The moon shone through the trees of the chocobo forest at the foot of the mountain. Kain Highwind was not having a good night. Rather than tossing and turning on the ground in a makeshift bed of leaves and down, he was brooding. Brooding, and thinking about what had happened earlier in the day.

Why did you even speak with him? He used you! He thought. Even if… I chose to go along with it. Even if he was being used himself. Even if… his thoughts trailed off.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" he asked, looking at the perennial night chocobo.

"Kweh," it responded flatly. Kain sighed.

"You have got to stop speaking with birds, Highwind. What would Rosa even say?" Rosa. His childhood friend. And only his friend. He tried to avoid thinking about her. He wasn't always successful.

In truth he missed Rosa. He missed Cecil and he missed Baron. He missed the dragoons and flying on airships. He missed sleeping in a bed. But he promised himself he would not return until he had conquered a trial himself. A trial that seemed to refuse to present itself.

"What makes me so different from him? What makes him eligible for a trial and not me?" he inquired the bird again. It seemed to be ignoring him now. He sighed again. Even the birds wanted nothing to do with him it seemed.

And who could blame them? Who would want anything to do with a traitor who worked with monsters to conquer the world? A traitor who actively chose to hurt his best friend and the woman he loved? He laughed bitterly to himself. I'm on my own here. And that's the way it should be. It's what I deserve.

And yet there was something he could not shake from his mind. Something he could not push down no matter how hard he tried. That conversation at sunset, before he left the mountain. His conversation not with Golbez, the man clad in dark armor, but with Theodor, the man in the black robe.

Why… did he give me his name? Why did I even ask? Was it out of pity? Or… he shook his head. You're both men, dammit. There's no place for feelings like… that. This of course, was not strictly true. There were several men in the dragoons who were in relationships, even if it was technically against policy. He always turned a blind eye. No sense in getting rid of good soldiers after all. But of course, he wasn't like them. Not one bit.

A wave of exhaustion passed over the dragoon. It was far too late for such thoughts. He should get some sleep if he wanted to begin training at dawn. He couldn't forget his discipline. As if to confirm his bedtime, a large and unusual chocobo walked into the forest. Tall and featherless and with backwards feet. It was an odd sight, but Kain was used to it by now.

"Well if you're back, I suppose I'll go to bed. See you tomorrow night." The bird only gave him a piercing stare.

Kain's sleep was rather uneventful, but for a dream of a man in black.