Separation Anxiety By FlowerPower1o1

A/N: Darlings, if I ever make you wait that long for an update again, then you have permission to hunt me down and shoot me. This stupid college thing is giving me more work than I can deal with . . . I have a break to write a little bit now though, so . . . enjoy!

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Chapter 9 - The Refugees Of Treno

It was nightfall by the time the group arrived in Treno. Not that that mattered, because Treno was an abnormality of Gaia; the twin moons of Gaia perpetually blocked sunlight from falling on the area around the city.

Even from far away, Eiko could see that the gates leading into the sleepless city were guarded by Black Mages.

"There are more of them in the city," Amarant said, leaping down from a nearby rock pinnacle. "It doesn't look like there are any civilians in the city."

"The nobles that live in Treno are still in Alexandria, most likely," Beatrix mused. "Queen Garnet was going to have a large banquet, and they were all invited. That was the night that Garnet disappeared, and they wouldn't have been able to get back into the city since then."

"They would have gone to the nearest safe place," Eiko said. "And with South Gate under assault by that Black Waltz army, and no other way off the plateau . . ."

"Then they would have gone to my Grandfather's house," Vivi said. "It's no secret that he lives there; people go to him all the time to ask his advice. He's almost like the wise man of the village, besides Doctor Tot."

"So we go to Quan Dwelling?" Quina asked. Vivi and Eiko nodded, and then the group was moving again.

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As Eiko and the others were running across the plateau, Freya and Fratley were just arriving at South Gate. "We cannot spare the time to wait for the cable car, love," Fratley said. "But I don't see any other way to get up the mountainside."

Freya bowed her head, thinking. "We could go to the Chocobo Forest and catch a chocobo," she said. "But then we'd have to teach it to climb mountains, which is another thing we don't have time for."

Then she had a flash of brilliance. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Follow me."

And they ran off, back toward Gizamaluke's Grotto.

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"It almost time," the large round figure hissed. "You figure out secret yet?"

"Give me two seconds, my impatient friend," the shorter figure snapped as it set a final tiny jewel into the silver ring in front of it. "There!" it said triumphantly as the ring sparkled with a bright golden color. "Not only does this give me the power to leech eidolons out of their summoners at a close distance, but it enables me to summon four new eidolons. Eiko doesn't even know these eidolons exist."

"So we no need Zidane?" the first figure said.

"Patience, my friend," the short one said. "I still need Carbuncle, Phoenix, Atomos, Bahamut, and Odin for my plan to work. Shiva, Fenrir, Madeen, Ifrit, Ramuh and Leviathan will just be an added bonus."

"You think you can combine eidolons to create superbeing?" the large one said.

The short one laughed. "Carbuncle, Phoenix, Atomos, Bahamut and Odin will have no choice but to combine their energies when I summon them," it said. "Their powers will create a magical weapon unseen by the entirety of Gaia. And then I will achieve what that heavyweight harlot Brahne couldn't achieve.

"Dominion over all of Gaia."

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Eiko, Quina, Blank, Amarant, Beatrix and Vivi arrived at Quan's Dwelling to find the commoners that had lived in Treno camped out in the intricate caverns and hot springs leading to his house. Quan himself sat in a chair on his observation deck over the ocean, going over an inventory of all the people living in his caves. "Maybe you guys should wait here," Vivi said softly, and he and Quina walked forward to talk to him.

"What was that all about?" Blank said, sitting down at one of Quan's old chairs.

Eiko looked at the two Qu's and the Black Mage talking out on the deck. "Vivi thought that Quan died when he was younger," she said. "Quan raised him after he found him during his travels, and Vivi came to look upon Quan as his grandfather. Vivi has only seen Quan once since then - while we were trying to stop Kuja."

"We should discuss this, speaking of Kuja," Beatrix said. "While Vivi and Quina are talking to Quan. Do we think that Kuja is the one behind this all?"

"Yes," Eiko said, at the same time Amarant and Blank said "No."

Beatrix shook her head. "I happen to believe that Kuja is behind this all, and we know that Amarant thinks that Garnet is behind all of this herself. Blank, what do you think?"

"I told everyone back in Lindblum," Blank said. "It isn't necessarily someone we've already met. It could be someone completely unknown to us."

"I have another theory," Amarant said quietly.

Beatrix, Eiko and Blank stopped to listen.

"Well, a couple, actually. First of all, what about Garland? We know that we fought him in his Pandemonium castle, and we think we saw Kuja kill him, but if he is dead, how could Garland talk to Zidane in Memoria?"

Eiko nodded. "That's especially true since Garland was the one that wanted Gaia's eidolons for their power in the first place," she said. "What's your other theory?"

"Zidane."

Eiko growled. "You have GOT to be kidding me."

Amarant shrugged. "Garland called him his Angel of Death. How do we know that he's not just completing his creator's wishes? He could have staged the fight with Dagger and placed the notes to cover his trail. And he's the one who would know best where the original group went all over the world."

Blank shook his head. "Amarant, I know you have some stuff against Zidane, but I'm positive that he could never be behind anything like this."

Amarant shrugged. "Whatever."

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"It good to see you, Vivi," Quan said. "You grown."

"Hello, Grandfather," Vivi said, hugging the large Qu. "Thank you for taking the refugees of Treno in."

Quan shook his head, his tongue waggling. "First rule of eating hospitality. You have something they don't, you share. Is true for other things besides eating."

Quina jumped up and down. "Master Quan!" she said. "We ask question about Treno! What happen?"

Quan looked at her. "People say, Black Mages swarmed Treno. They come from everywhere. They not kill many, they just drive people away. Then giant big dragon appear over city, like magic, and destroys auction house. Then it disappear again."

"Bahamut . . ." Vivi whispered. Then he said louder, "Where is Doctor Tot? He still lives in Treno. Did he come here with everyone else?"

Quan shook his head. "Tot stayed in Treno. Fortified his tower, some say. No mages got in. He maybe escape in Gargan Roo."

Quina nodded. "We look for him. But we need clear out Treno first. It too dangerous there."

"Come back after," Quan said. "We not see each other in long time. I miss you both."

Vivi hugged his grandfather. "We will Grandfather," he said. "Thank you."

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Freya and Fratley had climbed out to the top of Gizamaluke's Grotto and defeated a Grand Dragon. The two dragon knights climbed atop its back, and Freya lassoed a long rope around its jaw as a sort of harness. She placed the point of her lance against the Grand Dragon's neck. "Do you know that I can kill you if you try anything?"

The Grand Dragon nodded.

"So will you fly us someplace if we agree not to kill you?"

The Grand Dragon growled a little bit, but nodded again.

"Good," Freya said, pulling on her makeshift reins. "Fly to Treno!"

The Grand Dragon let out a roar as it flapped its wings, launching itself into the air. It circled once around the clearing it took off from, then made its way through the sky to Treno, carrying the couple.

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"How did it go?" Beatrix asked as Vivi and Quina joined them once again.

"Bad," Quina said. "We find out that Black Mages overrun Treno. No one left in city, except maybe Doctor Tot, but his tower sealed."

"Not only that," Vivi said. "We found out that a giant dragon appeared over the city and destroyed the auction house. Then it sort of disappeared again. Grandfather said it was huge."

Eiko gasped. "It . . . Could it be Bahamut?" she asked.

Amarant chuckled. "Looks like Dagger is still a suspect."

Beatrix stood up. "If Doctor Tot is still somewhere in the city, then we have to help him," she declared. "He's a close, personal friend to the Alexandrian Royal House, so it is a moral imperative for us to find him."

"Agreed," Eiko said, standing up. "So what are we waiting for?"

The group set off for Treno.

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"Oh, poor Doctor Tot," the short figure sneered as it watched the scene in a shimmering mirror. "Don't worry, children. You can't help Doctor Tot - not after my first eidolon tears you to pieces." The figure slipped its ring on and it began to glow.

"Tantarian! Book of Darkness and Spells forbidden! Rise from my libraries and unleash your knowledge and destruction upon my foes, eidolon book of eidolons!"