Chapter Two
In which more characters are introduced

Pandora set the final sandbag in place and turned to face the villagers of Winhill. The village had been hit hard by a tornado and was now in danger of flooding. "The sandbags should hold for a while, just have someone out here ready to replace them at all times." She strode off to the bar in the center of the village where the smell of flowers still lingered, even with the smell of the rain so heavy in the air. Sitting at a table, she began to talk to herself and pull together the facts about this storm. "Hmm... This storm came up far too fast. These tornados seem to be striking in some kind of pattern. I just hope these rains don't disturb the monsters too badly, or..."

She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. "Pandora?" A small girl stood there, holding a towel-wrapped bundle in her arms. "What is it, Klisty?" Pandora walked over to examine the bundle held by the girl. A tiny cry escaped the occupant of the bundle "kwehh..." Pandora took the bundle from the girl and set it on the table near a lamp. "A chicobo... Where did you find it?" "In the field. It was all alone..." "You did well, Klisty. Listen, I need you to go and get me some Gysahl Greens. Do you know what they look like?" "Uh huh." "Good. Take your brother with you, and make sure he's armed. I've got a bad feeling..." "OK! Bye, 'Dora!"

Pandora got up from the table and went upstairs, carrying the chick with her. Setting it near the fire, she moved to her bookshelves. "Now where did I put that book? Ah! Here we are, Dr. Tot's Guide to Chocobo Care. Oh, and here's the ChocoWhis that boy gave me. It's supposed to mimic the cry of the mother chocobo, but I've never had a chance to test it." Settling into her favorite armchair with the chicobo on her lap, she set about brushing up on her chocobo care. "Ground Gysahl Greens mixed with warm milk makes a nourishing drink for chocobos young and old. This "Gysahl Tonic" has also been found to have a benificial effect at neutralizing certain toxins in humans." She was interrupted by a scream from outside. "Klisty!" Setting the chicobo gently in the warm spot on her chair, she pulled on her robe and ran outside, almost colliding with Klisty's mother. "Oh, Pandora, come quickly! We need your help!" "What's wrong?" "It's Klisty! She was out in the field and this monster grabbed her! Oh, hurry!"

Pandora ran for the field. What she saw here surprised her and confirmed her suspicions. Klisty, unconcious, was in the grip of... "A blue dragon! They normally don't come this far south... Hey! Ugly! Over here!" The dragon turned around, saw Pandora, and roared. "You want some? Come and get it!" Taking a defensive stance, she drew her hands apart, and a sparkling blade of energy appeared in her hands. Leaping forward, she lashed at the beast's legs. The dragon roared and dropped Klisty. "Good, she's down. Now to lead him away... Yo! Come and get me!" Turning and dashing off a way, she turned and waited for the dragon. Instead of chasing her, the dragon turned and began sniffing Klisty. Letting out a yell, Pandora fired three bolts of energy from her hands in quick succession at the dragon's back. The dragon roared in pain, turned, and charged. Pandora ran toward the dragon, rolled at the last moment, and thrust her sword into the dragon's belly as it passed over her. A claw raked her shoulder, and black blood gushed onto her robe. Scrambling from underneath the falling body of the dragon, she moved towards the head. The dragon lashed its tail as it looked into the eyes of Pandora. It whimpered. Pandora placed a hand on its head. "Relax, beast. I shall give you peace." Raising her sword, she brought it down in a swing that severed the dragon's head from its body. Turning her back on the body, she let her blade dissipate.

Dashing over to Klisty, she checked the girl's life signs. "Pulse strong and normal, respiration calm... She's fine. Just unconscious." She turned to the assembled villagers. "She'll be okay." Casting about, she found the basket Klisty had been gathering Greens with, and picked it up. "Plenty in here. Good job, Klisty!" She carried Klisty over and handed her into her mother's arms. "Put her in bed. She'll wake up in a little while." The mother thanked her and hurried off to her house. Turning towards her own house, Pandora's thoughts turned to the giving and taking of life. Who dictates who gets to give life? Who gets to take it away? Does a lost chicobo living or dying have any impact on the world? These thoughts passed through her head as she walked up the stairs. She started to sit down in her chair before she realized the chicobo was in it, turned to pick it up, and the chicobo was not in the towel bundle she had left it in. "Huh? Where did that little bird go?" "kweehh..."

Turning, she saw the chick had climbed onto a table and was nibbling one of her plants. "Hungry, eh? well, just you wait a moment. Patience is a virtue, even in chocobos. We'll soon have a delicious meal for you." Getting out a mortar and pestle, she ground the Gysahl Greens into a fine mush, mixed them with milk, and fed the little chick with an eyedropper. She watched it as it ate. "Well, now. Aren't you a little hungry bird? What shall we call you, hmm?" "kweh?" "No, I'm afraid that's not an option. You might get confused if we call you Kweh. How about Kocho?" "Kweh!" "You like it? Good. Now drink your milk like a good little chocobo."

* * *

Kuja awoke in a bed in a tiny hovel that smelled of sheep. He sat up and looked around him. He had no idea how he came to this world or where he was in it. He just knew that this was a different world, one rich and ripe for plundering. The door of the shack opened and a stooped old man entered. "Well, I see you're finally awake, sleepyhead. You've got a lot of work ahead of you. Would you like to eat now, or wait until lunch?" Kuja looked perplexed. Who was this man, who was talking to him so familiarly? "Where are we?" "Silly boy, we're where we've always been! The outskirts of Esthar. Now come on, son, you've got work to do. Can't have your old man break his back lifting chocobos, now can we?"

Kuja stood up, arranging his straps and leather. "Look, old man, I don't know who you think I am, but I am not your son. I am Kuja! I do not know where I am, or how I got here, but I shall find out. Tell me. Are there any dragons in this area?" The old man stepped back. "Dragons? Now why would you want to go playing with those nasty creatures? You can find some up in the mountains if you've got a death wish. But I wouldn't go up there if I were you." Kuja walked to the door. "Yes, well, you're not me. Good luck on your farm or whatever, but I have a life to live. One that does not involve chocobos except in the briefest of contacts. Good-bye!" Kuja left the farm area and headed north. He would find a dragon. It might not be on a par with his Silver Dragon, but he would have to make do.

After travelling for a few hours, he reached a pass through the mountains. The only things to challenge him had been a few groups of extroardinarily weak unicorn-type creatures. He approached the mountain pass and began to ascend its rocky defile. As he climbed over a rock, he came face to face with a Ruby Dragon. He appraised it with a careful eye. Crude, primitive, vestigial wings, obviously fire-based. It would do. He stood before the monstrosity. "Come, dragon! I, Kuja, shall be your lord and master." The dragon drew back its head and glared at the morsel that dared to challenge it. Deciding it would like this one well-done instead of tenderized, it coughed a ball of flame at Kuja. Kuja stood, arms crossed, as the ball of fire burned itself out around him. He stood untouched by the flames. Then he lowered his arms. "Excellent, my beauty. There may be hope for thee yet. But enough of this play. You like fire, let's see how you like Heat! Mustard Bomb!"

The sphere of flame roared around the dragon, penetrating deep within its skin, causing burns that were hardly felt. The dragon felt its body heating up beyond its natural limit and immediately determined that this was not a Good Thing. It turned to flee from the strange man that stood unharmed in the brunt of its blast. Too late, the burns it received killed it instantly when it tried to move. Kuja stepped forward to the body. "Ha! That's it? Oh, well. You shall become my servant anyway. Pheonix Down!" The dragon rose to its feet, disoriented. Kuja quickly used a skill he had learned to tame a dragon instantly by linking it with his mind. Then he reached into its mind and called forth the ancient DNA secrets that it held. When he finished, the dragon had grown in size, with a wingspan that would shade a good-sized village. It could now fly. In form it resembled Bahamut, the ancient King of Dragons, who also served Kuja in the form of an Eidolon.

Kuja laughed. "Come, Dragon! Let us explore this new world together!" He climbed onto the back of his newly-created dragon and flew into the skies. his eye was caught by the glimmer of the city of Esthar to the south. He swung his dragon towards Esthar and urged it onwards.

* * *

After spending several days up in space studying the weather patterns, Laguna couldn't make head or tail of it. A global layer of cloud cover, paying no heed to the laws of physics. He finally gave up trying to understand it. With a sense of failure, he decided to leave Esthar. Most of the people had headed for the hills when the lower levels started flooding. The designers of this city had not hoped to deal with a flood of this size. How could they? Esthar was a fairly dry area. Rains occurred about once a month, and never lasted long.

Packing a few essentials, he headed to Winhill, hoping he could regain some of his former life. He waded through calf-deep water in the main square as he headed to the bar that used to belong to his love. Raine. That name still brought back painful and fond memories. He thought about his life and what he would do over again as he stood in front of the bar. If he had it to do over again, he would hold onto Raine and never let go! His shoulders shook as he sobbed with the memories welling up inside him.

He headed inside. The place had been well-maintained. The water had barely been allowed to seep in, buckets were set up to catch any drips, and the place still smelled like Raine's favorite flower. He walked to the table in the corner where he always sat when he wasn't on duty as the Monster Hunter of Winhill. He smiled as he thought of his little Elle. She was all grown up now. He smiled and leaned back in his chair. Alone with his thoughts, he wept openly.