, adding to their strict response towards our unplanned arrival. I felt comforted being in the middle of the group.

One guard took a moment to glance over our ship, one hand on his hip. "That's a really old airship."

Garnet stepped forward and held her hands behind her back. "Greetings. I am Princess Garnet Til Alexandros. I humbly request an audience with Regent Cid."

The guard squinted at her in disbelief and turned to the other guard. "You must be kidding! No member of the royal family, let alone a princess, would ever ride in such a shabby airship. And look at the company you're keeping."

"How dare you accuse the princess of lying!?" Steiner retorted. "The princess was forced to come here under extreme circumstances!"

"Then show me some kind of proof of your royal heritage."

Dagger started pulling at the chain around her neck. "Very well."

She quaintly walked over to him and stretched out the chain. The guard leaned over and appeared to be staring straight at her chest. His eyes moved towards the jewel in Garnet's hands.

"This pendant…is it a Falcon Claw!?" He finally responded. "No. The shape is a little different. Call Minister Artania!"

The quiet guard turned sharply and ran down the platform towards a large door. I felt Steiner's armor touch my side as he stepped up to Zidane.

"If you weren't such a filthy-looking oaf, they would not be suspicious of us!"

Zidane scratched his head and slightly smiled. "Hey, I'm not the idiot with the loud voice, and the dirty, rusty armor."

"What!?" Steiner gasped at Zidane's playful comment.

Then, the large doors that the quiet guard had run through opened and a royal figure wearing a dark red, satin cape came through, escorted with three guards around him. The man was Artania.

"What is going on?" He said firmly as he approached us.

The guard who had been questioning us saluted. "Sir, we have unknown visitors who wish to see the regent. And one of them is carrying a pendant that looks like a Falcon Claw."

Artania immediately raised his hand, stopping all the guards' movements instantly. "You are dismissed. I'll take care of this."

"Yes, sir!"

Thus, all the guards headed through the doors, leaving us with the minister. Dagger immediately ran up to the man and wrapped her arms around him, her face pushed up against his chest. We all followed over to the two.

"Uncle Artania!" She exclaimed happily.

"It's good to see you, Princess," Artania said, smiling. "Please follow me. The regent is waiting."


We swiftly proceeded through the halls of the castle, taking little time to grasp its intricate sculptures and decorated walls. At first, everything seemed unfamiliar. There were hallways and rooms with stairs going in every direction. The walls were littered with paintings of former regents and well-known knights and engineers. At some times, it looked identical to medieval European castle, but then, looking closer, I spotted wires and odd mechanics doing unknown jobs.

After walking a good distance, we came upon a room I was familiar to. To the left, was a large water fountain wrapping around the wall. A large statue was in the middle, against the corner of the walls. Around the fountain, there were steps that led towards the guestrooms and forward was the entrance to the lift that would take us to the regent. We continued right onto the lift, which I couldn't tell if it looked futuristic or ancient.

"Lindblum Castle has three levels, all connected by this lift." Artania began. "From the Base Level, which lies below the Mist, you can take a trolley to the harbor and the back gate. Ships hardly arrive at the harbor anymore since travel by air has become so popular. The Mist poses great danger, so we've sealed off everything. Just above the Base Level is the Mid Level. You can ride the air cab from the Mid Level to go to town. The Upper Level contains the royal chamber and conference room. Access to that level is restricted, because the regent himself resides there."

The lift moved quickly and watching the tunnel walls was a little unsettling. Steiner didn't seem to be enjoying the rise as he held tightly onto the sidebars. Eventually, we came to the top and we all stepped out and followed Artania down the hallways of the Upper Level. I finally came to grips with the overwhelmingly big and fascinating castle and struck a conversation with Blank.

"Ever met him before?"

"Who?" Blank asked, looking at the even more exquisite pictures on the walls.

"Regent Cid."

"Ha, why would a lowly theatre actor like me get to meet the Regent?" Blank said. "Right Steiner?"

Steiner continued to walk beside the princess and did not respond. Zidane chuckled.

Artania led us all into the royal chamber that was draped in all kind of royal tapestries and layered with a royal red, gauzy carpet. A large window spanned across the back wall, which looked out and over the city of Lindblum. We were really, really high up. Artania walked up to the center of the room.

"Sire, Princess Garnet of Alexandria wishes to see you."
Artania moved aside and Dagger stepped forward, bowing slowly. She slowly straightened as Steiner walked over to her.

"Princess, is something wrong?"

"The regent isn't here, and I don't know who… Take a look at the throne."

Steiner stepped closer to the empty throne. "What in the world?"

A large, fat bug peeked out from behind the throne and bounced its way beside Artania.

"Greetings." A high pitched squeaked out of the bug.

"Og…???" Steiner said surprised as he grabbed the handle of his sword. "Oglop!"

Steiner ran up to the bug and kicked, forcing it onto the throne. Steiner started to pull out his sword when Artania stopped him.

"Sire!"

"What!?" Steiner said, confused.

"Wh...!?"
"Wow... Even the oglops are big in Lindblum." Vivi stated.

Steiner turned to Artania still holding his sword. "What is the meaning of this!? How dare you greet the princess like this!? Get that repulsive bug off the throne immediately, and call the regent!"

"Please, settle down! You ARE before the regent!"

"What!? Enough of your nonsense!"

"Steiner, stand down." Garnet said quickly and Steiner immediately backed down. "I remember that moustache. Is that really you, Uncle Cid?"

"Yes. Greetings, all gwok." The high-pitched voice came out from the large bug, which nearly made me laugh. "I am Cid Fabool, Regent of Lindblum. I knew it was you - I recognized your pendant's description; it's so much like my 'Falcon Claw.' I'm delighted to see you again, Garnet. You have truly gwok become a fine lady. I, on the other hand..."

"Allow me to explain." Artania stepped in thankfully because I was about to lose it from the funny sounding voice. "About six months ago, someone snuck into the castle and attacked the regent in his sleep. Unfortunately, we were too late... The regent had been transformed into an oglop, and his wife, Lady Hilda, was abducted."

"My goodness..." Dagger said.

Zidane looked over to Blank. "Whoever pulled this off had to be highly skilled, like me."

"Hmph! I'll bet it was you!" Steiner blamed.

"That's not possible." The funny voiced regent said.

"How can you be so sure? Do you know who we are?" Zidane questioned

"Of course. I may be a bug gwok, but I am still the ruler of Lindblum."

Dagger stepped closer to the regent. "Uncle Cid, I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice. I desperately need to speak to you about my mother."

"That's what I figured," Cid responded, hopping off the throne and bounced right up to Dagger. "But I'm sure it can wait 'til tomorrow. Why don't you all get some rest for today?"

"Thank you," Dagger said, bowing again.
Artania clapped his hands and smiled. "It is time for lunch. Please follow me."

He led us to the spacious dinning room below the royal chambers and the table had countless candles and various utensils. The food was about to be brought out to us so all we had to do was sit down and relax. However, Zidane wasn't interested in the royal fastidiousness.

"Hey, Blank, you wanna go eat at the pub?" Zidane asked his friend.

"Uh…" Blank turned to see some waiters bringing out salad bowls with carrots neatly circling the small amount of lettuce. "Sure. Let's go."

"Can I come too?" I asked, desiring a heftier meal.

"Sure."

Garnet came up to Zidane. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, were gonna get some town food, wanna come?" Zidane asked the curious Princess.

"No. I am going to stay with Uncle Cid in the castle."

"I understand." Zidane said, rather sadly.

"If you're going to leave," Artania announced, "we have reserved a room for you all at the Inn near the city's entrance in the Business District."

"Thanks."


Lindblum was madness…simply madness, but fun. We took an air-cab over to the Industrial District, which housed the "Doom Pub", Zidane's favorite pub. The streets were filled with people and the sky with airships. It was more hectic than New York City. It kind of felt stressful, all the people running around madly, but the clear air and the monster-less streets eased my busy mind.

So, the three of us walked down the main road of the Industrial District and turned into the crowded pub…

"Yo, Pops. I'll have the stupid special," Zidane ordered as soon as he entered.

The old bartender turned towards Zidane. "Who said that!? Zidane… I figured it was you. And Blank, good to see you guys."

"Bobo," Blank responded, sitting down at a barstool.

Zidane went up beside Blank's barstool and I tried to make my way through too, but couldn't get around the crowd. I ran right into a waitress who was holding various products.

"Do you mind?" She said, slightly peeved. "You're standing in everyone's way."

"I'm trying to get to the bar," I replied, continuing to push my way through the crowd.

"Well, she was a pretty one, wasn't she?" Zidane asked when I finally sat down beside him.

"What, who?"

"That girl you ran into."

"Hey, you just can't seem to remember that I'm taken', can ya?" I said, smiling back.

"The gil I found at that doll-making place should cover the tab." Blank said to the bartender who passed out three drinks to us.

Zidane punched me lightly on the shoulder, continuing our conversation. "Well, is she around here?"

"You need to learn how to treat a lady, monkey-tail." An interesting feminine voice came from behind me and immediately sparked my interest. It had to be Freya!

"Monkey-tail? You got a tail too, rat-face!"

I turned to see the coated Burmecian taking a sip out of her drink and place it on the counter. Her blue-tinted fur could only be seen on her rat-like face, which bore several white whiskers. She had tall, white, feather-like ears that poked out of her red cap. She stood up and pushed the stool under the counter. I'd say she was anywhere from 6'5 to 6'8 in height.

"Rat-face... I'm gonna kick your butt."

"Hey, Zidane, take it outside." The bartender quickly suggested, but the fight would not occur.

The Burmecian smiled at Zidane. "Long time, Zidane."

"Hey! What's up!? Wait a minute..."

"You forgot my name?"

"No, I remember. You're Helga, right?"

"Wrong."
"...Christine?"

"No!"
"...Oh yeah! You used to live next door to me. How's it going...Ratchel? Man, you've really gotten...big."

"You nasty little - "

Zidane laughed to himself. "Come on. I'm just kiddin'. You know I never forget a pretty girl's name. So, how've you been, Freya?"

"...Same old Zidane."

"Hey, Freya," Blank waved from the counter.

She nodded and turned to me. "Are you following these goons?"

I smiled a little, slightly intimidated by her appearance. "Uh…yeah."

"He's pretty quiet most of the time." Zidane stated. "We're gonna try to get him back to his fiancé in Alexandria."

"How noble of you." Freya said to Zidane. "Well, I am Freya Cresent of Burmecia."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Victor." I said as cordially as I could.

She nodded slowly.

"How long has it been?" Zidane said, sitting back down at the bar.

"About 3 years." Her voice was deep and a little nasal.

"Hey, did you ever find out anything about your boyfriend?" Zidane continued.

"No..."

"So... What brings you to Lindblum?"

"The Festival of the Hunt. What else? It's a good opportunity to test my skills."
Blank lifted is glass slightly to honor the upcoming event.

"Oh... Well, I'm sure you'll find him someday." Zidane said.

"Aren't you participating?" Freya asked.

"...Nah. I think I'll pass."

"Lazy bum."

"...Are you ever gonna go back?"

"I have no reason to return to Burmecia. There is nothing there for me anymore."

And then, it got really quiet and was considerably awkward. I took a sip from my drink and nearly spit it out. It was Root Beer. Why was that so surprising? Because it tasted exactly like Root Beer. It was odd… I wouldn't expect a drink so local to my world to taste exactly the same here…very odd.

Soon, our meal arrived and we ate happily, chatting about different things, but staying off the Burmecia topic. Blank was pretty pumped about the Festival of the Hunt and Zidane reminisced about our trip from Alexandria while Freya talked about various things that had happened to her over the past three years. I just ate my food and listened for the most part, intrigued by all the topics.

Freya was the first to leave. Zidane and Blank continued to order Root Beer drinks until the sun set. After a little more drinking, the two cohorts finally decided it was time to get some sleep after another eventful day. Well, I know I was exhausted.


My fingers were moving almost normally now. I could bend them, close them into a fist or straighten them. Also, it was beginning to feel again as blood rushed back into it, giving it a reddish-brown color. We flew over to the Business District and crossed the street into the inn and checked in.

On our way up, we crossed paths with an interesting looking lady. She wore what looked like a Swedish outfit and her skin was tanned brown. Her thick, muddy brown strands of hair flopped on her back as we passed her by. I turned back to look at her and noticed she had an axe strapped to her back. She was very attractive and looked oddly familiar. If I were to go by breast-size, I'd say she was Tifa Lockhart.

We went into our room and relaxed. The room was cozy, but quite different from the "country-cozy" of Dali's inn. The floors were wooden and the room was box-shaped like most rooms. There were two large windows that stretched from the ground to the ceiling, both on the same wall. In the corner was a weird street-like lamp that provided dim lighting. Pictures of hilly landscapes and calm oceans were evenly placed out across the walls.

Vivi had actually gotten there before us and told us that he wished he would have come with us to the pub. He said the royal food wasn't that great and he was still hungry. So, the four of us nestled into our separate beds and talked about the day. We all had plenty to talk about, but exhaustion slowly drove us to slumber, one by one. Before my eyes became too heavy, I placed one more, and hopefully the last, layer of Temper Soft on my hand. Then, I slept.


There was a slight wind that blew in my ears causing me to open my eyes. It took me a moment before I realized what was in front of me, but when I did, the rush of thoughts came faster than I could bare. It was the door I had seen from the other dreams.

I was in that cold little room again. I remembered the three little girls, the crying boy, the quick glimpse of a strange man, the dark voice tempting me from behind the door, the creature who said my name in Evil Forest, the shadowed creature that came to my door on the airship. What next? What would happen next? Something always happens in these freaky dreams. How many had I had now? Two, three? Was this the fourth dream? I can't even remember. I can't believe I don't remember, it's only been three days!

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me. If that voice matched with the picture I had in my mind… Oh, I can only hope!

I turned around and saw a white female with shoulder-length brown hair. She wore a white, strapless, curve-hugging dress, revealing her hourglass structure. She smiled, letting me see her white teeth. Her eyebrows curved with her eyes, her two-different colored eyes. I could describe her forever and never be able to capture her beauty in my limited words. It was none other than Brittainy, my wife-to-be.

"Hey, fart-face." She said jokingly, keeping her smile.

I think I gasped, unable to find a word to say.

She slowly took a step closer, or maybe my mind played it in slow motion. All I knew was I could trace every wrinkle in her dress as her hip turned.

"Well?" She said.

"Bumfuzzler." I tried to joke back, but I mumbled it out encryptically.

The retarded phrases were only understandable to us and impossible to explain. I mean, come on, bumfuzzler isn't even a word…

She giggled ever so slightly, her eyes glued to mine. "Hi."

"Hi." I responded, my eyes tearing up.

And we stared at each other, like a gaping chasm existed between us. She kept smiling and looked over me as if her words could be found there. I tried to remember every particle of her before this dream ended. This dream…suddenly, I was compelled to take action. This might be the last time I ever saw her.

So, I jumped over the non-existent chasm and with one hand, grabbed the arch of her back and used my other to bring her face to mine. My eyes closed as I let our lips magnetically find each other, knowing that they knew how. I usually was gentle when I kissed her, but this was the most dramatic move I could make, hopefully sweeping her off her feet.

When I opened my eyes, I realized that I had dipped her down and so I brought her back up slowly, our lips separating even slower. Her eyes gradually blinked open and her quaint smile returned.

"I've missed you." She said under her breathe.

"I have no words to express how much I've missed you." I said, glad the dream was still going.

"Are you ever going to come back?"

"I…I don't know how…"

"I need you."

"Honeysweet, I need you.

"I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do but wait. Steven, I hate waiting!"

My name. I haven't heard it in so long.

"How did you get here? Maybe we can leave together?"

Then the room shook as an unfortunately familiar laugh roared from behind the door. I turned and looked at it, holding Brittainy close as if I were protecting her. She grabbed my face and turned it back to me.

"We all miss you a lot." She said, putting her forehead to mine.

"Brittainy, please show me how you got here." I said frantically.

"I have to go now."

"What?" I said nervously. "Why? Don't go!"

She kissed me on the forehead and then looked back into my eyes. "It's up to you now, so please, come back home."

She started to fade out of my hands and she moved away from me, still smiling warmly.

"No, Britt, don't go, please! I need you!!!"

"Come back to us…"

I then realized I only had one more chance to say anything to her. "I will, I promise! I'LL FIND A WAY! I PROMISE!!!"

And she was gone, but the laughter continued. I turned, my face, a mess of tears, and I yelled angrily at the mysterious door. I've had enough of this! Damn you whatever you are, I'm coming to get you!

So, I started running at the door, but before I rammed it, I woke up.


I sat up quickly in my bed, still yelling angrily and scared out of my mind, causing everyone else in the room to jump up. Blank grabbed his sword before he even opened his eyes. When they realized I was the one yelling, they all turned to me.

"What's wrong, Victor?" Blank and Zidane said simultaneously.

I didn't speak for a moment, not sure if I was awake or still dreaming. I was so close to getting to that damn door.

"V-Victor?" Vivi said, coming up beside the bed.

Finally getting my nerves back, I made the first conscious decision I had ever done in this fictional-world-turned-real.

"I have to go back…"


Replies to Reviewers: Thank you all for reading my story and supporting me. I greatly appreciate all your time for this large project I've undertaken. I plan on planning so there won't be anymore long waits between updates, but who knows when it comes to prose. That might be the lamest thing I've ever written…

Ashitaka666: Wow, that was a fast review. It was like four hours after I put the chapter on when I checked and saw your review. Thanks! That's cool that your looking ahead for the story too. I'm always welcome to suggestions. It might be a little difficult though with the dramatic conclusion of this chapter :). Nonetheless, I guess you liked how I portrayed Eve, huh? She was fun because I could kind of make whatever character I wanted to out of her and I had to give Victor some relief from his hard days. And… about the last comment, we will just have to see how things go, won't we…:)

RefugeofSouls: Your pretty good at that one-shot thing. I think you should keep it as a good one-shot, I think it'd be more powerful that way. Unless you were planning on doing some kind of derivative of it…I'm don't even know what I'm talking about. You're right about the Marcus thing, but I guess it all depends on whether or not Victor goes with Zidane's group or Garnet's group…but, I imagine you know which group he chooses considering the Burmecia part I keep talking about. I've got what I want to change lined up and I wanna tell everyone everything, but I got to be patient and let it come with the story instead of my big mouth. I'm also working on revisions myself. I'd be a hypocrite if I gave all these suggestions to people and not take them from others. Currently, I'm revising Chapter 9 and then I'm gonna move to Chapter 10. I actually redid Chapter 1 and put it out, but never said anything…more for new readers I guess. Thanks as always for your review, it always makes me soooo happy.

Popgoesthebaldie: lol, I'd say poor "Oprah", but she's way richer than I'll ever be…sadness. Ah, yes, the freaky dreams, let's not forget them. I hope you liked the one in today's chapter because I've been wanting to write it for quite some time. Onto a different subject, I'm sure you've noticed that I tend to dig into less important characters, NPCs. Since "reality" doesn't have NPCs it wouldn't make sense to give most of them one line, or at least, that's the idea I'm going for. I had a lot of fun getting a little away from the game with Eve's character and I wanted a girl for Victor to talk to, considering Garnet is usually untouchable grounds. Also, I'm still developing the story in these chapters so I hope for characters to show up again in a timely manner later on. We will see… Pear-shaped…heh. I still haven't reviewed Guardian1's story, I just don't know what to say. Anywho, thanks for all your help on my story.

Kakashi-fan116: Yeah, your second chapter was awesome. I can tell your going to keep getting better and better at this stuff. Just keep writing I say! Keep writing! Yeah, I didn't get to fight the No.2 Waltz, but how'd you like the battle with the one in this chapter? I thought it turned out pretty nicely. Although, poor guys didn't get any GP for the battle…hehe. Hope to hear from you soon.

Tacofoolio: I just hope my changes aren't too small. This story has almost become a novelization, but I assure you all, things will be going crazy. Hehe. Here's another small change that I didn't make very public in this chapter itself. The bar scene with Zidane. Zidane is suppose to run into the waitress, but since Blank is there, Zidane immediately goes to the counter and then I run into the waitress. I wonder if anybody noticed that… I'm so sorry about the cliff hanger, I meant to get the chapter out within less than a week, but I obviously failed at that. Of course, since you just read the chapter, I guess it won't be a week for you, eh? I'm so happy that you all usually like the characters that I control, like Eve or Gloobi, etc. This'll be really good for later on…I didn't say that. And so, you are now married. Congrats again. That was so fast too. I wish you and husband the best of luck and that you may have no more vacations apart. And Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you too.