"Quina? Where are you?"

"C'mon, Quina, stop fooling around! We need to get to Gizamaluke's Grotto!"

Zidane and Freya were shouting as we tried to pin down our newest friend after s/he had run off on a gluttonous impulse. Vivi and I kept our eyes peeled for Quina, but it was hard to see anything in the thick Mist. We had been searching for a good hour, only going on tracks in the ground and the occasional shadow.

The fact that Quina had left our party also made it much more difficult to fend off the monsters in the area, as we ran across much tougher foes in the living plants called "mandragoras" and ironites, brutal lesser dragons who utilized both lightning magic and flame breath. Thanks to Freya's experience fighting dragons and solid group tactics, the ironites weren't nearly as threatening as they could have been. Combined with my Arcana and Vivi's Fire spell making it easier to cut through the mandragoras, our party of four managed to slay anything that got in our way. Still, we were all pretty exhausted as we came across a river. Figuring that we needed the rest, Zidane suggested we take a break as we took a seat on the riverbank.

"For the love of the Truth," I muttered as I took out a whetstone and sharpened Legacy's blade. "Where could that damn Qu be?"

Freya sighed as she rubbed her temples. "This isn't getting us closer to Burmecia. We need to find Quina quickly. Time is of the essence."

"Um…guys?" Vivi spoke up. "I think I see something on the other side of the river."

Curious, we all looked over the river as some of the Mist started clearing up. To our relief, we saw Quina on the opposite riverbank. The Qu was hunched over and breathing heavily, a sure sign that the gourmand was exhausted from chasing his/her quarry. As the Mist started to clear just a bit more, we saw just what Quina was trying to have for lunch.

It was a large, yellow-feathered avian pecking on the ground. The bird's beak looked very sharp and pointed and its legs looked like they were built for running at breakneck speeds. And though we couldn't make it out very well, it almost seemed like there was something riding on the bird…something small, like a child.

"That's a chocobo!" Zidane exclaimed. "So that's what Quina was chasing after. Damn, Quina must be faster than I thought to be able to keep up with a chocobo…"

Quina, having finally caught his/her breath, crept ever so carefully up to the chocobo, who apparently was unaware that it was being hunted. However, when Quina charged in with his/her fork, the chocobo sidestepped and tripped Quina with its leg. The chocobo warbled as if it was laughing as it charged deeper into the Mist, leaving Quina in its dust.

Needless to say, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, Quina!" Zidane shouted as the Qu sat up. "What do you think you were doing?"

"Zidane! Where you go?" Quina shouted back. "Me smell yummy-yummy, but you no follow!"

"Just stay right where you are!" Freya ordered. "We'll be over there shortly!"

"Okay! I stay!" Quina acknowledged. "If you see yummy-yummy, bring over here! I starving!"

We all rolled our eyes as we headed down the river, hoping to find a crossing point. After several minutes of sprinting, we managed to find a man-made bridge. Confused, but not about to question our good fortune, we ran across the bridge and headed back up the river. Finally, we were reunited with our Qu companion.

"What were you thinking, running off like that?" I asked Quina.

Quina shrugged. "I need travel world, eat many tasty things! Chocobo very tasty, very rare to find in wild. So when I smell chocobo, I run! But chocobo too fast…I no can catch."

"Damn it Quina! You just can't run off like that! We need to stay together if we want to get anywhere in one piece. What if you had run into a pack of mandragoras, or a couple of ironites?" Zidane insisted.

Quina hung his/her head low as s/he muttered. "I no think of that. I sorry."

Freya sighed as she walked up to the Qu. "It's all right. But we've lost a lot of time. We need to get to Gizamaluke's Grotto. Do you know the way?"

Quina perked up and nodded. "Yes! I know way! Over river, past hill! I think big roots in ground lead to Burmecia cave."

"Thank you," Freya said as she looked out towards the western horizon. In spite of the Mist, she could see the sun starting to set beyond the mountains. "…It's getting late. As much as I hate to, we should probably find someplace to set up camp for the night."

"Freya…" I muttered before speaking up. "Yeah, it's probably best. We've had a long day, and we'll need all the energy we can get for when we reach Burmecia. But I hate camping out in the open like this…"

"No kidding," Zidane agreed as he looked around him. His keen eyesight caught something as he pointed northeast. "I think I see a forest off that-a-way. Seems as good a place as any out here to set up for the night."

"Maybe we find tasties in forest!" Quina exclaimed. "I cook for friends tonight!"

I chuckled as I secured Legacy to my back as Zidane led our party in the direction of the forest he had spotted. Thankfully, the monsters remained at bay as we trudged through the Mist to where we hoped a safe-enough haven would be waiting.

We had managed to reach the forest before nightfall, no worse for wear but still exhausted from the events of the day. Zidane led us into the thicket as we all remained on guard, in case some monsters decided to come out and use us for chew-toys.

However, to our incredible surprise, the forest we found ourselves in was far different from the others we had come across. This forest was calm and peaceful, and there were no traces of any monsters whatsoever. In addition, this forest seemed to be enchanted, as several plants in the surrounding brush let off a soothing light. We all were awestruck by the sight as we walked through the woods to a clearing in the center.

To our surprise, we found that the forest was already inhabited.

Running around was a rather energetic chocobo with a very enthusiastic moogle riding on its back. The two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves as the chocobo sprinted over to us. However, when it saw us, the avian put the brakes on and came to a dead stop, sending the moogle flying forward into Quina with the momentum.

"Aiyee! What this?" Quina shouted as the moogle got back to its feet.

"Who are…KUPOPOPO! You're the one who was chasing after us on the King Ed Plains, kupo!" the moogle exclaimed accusingly.

Quina shook his/her head. "No, I chase chocobo. I no chase moogle."

"Yeah, that was Choco you were chasing, you dunderhead…and I was riding him!" the moogle insisted. "And you were trying to eat us!"

Finally, Zidane stepped in to play moderator. "All right, calm down everyone. Look, I'm sorry that Quina chased after you earlier. Quina can be pretty impulsive at times. Listen, let's start fresh. My name's Zidane."

"Freya," the dragon knight simply stated.

"I'm Vivi," our young mage friend added.

"And I'm Cyrus Truth," I finished.

"You've already met Quina," Zidane said with a glance back at the Qu. He turned back to the moogle as he asked, "So, what's your name?"

"Kupo…my name's Mene, kupo! My friend here is Choco! This is our forest…Chocobo's Forest!" the moogle proudly explained. "You seem like nice people, kupo. Much nicer than last people who came through here."

"Others?" Zidane asked, his interest piqued. "Was it a pretty girl?"

Mene shook his head. "No. It was ugly girl, kupo."

Zidane sighed, his hopes of finding a lead on Dagger's whereabouts dashed. "Oh, I see. Damn, is she really heading for Burmecia?"

"Kupo…are you in a hurry to get somewhere?"

"In a way," Freya explained. "We were trying to reach Gizamaluke's Grotto, but we got a bit lost in the Mist. And with it getting late, we were looking for a place to camp for the night."

"That's pretty wise, kupo," Mene agreed. "Monsters are pretty tough when you can see them. Much more dangerous when you can't see them at night. Well, you are welcome to stay here with us, kupo. But…"

Mene turned his gaze over to Quina. "Don't try to eat Choco anymore. Okay, kupo?"

"Kweh! Kweh!" the chocobo, Choco warbled in agreement.

"Okay, I no cook chocobo. Promise!" Quina agreed as s/he nodded his/her head. "But…you have other yummy-yummies?"

Mene shook his head. "Nothing you would like, kupo. The only thing that grows out here are gysahl greens. Choco loves them, but humans think they're too bitter, kupo."

"Hrmm…" Quina grumbled, obviously unhappy. "Fine! I go out, find yummy-yummies myself!"

"Quina…" Zidane groaned as he rolled his eyes. The Qu, however, wasn't hearing it as s/he headed out of the clearing.

I chuckled as I spoke up, "Don't worry, Zidane. I'll run after Quina. Hopefully we can find something to bring back for dinner."

"Wait!" Mene interjected. "You should take Choco with you. Choco's very fast and knows how to get back home. Keep Choco around and you won't get lost, kupo!"

I shrugged as I looked at the chocobo, who tilted his head quizzically at me. A few seconds later, Choco walked up and nodded at me as if to say that he'd be willing to come with me. Zidane looked at all of this and nodded in agreement.

"All right, but be careful. And make sure Quina keeps out of trouble."

"Relax, Zidane," I assured the thief. "It's just going out to hunt up some grub. How much trouble can we possibly get into?"

"AIYEE! Dragon scary!"

"KWEH!"

By means unknown to me at the time, Quina and Choco had somehow managed to disturb what was obviously the nest of a very large and very ornery ironite, which now had been chasing us for a good three minutes all over the plains. I wanted to stand and fight, but Quina and Choco were too spooked to get their composure. And since I wasn't bold enough to take on an ironite by myself, I had no choice but to run my ass off myself. Eventually, our trio managed to find what looked like an alcove and hide in some of the nearby foliage. We all held our heads down as the ironite circled around for a few minutes before flying off elsewhere. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked out and faced Quina.

"Okay, Quina…please explain to me how we ended up getting chased by a giant ironite. I told you that was an obvious monster den…"

"But I smelled tasties!" Quina insisted as s/he rummaged through his/her backpack. "I find these in nest!"

The Qu pulled out several very large eggs from his/her pack. "Eggs laying in nest. I make tasty dish from eggs for Zidane and others."

"Kweh…" Choco muttered as he shook his head. If he could, I'm sure that the chocobo would've face-palmed.

"Quina, I understand that as a Qu, you don't have much in the way of restraint," I said in as calm a tone as I could muster (which admittedly wasn't much). "But the next time you want to go scavenging in a monster's nest, you might want to make sure that THE MOTHER OR FATHER'S NOT THERE!"

Quina looked at me with a blank stare for a very awkward couple of seconds before asking, "You need hug?"

The Qu outstretched his/her arms as I hung my head in exasperation. Still, a part of me almost wanted to chuckle at Quina's genuine and honest attempt to make me feel better. "No, Quina…I don't need a hug. I guess I should be grateful that we at least got the eggs without getting our asses burnt by that ironite. We should…wait a minute, where are we?"

Quina, Choco, and I finally took the chance to examine our surroundings. To our shock, we saw what looked like a massive gate shrouded by overgrown vines and brush. Off a ways from the gate was a spring with clear, running water.

"Quina, Choco? I think we ran all the way to South Gate."

"South Gate?" Quina inquired. "South Gate got good food! Bundt cake delicious!"

I shook my head. "No, Quina…the bundt cake is only at the Summit Station. And last I heard, this gate here is completely wrecked. So we're not going to be having any cake tonight."

"Oh…" Quina muttered as s/he hung his/her head low. I sighed as I noticed Choco clawing at the ground near the spring. I walked over to see what Choco was digging at.

"Kweh!" the chocobo cried out as he backed away to let me take a look at it. To my surprise, Choco had found a patch of coffee beans on the vine. I used the dagger that Zidane had lent me back at the Ice Cavern to harvest the coffee beans.

"That's right!" I suddenly remembered. "This is where you get Moccha Coffee in the game. Well, isn't that fortuitous…"

I smirked as I put the coffee beans in a spare burlap bag and pocketed them along with the Burman Coffee I had procured in Dali. I then took a quick drink from the spring and felt myself become revitalized as I saw Quina digging at the ground for what s/he later explained was for spices and fixings.

After we had all gotten our strength back, I asked Choco to lead us back to Chocobo's Forest. With a cheery "kweh," Choco led the way back out of the alcove and onto the plains. However, our trip home was quickly interrupted by the sound of an all-too familiar roar.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…"

In a flash, the ironite that had chased us earlier swooped down, blocking our path to Chocobo's Forest. And with our backs to the mountain and South Gate, we were essentially trapped.

"Cyrus!" Quina shouted. "Dragon back! What we do?"

I sighed as I unsheathed Legacy. "We've no choice…looks like we have to fight."

"Kweh?" Choco chirped, sounding like he was asking me if I was crazy.

"Afraid so, Choco," I muttered as I readied myself. "We either fight or stand here and get eaten."

"Eaten? I no get eaten! I still have many dishes to eat!" Quina retorted as s/he grabbed his/her combat fork. "We fix tasty stew out of dragon!"

I nodded as Quina and I readied ourselves. The ironite, not backing up an inch, roared again as it prepared to strike.

(Play "Battle for the Future" from the Dark Cloud 2 OST)

The ironite took the initiative as it swooped in for a strike, looking to ram us with its hardened wings. Quina and I dodged out of the way as the ironite turned and let loose a powerful flamethrower-like attack from deep within its lungs. Quina countered the Flame attack with his/her Aqua Breath, but the ironite took exception to the blue magic as it retaliated with a strike from its tail, knocking Quina down.

Before the ironite could sink its fangs into the Qu, I rushed in and went for a slash on the ironite's left wing. However, I only managed to graze it as the ironite flew up into the air and summoned a Thundara spell. I dodged the first one, but the lesser dragon's second spell hit me dead center, sending me flying back into a nearby rock. With my body wracking in pain, I struggled to make it to my feet as the ironite stared me down, readying another Flame attack…

"Vanish!"

Quina's voice rang out as the ironite unleashed its vicious fire breath…but surprising, the magical attack didn't hurt me…in fact, it passed right through me!

"Holy hell…" I muttered as I waved my now-invisible arm in front of me. In fact, the only way you could tell that I was there was Legacy seemingly floating in mid-air. Suddenly, I was struck by inspiration as I grabbed a pair of items from my coat.

"Mix! Monster Pollen and Serpion Venom, Elemental Wind!"

As the items turned to energy and reappeared in the palm of my disembodied hand, I pointed the sphere at the ironite and shouted, "Haze of Darkness!"

A pitch-black cloud of some noxious composition rushed from my hand as it surrounded the ironite's face, disorienting the dragon as it bellowed its rage. Taking advantage of the distraction, I ran over to where Quina was standing as I motioned for Choco to come over.

"Listen!" I said as the ironite struggled to regain its sight. "I have a plan, but I need that ironite distracted for a bit. Here's what we're going to do…"

I quickly went over the plan as the Haze of Darkness dissipated and the ironite regained its sight. Roaring viciously, the ironite turned its gaze to Quina and unleashed its Flame attack, only to be countered once again by Quina's Aqua Breath. Quina managed to add a little extra magical power to this attack as Aqua Breath overpowered the ironite's fire and struck the dragon. The ironite struggled as it shook off the attack and saw Choco dashing towards it. In response, the dragon unleashed another series of Thundara attacks, all of which the speedy avian dodged as it turned and headed back over to Quina.

However, unbeknownst to the ironite, I was actually riding on Choco, taking extra care to hide Legacy from the sight of the rampaging dragon. And when Choco made the turn and diverted the ironite's attention, I had leapt off the chocobo and readied myself to strike.

"Arcana Number 2: Spectral Reaver!"

I brought Legacy down in a slash as the sickle-shaped blade of energy rocketed towards the ironite as my Vanish condition wore off. The ironite, sensing the Spectral Reaver coming, was nonetheless unable to dodge as the energy attack cut clean through its tail and right wing and dug deep into the body of lesser dragon. The ironite crashed to the ground as it screeched in agony. I landed a ways away as I shouted, "Quina! Now!"

"Time for snack!" Quina boasted as s/he pointed his/her combat fork at the ironite. Ethereal cooking implements circled around the wounded ironite. The utensils spun faster and faster as they enclosed the ironite, turning the once ravaging dragon into nothing more than a sphere of energy…energy that the Qu greedily gobbled up. Quina patted his/her stomach contently as I finally exhaled, glad to be finished with this grueling battle.

(End Music)

"Mmm! Dragon tasty! I think I learn new blue magic!" Quina proudly announced as s/he walked up to me, followed by Choco.

"Kweh kweh?" Choco warbled, seemingly asking me if I was all right. And despite being thrown hard into a boulder by a Thundara and having bruising all up and down my back, I was no worse for wear.

"I'm fine, Choco," I replied as I downed a pair of potions, handing another to Quina. "Thanks for the help."

"Kweh!" Choco exclaimed as if to say "you're welcome." I nodded as I looked at the still-smoldering battlefield where the ironite's severed tail was laying. I turned my gaze over to Quina as I smirked.

"Anyone up for grilled ironite tail steaks tonight?"

Quina nodded eagerly as s/he walked over to the severed tail and used uncanny strength to carry it. I then asked Choco to lead the way back home as our little party headed back to Chocobo's Forest, tonight's dinner in tow.

The sun had set as Quina, Choco, and I returned to Chocobo's Forest with our "hunting spoils." Freya, immediately in shock when she saw that we had returned with the ironite tail, asked us how we had managed to slay one of the monster by ourselves. So, as Quina got to work cutting up the meaty ironite tail into steaks and getting a fire started for cooking, I recounted the events of our scuffle with the lesser dragon.

"Wow…" Vivi said in a low tone.

Mene was equally impressed. "You must be pretty tough, kupo…taking out an ironite like that. And Choco! You were very brave, kupo!"

Freya crossed her arms as she smirked. "Impressive, Cyrus. Even the majority of Burmecia's dragon knights have much more trouble slaying their first ironite. Some even need several shots before they finally kill one."

"Oh? And how many tries did it take you to kill your first ironite?" I teased.

Freya simply chuckled as she held up one finger, answering my question.

"Well, I'm just glad you guys made it back safe," Zidane said as he looked over at Choco. "Oh, that reminds me! Hey Choco, Mene was discussing something with me that I want to run by you. He mentioned you can dig up treasures here in the forest, but you needed someone to help guide you in hunting. After dinner, do you want to give it a try?"

Mene nodded. "This human seems very nice, Choco! Much nicer than your last master, kupo. And he's a bit of a treasure hunter…so what do you say?"

Choco thought about it for a moment before nodding and chirping. Zidane pumped his fist as Quina announced that dinner was ready. And to my pleasant surprise, the Qu really knew how to cook, as the ironite steak and eggs were very tasty. Everyone expressed their enjoyment of the meal as we all ate our fill. Afterwards, Zidane, Choco, and Mene headed off to another section of Chocobo's Forest as we all set up tents for the night.

The Mist blocked most of the moonlight, but I could still tell that the full moon was out due to the reflection off the malevolent fog. I sat near the campfire reading from one of my newly-acquired alchemy texts while Freya sat on the other side, sharpening her spear. Quina was off eating gorging on leftovers as Vivi was already soundly asleep and Zidane was treasure-hunting with Choco.

At first, the alchemy texts made little sense to me. However, when I started rereading them, some of what the texts were explaining started to become clearer to me. Still, it was much like trying to learn calculus with barely a working knowledge of simple arithmetic…some parts were starting to make sense, but the bigger picture escaped me. I continued reading through the texts as Freya spoke up.

"Why did you decide to come with us to Burmecia, Cyrus?"

Not looking up from my book, I replied, "Would you rather I not be here?"

"No, no!" Freya insisted. "But still…Zidane's coming to help me because we've been friends for years. Vivi's coming to try and uncover his origins. Quina…well, Quina is simply looking for new foods to sample. But why are you with us? You haven't nearly known me long enough to simply be doing this out of friendship."

"That so? Well, perhaps you have a point. At any rate, I'm merely following the path I feel I need to take. Besides, I really hate war and the loss of innocent life. Do I need any other reason?"

Freya was silent for a couple of seconds before replying, "You are a strange man, Cyrus. Helping relative strangers confront a very real danger simply because you choose to. It seems so…impulsive."

"Maybe," I admitted. "But I prefer to think of it like this: I want to understand what drives people to do the things they do. In my travels, I've seen both the best and worst that society has to offer, and both sides intrigue me by their actions and their motivations. I prefer not to let myself be bogged down with worrying about what dangers may come on my journeys so long as I get the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the Truth. So I'll continue walking the path that I feel will help me gain that understanding and do what I can to become strong enough to overcome whatever obstacles may come…that make any sense?"

"A little," Freya admitted. "Well, whatever your motivations, I am grateful to have your help as well as Zidane's, Vivi's, and Quina's. I just hope we're not too late…"

"Give your countrymen some credit, Freya," I suggested. "If they're half as tough as you, then they'll survive. And first thing tomorrow morning, we'll head out and get to Burmecia as quickly as we can."

"Right," Freya stated as she yawned.

I chuckled. "Even dragon knights need their sleep, I guess. Go on, get some rest."

Freya laughed as she nodded and headed for her tent. Off in the distance, I could hear Quina snoring logs, obviously out cold after such an exhausting day. I continued reading for a few more minutes before finally putting the book back in my satchel as I headed for my own tent. I could hear Choco warbling off in the distance as I crawled into my tent and fell fast asleep.

I woke up early, just as the sun was starting to rise. Knowing that we needed to make an early start to get to Gizamaluke's Grotto, I headed over to the other tents to wake up the others. Freya was the first to emerge from her tent, followed by Vivi from his. Quina, having slept outside, simply popped up as s/he started sniffing for something else to eat.

"Well, everyone rested and ready to go?" I asked.

Everyone nodded as Freya spoke up, "We've lost a lot of time. Who knows what sort of carnage has been wrought on Burmecia…come, we must head for Gizamaluke's Grotto!"

"Wait…where's Zidane?" Vivi asked. We all looked around and saw no sign of the tailed thief anywhere. Then…

"KWEH!"

Choco came running up to our campsite, Mene following close behind. Riding Choco was Zidane, and he had a big bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey guys!" Zidane exclaimed as he hopped off Choco. "You guys look ready to go!"

"Where have you been, Zidane?" Freya asked, staring at the large bag that Zidane had set down.

Zidane smirked. "Well, Choco and I spent all night digging up treasure. We also found these stone tablets that showed locations around the world. Mene calls them 'Chocographs.' Anyway, I rode Choco to the locations on the tablets and found a whole heaping pile of equipment and items! Check it out!"

Zidane opened his loot bag as we all dug through, finding all sorts of useful gear. Freya and I claimed two pairs of new combat boots as Quina and Vivi grabbed new mage clothes to wear under their traveling coats. We all divided up the healing items as Mene walked up to Zidane.

"Choco says he wants to help you out! So if you ever need Choco, use this!"

Mene handed Zidane a hand-carved ocarina in the shape of a chocobo's head. "Use this Chocorina wherever you find chocobo tracks. And make sure you have gysahl greens from this forest handy…otherwise, Choco can't find you. Keep finding treasure, kupo! Help Choco become strong!"

"Will do…thanks!" Zidane replied cheerfully as he pocketed the Chocorina. "Well, gang…we're long overdue in Burmecia. Let's head for Gizamaluke's Grotto. Quina, lead the way…and don't get distracted by your stomach again."

"Okay! I take you to cave to Burmecia! No problem!" Quina exclaimed with a nod of his/her head as she, Freya, and Zidane took point as our party exited Chocobo's Forest. Mene and Choco waved goodbye as we headed back out onto the plains and into the thick of the Mist.

Despite feeling well-rested, my mind was far from at ease…especially knowing what awaited us at Gizamaluke's Grotto.

I could only hope that we weren't too late to do what needed to be done as our traveling troop pressed forward towards Burmecia…and to war.

New Mix Combinations:

Haze of Darkness-a black, sinister cloud of smoke surrounds the enemy, obscuring their sight. It has a chance of poisoning and blinding anything it touches.

Author's Notes:

Another fairly light-hearted chapter before heading into some deep shiznit. Like I mentioned, I wanted to cram in the start of the Choco sidequests into the story before heading forward with the plot because…well, come on! Final Fantasy IX isn't Final Fantasy IX without the Choco sidequests!

But next chapter…next chapter, we bring back the epic…Cyrus Truth-style!

Wow…just wow. So many reviewers to thank, both regulars and newbies! Thanks goes out to the following awesome people:

The Duelist of Dawn, Ranchdressing, NobodiesHiiro, Shadow knight1121, Sebastian's Servant Felicia (NEW REVIEWER!), David L.J.J, FF and STH, Volanaro, Master of Death and Darkness (NEW REVIEWER!), Dreylen, sarahleonhart (NEW REVIEWER!)

As you can tell, new reviewers make me excited. I thank all of my wonderful reviewers/recruits for the Legion of Awesome for all the feedback. You guys rock so hard, it makes Black Sabbath look like Justin Bieber.

Next Time: The Grotto Becomes A Grave

Reviews can be used as a tax write-off, so keep them coming!

(Warning: Reviews cannot be used as a tax write-off. This is a sorry attempt at a Review Beg Joke and any attempt to try and use reviews as a tax write-off will get you laughed at by your accountant.)

See you on the Long and Winding Road,

"The Exile" Cyrus Truth