A/N: Gah! I'm so sorry! In know it's been forever since I've updated! *Dodges various sharp object being thrown at her head* I'm sorry!! 8th grade is hard! I haven't had much time to write…please forgive me! Also, an important note: I know in the summary I said that Jade is 16… Jade is NOT 16, I changed my mind because… I can't tell you… but it's very important! She's 15, NOT 16. Ok, now that that's cleared up, R&R.

                                                        **** 3rd Person ****
 Everyone sat around a small campfire Vivi had started. The little Mage had fallen asleep, but woke quickly to the sound of Steiner complaining… again.
 "How much longer must we wait in this dangerous place!?"
Jade turned around and glared at him. "I've told you already, we'll wait as long as we have to! Now stop complaining!!"
 Steiner opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by another glare from Jade.
Defeated, he mumbled to himself, "The Princess should not be in a dangerous place such as this…"
 "I HEARD THAT!!!" Jade ran up to Steiner and stared angrily at him. "So, if you're so smart, where exactly are we supposed to go huh!? Answer me that! Look there," She pointed, "petrified forest. And there, tall cliffs! North Gate has been cut off, and it's a good haul 'till we reach the cavern! On top of all that, we're tired, the Princess can't move and neither can…!" She trailed off and stared down at the ground. "We're staying here, and that's that…"
                                                                    ~*~*~*~

In the forest behind them, the cloaked man continued to follow and watch them, studying their every move.
 "How could she have gotten like this? How pathetic, She cannot even sense me… The master will not be pleased."

The man removed his hood and let his long black hair flow down his back as he grabbed for his sword. He remembered briefly the words of his master.
 "So I just slay them all and take the girl… simple enough." He mused to himself.
He unsheathed a thin bladed, yet deadly sword and began to charge the campsite, yet stopped dead in his tracks a moment later.
 "H-How can this be!? Why is He here!?" He smirked, "This will delay my progress, but the master will be pleased to hear I've found both of them."
                                                                   ~*~*~*~
  "Should we wake her up?" Vivi said glancing over at Jade.
 "Nah," Zidane replied, "Garnet said she was up all night, just let her sleep for now."
 He moved off towards the petrified Evil Forest, with Vivi following behind, and glanced up at the vines that held Blank within the forest prison.

 "Blank, you idiot…" 

Zidane heard the Princess approaching, and turned around, "Hey, how are you feeling?"
She smiled, "Good… thanks to that medicine you gave me."
                                                                  ~*~*~*~

  Jade shot up into a sitting position, "Gah! What happened?"

What little sky she could see through the trees was darkened by the Mist, although Jade knew it was morning.
 "No! I can't believe I fell asleep!" She glanced around the campsite noting that the fire had been put out, and everyone was gone.

 "They… did they leave without me!? Where is everyone!!?" She frantically looked around for any sign of them.
 "Umm, miss Jade?" Steiner's armor clanked, "I'm still here."

 "Oh great! They left me here all alone to DIE and be eaten by monsters!! How could they!?" She pouted to herself.
 "Miss Jade, would you please stop crying? Everyone is still here."
 "I'm all alone in the world!" Jade wailed, "I'm all alone on a world where everything wants to kill me!!!"
 "Miss Jade!!" Steiner continued yelling.
Just then, Zidane returned to the campsite followed by the mage and princess.
 "You didn't leave me all alone to die after all!" Jade ran up and hugged Zidane, but quickly realized what she was doing and let go.

 "Ahem… I mean, where've you been? Not that I care because I was totally in control, I managed the campsite all by myself see?"
 "Hello!?" Steiner shouted. "I was here the whole time! When were you ever all alone!? Does anyone hear me!?!?"
 "Alright," Jade breathed, "Should we be going then?"
Everyone nodded and set off for the cavern.
                                                 **** Jade's P.O.V ****
 "Geez! This place is so cold!!!" I shouted as we entered the cavern.
 "Well, naturally," Zidane replied, "The place is made of ice."
 "I can see that! Very well might I add!" I shoved my hands in my pockets trying to keep them warm, and lightly touching my wallet, just to make sure it was still there.
 "Umm…" Vivi stared up at the ice-covered walls, "My grandpa told me about this place… He said it takes travelers to the top of the mist."
 "Ok then," I started, not wanting to hear Steiner babble on forever, "we'd better get going!"
The cavern was like a maze; I'd expected the same layout as in the game, but this was completely different!
 Garnet stopped in a few places to… how did she put it…? 'Admire the cavern's beauty' Whatever, I thought she was full of crap, but maybe that's just me.
 "Everything is so beautiful…" It was the third time she'd gone through this, and I was getting pissed.
 "Look, we're in a freakin' ice box! Can we keep moving before I turn into a Popsicle!?"
Everyone gave me strange looks, and Vivi came up to me.
 "What's a 'Popsicle'?" he asked.

 "It's what we'll all be if we don't hurry and get outta here…"
The mage nodded, and we continued on, when Zidane found… *gasps* a wall covered in ice! Imagine my surprise!
 "Hey Vivi," he called, "Can you melt this wall?"
 "I-I'll try…" the little Mage used a fire spell and the wall instantly melted, revealing a chest. I ran up, opened it, and reached in.
 "Oww!" I sharp pain literally sliced through my hand, "What the hell was that!?" I removed my hand, which was now covered in blood.
 "I think you should stop yelling," Zidane said, a desperate tone to his quiet voice.
 "S-Stop yelling!? Look at my hand!!" I grabbed, gently this time, for the contents of the chest, and pulled out a thin bladed dagger. "Geez! Even inanimate objects wanna kill me here!!!"
 "Jade," Zidane started again, "I really think you should-"
I felt the walls shake, and finally understood why he wanted me to stop yelling, but it was too late, a large sheet of ice landed in front of me, and sent small shards flying everywhere.
 "Aww crap…" I mumbled, as another sheet of ice fell towards me. Zidane pushed me out of the way, and Vivi tried to melt the ice, but it hit the ground, shattering. I wiped my cheek where an ice shard had cut me, it wasn't deep, but it stung like hell.
 "C'mon!" Zidane cried desperately pulling me to my feet.

 "Don't pull so hard!" I complained, but shut up as another block of ice hit the floor where I'd been sitting.
 "Just run!" Zidane said firmly, and dragged me along.
 "Look!" Vivi shouted, "In there!" He pointed as we approached a fork in the path, to a small chamber. Everyone ran inside, just as a huge block of ice fell in front of the entryway.
 "Well," I started, "Isn't this great, now we're stuck in here."
 "Well it's your fault." Zidane teased.
The Princess walked up to an ice pedestal, "What's this?"
 "Oh! I know where we are now!" I walked up to the moogle trapped in the ice. "I remember this…" I mused to myself, "Hey, Vivi, come melt this will ya?"
 "A-alright…" He stumbled over and cast a fire spell, melting the ice.
 "HOT HOT HOT!!!" The moogle jumped up, "You bastards! Oh, hey, I can move again… Thanks kupo!"

 "Yeah, whatever," I said coolly, "You wouldn't happen to have any items we could use would ya?"
The moogle shook his head. "Wonderful," I mused. Things would only get harder from here, and if I hurt myself opening a chest, how was I supposed to survive any boss battles? And what about Black Waltz #1? I knew that fight was just around the corner, literally. (But Zidane took on that fight alone… I'll probably pass out like the others.)
 "Jade? Hey Jade! Back to reality please!" Zidane was waving his hand in front of my face, desperately trying to get my attention.
 "Yeah? What now?"
He motioned towards the formerly blocked entrance to the place.
 "Vivi melted the ice, so let's get going, just please don't yell again."
 "I wont…" I followed the others into the next area, and I could feel the air getting thicker, and colder. One by one, everyone fell asleep, I couldn't understand why I seemed resistant to it, but after just a moment, I could feel sleep gripping me. There was no way to stop it, and I fell to the floor. I couldn't even feel the cold anymore, then my eyes closed, and everything went dark, even if it was only for a second.

 The next thing I knew, I felt something shock me, and I jumped awake. But it wasn't cold… there wasn't any ice. For a moment I didn't know where I was, then the realization hit me; I was back home.

A/N: Again, I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up, and well… I know this wasn't the funniest chapter so far, or the longest… but it gets better! …or at least I think it does… Anywayz, please review!