Tiamit turned, looking up from her book as Salamander entered.  "Well…? Did you get what I wanted?"

The Eidolon nodded, "Yes, mistress…that girl…she's Sarah – the original Sarah.  I discovered the whereabouts of the clock as well."

"Excellent…" Tiamit's full, red lips curled into a smile, "Tell me privately."

Another silence passed between the two, and Tiamit nodded knowingly.  "So…her daughter…and now both of her son's have been re-awakened.  This is going very well if we can take advantage of it…excellent…."

Salamander nodded, "I am glad this pleases you."

Tiamit nodded once more, "Thank you…Salamander, you are dismissed.  Oh – and please tell Behemoth to be on call."

He bowed, and just before he withdrew his mistress seemed to change her mind.

"Deliver that message to Garm and Kali as well.  I'll want to see all three of them later."

"As you wish, mistress."

***

Vincent glanced around briefly, noticing Zidane talking to a small girl with purple hair who smiled and nodded when he apparently asked her something, at which point Zidane returned the smile and picked her up.  Vincent watched the two for a few moments, hoping Zidane would lead him to Sephiroth.  The hope was false – but Zidane did (unintentionally) pass by the exit Sephiroth was standing close to.  Vincent nodded – this was good.  He strode over to Sephiroth and placed a hand firmly on the silver haired man's shoulder, "We need to talk."

Sephiroth blinked.

"Its about you're mother."

***

Seraphim sat, looking at her reflection in the mirror as she toyed absently with an 'x' shaped ring resting on the knuckle of her forefinger.  It was set, in the center of the x, with a purple gem that matched the colour of her eyes perfectly.   She wore a long, white nightgown that offset her relatively dark skin and seemed too feminine on her – especially considering her elaborate tattoos.

"Tell me something."

The silver haired commander frowned, seeing nothing but a silhouette in the mirror.  She turned, recognizing Sephiroth in the doorway after squinting a bit at his figure.

He looked around, "Nice place."

"Thank you," she chuckled, motioning him to sit down in the bay window next to her vanity, "What can I do for you, Sephiroth?"

The ex-general sat, kicking one leg over the other and pointing to a vase of flowers that sat on her dresser.  "Why did you choose those flowers?"

Seraphim turned abruptly, looking intently at him, "They were my mother's favourites…"

"That's what I thought," Sephiroth continued to gaze at the bouquet, "I was…just talking to Vincent about my own mother – apparently, the two of them were involved at one time.  They were her favourite flowers as well."

Seraphim merely frowned – Sephiroth's reply was a slight smile.

He looked her up and down, feeling quite sure of the question to come.

"What are you getting at…?"

Sephiroth's intuition had proved good, "I thought you would have guessed by now – haven't you ever wondered why we look so much alike?"

"I'll ask you again…what are you getting at?" her eyes narrowed – not menacing, but in an expression that signified her inability to comprehend the riddles being placed before her -  until the light seemed to dawn and her eyes widened slightly, "You're suggesting that we might be related…"

"What was your mother's name?"

"Leucrecia…"

"Well – that's a surprise…" Sephiroth chuckled.

"Hmm?"

"My mother had the same name…the only thing I don't understand – how did she end up here?"

"They couldn't have been the same person, because my mother was a powerful Summoner," she lowered her head, "That's how she died…"

Her words seemed to catch Sephiroth's interest and he locked eyes sharply with her, "Explain?"

"It is true…" she turned to look in the mirror, "That before he died, my father told me that my mother hadn't always been here, even if she said she had.  He could tell…little things she did… mannerisms and quirks that suggested an off world being to him.  She…acted like a Terrian, he said.  A real one, if the accounts prove correct."

"A Terrian?"

Seraphim waved a dismissive hand, signifying that the explanation was trivial, "Creatures from another planet that died out and were replaced by others.  The others were brought here by Zidane and in a roundabout way, also by…" she frowned, "…Kuja…I'm not trusted around here because of the resemblance between myself and him.  I noticed some initial traits…but I never really noticed how much you look like him…"

Sephiroth smirked, "Zidane told me the same thing…but he wouldn't tell me who Kuja was – care to indulge me?"

"Certainly," she returned the cheeky look, "I can understand why he wouldn't want to go into that story…" she took a deep breathe, "All right…about…26 years ago, there was a scientist named Garland who lived on a planet called Terra.  Now, this planet's people were nearly extinct and this scientist wanted to recreate the population by creating powerful, soulless vessels called genomes.  The first genome he made was called Kuja…one of the only three harboring what can be called a soul.  Kuja was very strong – and very beautiful, but Garland wanted something better…something more perfect.  So he created a new genome, also with a soul, and called that genome Zidane – Kuja didn't like that, so he decided to get rid of Zidane and prove himself worthy.  Basically, he took the baby genome to a planet called Gaea…which you happen to be standing on…or close to standing on…and dropped Zidane there – literally, so that he contracted amnesia.  Once Kuja did that, he vowed to destroy the planet and Zidane – then left and returned to Terra.  God…there must have been hell to pay for that.  Meanwhile, Garland created the third soul-endowed genome and named her Mikoto…the purpose for this is still…unclear.  Anyway, Kuja found the planet and Zidane about 18 years later and tried to do what he'd sworn…billing himself as an arms dealer to the Queen's mother and piloting a ship called Invincible that had almost wiped out the Summoner race.  In the end, Zidane won him over and Kuja saved his 'brother' from the 'ravenous roots of the Iifa tree'," here, she made quotations with her hand and rolled her eyes to illustrate, "Which he himself was obsessed with waking up…Its like the tree of life, I guess.  It's commonly accepted that he died – but we don't know for sure."

"Hmmm…but if he's a genome…"

"Your ladyship," a creamy-skinned, well-shaped blonde peeked in, "A word?"

Seraphim nodded, "Go on."

"I've received reports from the outskirts of Alexandria City…people say Kuja's been wandering around the outskirt shopping district with a young girl who looks like the queen."

"Speak of the devil…"

"Your ladyship?"

Seraphim laughed and waved her hand, "Never mind…thank you, Clara…dismissed."

Clara walked out, and Sephiroth turned to Seraphim after watching her go, "You like doing that," he mimicked her dismissal wave.

"Huh – oh, that!" she waved her hand once more and gave a slight, complacent smile, "Yeah – its fun, a perk of being in charge, I guess."

Sephiroth chuckled, "Well, I guess that pretty much destroys the theory of Kuja being dead, doesn't it?"

"Guess so…"

***

"…Then bring her to me as fast as possible.  I would like Kuja as well, but if you are unable to bring him, I have something special planned…place this on him," she tossed Kali a small gem, "The three of you are free to bring the two back – alive – in any way you see fit, and don't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in the way."

"We understand," Kali, who seemed to be the unofficial leader of the three, placed her hands together in a prayer position, bowed slightly, and touched her fingers to her forehead.  The other two watched silently, and the three withdrew.

This was all so easy!

Tiamit sat back, her large, black dragon-wings stretched lazily although she was currently in human form, and smirked.  How convenient she had located all of the things she desired so quickly - but the girl would know…if not already, then very soon, that she had been awakened…

Oh yes…

She would know – but of course, it was too late.

Foolish humans.

***

Sarah looked up at the sky, nodding slowly at the setting sun, "It'll be dark soon, I suppose we'd best find somewhere to stay…" she turned to Kuja, "What do you think?"

"I suppose…" he folded his arms, "As long as you're paying."

"Why, naturally," the black-haired girl made herself look sarcastically angelic, taking him once more by the arm.

"Not funny."

"Wasn't supposed to be."

Kuja shook his head in confused amazement…there were some men in the world who seemed to have the female gender entirely figured out – he wasn't one of them and probably would never be; women, especially this Sarah, never ceased to mystify him to no end with their bizarre actions.

"Aha!" Sarah pointed up ahead, "An inn - come on!" she used the arm that was still attached to his to drag her companion in the direction she was pointing, "I'll do the talking."

"How convenient…" Kuja grinned, "I was never planning to."

"Baby…" Sarah rolled her eyes as her booted feet thudded against the wooden stairs.

"Goo goo gaa gaa," Kuja inserted his thumb firmly in his mouth and frowned purposefully.

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at that, "Just don't walk in looking like that…"

Of course, he never had a chance to defy that request, because at that moment, a lightning quick arm had snaked around his neck and a pair of powerful, taloned forearms plucked Sarah easily off of the ground before she could even scream.

"BITCH!" Kuja roared, trying to get whatever held him off by elbowing it hard – he HATED being grabbed around the neck…it was SO degrading.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" a pale blue finger was wagged in front of his face and the other hand held his arms fast, "Not good manners!"

Kuja continued to try and elbow his captor, "Does it HONESTLY look like I CARE?!"

A laugh, "More bad manners… will a broken arm teach you to behave?"

A young man came running out of the inn, a patch over one eye that covered some of his red hair and a sword in hand, "Don't think so…" he grinned.

"Maybe this make it more interesting…" the blue-armed creature flung Kuja back, revealing to his eyes that she was a arguably gorgeous blue woman – dressed entirely in a garb that would have been worn in ancient India.

Immediately following a dull thud as his body connected with the ground, Kuja felt his chest pressed down by a large blue paw, and a glance upward yielded the form of a huge, wolf-like animal that grinned horribly down at him.  He growled, struggling against its grip and wishing to god he had a sword.

The young man circled his opponent, eyes narrowing as he swung the blade around.

His opponent smirked, backed up, and jumped into the air; twirling as she moved her hands elaborately and began to sparkle.

The redhead barely managed to dodge the ice that came shooting towards him, the distraction allowing him to fall pray to a blast of snow that hit him square in the eyes.  He roared something unpleasant, staggering back in temporary blindness.

She grinned, coming at him with a spinning kick that was aimed at his neck.

He caught her leg and slammed her to the ground, bringing her to the mercy of his sword for moments until she backflipped to her feet and aimed a punch which caught him in the chest, then dodged to avoid his sword and landed gracefully on the railing of the inn's veranda.

"Not bad," the man flipped his sword back into its sheath and brought out a knife.

"You think that puny thing will help…?" she laughed.

A grin, "Oh…you'll see," he brought out two more and dropped into a fighting stance.

She jumped off the railing to meet him and the two began to circle each other once more.

The first dagger sailed through the air and caught her in the leg, bringing her to the ground with an astonished shriek.  "I told you," he gave her another grin, "What do you want?!"

She merely snarled and spat at him.

"Fine," he threw another one which caught her in the opposite leg, leaving her completely pinned from the waist down.

"Why should I tell you?"

He put the third one away and brought out his sword once more, "I didn't want to hurt a lady…" he slashed her across her neck forcefully, "But then I realized…hey, you ain't no lady!"

The wolf growled, sinking its jaws into Kuja's neck.

He drew in his breath at the sudden jolt of agony, then realized the wolf had not hurt him fatally – on purpose, it seemed.  He looked up to see it watching the fight.

The woman placed her hand on the end of her opponent's sword, freezing the entire blade, then sent out a second blizzard – this one far bigger than the first and more than enough to blind all four.

Kuja used the temporary distraction of a whistle to worm his way out from under the wolf's paw – suddenly feeling himself swept up onto a horse which galloped off.

"Too big!" it was the woman.

"Kali – it doesn't matter, I got it in him – lets just go."

"Garm…"

"Behemoth got her.  We've done what we came to do."

"Not yet…" a beam of ice followed the receeding horse and Kuja's savior was forced to duck.

The redhead frowned, "'Bitch has a friggin' attitude…" he turned to Kuja, "You okay?  The other one must have made off with your friend – sorry - about the wound, too…"

"Shiva? Impossible…" he turned to the man, "Not you're fault…just tell me you're name."

"Blank…you're Kuja, right?  I worked with Zidane – he's a good friend."

"Zidane…" the silver-haired genome seemed to consider this, "Do you know where he is?"

Blank nodded, "With Garnet…QUEEN Garnet…up at the castle," he pointed, then chuckled, "But you already know where that is…I'd say he's got his hand's full with all the stuff that's been happening recently.  He'll probably want to see you…'told me about what happened with the Iifa tree."

"'Stuff'?" Kuja seemed to have tuned out the rest of Blank's comment, rubbing at his hurt and then wincing, "What kind of 'stuff'?"

"Well, I don't know much…" Blank absently stroked his horse's neck, momentarily taking his eyes off of Kuja, who was seated behind him, "But apparently, two guys that nobody's ever seen suddenly showed up at the castle.  One with an interesting little item he calls a 'gun'…its more powerful then a sword, apparently.  The other guy looks a bit like you…he's been at the castle a few days longer then the one with the gun…name's…" he frowned, "Sephiroth?  Yeah…and I think his pal is Vince…or Vincenzo…or Vincent…one of those – you get the idea.  I know the last name is Valentine."

Kuja nodded slowly, "Then I'll go to the palace; can you tell me anything else?"

Blank nodded, "Yeah – the palace was attacked the other night by what looked like one of Garnet's Eidolon's…something big is up.  Something very big.  I don't know where that thing is taking your friend…but I have a bad feeling that it's not good…not good at all."

"I kind of figured that – you're a good fighter, neh?  Why don't you join me?"

"Be glad to, but we'd better get you cleaned up and on your own horse first," the redhead grinned, "All right if I bring a friend?"

***

Behemoth landed gracefully outside the cave, still carrying Sarah in his talon.  He made his way down the corridor, finding Kali on a slab healing, Garm lying with his tongue lolling out lazily near her and Tiamit standing in the center of the dome-chamber.  He bowed, shoving Sarah towards her.

"Aha!" she clapped, "So you're Sarah…"

"…"

The smirk widened, "Don't feel like talking, hmm…? I can wait," she turned to Behemoth, "You and Garm take Kali to her chamber to finish healing…I'd like to spend some time alone with the girl."

"As you wish."

Once the Eidolon had withdrawn, Tiamit turned to Sarah and smiled again, "I suppose you're wondering about all of this…how did another set of Eidolons suddenly show up…who am I…" the smile broadened, "Why I look so familiar."

"…"

"Well, I'll tell you, but first!" Tiamit snapped and a blue, glowing braclet appeared around Sarah's wrist, "This will keep you from escaping."

"How do you figure that?"

"Ah!" Tiamit clapped once more, "So you aren't mute after all!" she leaned down very close to Sarah, placing her hand under the younger girl's chin, "If you ever try to pass the entrance of this cave, the bracelet will sap the life out of you in seconds.  Trying to escape in order to warn your friends would be useless…and if you value your life, trying to escape will be impossible.  So," she began to walk around Sarah in circles, "Back to the story.  To start with…I wasn't always called Tiamit.  I became Tiamit when I accepted her."

"Accepted her."

"Accepted her."