Disclaimer: Not mine.

Note: Interesting thought. Has anyone else noticed the similarities between FFX&X2 and SH1&2? In ffx, Yuna should have died, but Tidus died instead (okay, Tidus would probably have died either way, because chances are Yuna would have chosen him to be the final aeon, but…) In SH1 Yuri should have died but Alice died instead. In FFX2 Yuna gets to be with Tidus by reviving him, while in SH2, Yuri gets to be with Alice by dying. That's why one has a happy ending and the other doesn't.

Following that thought, this is like FFX2, while SH2 is what might have happened to Tidus if Yuna had died and he'd lived (Okay, going off the walls here). So anyway, my point is, in this story, they've now formed a natural party of Karin, Alice and Margarite. Alice is like Yuna; Margarite is Rikku, which leaves Karin as Paine. Which means that if Tidus had lived instead of Yuna, Paine might have fallen in love with him and then found out that she was his mother. Hmmm…

Yes, that is what it is like inside my head.

Yes, I know that idea is ridiculous, that's why it's funny. Anyway…

Oh, D'accord is french for…well, it's like, okay, yeah, right, basically just an affirmative word. I think it works better than 'Yeah'.

The English Never Draw A Line Without Blurring It

Winston Churchill

The next day we headed for Tiffauges Castle. It was a large, slightly creepy building. Inside, we saw man claiming to be the guide. We ignored him and walked through one of the door leading from the entrance.

The whole place was full of mirrors. We walked through, our eyes glancing from side to side. Was that something moving? No…just our reflections.

Eventually, Karin voiced our shared thought. "This is creepy,"

I nodded. "D'accord,"

We carried on walking. Eventually, we reached a dead end. I walked up to the mirror that was blocking us. There was an odd feel to it.

"What are you doing?" Asked Karin.

"There's something…there!" I said. I pushed my hand through the mirror. My reflection did the same. Now her hand was on my side of the mirror, grabbing onto my wrist.

"Alice!" Exclaimed Margarite. She ran forward, as did her reflection. Straight out of the mirror. Karin's reflection moved of its own accord now, running towards us.

"I get it," I said. "We have to defeat them,"

We dispatched them swiftly. They were surprisingly weak. When they were defeated, we all stepped through the mirror together. Immediately, Margarite turned around to check. "We can't go back this way," she told us.

I shrugged. "Lets just carry on walking," I told her. "We'll find something,"

We walked on for a bit. Eventually we saw a small child up ahead. "Stop," I said. Margarite and Karin paused. "There's something…wrong,"

"What do you mean?" Asked Margarite.

"That child…she's…she's…"

The child saw us and began walking towards us.

"I'm lost," she said in English, gazing up at us. "Can you help me?"

We were all silent.

Eventually Karin asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm lost and I can't get out,"

"Just go straight back that way," said Margarite, gesturing to the way we'd come.

"Thank you," said the little girl. She walked off.

"Why did you tell her that?" Asked Karin when the girl was out of earshot. "You know she can't get out that way,"

"She can't get out at all," I said.

Karin looked at me. "She's dead, isn't she?"

I nodded. "D'accord,"

Instinctively, we all moved closer together. We walked on a little more.

"Alice?" asked Margarite.

"Yes?"

"How did you know it wasn't Yuri back in Rouen?"

"I…I had a feeling," I said. "I don't know,"

"So, do you think it wanted to kill you?" asked Margarite thoughtfully.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't think so. I think it wanted to take me somewhere,"

"Why? Where?"

"I don't know,"

Throughout this discussion we had been walking through the castle. We came now to a sumptuously furnished room, with yet another mirror inside it. We walked up to it.

Our reflections didn't appear. Instead, Albert Simon walked towards us.

"Hello Alice," he said.

I nodded. "How've you been, Albert?"

"You've seen the world I wanted to prevent?"

"Yes,"

He turned to Margarite. "You stopped them?"

"Yes,"

He nodded to her, and stood silently in his own thoughts for a minute. Then he looked up. "Alice," he said. "Would you like to speak with him again?"

I stared at him.

"Yes," I whispered hoarsely.

"Then you must defeat me,"

I nodded.

"Are you ready to try again?"