Disclaimer: Well...I own some of the made-up characters, but if anyone actually wants to steal them,

then I feel sorry for you.

Thanks to Naota-kun for reviewing!!! This story just keeps getting longer and longer, I had originally

planned it to be only six or seven chapters long...yeah right. And if any of you liked Steiner, then I am

sorry for killing him off. Same with Vivi. But don't worry, lots of other characters are bound to die.

Mainly because I love describing things being destroyed or dying. Morbid, aren't I?

Chapter 21

Mikoto opened her verdant eyes, the black pupils shrinking into a pinpoint. She gasped for air, her

lungs burning. She was suddenly in her body, and everything tingled. She felt so alive, like being born.

There were noises and lights, incomprehensible to her muddled brain. Sensory overload.

She then felt cold, realizing, with a single minded clarity, that her dress was still soaked from the

water she had fallen into. Her skirt twisted about her legs, prohibiting movement. She slowly raised a

freezing palm to her burning forehead, the action attracted the attention of the three next to her.

"Hey, Mikoto. You're finally up." Blank stated, obviously relieved.

"Of course she's up." Lani said irritably. She then went to the genome, helping her sit up on

the narrow couch. "You're all wet, what did you do, decide to fall into a puddle?"

"Actually..." the thief started.

"I don't even want to hear about it. We have enough things to worry about." Lani interrupted

him, gesturing outside to where the battle was still raging. She then sat down on the bench next to

Mikoto, "How do you feel?"

The genome answered after a moment, "Besides being cold, really great. I feel refreshed."

"Good," the bounty huntress beamed, "Now you can go out there and tell some of those idiots

what to do. They're running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"What will you do?" Mikoto asked.

"Me? I'm getting the hell outta here. I'm too old for this shit."

"Lani..." Amarant said warningly.

"What Red?" she paused, seeing the look on her partner's face, "Don't tell me...we're going to

help aren't we? Well, at least I'll get to test out my new axe."

While they were debating, mainly Lani complaining, Blank came over to her, "Are you really

OK? I mean you just fell, it scared the shit out of me."

"I feel better than OK, it is strange..." she reassured him, not completely sure herself. She had

just been in a shadow world, and now she felt as if she could run a marathon. She just had so much

energy.

"What happened out there? I didn't see anything attack you."

"I..." she mentally promised to tell him later, "I do not know." He didn't know of her power,

besides it would probably freak him out. Sometimes it scared her of what she could do. But he should

know, just not now.

"The monsters are crossing the moat!!!"

The guard was yelling down the hallway, running towards the entrance hall were Zidane was.

Just how many monsters were there, if even Garnet's summons could not keep them at bay? Mikoto

felt the familiar rush of adrenaline before the fight. She would help protect the place that she now called

home.

She stood up, her legs a bit shaky, and headed towards her room, where her chakra lay on

the table. She changed out of the dress into a pair of pants and boots, the new clothes warm against

her chilled skin. Grabbing her weapon she went to the main foyer, meeting up with Blank, Amarant and

Lani.

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Mikoto sent her chakra in a spinning arc, the metal shining in the darkness. The circlet glanced off

the side of the castle, sparks showering to the pavement below. It continued around, slicing through a

Mistodon's head. The spikes fell off the body, pinning an Amdusias to the ground. Black, retched

blood spilt out of the cut like the waterfalls Alexandria was famous for. The beast's brain was visible,

the grey organ pulsing in the remainder of the skull. The horselike monster was neighing with an ear

piercing tone, flailing wildly about as it succumbed to death.

The genome caught her weapon as it rebounded towards her, quickly giving it a shake to fling

off the gore. She searched around for her next target, finding a Cerberus slashing at the castle's front

door. It's claws created deep gouges in the ancient wood, the splinters catching in the soft flesh

beneath the jagged nails making the door red.

She gripped the chakra tightly as she advanced on the beast. Her eyes glinted dangerously as

she raised her left arm, prepared to throw. But Lani beat her to it, the bounty huntress slicing a leg off

with her axe. The beast collapsed, but not without sending a swipe at Lani. She tried to dodge, but she

was too close. The splintered claw grazing her side as gravity took control of the beast's body.

Lani swayed a bit, then fell next to the monster, clutching her side. Mikoto hurried over and

knelt down, drawing away her arms. She grimaced at the sight, there were pieces of wood in the

wounded flesh, a simple Cura wouldn't do. "Lani, you need to get back. The wound needs to be

cleaned out before it can heal, otherwise it will become infected."

She shook her head, "No, I can still help..."

"Do not be foolish, this is not something to just shrug off." Mikoto hissed, annoyed at the

bounty huntress' stubbornness. She had never been this adamant before, now she had to go all noble.

She then grasped her arm, pulling Lani to her feet, and halfway dragging her into the small openings

near the main door. The genome pushed her inside, telling the guards not to let her back out.

Turning her attention back to the battle, Mikoto spotted Amarant and Blank fighting a Chimera,

the monster emitting flames from it's right mouth. The two dodged readily enough, but were obviously

having more trouble as the monster attacked again. It's tail came up and over it's body, and crashed

into the ground with enough force to create a small crater in the pavement. Blank was nearest and used

to opportunity to separate the tail from the body with a swipe of his sword. Amarant followed up by

slashing three cuts into the right head.

The monster retorted by casting Blizzaga, and as the ice shards formed around them, Mikoto

shouted, "Shell!"

Her spell barely made it in time. As the ice spears closed in on the two, a barrier formed. The

invisible protection causing the ice to dissolve and melt into a puddle. She joined them in front of the

monster as Amarant Cursed the Chimera.

"Use thunder magic!"

Mikoto nodded and stared her spell, the powerful magic required quite a bit of concentration.

Blank attacked again, his sword point driving deep into the monster's side. It howled, and smacked

him with it's deformed wing. The thief staggered a bit, but then recovered. He drew back as Mikoto

signaled she was ready with her spell.

"Thundaga!"

Yellow bolts of lightening crashed from the sky, jolting the beast with electricity. The Chimera

sizzled and burnt. The awful smell filling the air.

Mikoto looked to the other two, "Any one injured?"

Blank shook his head, but Amarant asked, "Where did Lani run off to?"

"She got mauled by a Cerberus and had to go back into the castle, but she should be fine."

Amarant briefly nodded and adjusted his claw.

There were still more battles to be fought.

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Mikoto cast protect on herself, and not a moment too soon. The Stilva's pinchers stopped bare

inches from around her waist. The edges clinked against the barrier. She threw her chakra into it's

head, the blade imbedding in it's face. Blood sprayed outward, pouring into the street. Then the

crimson beast fell, the chakra must have went all the way to it's brain.

She grabbed her weapon, heading up the street. They were pushing the monsters back from

the castle, finally they were winning. The beasts were growing scarcer. She passed a group of

Alexandrian soldiers fighting a Mistodon, and the monster looked to be having a hard time of it.

She even managed a small smile as she caught up with Blank and Amarant. They had been

fighting another Amdusias, but the creature now lay still. It's innards cascading out of it's opened body

cavity.

"How are we doing?" She asked.

"I've been better, honestly." Blank answered, hefting his sword over his shoulder.

"I think the monsters are becoming extinct." Amarant said simply, very business like.

"About fucking time too. I'm sick of all this fighting." Blank muttered.

"We still have more to do, so we should be careful." she warned.

"Yes ma'am." the thief said sarcastically.

"And don't you forget it." she teased.

Amarant merely snorted.

She laughed, the mood just seemed lighter. Like there was a moment of peace in a century of

warfare. She just had to take advantage of it. Otherwise it would go to waste.

Mikoto turned around, and suddenly the moment of peace was over.

"Leiji?"

A genome faced her, his eyes empty disks. He wore archaic armor and wielded a spike

covered ball and chain. Leiji was a large genome, his build husky and muscular. He gripped the handle

and began to spin the spiked ball around and around. The sphere was the size of a beach ball, but cast

iron and covered in sharp protrusions.

"Holy shit..." Blank breathed.

Leiji answered by crashing the ball into the cobblestone pavement right next to him, sending up

a shower of stone shards. He grunted and pulled back on the chain, the ball flying back into it's

master's hand.

"Fer ates Bhecht yoe Czasve."

Mikoto started, it was ancient Terran, "He said that it was a warning shot."

"You understood that?" Blank asked.

"Yes..."

"He obviously wants a fight, let's give him one." Amarant spoke up.

"I agree."

Beatrix now stood with them, Save the Queen drawn and thirsty for blood. She had Excalibur

in the other hand. Mikoto rarely ever saw her fight with two swords, and both weapons were quite

heavy. She hoped it wouldn't slow the general down.

"Climhazzard!"

No, probably not...

Mikoto followed up with, "Flare!"

Leiji made no noise as the spells hit him, he merely swung the ball and chain forcing the four to

move farther back. Amarant decided it wasn't a problem and threw a Wing Edge, it glanced off of the

armor.

During this, Blank had snuck up behind the genome, and poured some kind on concoction onto

him. A black cloud surrounded Leiji's face, trademark of Darkness. The genome swung again, but

missed badly. He couldn't even swing his massive weapon in their direction.

Beatrix used this opportunity to blast him with Shock. While Mikoto cast Haste on the party.

Amarant and Blank started to slice at the armor, the pieces falling off. Leiji still tried to swing at them,

but nearly ended up hitting himself.

The general crossed the two swords and sliced downwards, creating two perpendicular cuts in

the genome's body. Leiji didn't make even a whimper as he faded. His dead eyes matching his dead

body.

Why was he here? Mikoto thought. Most genomes knew nothing of fighting. Only the three

'angels' supposedly had the ability. And why did his eyes have that empty look? It was the same look

that filled the genome's eyes when they were in Bran Bral. Vessels waiting to be filled. But that look

had disappeared when the genomes came to Gaia. They had all grown, and learned of their own souls.

She knew Leiji in the Black Mage Village, the big shy genome that helped to raise the

chocobos. What was he doing here with a ball and chain?

She leaned down and closed his eyelids, not able to look at the lifeless stare.

"Did you know him?"

She looked over her shoulder to the thief, "Yes...I can not imagine him doing this. He was

trusted with the baby chocobos, he hand fed them. This..is unreal."

"I'm...sorry."

Mikoto smiled weakly, "It is not your fault, he attacked us. But...I do want to know what

possessed him to do this."

Possessed him?

Beatrix's shout interrupted her train of thought, "There's more coming!"

Mikoto saw more genomes headed their way, their boots pounding in synchronization. They

marched forward in file, row after row of empty vessels. Then beams of fire, ice, and lightening were

flung at them, apparently the summons spotted this new threat to the capital. But the genomes just

marched forward, intent on their task.

So this is where all of the genomes disappeared to.

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The four hurried back to the castle, trying to warn them of the coming threat. They cut down any

that stood in their way.

Mikoto had barely made it inside the castle when the ceiling crashed in. She shielded her head

from the falling debris, the thick dust burning her lungs. The main foyer was in a state of confusion,

many guards now lay buried in the pile of wood and other building materials. She helped Blank to his

feet, but he clutched at his leg. A piece of pipe stuck out of his thigh, the thick blood already covered

in dust.

"Terra!"

Mikoto tore her eyes away from Blank's wound, only to see Kuja through the settling dust. He

was just as gruesome as he was at the Iifa Tree. His corpse like appearance sickening. One arm held

Terra, the little girl wascrying hysterically. The other hand was wrapped around Jane's neck. The

Chosen clawing at the dead flesh, and kicking wildly.

"Let go of her you bastard!" Zidane shouted.

Terra seemed to hear her father through her sobs, "Daddy!"

Kuja tilted his head, and smiled, showing off blackened gums and rotted teeth. He then flung

Jane onto the wreckage, her body laying limply.

"Any other requests?"

Zidane's jaw clenched tightly, his body tense, "Let her go."

"I don't think so, brother." he laughed, "Besides, little Terra seems to like her uncle."

Terra just cried more, the pitiful sound of a scared little girl.

"You fucking bastard! I should of made sure you died by killing you my self! Grand Le-"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, you wouldn't want to hit your pretty little daughter." Kuja

said in a sing song voice, stroking Terra's dust covered hair.

"You're a heartless bastard, Kuja. I hope you burn in the deepest circle of hell."

Mikoto caught the princess's gaze, the girl's eyes red and puffy, and her voice was hoarse from

screaming. Her heart reached out to her, trying to give her some kind of comfort. But that was all she

could do, any attack on the angel of death would result in the girl's demise. She was a quite valuable

hostage.

Then the genomes appeared in the gaping hole in the castle, rallying to their leader. The silver

genome fixed his eyeless sockets on the crowd, the black depths driving deep into their hearts like a

dagger.

The brightly colored orbs from earlier appeared around them, and sucked them up. Kuja waved

mockingly and disappeared with Terra, the girl's piteous cries echoed through the hall.

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Alexander disappeared in a flurry of feathers, the threat to the city gone. Now Alexandria lay in

silence, the noise of battle fading into the summer night.

The crowd in the castle stared in shock at the hole Kuja had just disappeared through with the

crown princess. Unable to believe what had just happened. Still frozen in place.

The hole was large enough to see the twin moons of Gaia. They hung in the sky, two shining

pendants of the night. One purest white, and the other the deepest red.

Mikoto snapped out of her own trance and let Blank use her shoulder, the thief struggled to

stand. She helped him past the rubble, nearly slipping with unsure footing. Zidane saw her and rushed

over, grabbing his Tantalus brother's other arm. Between the two of them, they managed to get him to

the non-destroyed side of the foyer, where he collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss. The female

genome bent over to help him, but was interrupted by a soundless explosion.

A bright light erupted from the hole, causing those assembled to cover their eyes. When the

light faded Mikoto looked up, not believing what her eyes told her.

Where the twin moons had hung just a few seconds before now showed only one white orb.

A silver disk on the velvet background of stars. The red moon was shattered, the outer layers of rock

and ice now orbited the center. The core was a light absorbing black with red and blue veins

surrounding it, like a twisted heart. She saw it pulse, drawing to it streams of incandescent energy. The

streams arced in the dome of the sky, like ghostly fingers around a crystal ball.