Disclaimer I don't own anything

Note : Ok, the full title for this chappie is called Learning a Little More About The Mystery Man. I know, long winded but I'm freaking exhausted, so I'm doing the best I can. (Yawns and rubs eyes)

JuseaPeterson - Thank you so much for your reviews. I'm glad you liked the chapters. Yeah, I loved the Moonflow fluff, Monkey naming and Lady Luck incident. You asked How Blake and Dustin would fight? What? If Tori or Cassie were in the Lady Luck? I don't think they would be able to fight. LOL. But then...they have their own versions too, remember? LOL Talk about payback. (grins evilly)

Oh yeah...P.S. Anyone remember how many red spheres I'm up to? I remember starting to mention them when Tori's group encountered Bulk and Skull at the Den of Woe, and I'm supposed to have quite a few... Well, I think I have like 3 or so...well, there'll be another one by the end of this chapter. Anyways, if anyone knows where I'm supposed to get the red spheres...or if I missed one or something, PLEASE let me know! I really want to include the Den of Woe... well, we'll see...

JuseaPeterson - To answer your question, Ashley was hurt because Andros had those women on his arm, but if you read the part about him, he wasn't too happy either.

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(Guadosalam, Normal POV)

Heading into the Chateau Cassidy, Tori pursed her lips a little. Since their last run in, Cassidy only sent a brief message to let them know they were all right, and she sounded pretty depressed. The former Summoner could only guess that it was due to Carlos' disappearance, and silently prayed for everything to turn out all right.

Walking into the livingroom, they were met with the sight of Bulk and Skull with their backs to the group, speaking in obviously fake voices.

"Cassidy, there's nothing to worry about." Bulk said as he seemed to struggle to deepen his voice.

Skull sighed in frustration and shook his head. "Ugh, not even close." he groaned.

"Well let's see you try it then!" Bulk snapped angrily as he passed something to his friend.

Clearing his throat, Skull tried the same thing with an even worse effect. "Cassidy, there's nothing to worry about." he repeated Bulk's earlier phrase.

Busting up laughing, Bulk shook his head and swatted Skull's arm. "Look who's talking!" he shot back.

"What're you two doing?" Tori asked hesitantly with furrowed eyebrows as she took in the confusing and slightly disturbing in front of her.

Both men spun around in surprise, revealing Skull to be holding a small sphere in his hands. Sighing, Skull shook his head sadly. "The boss has been rather...depressed lately, since Carlos went missing." he informed them with a depressed tone.

Bulk nodded in agreement. "We wants to comfort her, see?"

"Oh, so that was supposed to be Carlos?" Dustin piped in with confusion.

"That bad?" Skull asked with a wince.

Tori giggled and Dustin chuckled before nodding in unison. "Yep." they chorused, before breaking into a fresh fit of laughter.

Blake raised an eyebrow at the two with a slightly disturbed look on his face. It's creepy how alike those two can be. he thought with a shudder as he took in their grins. "Even if you did sound like Carlos, you really think it would help?" he piped up as he turned back to the men in front of them.

"It would!" they chorused, once again making his eyebrow skyrocket.

"Whatever you say." Cassie put in with a bored tone.

Leaving the two behind, the group of sphere hunters made their way up the steps and over to where the goon stood guarding Cassidy's bedroom door. Seeing them, he let out a small sigh of relief and nodded in respect.

"Maybe the threat of a little competition will help bring back the boss' fight?" he mused out loud as he waved them in and stood aside.

Entering Cassidy's room, Tori and Cassie walked up to her with Dustin only a couple of feet behind.

"Leave me alone." Cassidy groaned in a dull voice.

Taking in her appearance it was easy to tell she had been crying from the red and puffy eyes, as well as the unusually pale complexion. Not to mention, the light was gone from her eyes, and she looked like a zombie.

"Don't you want to hunt some spheres?" Dustin asked as he tried to get her mind off her troubles. "The Gullwings are gonna get all the spheres in Spira, you know." he taunted good naturedly.

Shrugging, she shook her head. "Fine by me. There's no point in chasing after spheres if my Carlos-baby isn't here to smile. What difference does it make?"

"You're a mess." Cassie stated with a slightly concerned frown.

"Say what you want." Cassidy shot back in the same dead tone as she refused to look any of them in the eye.

With a heavy and disappointed sigh, they retreated from the room and made their way back down to the livingroom where Bulk and Skull stood. Seeing the hopeful looks on their faces, Tori sighed and shook her head sadly.

Looking like he was deep in thought, Bulk slowly pursed his lips. "What if we showed her a sphere with Carlos on it?"

"Why ask us?" Cassie shot back in a bored tone as she raised an eyebrow. "Go for it."

"Of course!" Skull cried as if suddenly struck by an idea. "That sphere! We took one in Bevelle. Care to watch it?" he asked with a grin.

"What's on it?" Tori asked curiously.

Shaking his head, Skull's look turned uncertain. "We haven't looked yet. Meet us in our room, and we'll have a private viewing." he said as he and Bulk dashed into the underground chamber.

Frowning, Tori felt her face heat up at the hidden implications in those words, but also noticed that by the look in his eyes, Skull hadn't. Heading down the path, they once again entered the first room and stopped as they looked around.

Tori looked up and caught sight of a ledge. She wouldn't have thought twice about it, but she saw the faint red glow of a sphere and her eyes widened. Looking around the small room, she noticed some boxes piled by the ledge and climbed up them before walking carefully around the ledge. Picking up the sphere, she grinned at her friends before placing it safely in her pouch and jumping down.

They then continued their trek until they came to the second room. This was the one they were looking for and entered to find Bulk and Skull standing in the center of the room.

Seeing them enter, Skull looked through a shelf at his side. "Let's see..." Pulling out a sphere, a slight sigh sounded from his strained smile. "This should be it."

He hit the play button and watched as the scene of them walking through the Bevelle underground replayed. Tori felt her face heat up as the camera focused on her back and slide down to her...rear, before the camera shot to Cassie and did the same thing. "What's this?" she asked suspiciously.

Shooting him a glare and taking a step back, she watched as he blushed deeply and shook his head. "Bulk shot this, not me" he replied as he shot a glance to his slightly offended looking friend.

That's when the camera shot over to him and he cleared his throat nervously, turning off the sphere.

"So I see." Dustin said with a raised eyebrow.

Stuttering for a moment, he sighed and shook his head as he handed Tori the sphere. "Must be a dud." he said quickly as he searched around again.

"Hey! Who're you calling a dud?" Dustin cried with offence.

Tori and Blake raised their eyebrows at him, but Cassie only shook her head with a sigh.

Pulling out a second sphere, he played it as well, and this one actually focused on the whole where Vegnagun had been...or so they guessed. They could make out the pyreflies, and faint comments from the others through it, when Tori suddenly gasped.

"There's someone there!" she cried as she noticed a shadowy figure moving on the ledge of the opposite wall so far away.

Dustin looked closer as his eyes widened and eagerly examined the image the sphere was producing. "Really? Where, where?" he cried.

"I'll zoom in." Skull said.

They watched as the image grew closer, until the unmistakable image of Carlos came into view. Tori wasn't so sure, but for a moment, she could've sworn she saw pyreflies floating around his body, but with a blink, it was gone and he stalked off into the shadows.

"It's Carlos!" Dustin cried belatedly as the said man disappeared from the image. "What was he doing there?" he asked in confusion as the sphere ended and Skull handed them that one as well.

"I don't like it." Cassie hesitantly admitted, worry shining in her dark eyes.

Turning to her, Tori frowned in concern. "What?" she asked softly.

Shaking her head, she crossed her arms over her chest, but this time, it seemed more for personal comfort, than anything else. "All these secrets. It's just one thing after another." she said a little sadly.

Skull nodded in agreement before letting out a sigh. "If I may. You are free to do as you like, but I ask you not to show the boss that sphere."

Dustin tilted his head to the side. "Why not?" he asked curiously.

Shaking his head, Skull made a face of worry. "Whatever this Vegnagun thing is, it's clearly dangerous. Nothing the likes of we sphere hunters have any business fooling around with. But if the boss knew Carlos were involved, well, there'd be no stopping her. If anything were to happen to her..."

"You guys got it rough, don't you?" Dustin asked with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Raising an eyebrow, Skull looked him. "If only she noticed." he said in defeat.

The group was about to leave when Tori caught sight of a sphere glowing on a nearby bookshelf. Walking over to it, she picked it up and turned, holding it out for the others to see. "Is this one from Bevelle too?"

"Ooh! Been taking naughty pictures again?" Dustin teased.

Bulk turned bright red and shook his head, and Skull raised an eyebrow. "I didn't shoot this one, I found it." he pointed out.

Hitting the play button, the Gullwings and Bulk and Skull moved close to view the image as it came up.

"It's badly distorted. It must be old." Skull pointed out as a faint image of a guard walked by.

The sphere showed a guard walking up to a cage, and inside... Tori couldn't help but gasp as the blonde haired man was again shown.

"Bah!" the guard spat. "The only reason the war's dragging on it because Zanarkand refuses to surrender."

Tori frowned and exchanged a confused glance with Blake. The only war either of them knew about was 1000 years ago.

The man shook his head violently and grasped the bars of the cage tightly as he glared at the soldier. "You're wrong!" he shouted angrily. "There wouldn't be a war if you'd stop attacking!"

"We're not falling for that." the guard said with a mocking laugh.

"Someday..." the man's eyes lowered to the floor as he spoke in a deceptively calm voice. "Your precious machina will turn on you." he threatened.

There was a sound behind the group as the sphere ended, and they all turned to see Zordon walking in with an expression of deep thought. "He's probably referring to the machina war of a thousand years past." he said wisely.

Tori blinked for a moment and frowned. Did that mean that this sphere was taken a thousand years ago? But...if that was the case, then that couldn't be Zach. And if it wasn't Zach, then...who was it?

"When did you sneak on, old man?" Skull asked with a raised eyebrow as Tori placed the sphere in her pouch.

"You can't expect me to remember everything that happens!" Zordon stated firmly with a raised eyebrow and teasing grin on his face. Turning to Tori, he tilted his head slightly. "I must admit, the likeness is positively uncanny."

Frowning, Tori nodded slowly. "It can't really be him...can it?" she asked hesitantly.

Shaking his head, Zordon looked at her apologetically. "I'm afraid not. After all, that sphere was recorded a thousand years ago."

"Right. Of course." she muttered in disappointment.

"Would you like to hear more?"

There's more? Tori thought as she looked up sharply. "Please, go on." she said softly.

"Lady Tori, there are rumors going around lately. Perhaps you've heard of them. They say High Summoner Tori was accompanied by a Guardian from, of all places, Zanarkand! It seems he belonged to another world. He disappeared two years ago, only to return as of late." Changing his glance to Blake, he nodded. "And I see the rumors are true." Bowing deeply, he offered a smile. "I must thank you, young man, for all you have done for us."

Blinking in surprise, Blake offered him an awkward bow back.

"Oh my!" Zordon stated as he stood up straight, a confused look on his face.

"What is it?" Dustin asked with worry.

Frowning, Zordon shook his head. "I had something on the tip of my tongue, but it slipped away. Something very important... Oh well. I suppose I'll just have to think on it some more. Until next time, Lady Tori. We are all connected. There may yet be a way to reunite those who have gone."

Taking a quick step forward, Tori looked at him in shock. "What?"

Cassie shot a glare at the man and rolled her eyes. "Watch what you say, old man." she hissed.

"Forgive me." he said with a bow. "Consider it the ramblings of an old man."

Heading out of Guadosalam with his words fresh on their minds, they made their way to the Thunder Plains.

(Thunder Plains)

Walking along the stormy grounds, the group didn't take long to find Cid still sulking around in the same spot. Shaking her head, Tori walked up to him with a sigh.

Dustin decided to make the first move and walked over to his father. "Are you still bummed out about that pops?" he asked with a shake of his head.

"Who asked you!" he shot back.

Cassie sighed and turned away. "Let's go." she said in a bored tone.

As the group began to walk away, Cid's voice stopped them cold and they turned to find him facing them. Or rather...facing Tori.

"Tori. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" he asked sincerely.

Tori nodded and smiled, and he smiled back. Then, the group continued on their way to Macalania.

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Well I'd say this story is progressing. Another chapter up and a little more info on the spheres. Hmmm...if it's not Zach, and he's speaking about a 'Karone', can anyone tell me who it is?

Anyways, Hope you like this.

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"It talked? Wh-what's going on?"

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Please R+R.

Thank you everyone. :)

Tenshi