Catalina: I'm glad I've gotten so much support from Eika's loyal reviewers.

I think Michimi is in hiding

Clara: I'm not even going to ASK, since we're not supposed to read sections about our counterpart. . .

Counterpart? You sound like a machine

Clara: I think I live in one, so why not?

Catalina: thank you, LeopardDance, for encouraging traitorous moogle torture. Thank you Ace for swearing at Michimi, telling him to die-

And complimenting me! Thank you!!

Clara: Ego alert.

Catalina: Publish a poem and what do you get?

Sarcastic twins? I'm not through with the Catalina torture chapters yet.

Clara: You're torturing Catalina?

Catalina: She has me in custody of a dragon knight and being carried to Burmecia after being magically exhausted.

Clara: Ah.

Sadly, I have writers block for Catalina torture. I need to listen to my fav. C.D. of FF9&10 songs, and my C.D. player is broken. I can't play it out loud (stereo) while my parents are home, and I have to do it at night, so it'll be properly spooky.

Catalina: Scared, sad, and with an idea. . . that picture of you is scary.

How ELSE could I have written that?

Clara: Good point. So you're saying this is about me?

Yup. Still night, you're dreaming, what the dreams are, and a bit of an unexpected surprise from the royal couple.

Catalina: What are you going to DO to her?

Nothing pleasant.

Clara: It's official. I'm doomed.

Now, to the royal viewing room in five, four, three, two, one!

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"That certainly went well," Comments king Zidane, looking through their connection of the phone/video thingy in the royal room. "She's sleeping like a baby."

"She looks sweet when she's sleeping. Innocent. I really enjoyed acting like a mom there," Comments Garnet, walking over next to him. Eiko resists the urge to gag from a few feet to the left.

"We can change the 'acting' part of that sentence," Zidane assures her. To find himself on the floor with a lump on his head a few moments later. "Ow."

"Talk about that in private!" Scolds Steiner, not at all worried. He always considered it a good sign when Zidane began to flirt after an interrogation. It meant he thought the prisoner would soon admit to doing wrong, and tell what REALLY was going on. The added bonus was the opportunity to clobber that monkey.

"I really have to remember not to talk about it when you're around, that's for sure." Agrees Zidane, rising from the floor with a groan. "I still can't believe she didn't guess."

"What?" Asks Vivi, sounding slightly smug. "That spell to record dreams and transfer them to where they can be viewed is very advanced magic. She probably doesn't know it. And that spell to make people remember things is state of the art. I'm willing to bet it works well." Eiko stifles a laugh. Vivi went on a confident streak whenever he talked about the new black magic he had invented, and it still seemed hilarious to hear him go from stuttering quiet guy to loud-mouthed idiot.

"I myself am wondering why a child finds the need to go to such means to exercise. She is only a child, after all." Comments Freya.

"She's a strong opponent. Doubtless she feels the need to remain that way." Inserts Beatrix, coming over to watch as Clara curled up in her sleep, almost to the point where she was unnoticeable. "She curls up so small she's almost unnoticeable, but look. Her legs are free for flight at any moment, and one hand is in a position where she can catch any opponent in the face with a hard punch the instant she wakes up. The other hand is in an almost perfect position to push off from the ground and face someone, if need be. There's no doubt in my mind someone trained her for the very purpose of assassination."

"And that partner of hers- most likely her sister. However it was that they were raised, it was not nicely." Inserts Eiko, looking sad. "Whoever made her so cautious that she sleeps like that must have raised her terribly."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about her past, only her future." Declares Freya, as if reminding everyone. "We'd best get a good nights sleep. We have to take the girl on a camping trip tomorrow, remember. There is an excellent chance she'll attempt to escape every step of the way. We can watch the videos when we get back."

"I guess," Comments Zidane, yawning loudly. Then they all leave to go to their rooms. Some rooms especially for when they visited, others where they slept most nights. ~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~

She dreams.

It starts out as all her dreams do: A sense of falling, falling, air whooshing past, spinning, trying to remain upright, of being snatched away from all things familiar.

Then she saw the distinct shade of artificial lighting, heard a loud crash.

The light went out.

Darkness.

Total. Complete.

Terrifying.

I look into. . . is that a face? It's made of darkness. Like the room. It picks me up. I poke it, prod it.

Oh, it's just a mask, like the one Dada keeps scaring me with.

But why is it so dark? Where's my clown lamp that takes away the baddies? Why is this. . . stranger taking me? Something soft covers my eyes, part of a cloth. I feel the stranger bend down, feel someone else beside me.

Good. At least Tanisha will be coming with me.

I'm put in the crib again, but only for a moment. From Tans' thoughts I can tell she's been put down, too. She swallows something the man makes her take, then has cloth surround her.

I'm picked up again, my sister in his backpack. It has a hole her tail sticks out of. Mine twines around it instinctively, telling us both it's ok.

Shouting. So loud. I cry from an aching head, soaking the cloth that holds my eyes captive. I recognize Dada's voice, sounding madder than when he hurt my butt. Mama is crying. She keeps saying to stop, to let us go, but he doesn't listen. I immediately try to hold still, afraid of getting hurt. A sinister voice rises above the rest, telling to drop all weapons, or he'll kill his captives, and they don't want that, now do they?

Satisfied, I drop my weapon, which Mama says could wipe out cities if I let it. I hear many clatters, and am glad everyone else has obeyed. A jolt scares me and I begin to cry harder, in loud wails, stopping at the sudden pain in my cheek. He (or is it she?) had slapped me, and from how one arm stops holding me I know its silent message. If I cry, I suffer more pain. I hold my sniffles until he puts me on a hard, cold table, puts something in my mouth, and strokes my throat until I swallow. I feel peaceful, and dazed. My eyes slide closed, and I almost sleep. Almost.

I feel his hands, gentle now, take the cloth off my eyes and wipe away my tears. He lifts me, and I'm too tired to start crying again. He puts me somewhere else, I have little room. My legs are smushed against my chest, my arms around them. My tail curls around my legs, holding me this way. My head falls forward, almost onto my chest, but he catches it. He extends my neck through a hole and closes something, I can't budge. I'm stuck hopelessly, in an uncomfortable position. No chance of getting any sleep now, but I feel too tired to open my eyes. My tail manages to poke its way through an unnoticeable crack, and I let it stay there, slightly more comfortable.

I hear him murmuring, almost musically, with one hand on each of my cheeks, but I'm too tired to make out the words.

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That went well. The second part of Catalina's torture WOULD'VE been up, see excuse.

Review!