A/N: I would like to start off by saying that I am terribly sorry for the long hiatus but class and work have choked my life. I have finally gotten around to finishing this chapter because classes are settling down so hopefully I can update sooner. I apologies for the lack of action in this chapter but I will make up for that in the very near future. I did manage to throw in a small fight scene at the last minute so let me know how it was in your wondrous reviews.

As for the character slots, be patient because they are coming. I have not forgotten, just have not got to that part in the story yet.

Kuja: No, you forgot. Don't lie to your readers. It is very unbecoming of you.

Solark: What the hell are you doing here?

Kuja: Ummm, I was asked to do the disclaimer but seems to me that it is not needed.

Solark: What's that suppose to mean?

Kuja: Phh, well isn't it obvious?

Solark: No, not really…

Kuja: Your lame story isn't even worth the attention of Square-Enix. They won't even bother with it.

Solark: You know something…you're the devil!

Kuja: I can be.

Chapter 12:

Don't Leave Me Alone

"Brother…" repeated Zidane as he looked into the eyes of the young girl. It was not like he had not been called that before. His brothers from Tantalus called him that all the time. Even Mikoto was starting to use the term with him, becoming more and more comfortable each time. But she had a reason to call him that. She, like him, was given a soul. She had the ability to do more and think more then the other genomes. Like him, she was special and created for the same purpose as he was. They were not biological siblings, but the fact that they were so similar in so many ways sort of made up for that important detail.

No, Mikoto had a soul like him so she had feelings and could understand things the way that he did. The other genomes did not have that ability. So why was this young genome calling him 'brother'?

Zidane though to himself for a moment as he scratched his chin. Then as if he had been hit with a rock, he staggered back, his eyes wide. Could it be? Was it even possible? His mind raced with the possibility of what she was but his mouth just voiced it out. "She…she has a soul," he said in a whisper, forcing a swallow. The words were more a realization then anything.

Mikoto ran over to Alana, embracing with a hug that was returned with the same affection. Zidane could tell their relationship stemmed far beyond that of the other genomes.

"We need to talk," said Mikoto, turning around to face her brother.

"Your damn right we do," he said, folding his arms in front of his chest. While he was glad that Alana was okay, he was more upset that Mikoto had kept her identity a secret from him.

Why would she do that?

They were brother and sister.

And so was Alana.

"Can we go somewhere to talk…I don't want to disturb the young child here." Her eyes darted to the dwarf for just a second, just long enough to get her point across.

"We can go to the dining room," said Steiner.

"No we cannot," said Garnet, remembering that Nathan was in there. "How about we go to the library? Come, I will lead the way."

Mikoto did not move from her spot. She gave a glance to Zidane. He read the message in her eyes and sighed.

"I will tell them anyway so they might as well come," he said trying to reassure her. "You can trust them. They are our friends. You know that."

Mikoto's eyes scanned them all, still not moving. Then slowly, her brother's words seemed to convince her otherwise and she made her way out the door with the others. As Garnet led them to the library, Zidane watched as Mikoto walked along side their sister. He could sense the closeness of their relationship and anger built up inside of him. The anger was more of confusion with not understanding why she never told him about Alana. Did he not have the right to know about her? Surely he had show that he was worthy of their trust, that he would not do them harm like their late brother did. Had he not shown that he cared? All these questions came flooding into his mind. He did not understand the secrecy behind keeping her identity away from him.

The group finally arrived at the library. The room was small but not due to lack of overall area. Most of the library's floor was taken up by stack upon stacks of books, all archived in rows of shelves. The library was the second largest to only the old one in Daguerreo and the fact that it held such a large quantity of written text was the main reason behind the lack of open floor space. The tight quarters of the library made the room feel small, despite its true size. The group moved over to an area with large leather chairs and tables, ideal for reading or researching. They all took seats, trying to get comfortable. Zidane did not sit, he was too anxious. He stood across from where Mikoto had taken a seat.

"Well where to start," said Mikoto as she rubbed her knees with her hands. "As you probably are well aware, Alana is just like Zidane and I. But not in the most obvious way, such as we are all genomes. Our similarities go much deeper then that."

"Like w-what," piped Gene from her chair.

Zidane knew what was coming. Still, he was not prepared for what was about to be said. He kept his gaze on Mikoto as she spoke the words, hoping that watching her would somehow take away the shock.

"Like Zidane and I, she was given a soul," said Mikoto.

"Did not Kuja have a soul as well?" asked Beatrix.

Mikoto nodded in response, her eyes locked on the floor in front of her. There was something she was holding back. He could see it in her eyes. He sensed she did not want to talk about it in front of a certain person.

"Alana," he said turning to the young genome. "You must be hungry. Doctor Tot can show you where to get something to eat." Alana nodded her head ever so slightly. He could tell that her posture heightened at the thought of food. She looked completely exhausted, even though her earlier outburst argued otherwise.

"But…" muttered Doctor Tot, not wanting to leave the group. His scientific side had taken over, wanting to know more about Zidane's race. Zidane gave him a side glance, telling him without words that he would relay all the information to him later. The doctor sighed and turned to Alana. "This way, my dear. We have a very wide assortment of food. I am sure you will find something that you will like."

Alana followed the good doctor out of the library, not even looking back at the group. Once they were gone and the door closed, Zidane turned his attention back to his remaining sister sitting before him.

As if on cue, she continued. "All four of us had souls. Kuja, Zidane, Alana, and me. We were the only ones given souls. No other genome had one."

"Why just us four? Why were we so special?" asked Zidane, still not understanding what was going on. He had never understood his existence, ever since Garland told him what he really was.

"We were not special," said Mikoto, taking a glance at her brother. "Our bodies were just mere vessels like the other genomes. We had no minds, no thoughts of our own. We did not become who we are now until we were given a soul. Garland chose our empty vessels to be hosts to the souls he created. Each one was made for a different purpose. Each to do his bidding."

"To help wreck havoc on Gaia, causing an increase in the flow of souls through the Iifa Tree which would aid in Terra's assimilation of this planet," said Zidane, trying to predict where Mikoto's explanation was going.

"To an extent, but not all of us were created for that purpose," she said plainly.

"What do you mean?" asked Zidane, tilting his head in curiosity. His arms unfolded in front of him unconsciously as his mind became drunk in the conversation.

Mikoto sighed and stood up from her seat. "Both you and Kuja were created to substantiate the level of anger and hatred on Gaia, causing war and death which would feet souls to the Iifa Tree through the use of the mist. As you were well aware, you were created as a replacement to Kuja due to the fact that Kuja had grown too independent. That independence caused him to dispose of you on Gaia, the world he was set on destroying. I seemed that independence that Kuja possessed continued on to you. Garland watched you from Terra as you grew and matured. He knew where you were and even tried to connect with you, trying to influence you towards your purpose. His attempts were in vain. They only sent you away from your home in search of a blue light only to return to where you started. Nothing he did would work with you."

"Okay, enough about me," said Zidane, not wanting to here an elaborate telling of his past on Gaia. There were other pressing matters on his mind, and he wanted answers. "We know why me and Kuja were created and given souls, but what about you and Alana?"

Mikoto closed her eyes, her body slowly falling back into the chair behind her. She opened her eyes, her pupils taking a second to adjust from the short darkness of the back of her eyelids. "Alana and I were created for a different reason."

"What was that reason?"

"I was created as a guardian. That was my sole purpose."

Zidane shook his head in disbelief. Leather and metal creaked as Steiner shifted in his seat. Nothing he did was quiet. Zidane did not let the noise bother him. "What were you a guardian of?"

The young female genome just sat there unmoving. Seconds went by that felt like minutes as she stared at the floor before her. Nothing she could do would stop what was about to happen. He had a right to know and she had a right to tell him. She gathered her thoughts, taking time to find the right words. "My purpose was to stay on Terra and serve as caretaker and guardian of a specific genome to whom Garland prized the most. This genome was special, more important to him then you or I. He kept them in the incubation tank for much longer then the other genomes. My mission was to maintain and guard the tank until the incubation period was over. From there I would protect and guard the genome where ever they went."

"And was this…tank…destroyed when Kuja obliterated Terra?" Zidane's question seemed to echo through the air.

"No," said Mikoto flatly. "I released the genome while you were fighting Kuja. The genome is Alana. She is the one whom I am assigned to guard and protect."

Zidane felt his heart skip a beat. He turned around and looked at the closed doorway in which Doctor Tot had led his newfound sister out of. His sister, who was more important to his race then even he. His sister who was very…special to Garland and his master plan. Why was she so special? What was her purpose? He continued to stare at the doorway, lost in his own thoughts.

"Alana…why is she so special?" he finally asked softly, not even peeling his eyes away from the closed door.

Mikoto came up to stand next to him. "Because she is our past…and our future."

An airship passed by over head, a typical site with the city of Lindblum. The airship made for the docks, which were located on the side of the largest building inside the enormous city. Lindblum was by far the biggest kingdom on all of Gaia with her castle alone rivaling in size with most other countries entire city confines. The castle was grand which ironically part of its name was. The structure if the castle soared above everything else in the city, encompassing nearly fifty stories. The docks lay near the middle of the castle, taking up almost ten stories themselves. The castle was a marvel of technology, both in size and in accommodations.

As the airship continued on towards the docks, it cast a shadow over a section of the castle below where a young girl stood. The girl looked up at the airship for a second, her eyes showing no excitement at the sight of such a large object floating above her. She was accustomed to seeing them soaring through the air on a daily basis. It brought her no more enjoyment than a delicious gyhsal pickle. She shuttered at the thought.

As she brought her hand up to her head, Lady Eiko Carol brushed stray strands of her purple locks out of her violet colored eyes. She was wearing her usual outfit, one that her mother had made for her before she died. The fabric was of a rare silk found only near her home village of Madain Sari and hand dyed to a brilliant pink and very tight. She also wore an outer layer that was a two piece and also made of silk with the upper part a darker pink blouse and the second part being yellow overalls that ran from two straps over her shoulders all the way down to her black shoes.

While her clothes were different, they were not the most alarming thing about her. She also displayed a small two inches sharp horn on her forehead that parted its way through her now mid-back length, layered and wavy purple hair. The horn was a symbol of her heritage, the heritage of the summoner. She was proud of her past and never shied away from conversation that led her to explain any part of her heritage. She was a free spirit and the last of her kind…save for one.

Eiko twisted her flute she had in her hand. The weapon was an Angel's Flute, made of aged hundred year old wood from the center of a Derk Tree and crafted at the hands of angels themselves. The flute was her favorite because of the weapons extremely light weight and extraordinary sound. It was only sixteen inches long but carried with it the voices of a thousand angels.

She flicked the flute so the tip touched the small of her cheek. "You ready Ammie?"

"I told you never to call me that," came the reply from across the opening courtyard where she was standing. The voice came from a large man, his skin a near transparent light blue with muscular sleeveless arms covered in tattoos ranging from the basic lettering to the extremely complex tribal designs. He wore a green muscle shirt that was more of a vest then anything else with a pair of loose brown pants topped off with some black boots. His head was covered with a thick, chaotic mane of red dreadlocks that poured onto his shoulder and around his square and muscular face. A matching red beard wrapped around his chin from ear to ear, forming a circle around the scowl that was always present on his mouth. His most notable feature was the deadly claw that was attached to his hand. The claw was his weapon of choice and he used them very effectively. He is a known ex-bounty hunter, respected by some and feared by others but known to all as the Flaming Amarant Coral. He was a ruthless mercenary that showed no mercy, that was until be met the priceless Ms. Carol he was standing in front of at this very moment. Although he would never admit the fact, he did not mind the little brat and though of he as her guardian and protector, even though with her summoning power she really did not need one.

Still…

"Aww, what's wrong Ammie," teased Eiko from her spot twenty feet away. "What are you gunna do about it?"

"This," replied Amarant as he began conjuring a spell in his claw laden hand. Slowly a small orb of dark purple and black energy sparked and popped in the palm of his hand. As the power of the spell built, he whipped his arm that was carrying the magic behind himself in preparation to throw. By the time he pulled his arm back they spell was ready and with all his might, he threw the attack at the small girl.

"No Mercy!"

As the spell flew toward Eiko with blinding speed, the young summoner brought her flute to her lips. She blew a series of notes into the weapon that only she could here…well not only just her. With a flash of light, a bright blue form dropped out of the sky and landed straight in front of her. A large bushy tail flickered back and forth as a white light expanded from the creature's body, covering both them and Eiko as well. As the light expanded, the No Mercy spell contacted the outer shell of the protective barrier. The attack spell exploded with extreme brute force, pulling inward towards an imaginary center before finally exploding outward. As the spell disappeared and evaporated into the air. Eiko peered through the slowly dissipating remnants of the spell with a smile. An excited laugh escaped her lips as she gripped the flute behind her back with both her hands.

"Damn rodent," grumbled Amarant as he undid the straps on his claw. He removed the weapon from his hand and secured it to a belt around his waist. He grumbled some incoherent words to himself, making sure that no body around him heard. That was the way he liked.

"Come on Ammie," teased Eiko as she made a posture with her hands on her hips and her nose up. While she was a very mature fighter and person in some ways, she was still a child and did act like one sometimes. Amarant always kept that in mind. "If you can't beat Carbuncle then how will you last in the Royal Alexandrian Tournament?"

He harrumphed in response. She was right of course. How was he, the great Flaming Amarant Coral going to last in the most famous and challenging tournament on Gaia if he could not even beat a glowing rat, let alone out wit a small child. He was doomed but he would not admit defeat. He would find a way. He always did.

"Eiko!" came a voice from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see the adoptive mother of the young summoner and wife of the Regent of Lindblum, Lady Hilda Fabool. The female royalty of Lindblum, who was cherished and adored by her people, wore a very elegant yet not too flamboyant red dress with matching garnet jewelry on her ears and neck. Her long blonde hair was wrapped up on a spiral above her head, hidden behind light pink veil netting adorned with jewels that encircled the small yellow gold tiara that was anything but ordinary. Her face was of considerable beauty with the smallest hint of wisdom, yet her features did nothing to give away her true age. She looked much younger then she really was and for that she felt she was blessed. She was not entirely fond of her age but with age came a better view on life and how precious it really was to be alive and healthy. For that she was very grateful.

"Eiko!" she said again as she made her way past the muscular form of Amarant to her adoptive daughter. "I have some…terrible news."

Eiko blinked at her with her usual curious eyes, the deep violet almost pulsing with a mixture of excitement and longing for knowledge. "What is it Mother?" she said with her usual level of exuberance. The shear volume of energy that she possessed was astonishing. It was a wonder that her body could even tame down enough to enter the realm of sleep like everybody else.

Hilda looked at her adopted daughter, a daughter that was not hers but love as if she was her own. Even though she did not birth Eiko, her natural motherly instinct felt a great attachment to the young girl. Such feelings were unexplainable to the human mind but were clearly evident in nature. How she could love something that was not hers so much, she did not know. What she did know was that she would now go to the ends of the earth for this small child that stood in front of her. Such emotions were not voluntary but were just there, present and overwhelming. She could not view her life without Eiko and she dared not think of what would have happened had she not ever met the young summoner.

Now she was faced with telling her the terrible news she had just received from her husband Cid. Even she could not even imagine the horror of what he had told her, it was heart wrenching and indescribable. How was she going to explain what she had just heard to Eiko, a young eccentric little girl who while she was still a child knew more at her age then one would think. Not only that but the fact that this terrible news would hit a little close to home for the young girl would make it all the harder. Hilda knew how she reacted when Cid told her only moments ago. She could not even imagine how Eiko would take the news. Still she had to know, keeping it from her would only be worse in the long run.

Hilda swallowed her emotions and looked at her daughter. "Something terrible has happened at Conde Petie?"

At her words Eiko's eyes went wide as she took a stagger back. She did not want to know what had happened but she felt she needed to. Condie Petie was the home of the dwarves and while then were not very fond of her because she would always steal food from them, she had a certain level of respect for there lifestyle and customs. They were an honorable people, always helping each other and doing the right thing. But one thing concerned and scared her more then her fear for what happen to the dwarves. Her old home was very close to Conde Petie just across the Mountain Path.

The ancient summoner's village of Madain Sari.

"What happened?" she asked in a small voice.

"The village was attacked by a monster," said Hilda, almost talking in a whisper. "Zidane was flying back from Daguerreo when he got a vision. They made their way to Conde Petie only to see it burning. They landed and defeated the monster but the village was destroyed. Only one dwarf survived, a small child. They brought the child back to Alexandria. Cid is preparing to leave at once; Garnet has requested that we be informed by Zidane of everything that transpired so we can make a decision as to what to do next. I would as you to come along but Cid wants you to stay here."

"But I want to come," Eiko said in so low of a tone that Hilda could barely make out what she said. She could not even begin to think of the thoughts running through the young girls head. She did not want to leave her but Cid has insisted that it was for the best.

"I am sorry my dear," Hilda said sympathetically. She gathered her daughter in an embrace, trying to reassure her. Eiko did not return the action but she did not pull away either. She just stood where she was as still as stone. "We will be back soon and I will tell you everything. Please listen to Minister Artania while we are gone, okay dear."

Eiko gazed at her adoptive mother, her deep violet eyes seeking desperately to convince the woman to take her along. She knew the effort was in vain as the decision was already made by her father and there was no overriding his decisions. Even though see could understand the concern for her safety she still wanted to go with them. Not because she was interested in the knowing what had happened even though she was but more importantly, she did not want to be left alone. True Minister Artania would be staying and you indeed watch over her and she did find the man interesting but it would not be the same. Her adoptive parents Cid and Hilda were the ones that opened up their lives for her and she felt a certain level of attachment to them. That and the fact that after her biological grandfather died back in Madain Sari, she was left alone to fend for herself with nothing but the company of her moogle friends. She had not had human contact for over a year until 'he' came and she did not want to lose that contact not, not even for a second.

Reluctantly she nodded her head in acceptance. Hilda gave Eiko a small smile of reassurance. She bent down and gave the young girl a soft kiss on the forehead.

"We will be back soon, okay dear?"

"Yes," whispered Eiko as she continued to stand where she was, still hoping against hope that her parents would change their mind but the idea of that was not to be.

She watched as Hilda left the area, her mind racing with emotions that just wanted to burst out of her that very moment. Once she was sure her mother was far enough away she could not hold them in any longer.

"DAMN IT!" she yelled but not loud enough so that Hlda might hear and come back. "I can't just stay here and wait. What do they think I am…a dog?" Aggravation had sent her mind into a raging fit.

How could she just stay here and wait? Waiting was going to kill her. She wanted to know what was going on and she wanted to know now. She still could not believe that Conde Petie was destroyed. The small dwarf village that she had stolen food from to survive was gone along with all its inhabitants, save for one. She suddenly felt very guilty for what she did. While the though of that villages fate was dreadful enough, her mind kept going back to her old home…Madain Sari. Were her friends, the moogles, okay? They could be in danger or worse. True Hilda said that Zidane and company killed the monster that destroyed Conde Petie but maybe there were more. Maybe that thing was just a minion of a greater scheme as her experience with Zidane and her friends had shown her. If that was the case then whatever attacked Conde Petie could very well go after Maidan Sari. Everything could be destroyed...the moogles, the eidolon wall…everything. She could not bear for that to happen.

Before she knew what was happening she was moving. She ran through the doors and into the confines of the castle. She needed to hurry, time was everything now. She made her way down the red carpeted winding staircase that seemed to go on forever, paying no mind to anybody she saw even if she blindly bumped into them.

She came to a four way hall intersection and immediately cut to the left. She had to hurry, that was all she though. Her hand brushed the cold steel of a gate as she quickly opened the restriction and entered the main elevator of the palace. She smashed the button with the downward symbol near the label for the middle floor one, two, three times and kept hitting the button until the elevator started moving. She only needed to hit it once but she did not care. All she cared about was hurrying.

As the elevator slowed to a stop, Eiko opened the door and ran off the device. The alarm on the elevator sounded signaling that the gate had been open before the elevator came to a complete and safe stop. She did not care, she could not stop now. Now was the time for her to hurry. Her friend's lives could be in the balance. She must not hesitate. Zidane had taught her that.

She rushed past the elite guards that were stationed at the elevator entrance. They knew not to pay her any mind and this time was no different. She dumped down the three stairs all at once. As she landed on the marble floor her flute fell out of her belt and clattered to the floor. Anger swelled inside of her at her stupidity. She did not secure the weapon properly like she should have. But she could not stop, she needed to hurry. Plus she had more flutes and somebody in the palace would find the weapon and put it in her room. They knew better then not to because she always knew where her weapons were. She could feel them, feel their power.

She continued past the magnificent water foundation in the palace lobby and through the grand hallway that led to the airship docks. Surprisingly there were no guards on post anywhere in site. Lucky her, she thought to herself as she made her way to a strip of dock that housed a fleet of new sleek looking airships that her father built using the technology he studied from the Invincible. They required no mist or steam to run. They were entirely independent on any recharge of fuel save for one, magic. She did not know how they worked and nor did she care. She never listened to Cid as he babbled on and on about them. The things he talked about never interested her. They were to boring.

The airship was pretty though, at least she thought it was. The main hull was in the shape of a sharp arrow point making for better aerodynamics when flying. She did not know what aerodynamics was but she thought the shape was nice. That, and the fact that the airship was dressed in the crimson of Lindblum with black accents all around. The airship looked like a sleeker, smaller version of the Invincible which she liked. Her father called them Sentinels but she liked to call them Darts. She liked that name even though it did sound a bit lame but she did not care.

Upon reaching the hatchway into the airship, which was a lot bigger up close, she stopped to look around and double check if anybody was watching. Nobody was so she opened the door to the 65 foot long airship she dubbed the Dart. She closed the hatch behind her, not even buying the time to lock it.

The interior of the airship was state of the art. Nor longer was there any wood to be found. Her father had patented a way to produce a lighter form of mythril that was ten times stronger. She never could remember the name he gave the material because she never really cared too much. The entire interior was made of the stuff thought from the walls right down to the frame.

She took a left from the door way and down a small hallway where doors on either side hid crew quarters and such. They were all dressed with the very best commodities that Lindblum could offer. Comfortable beds with ample entertainment for down time and food, the rooms were stocked. If the crews were happy then they worked happy. If they worked happy that means they worked better. That was her father's motto, to an extent. At the end of the hallway she finally came to the cockpit. She sat down in the pilot's chair and lipped a switch that started charging the airship's power source. She did not know what the source was but she knew how to turn it on. Her father had taught her how to operate the Dart and even gave her lessons in how to fly the airship. She was glad now that she had at least paid attention to those lessons.

She reached her hand over to the center of the console and placed her hand on a glowing red orb. The airship started with a low resonating hum that was exponentially quieter then the mist or steam power airships. She buckled herself into the pilot seat and placed her hands on the yoke and throttle. Just as she was about to take off she paused.

Over the faint drone of the engine she could have sworn she heard a noise as if the hatchway had been closed. She turned around in her seat to look over her right shoulder and down the hallway. Nobody was there.

"Hello?" she called, her voice echoing within the airship's light fame. There was no answer. Perhaps she was just imagining the sound. After all she was a bit on edge due to the fact that she was taking one of her father's prized airships and leaving without permission. But she needed to, she needed to hurry.

She turned back around and pulled back on the throttle. The airship flowed out of the dock with the ease of a snake through water. She grabbed a hold of the yoke and gave the put the throttle at eighty-seven percent. She needed to hurry.

Madain Sari could be in danger.

She had to protect her friends.

Thanks for reading the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it because it took me long enough. The next chapter will have more action….maybe. But the plot is thickening and we haven't even scratched the surface yet. Just you all wait! Well you all know what to do. Read and review and spread the word!!!!!!!

Special thanks to Krimson, superloser, Newthatgotbetter, Phoenix Helix, roxas and my two new readers, Dagger Tribal and dylan928 (my girlfriends dad has a 928 porcshe)! You guys make me write faster!!!!