**Wow, finally another chapter!! XD I'll bet the like TEN of you reading are happy...LOL. Another short one this time--school and my health problems (fibromyalgia--you can look it up, if you want, its hard to explain...) have been taking over my life, leaving little time for fanfic writing. Don't worry though! I WILL finish this, but of course, its a long way from being finished...^_^ Have fun, and enjoy my next lil' chapter!**

"Let's rock, baby." Arashi swung the belt whip above her head, quickly gaining speed. She stepped forward slowly. "Niet, you get the Dingo--"

"Dingo?" Niet's face faltered for a moment.

"The dog lookin' thing."

"Oh, right."

Arashi continued. "I'll get the condor, and Yueh, get the flan! Go!"

When all three tried to move, Yueh's and Arashi's feet stayed put while Niet ran forward in full force and slashed at the dog creature. Her rapier connected and a white 76 fluttered up from the dog, who merely shook it off.

Yueh nearly hit herself in the forehead. "Turn-based battle." The fire now hovered above her head. She moved her feet experimentally. They remained rooted to the ground. Looking up at Arashi, she smiled. "You're next."

Arashi nodded once and ran forward, whipping her belt up at the condor. It hit the bird's neck and wrapped around. Arashi tugged at it and the brid smacked the ground with a resounding 120 damage. As it disappeared into a flurry of pyreflies, Arashi ran back into her place in line, grinning.

"At least I do more damage than Yuna without an Aeon..."

Yueh went to walk forward again, but her feet were still stuck as if in the deepest, most thick mud one has ever seen. She groaned. "Dang it. I forgot that Lulu got like half the speed of the other characters..."

Niet was running again and hit the Dingo for the remaining amount of damage. It dissolved into the pyreflies and Yueh finally got to step forward to cast a spell.

"Here we go! Shock therapy!" She threw lightning at the remaining fiend, which melted immediately into a puddle on the ground. All three girls did a victory dance, and Yueh trotted up to where the fiends had stood.

She picked up 45 gil and three small spheres and held them out for the others to see.

Arashi pocketed the gil. "We finally have money!"

Niet poked at a sphere in Yueh's hand. "And spheres. Any idea how to use them?"

Arashi, Niet, and Yueh pondered this for a moment, before Arashi plucked one out of her hand and plopped it in her mouth. Before the others could protest, she swallowed the small sphere and gave a happy sigh.

"I feel more magic already!" She grinned and went to set her tent back up, stuffing her half belt back in its proper place.

Yueh blinked, and Niet took one of the spheres from Yueh's palm. She held it up to her eyes and squinted.

"Should we?"

"Hey, she took the mana sphere!"

Both comments came out at the same time, and the girls looked at each other a moment, silence cutting through the night.

In a second, the spheres were tossed in their mouths and they swallowed. Yueh watched Niet flex her muscles while Yueh felt like she had just drank 13 2 liter bottles of Mountain Dew. Her eyes twitched involuntarily.

"Sp-sp-speed sphe-ee-ere," she twittered. Her head jerked to one side. "I think I'm going to be up for a while..." Yueh managed to turn her head to Niet. "You go sleep. If I try to, it'll just b-b-be wasted t-time." She leaned against a tree, her hand jittering.

Niet happily hopped off to her tent as Yueh tried to get situated. She heard a rustle in the leaves and turned only to see her hand was what was moving the fauna.

She leaned her head back, trying to close her brown eyes. This was going to be a long night...

*-*-*-*-*

Just outside the Nevada borderline, Mary and her new--and only--guardian were also settling down for the night in the cool desert darkness. The boy, who she now knew was nicknamed Genki for his spunky attitude, was sitting close to the newly started fire, wrapped tightly in a heavier robe.

Mary was readying the only tent they had when the light began to flicker out. Genki desperately began to breathe upon the kindling to restart it. Mary sighed and simply flung another small Fire spell at it. The flames shot up and nearly burned off Genki's nose.

He jumped back, gasping for breath. "Lady, please, warn me next time you decide to shoot fire!" he shouted. He glanced back at Mary, who was still busy with the tent, ignoring him. "My Lady! My Lady, I--"

"Hush, Genki. I am busy." She shot a glare at him. "If you were any sort of guardian, you would be doing this." Her long, sharp nails were obstructing her from properly setting it up. Mary growled as the tent fell to the sand once more. She began cursing as a thought struck her young companion.

"My Lady, I have just realized. I do not know the name of who I am protecting." His innocent brown eyes looked up at the woman. "What is your name?"

Mary stopped cursing to regard the young man. She had never mentioned her name to anyone thus far, and had not thought it important to introduce herself. Once she had made it to Sin, she would be famous enough. Her high heels dug into the sand as she made her way over to Genki.

"My name..." Gently rearranging what little skirt she wore, she sat down next to him. "My name."

Genki nodded, staring into Mary's eyes. The firelight flickered quietly as Mary leaned in close.

"My name is Mariana." She watched Genki as she stood up and went back to set up the tent.

"...and you will learn to fear it, Genki."