~/*VII*\~/*VI*\~/*VII*\~/*VI*\~

It was with a sigh of relief that Locke took the first steps into the South Figaro caves. Now closer to the desert capital of Figaro, the heat of the noonday sun had beaten down on the two travelers with an unrelenting intensity.

Grass gave way to rock, and the air became stale but cool. While Locke descended deeper into the underground passage, Celes followed with a curious expression, turning her head to take in her new surroundings.

Looking back briefly before keeping his eyes to the dank gray rock ahead, Locke gave the former general a wink and a grin. "Don't worry, miss! I've hunted for treasure in hundreds of caves like this! You're in the hands of an expert."

Instead of laughter, or a smile, an indignant huff reached the man's ears from behind. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Geez...do you ever lighten up?" Locke muttered under his breath, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Can't take a joke..."

They continued in silence for a full minute before Locke heard a series of scuffling noises, prompting him to stop and hold out a hand for his companion to do so as well. Just as she did, a single Bleary dragged itself around the corner. "Watch out," warned Locke, "There's a-"

"Blizzard," recited Celes calmly, holding out her hand.

"Wha-?" Locke was silenced when the monster suddenly found itself incased in ice, which burst into tiny glittering shards. He turned to stare at Celes, who now looked back at him cooly, and perhaps with a hint of smugness. "Magitek Knight, huh?" he grumbled finally, sheathing the knife that now seemed impossibly tiny.

"Is that what you were planning to use against it?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice as she gestured at his weapon of choice.

"Shut up."

But it was now that Celes seemed to grow a funny bone. "Unless you were planning on trimming its fur, or-"

"I can handle myself in a cave!" Locke snapped suddenly, whirling around with fists clenched. "I don't need anyone to protect me!"

At this, Celes fell silent, her face falling back into an expression as stony as the surrounding walls. "...of course." With that, she turned on her heel and strode ahead, passing Locke with her head held high.

As soon as she turned the corner that the Bleary had come from, Locke let out a frustrated grunt and flung his knife at the wall, where it clattered unsatisfyingly on the rock and moss. Running a hand through his already messy hair, he then sighed and picked up his weapon. He stared at it for a moment before following the blonde Magitek Knight through the tunnel.

~/*\~

Silence stretched between the two as they walked, carefully picking their way across the slick stone and underground streams. Every once in a while, Celes would turn to stare suspiciously at the thief, as if expecting him to detonate like some sort of explosive.

They dispatched each enemy quickly and efficiently, Celes beginning to use the long sword at her side after a good many battles. They'd just finished off another pack of Cartagras when words finally broke though Celes' pursed lips. "Look, we should stop soon. It's probably getting late, due to the fact we arrived at the caves in the early afternoon." When her suggestion was met with silence, she huffed again and stopped in front of him, hands on her hips. "What's your problem? If you didn't want-"

Celes was startled into silence when Locke's attention suddenly snapped off the cave floor, eyes fixed on the area behind her. "Watch out!" he yelled, pushing her to the side.

The former general stumbled back, noticing her surroundings just in time to watch Locke get swatted to the opposite wall. Drawing her sword, Celes charged the Gold Bear, slicing through layers of fur and eliciting an enraged roar from the animal.

Jumping back to avoid the swipe of sharp claws, she cast a quick Ice spell that silenced the monster forever.

Then, almost dropping the blade in her haste, she approached the fallen Locke and practically slapped the man awake. And as soon as his eyes opened, the Knight grabbed two fistfuls of his jacket and shook him until his head whipped back and forth. "You idiot! Why the hell did you do that?! You could have gotten killed, with a stupid act like that! What a rash, foolhardy, cliche thing to do!" By the end of her rant, her face was a bright, angry red. Locke drew himself up farther to sit against the wall, wincing and hissing at the pain it drew from the slash wounds on his chest. Celes let go of him, brought back to rationality by the reality of pain, and quietly cast Cure on the man before her.

Long seconds dragged on in silence while the magic healed Locke. Celes paced agitatedly. Finally, Locke ventured a few words. "So are you mad because I'm wounded, or because your pride is wounded?"

The blonde warrior shot a glare at him. "Don't do that again. I don't have to be protected either!" Locke returned her gaze, and the two stared each other down for a bit before Celes slumped down on the wall next to him. "I suppose we're making camp here then..."

"Fine with me," Locke replied simply, unslinging his pack and placing it before them. Celes did the same, though no fire was made. Both were too worn out.

For a few minutes they ate in silence, though not as tense as the previous times. When their rations were finished, both sat back side by side against the wall- damp and in the dark. They could hardly make out each other's facial features in the fading light.

Celes was almost asleep before Locke's quiet voice almost startled her awake. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."

She turned to look at him, squinting in the darkness, staring back ahead with a frown when she could hardly make anything out. "...Apology accepted."

She suppressed a glare when she heard him snort. "You don't have to be so serious all the time, you know."

Celes looked down at her hands, lips pressed in a thin line. "I don't know what else to be," she said quietly. Locke almost missed the words. He kept silent, not sure if he was even supposed to hear them. "What about you?" she asked suddenly, shifting slightly to face him. "You said earlier that I remind you of someone. Who was it?"

Locke sat very still, staring at something that didn't seem to be there. The only sound heard for a while was the steady drip of water from stone to stone. "Someone...very important to me."

"Oh...What-"

"I don't feel like talking about it," Locke interrupted quietly, facing away and resting his head on his knees.

Celes cleared her throat, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "Very well, then."

After a minute, Locke peeked at her from his curled position. A slight smile lit his face. "Goodnight."

He only got a grunt in response, as she settled into a more comfortable position, but Locke fell asleep feeling warm in the darkness.

~/*VII*\~/*VI*\~

The water of the Lete River now lapped gently against its banks, providing the travelers with a safe place to dock. Terra looked around wonderingly at the new surroundings while Edgar and Banon dragged their raft up to higher ground. Cliffs rose more steeply now on the paths- chilled air rushing down from the mountains of Narshe and bringing with it a dusting of light snowflakes that drifted down haphazardly. Terra rubbed her hands along her bare arms, the cold serving as a biting reminder that she was not dressed for such a climate.

She whipped her head around immediately, however, when she heard Edgar let out a curse followed by a dull thud that shook rocks loose and sent them skittering across the stone. Her eyes found him as he cradled his left hand in his right with a slight pout that made Terra smile without realizing it.

Edgar noticed and dropped his hand, sauntering towards her with a wink. "Well, I'm glad you've found amusement, albeit at the cost of my suffering," He tried to snatch up her hand for a light kiss but Terra pulled it out of reach with a blush, looking away. Edgar took it in stride with a shrug and a grin. "It's a small price to pay for your happiness, m'lady."

"Knock it off," called Banon gruffly from where he was now retrieving their quite wet belongings. "You're not in your castle anymore. You need to be able to handle a few splinters."

Edgar frowned at the angry red line now spanning across his palm, but then his gaze found its way to the green-haired girl's own small hand. "Why Terra, you must be cold!" Before she could protest, the machinist retrieved his royal blue cape from one of the drier packs, draping it around her small shoulders. It was surprisingly warm, but then, so was she.

"Um...thanks, but I...I'm not really all that cold," she said, trying not to sound ungrateful. "I don't really get cold that much."

Edgar raised a brow, but made no move to reclaim his belonging. "Huh..." he mused, resting his chin in his hand. "Perhaps it has to do with the magic. That was Fire magic, after all."

Remembering the previous fuss, Terra blushed awkwardly at the mention of that specific incident. "Maybe," she muttered quietly. She looked down for a moment before shrugging off the cape and trying to hand it back.

Edgar, however, only waved his hand dismissively with his charismatic smile. "I'd be honored if you kept it, dear Terra. It only gets colder from here on out."

As he walked away, the green-haired girl again directed her gaze northward in the direction of the chilly mining town, memories from when she first woke up flooding her mind. Could she really find answers here? What did that Esper have to do with her? Why could she use magic when the others couldn't? There were so many questions, and so little answers.

Well, I'm back! :D I've now finished the first draft of my original story, and am feeling quite accomplished! (then on to draft two..;P lol)

But I really can't wait for you guys to see the rest of this story! ^_^ I have so much stuff planned, if you all stick around! I'm pretty excited! :)

Oh, and Irish Brigid accidentally gave me another horribly evil idea! Even more evil than the last one! Hehehe...but she doesn't even know it yet... (yes, it was when you answered my question.. :) )

Until next week! Because I'll be out of school for the summer! And I'll have time to to stuff! :D