REDG: once again, I'm gonna skip a few years! Sorry! After this, I'll stop skipping years! Well, until the end, but that's a long way off! Anywho, I'm introducing a new character: Aiko! Enjoy!

Chapter 6

A Voice From the Past

Tori had gotten tickets to go to Alexandria to see "I Want to be Your Canary" . Since it was going to be in the castle, and because it was a special event (Princess Garnet's 16th birthday) the tickets had cost a LOT!

She had saved up for years to get these tickets, and she was going to make sure she got to Alexandria. So, she waited outside Treno for the airship to come. Eventually, Yuki came outside and stood with her.

"You're awful exited to leave" He muttered, "You've been standing here for 2 hours, and you still have to wait another 30 minutes before the airship comes"

"Its just a few hours!" Tori exclaimed, "Geez! I need a break!"

"I know why you REALLY want to go" Yuki said, grinning.

"yeah? So do I! I've saved up for 4 years, and I'll be damned if I don't go and watch this damned play!"

"Its NOT a 'damned play'! It's a classic!" Yuki snapped, "And you want to go to Alexandria to see if you can find Kuja"

Tori didn't say anything. That was true. Kuja hadn't come to visit, like he had promised. He hadn't even written a letter! Even so, Tori wasn't about to admit she missed him.

"Kuja? Why would I wanna see HIM again? If he can't even bother to write a damned letter, why the hell would I wanna fly all the way over to Aleandria just to see him?!"

"So you can yell at him." Yuki said simply.

After a few minutes, the airship landed and Tori exitedly got on. She waved at Yuki as the airship took off and left Treno.

Alexandria was a lot more crowded than Tori had expected. There were more people in the housing area, than there was in all of Treno! She walked around for a while, admiring everything. The big difference was that there was sunlight. Treno was always dark for some strange reason.

While she was looking around, she bumped into a little kid, with a big pointy hat.

"Sorry!" she said, "I wasn't looking! Are you ok?"

The kid got up and nodded, "Th-that's the second time that's happened today."

"Are you sure your ok? Lemme see you face" she said, trying to lift his hat off his face.

"N-noooooooo!" the kid yelled, jamming the hat on his head, and running off.

Tori watched the kid run off and muttered, "if all the people are like that here, I'm leaving right now"

She decided to head straight for the theater. The airship had dropped her off with 30 minutes left to pick a seat way in the back, where all the people with the "cheap" tickets sat. She went up to the ticket booth, got her ticket stamped, and went on through.

She sat in her seat for a while, just looking around stupidly. There wasn't anyone she recognized. Go figure. There wasn't anyone she knew in Alexandria.

"Excuse me, miss? Is this seat taken?" someone asked.

Tori jumped. She hadn't expected anyone to talk to her. She turned around to see a tall guy with silver hair. He was wearing something ... different than she last remembered, but who cared?

"What?" he asked giving her an odd look.

"Kujaku!!!" Tori yelled, and gave him a hug.

"Umm ... do I know you?" He stared at the horn on her head and smiled a little, "You're a summoner?"

Tori pulled at a feather on his hair, "Yeah, remember? The name's Tori Kiiroi, stupid! Geez! I thought you forgot about me! You never write! And you KNOW I can't summon, so I'm not really a summoner!"

"Well ... "

"Kuja, you should see Yuki!" she continued, grinning, "He's getting old!"

He pushed Tori away and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know you. How did you know my name?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe I look like someone else you know?"

Tori's eyes widened, "Nope, never met another guy with silver hair that wears makeup. You're the one who's confused. And ... AGH!! You DID forget!!! You promised you wouldn't!!!"

Kuja shook his head, "I think I would've remembered someone like you. But the point is, I've never seen you in my life, until now."

"Wh-what?!"

"I think I'll go and sit somewhere else" He said, bowing politely, "I hope you find the person you're looking for"

And with that he walked away. Tori sat back down with a murderous look in her eyes. The play was just about to start, but she wasn't going to watch it anyways. A few fireworks were set off and a band was playing some music.

Tori sat there for a while growling curses until someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped out of her seat again and yelled, "LEAVE ME ALONE YOU FORGETFUL CREEP!!!!"

A girl looked up at her, shocked, and said, "I'm not THAT forgetful! Geez, Tori!"

The girl was in her late teens (think 17) with blue hair that was braided and tied back with a red ribbon, she had a tail, and she had bright emerald coloured eyes.

"Aiko-chan!!!" Tori screamed and gave her friend a big hug. "sorry, thought it was someone else!"

"Its ok!" Aiko said, "Haven't seen ya inna while!"

The lights started dimming, and the play was about to now that the fireworks were over. Tori and Aiko sat down and started chatting, but Tori shut up when the characters walked onto the stage.

Some fat guy playing King Leo walked onstage and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, but is captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the King. And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet, noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus presents "I Want to Be Your Canary!"

Tori watched another fat guy, a guy with something over his eyes, some other guy, and a blonde guy with a tail run onstage and started fighting. She couldn't really focus on it, so she watched the people in the crowd dully. The guy with a tail and the guy that had something over his eyes started fighting close to the crowd for a while, then ran off somewhere.

Tori was about to fall asleep when she saw people being raised onto the stage. One of them was the guy with the tail, some knight, and a girl. She could tell the girl and the knight really weren't meant to be there, but they acted out the rest of the play just fine. When it was all over everyone stood up and clapped.

The kid she had seen earlier and a rat-kid ran past Tori. She decided to get up and leave, dragging Aiko with her when she heard people yelling behind her. A couple of guards were running straight towards her! She panicked and started running as fast as she could onto the stage, following the two kids.

"I HATE guards!!! AGH!!!" She screamed.

"They're not running after you, idiot!!!" Aiko yelled, still being dragged by Tori.

The rat-kid ran away and left behind the kid with the big pointy hat.

"Don't you dare come closer!" the kid yelled and launched a ball of fire at the guards.

The blonde guy with the tail shook his head, "Geez, too many people"

Tori pointed at the knight who was still standing on the stage and screamed. She was still afraid of guards (in case you haven't noticed), even though she was almost an adult now.

The actors started fighting the knight-guy, but with real weapons this time. Tori was in totally panicked, so she charged at the knight and started beating the living crap out of him.

Something was fired out of one of the castle's cannons, that looked like a giant fireball. It was actually a fiery creature called a Bomb (guess how it got its name ) . Tori ignored the creature and kept punching the knight until he finally passed out.

And Tori was left, stuck face-to-face with a Bomb.

BOOM!!!

Tori passed out immediately. Aiko looked down at her friend and muttered, "Baka" The theater ship, the Prima Vista, started to rise in the air to leave. It shook violently as several chains were fired at it to keep it on the ground, but it broke free and flew off into the Evil Forest.

REDG: thank you all for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!