Cecil released her hand, and it felt like the world crashed around her. Adrenaline trembled in her hands and ankles. Its fists squeezed her heart, tighter and tighter, and she realized she was still gasping from stress and exertion. Her heightened senses could still see the patterns of the color in Cecils' irises, and the exactness of the sharp angles in his features. Details on the others, who were halfway across Sanctuary. She could hear each breath he took, the slight vibrating hum of the light ribbons that arced around them.

It made Sanctuary look fake. The water, the white rocks, the throne, all too crisp to be real.

The wave of physical exhaustion washed over her, and the trembling grew more forceful. She sat down right where she was before her knees could give out, curling her legs underneath her. Her limbs felt dead, her hands disconnected from the rest of her. Just keeping her head level was testing her. She sighed and flopped in the water, lying flat on her back so she could breathe.

"Are you alright?" Cecil asked, awkwardly standing over her.

She nodded, closing her eyes. "Two battles and that bad scare with the manikin are starting to catch up to me," she told him. "Please don't sit down with me," she silently begged him. She needed time to rest. And then she needed time to process everything that she had just remembered. She entertained a brief thought of moving if he sat down, but immediately rejected the thought of getting up. Too much of a chore. She focused again on her breathing, listening carefully, but she didn't hear Cecil's footsteps splash away or leave. She cracked open her eyes just to check and she could still see his armored feet. He was half-turned away from her, probably in awkward politeness, but he was still there.

She debated on telling him that she just wanted to be alone, but she was finished with confrontation for the day. She didn't want to emotionally reengage him anyway. Instead, she kept her eyes open, and watched as the fine details and textures of Sanctuary blurred with her dulling senses. When she felt okay enough, she pushed herself back to a sitting position, surprised at how quickly stiffness set in her muscles. When she was situated, she scooped a few handfuls of water, splashing it on her face and over her shoulder. Was it acceptable to drink the Sanctuary water, she wondered. Her throat felt dry and swollen, and the air only seemed to make it worse. Luckily Cecil moved and saved her the trouble.

He sat next to her, plopping down with a tiny grunt, and from somewhere in his armor he produced a tiny water flask. He handed it to her and after she nodded her thanks she drank several gulps, nearly draining it before remembering it was his.

"Mm! Sorry-" she said, quickly holding it out. She wasn't even thinking, acting like a heathen in front of him.

"Take as much as you need," he told her, gently pushing it back towards her. She thanked him, but still took careful, self-conscious sips. The two of them sat in what she felt for the first time was comfortable silence, and he waited calmly and patiently for her to relax. She was grateful for it, but at the same time she could feel the quiet, urgent undertone of unasked questions hanging in the air, just on the tip of his tongue. She could feel his eyes on her, so she kept her own eyes on the ground, on the flask in her hands, on Sanctuary - anywhere but him.

After what seemed like forever, she was breathing normally again. He finally asked, "What did you think of your first sparring match?"

She nodded, but still kept her eyes on the ground. "Good! It was good. I did okay . . . I think."

"You most definitely did," he told her. "Your accuracy with your bow was incredible. I don't think you misfired once. Your magic was well-executed, your battle sense and instincts are strong, and I felt a true challenge."

That made Rosa feel better, she supposed. She didn't feel as though she had done anything special, but if an experienced warrior told her she was a challenge, then maybe she had done better than she thought. And, she had already beaten the Emperor. "Thank you. Much of that I just did on the spot. I didn't have to think much about it." She was a little distracted by the memories forcing their way into her mind.

"I could tell. And the things you did think about were not selected arbitrarily."

" . . . Except a bit of the magic," she told herself, but didn't say it out loud. She didn't know how he would react to being Confused and almost hurting Bartz. She could tell him eventually.

"Before you left Sanctuary earlier, I was worried about you going off on your own. Nobody told you about the manikins, or the other Chaos warriors for that matter. I was going to go after you but Kain stopped me. He said you'd be fine on your own, and he was right."

"Oh, really? What did he say?" she asked. Rosa had to stop herself from thinking of the worst case scenario, that Kain wanted her to be alone in a dangerous situation just because Kain was the one who said it. After she talked to Cecil earlier, she knew she had to give him a chance. The odds were he was just incredibly embarrassed by his betrayal. She locked down any negative thoughts before they could intrude.

"He said not to worry. That you are strong, you're smart, and you're extremely skilled. And he's right. I always knew it, even when we were children. But after sparring with you I've reaffirmed it. Strong, beautiful, smart . . . " Rosa didn't know what to do with the compliments, so she didn't respond. He waited another second and changed the subject, perhaps sensing her discomfort. "So, what all did you remember? Want to share?" There was the true questions he wanted to ask.

She didn't want to share yet, and especially not with him. Thoughts were still swimming in her head, and she felt as though she hadn't quite come back fully. The last memory she had confused her. Clearly her and Cecil were at the very least better friends than she had originally thought, but more feelings just weren't there. When she started to remember bits of their childhood she had felt a soothing familiarity that allowed her to trust him more than before, but in the wake of the battle and the extra memories she felt uncomfortable all over again. His constant presence had been a relief in her first hours here, but they were now a little strange, and they mildly unsettled her once again. He was clearly waiting for her to remember something, but there wasn't anything there to remember yet. In the meantime she was supposed to entertain his company.

She met his eye, intending to find an excuse to ward him off. But he looked so enthusiastic, like a child about to receive a present. She didn't quite have the heart to tell him no.

"Well, I saw the King of Baron after he sent you away to Mist. I sought an audience with him and asked him why he sent you there. He was pretty angry with you."

"Yes. He was not himself. Golbez controlled him, too, but I didn't know that at the time. I could just tell that something wasn't right. After I questioned him, he grew enraged. He stripped me of my rank and of my command of the Red Wings, but rather than jail me for treason as he should have, he sent me away to Mist Village."

"That's what drove me to leave Baron and follow you, which is when I ended up in Kaipo. I remember staying awake and getting up to run away." They were tiny clarifications, but already she could feel the knots unraveling in her mind. As much as she thought she didn't want to talk about it with Cecil, it actually felt relieving. "A-a-and," she trailed, trying to recall the next thing, "I remembered some magic - a lot of magic, actually. I knew Cure after battling the Emperor, but now I know Esuna, which is really powerful. I remember Paralyze, Silence, Confuse- by the way, I don't know if you knew, but I used a Confuse spell on you because I didn't know how serious it was and wanted to try it out. You should probably apologize to Bartz because you attacked him." She looked up at him to gauge his reaction.

"What?!" Cecil snapped, lowering his head to stare hard into her face. He immediately looked for Bartz amidst the other warriors on the other side of Sanctuary and went to get up, but Rosa grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"Leave it. You can apologize later. It was an accident on my part, and you didn't know what you were doing. Bartz is fine. Anyway, I remembered Paralyze, Silence, Confuse, I already knew Protect and Shell and used them against the Emperor, Slow and Haste, Dispel and Libra, Teleport, and Holy."

Cecil nodded approvingly. "That's almost every spell. There are still a couple left, but they're not commonly used. I'm sure you'll remember the rest later."

Rosa took another drink. As her eyes roved around Sanctuary, she noticed that none of the other warriors had tried to make their way over to talk to her. They were speaking to each other, and some of them cast intrigued glances their way, like they were wanting to say something, but they all remained politely on the other side. Even Cosmos looked like she wanted to talk to Rosa, staring at the two of them from her throne, where she returned to after the battle. It looked like Warrior had stopped everyone. He was standing in front of the group as though to shield Rosa and Cecil from them. Perhaps he said something to the others and asked them to give the two of them privacy.

"I remembered a lot of my skills, too, like that Homing Arrow, and the Ricochet Shot. Then . . . I remembered us traveling to Mount Hobbs, but I can't remember why. I can just see the image in my head. We went on some kind of raft-like craft. It took us across the shoals on the water and helped us reach the mountain."

"We went with Edward, and Rydia," Cecil confirmed. "Do you remember them at all?"

The name Rydia was familiar to her.

"Rydia," Rosa said, kneeling before the child in front of her. "We need you now," she said, and she could hear the plea in her voice. She didn't try to mask it. "You're the only one who can melt this ice," she said, gently patting Rydia's tiny shoulders.

Rydia shook her hands off, lip curling out in a pout. "I can't! I hate fire! I hate it!" Her voice grew more and more frantic. She shook her head hard, refusing to look into Rosa's face, and her eyes began to glisten with tears. Rosa tried to lean down and make eye contact, but Rydia stared straight down at the ground and even turned away from her.

Cecil took a step forward, probably to say something to her, but Rosa waved him off. He was wearing his Dark Knight armor. His face looked like a frown, and he had horns coming off his helmet like a demon. Rosa knew he looked the same as when little Rydia's village burnt down. From what Cecil told her, it was his own fault. And though he was a caring person, Rosa knew it would be harder for her to listen to the comforts of the man who hurt her so grievously despite earning her trust afterwards. She could feel the panic rising up in her chest, making her heart flutter. They needed to get through this ice now, or more people could be harmed, and the crystal could be stolen if Golbez reached Fabul before they did. She swallowed thickly, literally swallowing down her fear, and smiled sympathetically at Rydia, hoping that even though she was only seven, she would catch the emotion Rosa placed in her eyes.

"Rydia, if we can't get through to Fabul, more people will be in danger."

Rydia blinked heavily, and silently the tears started to fall down her cheeks. Rosa was losing this.

" . . . Please, Rydia," she pleaded, one final time. She made her voice as soft as possible. As motherly as possible. As tender as she could be, as tender as she remembered her own mother could be when patching a wound, or caring for a sick person, or comforting her children.

" . . . " She didn't answer. Not for a long while. Just continued to cry silently. And even though she was crying, Rosa could see the struggle within her. It was one of the strongest things she'd ever seen. Rydia was battling something fierce inside of her. She was coming to terms with something that hurt her before.

Even Edward tried to help. "Rydia," he started. "You've helped me, you've helped Cecil, you've helped Rosa . . . You have the power to help many more people. Please, we need your strength and courage." He met eyes with Rosa and raised his eyebrows, searching for approval, and Rosa nodded.

" . . . "

Suddenly, she whirled around. She shoved past Rosa and strode right up to the ice, as forcefully as her little legs could carry her. She raised her hands in the air, and screamed, "FIRE!"

The ice in front of them burst into flames and melted.

Rosa's heart leapt for her, and for all of them."I knew you could do it!" she yelled, running forward. She and the others gathered around her, offering their praise as well. Rosa gently wiped the tears from her cheek and pulled her into a tight hug. Despite her tears, a small smile crossed Rydia's cheeks, and she even giggled at all of the attention.

"Well done! Let's go!" Rosa said.

The four of them turned and continued on their way up the mountain path.

"I remember Rydia and Edward," she told him. "Rydia was a child. With green hair and pale skin. The four of us needed to get to Fabul to try and protect the crystal from Golbez. There was ice in the way of the mountain path, and we needed Rydia to clear it. She was the only one who knew Black Magic."

"Yes - well, she was actually a summoner," he said. "She just also happened to know Black Magic."

"Yes. Something happened to her," she continued. "She hated fire, passionately. Her village burnt down. Right?" His smile fell instantly. He seemed to shrink down upon himself, and even leaned away from her as though she said something terribly grating. "What?"

" . . . What all do you know about that?" he asked her. Even his voice had gotten quiet.

"Not much," she offered hesitantly. "Her village burnt down, and you were there when it happened. That's all I know. I know from the memory that you told me about it, but I don't remember what was said, or the time surrounding when you told me." She wanted to add, 'You blamed yourself for it,' after it. But he had such a horrible reaction to her very mention of it that she didn't want to upset him any further. She bit her tongue and held it in, unwilling to harm him.

"I . . . " he started. "I wasn't just there. I was responsible for it. Kain and I were sent to Mist Village with a ring. A Carnelian Signet. After fighting our way though the Mist Cave, Kain and I encountered the Mist Dragon, which we battled fiercely. We killed the dragon, we arrived in Mist, and the ring activated. It was . . . actually a Bomb Ring," he spat bitterly, eyes rolling and looking at the ground. "The Bombs set fire to everything. Every building, every home, blowing things up and even . . . people. A lot of people . . . a lot of people in Mist Village burned that day."

She looked up into his face, but his eyes were distant, like he himself was being overtaken by the memory of it. He looked so heartbroken, and Rosa pitied him. He clearly still held on to a bit of the guilt, even after all this time. She pitied the fact that he was involved, and she pitied his remorse. He couldn't even look at her, and she understood the full extent of how much it weighed on him.

"You blame yourself," she said, out loud this time, and the sorrow she felt for him seemed to make her heart heavy.

"I do," he said. "I blame myself for the village and for . . . murdering . . . all those people in the King's name. And I blame myself for Rydia's mother. The Mist Dragon was her Eidolon. When we killed it, we killed her as well."

"I'm sorry," she said, unsure of what else to say.

"I don't want you to think any less of me," Cecil replied quickly, spitting the words out as though Rosa had already made up her mind. "And that's why I didn't tell you everything about Mist Village right away, only that we were sent there. It was the driving reason behind why I became a Paladin. To me, the Dark Knight armor was the pride of a heartless King, and the symbol of a man who would kill on an order, even if he knew it was wrong. Becoming a Paladin was about shedding my guilt and atoning in any way I could."

She felt the urge to comfort him, but when she tried to think of the right thing to say, the words didn't come to her. She settled on, "I don't think less of you. You're a good man, I think."

She didn't know why, but that only seemed to make him sadder. "I was too weak to disobey back then. So I rid myself completely of the Dark armor and the weak man I was. Imagine my surprise when I awoke here with it. Cosmos returned it to me."

"She probably did not know what it meant," Rosa tried.

"I know she didn't. But I still thought that surely it was a punishment for something. Or a sign that the man who I was hadn't disappeared, or that there was darkness in my heart, or something."

". . . Yes, but . . . " she started, trailing off to make sure she was saying the right thing. "Armor is only a casing for your body. All you do is wear it for protection. It doesn't define you. Especially not if you've made the efforts that you have. I think that . . . who you are now-" No, that was fairly presumptuous. She only knew a little bit of him. "From what I know of who you are now," she quickly remedied, "you have atoned. You've surrounded yourself with light, and you now have a connection to this Paladin armor. The Dark Knight represents who you were once and maybe you're not proud of that person, but the current you inside of it isn't bound by it anymore. You just need to wear it sometimes for protection."

"Thank you," he said, but from the tone of his voice he didn't actually feel any better.

"Do you regret even wearing it again? Even though it doesn't mean anything anymore? Even though it's just a power you sometimes employ?"

"I don't know. Sometimes."

She didn't know what else to say to that. She hummed a sound of acknowledgement, and let the conversation drop while he fought through his internal struggle. After another few moments, he sighed heavily and shook his head. "This took a serious turn. I did not mean to make it about me. Sorry."

"That's okay!" she told him honestly. "Either way, I learned a little something about you. And maybe that could bring back some memories, too." The corner of his mouth upturned into a half-hearted half-smile.

"Still, let's backtrack," he said. "Tell me more. What else do you remember?"

"I remember the Tower of Zot collapsing around us. That's how I remembered Teleport."

"Do you remember how you got there?" Cecil asked. She didn't. Rosa looked away and took another glance at the rest of Sanctuary when she noticed Kain striding forcefully towards them. He was the only one who had broken away from the crowd. He sported a frown that seemed to always be there, and he was coming over to talk to them.

"No. I don't have any of the details. Only that we had to escape. And the last thing I remembered was . . . Hi," Rosa said curtly.

"Lady Rosa," Kain said, nodding his head. "May I join you?"

"Of course!" Cecil said, gesturing to the other side of Rosa. She shot him a glare, hoping he would see her distaste for Kain's presence. Cecil didn't catch it. Kain sat down next to her, but as though he felt the awkwardness of the interrupted conversation, he put a small bit of distance between them.

"You did well in the fight, Rosa," he said.

"Thank you. Cecil was a tough opponent. He landed a few solid hits."

"Yes, and you hit me back, just as hard," he countered.

"I was lucky, a lot. And it wasn't a real fight. Not like with the Emperor."

"You battled the Emperor?" Kain asked.

"Ah, you weren't here when she got back, Kain," Cecil said. "She did battle with the Emperor and won."

Kain nodded approvingly. "I don't doubt it. Your magic is very powerful. Even when we were children it was powerful. I'm sure that you will be integral to our success in these battles," Kain said. To Rosa it sounded stiff and formal, like necessary small-talk. He had something else he wanted to tell her, but she couldn't even try to guess it. The conversation lulled for a moment, and to fill the silence Rosa took another long drink from the flask. She emptied it, handing it back to Cecil, and he muttered his thanks.

" . . . Anyway, you were saying . . . ?" Cecil asked, prompting her to finish.

She staring hard at Cecil and when he met her eyes, and she shook her head 'no' as subtly as possible, hoping not to alert Kain. Cecil's eyebrows furrowed and he cocked his head to the side like a little puppy. He didn't understand her hesitation.

She couldn't come up with an excuse quickly enough. She sighed heavily, and finished what she was saying. "The last thing I remember is collapsing from the Desert Fever. And that last one about Cecil," she added silently, but that memory would never see the light of day if she could help it, until she was ready to work through it. She equated the feeling to knowing someone for days, and then forgetting their name. Which, she supposed, happened to her but throughout a longer time period.

"I wasn't there for that, was I?" Kain asked. Rosa didn't know what he was talking about for a second, before she realized that the last thing she mentioned was the Desert Fever.

Cecil paused to think about it, then shook his head. "No, that's right. You weren't. It was after Mist Village. I was only with Rydia, and then we brought Edward back with us."

An idea sparked in Rosa's mind. There was one memory she still hadn't told anyone about, because she never had the chance to mention it: the one she had when she was battling the Emperor, of Golbez taking her away. The images looked blurry around the edges and the panic she felt was distant, but she knew that Kain had been there for it. She had seen him there, in that glass room where she was standing.

She wanted to know more about Kain and his betrayal. She wanted to mention it, just to see how he reacted.

"There's one more."

Kain and Cecil both perked up, but while Cecil popped up with interest, Kain's spine seemed to stiffen. Cecil looked excited to hear it while Kain's frown deepened.

"It came back to me when I was fighting the Emperor. We were in a completely glass room, and it was very bright. Cecil, you were injured, I think. I remember you lying on the ground in front of me." She paused to watch their reactions. Cecil's happy face fell, but more in caution than in pain like when she mentioned Mist Village. He nodded once, slowly. Almost carefully. He maintained her eye contact, but then his eyes flicked briefly to Kain and she had her answer. It had to do with his betrayal. "Kain, you were on the other side of the room, near a crystal." His mouth opened, like he wanted to say something, then decided against it. "I don't really remember right before that," she continued, "but all of a sudden I heard a voice behind me. He said something about you cherishing me, and then he grabbed me and took me away. Kain, you were there, right?"

"I- . . . "

"Do you remember?-"

He stood up so fast Rosa didn't see it until he was towering above her. "I must go. You did well, Lady Rosa." He offered a slight tip of his head and spun on his heels, walking away. She got up too, dragging herself to her feet despite how sore she felt from the battle. When she was upright, she swayed against a momentary dizzy spell but pushed through, chasing after him.

"Wait, Kain!" she yelled, and she let a bit of the frustration she felt for it all darken her tone and empower her voice.

"No. I know what you're doing!"

"I don't know what-"

"Do not feign innocence! You're trying to corner me. You asked me about that on purpose," he snarled, without looking at her.

"So what if I did? It's not the first thing I've remembered about you! I know you betrayed us once!" He didn't reply, but lowered his head and tightened his shoulders, like he was trying to duck away from her. She took two more steps, then yelled, "You helped Golbez kidnap me! You owe me an explanation!"

He recoiled like he was struck, but finally paused. He glanced over his shoulder and stared for a moment. " . . . I owe you nothing. I live with the shame every day, and I will not suffer under your deliberate hand. Not yours, nor anyone else's. Ask Cecil if you wish to know. I'm sure he can provide you with every little detail."

"He told me to ask you. Refused to tell me," she countered evenly.

Kain rolled his eyes. "Forgive me. Of course I would need Cecil to preserve my image," he muttered under his breath, but Rosa heard all the same. He turned fully towards her. Took a small step and leaned towards her with his shoulder, like he still couldn't fully face her. "Cecil would never say anything bad about anyone, no." He took another step. "He would prefer I ruin myself." His voice deepened into a low growl, like a threatened animal. With each word his lips pulled back to bare his teeth. Just like that awful sneer he made to her in her very first memory of Kain. Instinctually, she took a step back, thinking for a moment he would attack her. Her hand snuck towards the knife on her hip, but in three more steps, he completely closed the distance between the two of them. He reached out and snatched her wrist hard, keeping it still between them, just as the Emperor had during their battle. "He would've wanted me to say it myself, so I could tarnish my own reputation. What else do you remember about me, hm?" he yelled.

They were chest to chest, with him leaning down over her, and he was breathing hard enough that she could feel it on her face. "Let me go," she whispered, articulating every word. She didn't try hide the fear in her eyes or the tiny tremble in her voice.

He swallowed hard, adam's apple bobbing from the force of it. He froze, and Rosa could feel the hesitation in his aura. On his next exhale he sighed. His shoulders relaxed, he straightened his back and his head and stood up straight, backing off of her. He released her wrist and Rosa held it close to her chest.

"Perhaps you're doing yourself a favor. By not remembering me." He turned and walked away, and she let him go, thinking there was nothing else to be said at the moment.

At the last moment, she yelled, "Cecil is not the one to blame for what you did, and neither am I for remembering it!"

The silence after felt deafening, roaring in her ears as the other warriors looked on. She didn't know if anyone heard anything except for the last bit that she yelled, but either way they were trying to listen. She watched Kain as he left, leaving Sanctuary's border.

Rosa returned to Cecil's side, and he glanced apologetically up at her. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't," she cut him off, "Don't apologize for him. He already resents that enough, and besides he doesn't deserve it."

"What did he say?"

"That it figures he would need you to preserve his image. He said you'd rather him tarnish his own reputation."

Cecil looked away, to the spot where he disappeared, and sighed. "I've never done anything to purposefully-" he started, to defend himself to her.

"Oh, I know," she told him. "He was jealous ever since we were children. I think," she said. That was just the feeling she got from it, but Cecil's small nod confirmed it.

"You know we forgave him, right? You did, first. He told us he was under Golbez's spell, but all he wanted was to keep y-" Cecil cut himself off, realizing he was doing the very thing Kain was upset about.

"Tell me."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I cannot. Please, I really don't want to speak poorly of him."

"Fine, then," she sulked. "I don't feel it's relevant that I forgave him then." She couldn't control what came back to her piece by piece. Cecil didn't feel she had the full story, but he refused to provide it to her. "What I remembered is upsetting to me now. And I don't feel he has any right to be upset that I'm remembering something negative about him-"

"Well think about how that makes him feel, Rosa! He did an awful thing, that he feels awful about! One moment he's forgiven, and the next you're trying to trap him. Or force him to admit to it all over again after he already did and was forgiven once!"

"I wasn't trying to trap him-"

"Yes, you were! By purposefully telling him just to see how it would affect him? Rosa, that was a bit cruel."

"I just wanted him to talk about it and explain to me what happened!"

"Then you went about it poorly, with no thought to him. You knew he was struggling with it - I told you he was when we spoke before we sparred. I told you he was ashamed."

"He didn't think about us when he was-"

"Controlled, Rosa. When he was controlled. You've probably really hurt him."

She didn't want to purposefully hurt anyone. She wanted the truth, and as she replayed her words and the ferocity with which she said them back, they left a sour taste in her mouth. She had been devious and spiteful, and she knew in her heart that she had done something wrong. Even though she felt slighted by Kain she didn't want to seem like the kind of person who emotionally manipulated others to seek recompense. "I understand what you are saying. I shouldn't have said what I said, in the way that I said it. I regret putting Kain in that position. But all I'm doing is trying to remember. I don't know you, I don't know him, I don't even know myself. Don't you understand how frustrating it is? Didn't you both go through this, too? Or am I the only one who has felt this way? I feel like I've been stolen away from myself. I feel cheated." She stood up and went to pat herself a little bit dry, but she was surprised to find that her clothes were already dry. The water didn't saturate. "I am going to do whatever it takes to remember everything I can, as quickly as possible. Either help me with it, or don't. Thank you for the information you've provided so far. I'd like to talk to the others now."

She started walking back towards the rest of them, and when she met Warrior's eyes he lifted his eyebrows to ask if she was ready. She nodded slightly in response. He nodded back and spoke to the others, then gestured to Rosa. They all made their way over to her, with Firion intercepting her first.

"Well done, Rosa!"

"Thank you!" she said brightly, attempting to smile, but she was so upset and remorseful she couldn't even manage a false one.

"I loved what you did with the ricochet arrow. That was clever!"

"Thank you. I really didn't have to think about it. I just remembered it, and it was like second nature."

Warrior nodded is head, as though to agree. "We could tell. Your natural battle senses were strong, as was your decision-making. Your confidence and lack of hesitation is reassuring."

Rosa hadn't felt like she was confident at all. But she still humbly accepted the compliment. Everybody seemed to think she did well. Watching a fight was most definitely different than experiencing it. Still, their comments were reassuring. From what Cecil and Warrior said, her translation of action-to-reaction was quick, and smart. Her skills, as they came to her, were accurate and well-placed.

"I wanna know what you were thinking when you Confused Cecil," the little Onion Knight asked.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked him.

"You didn't think it was cheap?" He crossed his arms and rested his finger over his chin, like he was contemplating something very deep and philosophical. Either he didn't realize how rude he was being, or he was trying to berate her. Rosa bristled against it.

"Bartz and Cecil both said anything at our disposal."

"Yeah, but he wasn't ready. That's dishonorable."

"Dishonorable-?" Rosa started, but Warrior came to her defense.

"He let his guard down," Warrior defended again. "Had it been a real battle, a slip like that could have cost him his life. He is lucky they were only sparring."

" . . . Well I still think it was a cheap shot," Onion grumbled.

She didn't want to deal with this. Her character had come into question once over her confrontation with Kain and she did not take well to having it called into question a second time. "Well next time you spar with Cecil, don't use Confuse against him," she snapped back, matter-of-factly. She turned away from him, and met eyes with Yuna who stepped forward with Tidus.

"Rosa, you must show me how you make your spells so powerful! I know some White Magic myself, but it's nowhere near your level!"

"You're very sweet, Yuna. Thank you. The words of the spell call up the magical energy I need. I concentrate and build it up, and then I direct it. The crystal in the staff helps channel it, too. In all honesty, I remembered much of how to do it on the fly during the match."

"You couldn't even tell," Tidus said, and she nodded her thanks. "Seriously! I woulda guessed you've been here for a while. You looked totally comfortable out there. Can't wait til you start scouting with us!"

Zidane pushed his way through everyone and slid next to her grabbing her hand. "Dare I say it, Rosa, but you . . . are one powerful woman." He offered a charismatic, smoldering smile and kissed her hand before she could pry it from his grasp, but after he did she shook him off.

"Zidane, please," she chided. "Your charm has no effect on me." He didn't seem bothered by it, and simply cocked an eyebrow up as though she was just playing hard to get. He threw his hands up and casually backed away from her, clasping his hands behind his head. "Where is Bartz?" she asked, looking around the crowd for him.

"Yeah?" he said, emerging suddenly.

"Did you learn anything? Weren't you watching us so you could mime our skills?"

"Oh, yeah! I learned a bunch! Check this out." Bartz held out his hand, and a weapon took shape in his fist. It solidified, and Rosa saw that he was holding an exact replica of her own bow. Complete with the two sets of arms, and the roses and thorns tangled around it. He pulled the string back and an arrow formed on the string. Bartz loosed it in perfect form - no, she realized, perfect copy of her form.

The arrow flew and hit the ground, bursting open into two. Her Ricochet Shot.

"That's incredible!" she said, and she meant it. "You don't even have to have a basis for the skill. What else?"

"Oh! Watch this!" he pulled his hands to his chest, closing his eyes just like she did when she powered up a spell. His stance matched hers exactly, with her left foot slightly behind her right. Bartz spread his hands and a faint green light wrapped around him.

"That's Cure!" she said, and he nodded.

"Yep! I know all the levels, but I don't want to use up all my magic."

"Nah, he just didn't want to show you up, Rosa," Vaan joked, gently punching her arm. "You did great out there!"

"Yes, well done," Cosmos agreed. "Your magical talent is a true gift to this world, and to your allies."

Lofty praise from the goddess of Harmony, who was no doubt powerful. Rosa didn't know what to say. "Thank you, for those . . . kind words," she said awkwardly. "I will use my talent to the best of my ability." It would be interesting to know exactly how Cosmos thought she measured up. Surely, as a goddess, she'd been there since this world's creation. She was the one who summoned warriors, so she would know if she compared to the others. "And," Rosa thought suddenly, "she'd have to know enough about us to deem us worthy of being called." Rosa had chastised Cosmos for her lack of knowledge about the fighting, but maybe all she did was oversee the warriors. She could ask Cosmos about Kain, since Cecil refused to tell her and Kain was too ashamed to admit it himself. "Cosmos, I was hoping to speak to you about something, privately. Do you mind?"

Cosmos smiled sweetly and nodded once, the corners of her blue eyes crinkling. "Of course. Everyone, away," she said, gently shooing those closest to her with small waves. Rosa kept her eyes on everyone, and though they received some curious glances, everyone ambled away without lingering for too long. As soon as they were a safe distance from them, Cosmos looked up at Rosa.

"How may I be of assistance?"

A/N: I've been assured by my beta that there is nothing wrong with this chapter but for some reason I'm still very 'meh' about it. Maybe it's because I just finished writing a high-action chapter in Cecil and Rosa's fight scene. Maybe it's because the action will pick up really soon! Regardless, leave a comment if you have the time.

5/29/21 Edit: I didn't change much, but what I did change has made me much more happy with this chapter! Still leave a review if you want to!