"Hm. Your footing needs work. Your balance is too easily thrown." On the last word, Warrior broke the block he held with Rosa. She stumbled forward and splashed into the water of Sanctuary.

She wiped a bead of sweat trickling from her forhead and got up, picking up Bartz's Brave Blade and holding it up for the umpteenth time.

Rosa felt especially bad for the sword; she had already borrowed Bartz's spare clothes while her normal garments were being replaced. But Warrior had insisted on seeing her with a sword for some reason she couldn't fathom, and Bartz had insisted, saying he didn't mind and his would be the best weight for her anyhow.

She had been frustrated during a majority of her battles. Sword obviously wasn't her best, ontop of the fact that while Warrior was "judging her talents," as he put it, she was distracted close to 80 percent of the time due to small battle-triggered memories. And Warrior continually pushing her on her butt or letting her fall face-first into the water didn't help her mood either.

"Again." Warrior gripped his sword with two hands, having abandoned his shield for original fairness to Rosa. He brought the hilt up close to his ear and left the point aimed directly at her. She sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

She staggered again, nearly face-planting into the sand. So hot . . . she had to be close to Damcyan. Or Cecil. She wasn't even that far behind Cecil. She tried to catch up to him and the others, but she'd started to slow down from dehydration, and had probably taken a wrong turn anyway in the endless dunes. The sand blew again with a dry gust of hot wind and burned her eyes, blurring her vision-

Rosa blinked hard, wiping furiously at her eyes as she tried to clear the memory's searing sand. She heard a battle cry and barely remembered to parry Warrior's sword.

"Concentrate," he warned. She blinked and realized her eyes no longer burned. She had been overcome by the memory. She hefted her own sword, pushing Warrior away.

She still trudged through the endless sand, each new step like a lead weight upon her legs. She shivered again. The dull throb of simple fatigue had long since subsided to an ache in every single muscle. Her foot sunk in the soft dune, and she lost the effort to lift her boots from the suck of the sea.

She collapsed there, shivering uncontrollably with a feverish chill as the sun glared down at her. Weakly she lifted her head and tried to call out, but her parched, swollen throat failed her. She only managed a hoarse whisper as the desert fever took over her completely.

"Cecil . . . "

Warrior's blade clanged against hers once more, sending jarring vibrations up and down both arms. She faltered, retaining her grip on the sword, and pressed back with all her might, but Warrior slid his blade down hers until the tip of Bartz's Brave Blade was pushed down into the water. He threw his shoulder into her and she staggered back. Before she fell, he grabbed the front of Bartz's tunic and jerked her forward, throat inches from the tip of the sword.

"You are petit." His breath came easy while Rosa was gasping. She tried to calm herself as she stared down the sword to Warrior. "Though your strength is undisputed, you will not be capable of overcoming your adversaries using brute force," he noted.

Rosa grit her teeth. "Give me a bow and I'll not have to." Warrior had made it a habit of pointing out her every mistake. He wasn't doing any of it out of arrogance, she knew, but that didn't make his criticism any less infuriating.

Warrior let go of her collar and she fell to her knees.

"Yes, but if you are stripped of your bow, as you were before, you'll need to make due, will you not?" he countered evenly.

"Well, if I don't bring a sword into battle in the first place, how am I supposed to get one? They don't just appear out of thin air! I carry three weapons into battle: my bow, my knife, and my staff for white magic. Nothing else. If they get lost, I have nothing! Nor can I obtain anything else in the middle of a battle! Why are you training me with the sword when I do not USE one?!" she snapped.

Warrior was silent, and she knew he had no answer. She took the opportunity to turn away and stride to where Cecil and Firion were standing behind Cosmos, in the middle of Sanctuary.

"Give me your bow," she said tersely.

He blinked up at her, shocked by the sudden order. She outstretched her hand to him.

"M-my bow? But, it's too big. The draw weight-"

"Give me the bow!"

Firion shrugged the huge longbow from his shoulder.

"Arrows."

"But I don't-"

"EVERY archer carries a spare quiver. I know you have one."

His quiver and bow were lowered into her hands and she spun and strutted back to the edge of Sanctuary.

Rosa stomped back to Warrior in a rage. How DARE he make a mockery of her abilities when she wasn't using her strongest weapon. She turned back ot where the others were sitting. Cecil was moving his hands, still talking animatedly to Firion, not even paying attention.

She met eyes with Cosmos, who gave her a soft smile and a nod. She raised her hand, splaying her fingers wide in the air above her head. Rosa nodded back, nocked an arrow and, with a deep breath, drew in her direction. It was a heavy draw weight, but not too heavy, and she felt the familiar pull of her shoulder and arm muscles as she held the string taut. The fingers of her right hand brushed the corner of her mouth. She smiled slightly, lining up her shot.

"What are you doing?" asked Warrior, taking a step towards her. "Don't-!"

She loosed the arrow straight for Cosmos.

It flew true to it's mark, flying straight between Cosmos' outstretched middle and ring fingers, directly across Cecil's vision. It embedded in one of the white walls that rose from the floor behind the three of them. Cecil flinched instinctively from the hiss of the arrow across his nose and fell backwards into the shallow water. He looked over to Rosa and she smiled, lowering Firion's bow. "Impressive," he said.

Firion added, "VERY impressive! That shot was over 100 meters, and near perfect-"

Warrior interrupted his praise, "But ONE lucky shot . . . "

In one fluid motion the bow was up and drawn with another arrow notched and ready. She sighted and fired arrow after arrow in rapid succession, until the quiver was empty in a manner of seconds. She lowered the bow an extended her hand for Warrior to see her work.

The two of them walked towards where Rosa's first arrow struck. In the wall, made of arrow shafts, was the shape of a flower with a stem and five petals.

She walked Firion's quiver back to him as they all stared at the wall. Even Vaan, Bartz, the Onion Knight, and Yuna drifted over from where they were standing to marvel at her marksmanship.

"Thank you," he mumbled when she handed him her bow.

Rosa turned and stared back at Warrior. "Well, if that'd be all, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be going." She continued to stare at him, daring him to say more. When he didn't she smiled pleasantly. "Cosmos," she said, dropping a low courtsey that was more than awkward in Bartz's tunic. She turned and held her breath as she walked away, but no reply came from anyone.

"Thank the heavens," she silently said.

But before she got far, Warrior's voice called out, "Next we shall test your skills with knives, since they ARE in your repertoire!"

She bit her tongue to hold back a snide reply as she departed.

A loud bang behind him startled Golbez awake.

His eyes snapped open and he quickly looked around, but in the dead silence that followed, he wasn't even sure he heard anything in the first place.

Using the wall for support, he slowly stood, groaning with the strain on his stiff, aching joints. He raised his head stiffly and rubbed his neck deeply, stretching it this way and that. With an ungloved hand, he gently prodded at his wound. Almost closed. The potions he downed earlier had almost worked.

Another loud bang like the one he'd woken from rang out again and he jumped, heart immediately racing. He stood stock-still, hearing for any more noise.

BANG! Then a whiny, high-pitched voice carried to him.

"Yoooooohoooo! Goooooolbyyyyy! Come out, come out wherever you arrrrrre!"

BANG! Directly behind him. Bits of the rock he was leaning against showered over the top of the plateau.

"Come onnn, Golby! We just wanna talk!" BANG! More rock showers. "We know you're heeeeere . . . " in a deeper, growling tone he finished, "and we'll FIND YOU!"

Kefka threw another Firaga into the rock, and the whole thing shattered, staggering Golbez forward several steps. He spun quickly to face Kefka, Ultimecia, and Exdeath.

Kefka's painted smile widened with a real one. But it never reached his eyes.

"Got 'im!"

A/N: So this is Part 1! When I started writing Part 2 a while ago, I decided to switch the main conflict from Rosa's memory and regaining all of it to more focus on the Emperor and his schemes since we're going to start to see how Rosa and all the Cosmos warriors tie into his plan! I hope you liked part 1, and if you have time make sure you leave a review! Thanks so much!

-Keyblader41996