Author's Note: No flames yet…this is good. In case I forgot to mention it earlier, there is some UBER-SPOILERS for the games featured in this story. Well, here we go:

Chapter Two

Locke smiled to himself. It was only about a month ago when he left, and yet it seemed like forever. The warmth of his home and the smell of Celes' perfume were ever so inviting.

It was Cyan that told him about the disturbances in the Tower Ruins. Locke was naturally excited, and hurried out there with Terra and Cyan at his side. Upon arriving, he came to the realization that he had not said goodbye…

I figured that Celes would be pissed, he thought. It was worth it, though…

Celes tightly wrapped her arms around her husband, still sobbing. "Don't ever do anything like that again."

"No promises, there," Locke chuckled. "But I'll bring you along next time."

Cyan gave the two a confused. "Aren't thou angry?" he asked Celes.

Terra leaned over and provided an answer. "I think that she is, but she's more happy to see him alive."

"Touching," Cyan snorted.

Locke broke the embrace with his wife and dug around in his pocket. "I found something for you," he said. His hand emerged from his pocket. He opened his palm to expose a necklace. The pendant was three triangles put together to form a large triangle. "They call it a 'magic triangle'. It's a good luck charm."

It was at that moment a loud thud came from the door. Locke jumped a little, surprised by the loud noise. He walked over to the door slowly, his hand on the handle of his dagger. Slowly, he opened the door.

There was an older man in the doorway, his weight supported by a large spear. He wore a denim jacket with blue jeans; his hair gelled straight up, supporting a pair of goggles. There were hints of wrinkles around his blue eyes. A lit cigarette hung from his lips.

"I need a place to stay for the night," he said in a gruff voice. "I can pay you handsomely." The man dug into his pockets and produced thirty gold coins.

Terra looked at the man and smiled sympathetically. "Let him in. He's obviously cold and tired."

Locke thought it over for a minute. "What do you think, Celes?"

"Let him join us," she said, looking the stranger over.

The man smiled. "Thanks much. I couldn't trouble you for some tea, could I? I'll make my own."

Celes smiled the whistling of a teapot sounding off from the kitchen. "We have some made, if you would prefer."

Again, the man smiled as he walked through the door. "Thank you again, miss…uhh…"

"I am Celes, and this is my husband Locke. And who are you?"

The man laughed. "My name is Cid. I'm an airship pilot"

Celes' eyes grew wide. "B-b-b-but…." She collapsed, her head hitting the floor hard.

Yuna was trying to relax on her couch. She really didn't expect to get much sleep; she really hadn't since the defeat of Sin, the day that…he…disappeared. The memory was almost too much to bear. She had been that close to him, just about to embrace…

She was finally drifting off to sleep when she heard a noise. Yuna couldn't place it, but it did sound somewhat similar to a jingle bell. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing a ball of light hovering a foot above her head.

"Hello!"

Yuna rolled off the couch with a yelp and crawled backwards, away from the ball of light. Upon closer examination, there were what appeared to be wings emerging from the light.

"What are you? A Pyrefly?" she asked.

The light emanated a sigh. "Oh dear. You haven't seen my kind before, have you? My name is Navi. I am a fairy."

Quistis followed her former companion to the "Seaside Buffet," a seafood restaurant by the Balamb Harbor. Her nose was assaulted by smells of shrimp and cod, causing her to cringe. The smell reminded her of Fisherman's Horizon, a town that Balamb Garden collided with after an attempted attack by Galbadia. Her short stay there was a little less than pleasant.

Squall and Quistis were promptly seated close to the entrance. She snickered at the poor-quality décor: random fishing nets hanging on the wall with little painted figurines of fish.

The waitress approached and gave them menus. She smiled and asked them what they wanted to drink.

"Just water, please," replied Quistis.

"Coffee, black."

The waitress gave Squall a strange look, but smiled a little. "Gotcha. Be back in a few."

Quistis noticed the reaction of the server and looked over at Squall. "What was that about?"

Squall snickered. "Didn't you hear? I'm officially dead!"

Link walked the grassy path towards Hyrule Castle. It had been five years since his last visit, after his return from Termina. He chuckled, the wind tickling his scalp. Tatl had been looking around, confused about her surroundings. When they arrived, Ruto happened to be visiting the castle. Naturally, Tatl raced over to her and tried to start a conversation. She came back a few minutes later and said to Link, "I could have sworn that she was Lulu from the Indigo-gos!"

At the moment, however, Tatl was flicking about, nervous. She was having one of her bad feelings again, and it drove her crazy. The worst part was that her feelings were usually right. Link took notice to his friend's behavior.

"What's wrong, Tatl?" he asked.

"N-nothing. Just one of my weird feelings."

"'Just one of your weird feelings?' Last time you had one of those, a mask grew legs and tried to kill me!"

The duo laughed as they continued on the path. Little did they know that they were being followed. A man dressed completely in black, his white hair falling on his back, smiled. He was planning to get what he wanted….

The object that drove him to insanity….

A/N: Sorry, but this chapter was a bit rushed. I'm gonna re-write if anyone has problems with it.