(a/n: oh my gosh, sorry that it took so long for me to upload! Thx to everyone who reviewed...more reviews will be appreciated and cherished!)

Chapter Two - Reality

She was there, right in front of him. The woman from his dreams, the one he had been waiting for. She was smiling and calling out his name. He blinked just to be sure that his vision was not a figment of his imagination but she was still there, basked in a mess of holy light as if she was a descendant from the heavens.

" Is it really you?" He asked in a daze and her response was an all too familiar giggle. Shooting straight up, which really wasn't difficult considering the style of the Wingly beds, he was dispirited to see that the woman he had believed was his love, really was Meru. In his partial dreamlike state and the sun shining down on her face, he must have mistaken her.

The young girl obviously noticed his disappointment because her face seemed to fall as well.

" I'm sorry, I suppose you were expecting someone else," She said softly. She leaned her body against the wall and brushed a tendril of her platinum hair away from her face, and Lloyd noticed on her left hand a ring The ring shimmered as it caught the light, which streamed down as a straight beam into the darkness she had cast herself into.

" You're engaged?" He asked in disbelief. As he walked towards her, she turned away from the wall and hastily made her way out of the room. Once in the light, he could see why he had mistaken her for the woman he had dreamt about. Her hair was fashioned in a tight bun, which was customary for Wingly women, and her revealing clothes had been replaced with a light blue gown. Turning to face Lloyd, Meru noticed him gawking at her and rolled her eyes.

" It's called a dress, " She said with a small smirk. Lloyd wanted to glare at her but couldn't help the smile that had crept into the corners of his mouth.

" That's the first time I've seen you smile," Meru commented. " It makes you look cute."

" So, I see that this man has been entertaining you."

The two Winglies turned to the side where a man slightly shorter then Lloyd was standing at the transporter.

" Don't be ridiculous," Meru scolded the man. Lloyd pretended not to notice the other man's presence, but he did recognise him from the other day. " You remember Lloyd, don't ya?"

" Yes." The man extended his right hand, which Lloyd took coolly. " You fought in the Dragoon Campaign II. My name is Guaraha."

Lloyd nodded, having a faint recognition of the man. Lloyd had seen him yesterday when he had called out Meru's name and after offered for Lloyd to spend the night. He knew that he couldn't refuse; it was not allowed in Wingly custom. His eyes lingered on the man for a few seconds but then averted his gaze to Meru.

" I must leave now, I'm running behind schedule."

" Behind schedule?" Meru asked, almost in disbelief that he was going to leave her. He smiled, wondering if she lived in a world all her own.

" I was quite busy when you disrupted me."

" So you're leaving?" It seemed as if she was going to cry and Lloyd felt slightly sympathetic for her. She was soon to be married, then would have to live hundreds of years raising her young and tending to the home. That would be where her adventures would end, somewhat for the best. She was a worthy opponent, thinking back to when she had fought against him in the Glacial Fields. Strong in magic, yet weak physically.

" You should let him go, Meru," Guaraha scolded. " Soon it will be the end of your adventures."

" That's exactly why I want to go with him!" She protested.

Both Winglies eyes widened. Guaraha was the first to speak.

" You don't even know where he is going!"

" I don't care!" Meru said with the same fierceness in her voice. " I am going!"

Guaraha cast a look that cried `help me!' towards Lloyd. The Wingly in black sighed, not knowing how to curb Meru's determination. He was not familiar with the way she thought, he might end up saying the wrong thing , thus causing her to desire to accompany him even more than she did now.

" Meru, you would not want to join me. I am travelling at a fast pace and will not be battling any creatures along way," He said.

" But what will happen if you do meet any creatures?" Meru asked, her large amber eyes wide with question.

" I...I will run," Stuttered Lloyd, hating having to make such a pathetic lie. Unfortunately, Meru saw straight through him.

" As if! You love to fight! And don't tell me that I'm wrong. I'm going with you Lloyd and that's final!"

She lifted up her skirt slightly above her ankles, then ran full speed into the next room, leaving Guaraha and Lloyd alone. Guaraha shuffled, staring at the floor for a moment. When he looked to meet Lloyd's gaze, his eyes showed worry and desperation.

" Please take care of her," He whispered. " Promise me you won't let anything harmful towards her."

Ridiculous, Lloyd thought. He was angered that the girl's fiance let her go so easily. She was clearly a loose woman, not listening to anyone and poking her nose into other's business. No, he would not give a vow to a fellow Wingly that he intended not to keep. If the girl got herself into trouble, then she should suffer the consequences herself. Alone.

" Will you?" The Wingly asked again. Lloyd set his lips in a firm, straight line and gave him a cold stare. Guaraha was about to say something but Meru burst into the room, still in her gown and carrying her massive hammer.

" You are not going to wear that to travel, are you?" Lloyd asked in disbelief. If he knew women, she would be bitching the entire way about the scuff marks on her shoes or the dirt caught in the hem of her gown.

" Of course I am!" Meru said. " Now let's go! You did say that you were on a deadline."

She kissed her fiance on the cheek and whispered to him something that didn't seem to reassure him in the least. Instead, he began to sweat and left the room, not wanting to see her depart.

Lloyd led the way out of the forest and into the long and windy plains that they were to travel though. They had not encountered any creature, fortunately, but Meru wouldn't stop asking Lloyd the most annoying questions. He almost wanted to tell her to wait somewhere, then abandon her. But for some reason, he couldn't.

" Where are we going?" She asked.

I don't know, He thought to himself. Wherever my heart leads me, I suppose.

" Are you always so silent?"

"I only speak when I have something worthwhile to say, unlike some people."

" They say that questions are the more intelligent then answers," Meru contradicted.

Then a thought was provoked from her words, something that would help him remember his past. More like, someone. Meru had known him sometime; she would be able to fill in the missing blanks.

" Meru," He said, stopping in his tracks. " I need to know, do you remember anything about a blue rose?"

Meru frowned, then shook her head.

" I've never seen a blue rose before, actually," She said after a few moments of silence. Inside, Lloyd knew he shouldn't have mentioned anything about his dream to her; she failed to understand. He slightly felt embarrassed, thinking that he must have sounded like some sort of dreamer.

" Forget it," He muttered, angry with himself. His pace hastened, although in his fury he wasn't sure of where he was going. The fields stretched out and nothing was visible except for the grass and few trees. Meru began to sing after a few hours; some annoying song about sunshine and lollipops. He didn't know what lollipops were, but he didn't care enough to ask either.

When he was on the verge of screaming at the girl to keep quiet, he could see that there was what looked like a town not far from where they were. A small pathway crafted from dirt was a few metres away and finally, Meru stopped singing.

" Hey, it's Ferno!" She exclaimed. " Is that where you wanted to go?"

" I don't know," Lloyd answered. " What lies at the west of us?"

" The Crystal Palace in Deningrad," Meru answered, past her deliberation. " They've finished rebuilding it after the Divine Dragon incident. You do remember that, don't you?"

" No."

She sighed, not knowing whether she should be pitying him or yelling at him, for it was his fault that the Divine Dragon was unleashed. Deciding just to ignore his case of amnesia, she changed the subject.

" I can't fight in this dress," Meru grumbled and turned around a few times, sending up a cloud of dust from the friction of her skirt against the ground. Lloyd shook his head, wondering why women were so strange. One would be complaining that if she fought, there would be a possibility of her becoming injured; this one wanted to fight with a passion and wouldn't give a second thought to being harmed.

" Don't worry about it," Lloyd said, not pausing a moment despite Meru being a few metres behind him. " It's not very likely that we would be attacked. The animals have reached a state of tranquility and meditation among themselves."

" A what what?" Meru shouted. Lloyd stopped and turned around, waiting as Meru picked up her ruffely skirt and ran towards him. Once at his side, she reached down and tore a slit in her skirt length wise up to her thigh. " I don't believe in 'meditation' and all of that junk. What happens, happens. Hmm...it's kinda like free will."

" Don't be ridiculous. In the world, there is no such thing as free will," Lloyd scoffed. " Everyone knows that Soa controls our fate and that destiny leads us to where we are."

" If I were you, I wouldn't be so sure..." Meru said, giving a small smile from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes twinkled as if she knew something he didn't and this aggravated him as much as it aroused his curiosity. She was so strange to him. He glanced at her for a moment, noticing that the smile on her face never faded, neither did the twinkle in her eye. But all in an instant it did.

" We're going to have to cross the forest again to get to the palace," Meru said, casting fretful glances towards the greenery she called home. She appeared worried to the extent of insanity for the first time as she entered the dark green and looked around cautiously.

" What's wrong?" Lloyd asked, when she had clenched her hand and brought it to her chest. She was trembling and small beads of sweat were grazing the side of her creamy white face. She seemed so helpless and small, compared to the loud and vexatious girl that had been blaring out lyrics at the top of her lungs about an hour ago.

She didn't remove her eyes from the spot that they were transfixed on as she gave him her answer quietly.

" We must leave. I've never felt anything like this before. It's...horrible."

"......"

A chill suddenly swept over them, numbing their hearts and freezing their souls momentarily. Something dark and sinful hovered above them and Meru clutched onto Lloyd's arm, her fingers making their way into his skin. Even he was scared, unable to take his eyes off of what was above them. Its figure was indistinguishable, but it still frightened him. Darkness seemed to be emitting from it for day had shrouded into night, and although only black was able to be seen, there was also the eyes. Those yellowed eyes with red veins protruding from the bloodied pupils.

Meru let out a small shriek as the creature screamed and tore at her with giants claws, larger than any hands Lloyd had ever seen in his lifetime. The bone ripped along her torso, blood spilling along the emerald grass. She wavered for a while, staring in a daze at the retreating form of the creature, which had vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared, but her legs gave way. Before her body could collide with the hardened earth, Lloyd stepped forward and caught her in his outstretched hands.

(a/n: Okay, never meant for this to turn out slightly action as well, but I guess that it makes the story less boring. Review plz! The more reviews, the faster the next chapter!)