Chapter Six:

Kie spent the rest of that day alone. He felt like he was back in Burmecia only he preferred the real rain clouds to his emotional ones. No matter what he did he could not remove the frown that creased his lips. Nami had yelled at him. And not only that, but for no reason. The old Nami, the Nami before they had come to Cleyra, wouldn't have yelled at him just for caring. He wished he had some way of knowing why she was acting this way. Her certainly wasn't going to find out from her, and the other people who might know would be her parents but they weren't an option. Kie didn't think Freya even knew why they had sent her to Burmecia. For the time being there seemed nothing he could do, and that made him even more upset.

"Kie, I've been looking for you." It was Freya. She walked slowly toward him with a strange look on her face. But Kie didn't care what she had to say because he had some questions of his own.

"Freya I'm going to ask you one last time. What the hell is going on!"

"Kie, don't ask me that. Not now."

"You're just like Zidane!" he burst out. "'Not now'. If not now, then when? When it's too late? Something is going on with Nami and I want to help but what can I do without any knowledge of what I'm up against?"

"Kie, you just have to trust us for now, it's better that you don't know-"

"No! Either you tell me now or I quit!" Kie said stomping his foot. Of coarse he didn't really mean that. He would do anything for Nami, she was his best friend, but this was getting out of hand. It was time to put his foot down. No more beating around the bush.

Freya sighed. "Have a seat Kie," she said motioning toward the bench.

"I'll stand."

"You won't if you want to hear what I have to say," she said forcefully. Kie obeyed and took a seat by her. "Now, I can't tell you everything, since I don't know everything there is to be told, but I can go from what I know.

"Someone I looking for Nami. I don't know why, but I do know that if they find her everything will be lost. There's something special about her Kie. I don't know what, but it's something that, if in the wrongs hands, could kill us all. I don't know what going on, but I know the way Nami has been acting has something to do with the person who is looking for her. We should get her out of Cleyra Kie. Today."

"Let's go then," Kie said getting to his feet.

"It's not that easy."

"Why not?" he asked angrily.

"Because, it's hard to explain. But Kie, while we're here don't let her out of your sight."

Kie nodded and made his way back to the inn. Someone was looking for Nami? But why, and for what? And what did Freya mean when she said Nami was 'special'? Special how? Though Kie had many questions he didn't have time to ponder them. Nami was in danger. That's all he needed to know for the moment. Once they were safely back in Burmecia Kie would send a letter to Zidane asking him to come immediately. For now all he wanted to know that Nami was safe by his side.

There was the inn. Kie flung the door open and bounded up the steps. Nami's room was the first on the left just around the corner. When he reached it he took a deep breath and knocked. No one answered. She must be looking out the window still, Kie thought sadly. Timidly he opened it and said, "Nami." She didn't answer.

In fact she wasn't in the room at all. Kie's eyes widened as he scanned the room quickly to assure she wasn't there. Once he was sure he ran to check all the room that had been reserved for their party with no luck. No one was in the bathroom either.

Frantically Kie ran downstairs to the main room to find it empty accept for the inn keeper.

"Did you see someone leave?" Kie asked him breathing hard. "A girl. Did she come downstairs at all?"

"Hm. Blondish hair about this high?" Kie nodded. "Yes she did."

"Did she say anything?"

"Nope. I told her to have a nice day and she ignored me."

"This is very important. Did anything seem strange about her? Did she seem-dazed?" Kie asked afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes she did. The strangest thing about her though, were her eyes. They felt empty."

Kie's stomach dropped. Without another word he ran out of the inn into the dazzling sunlight. On his way to the bottom of the tree he saw Freya, also on her way to the inn. When she saw Kie she asked, "What's going on?"

"Nami's gone!" he called without slowing his pace. He didn't stop to see what she did, but kept on running. Maybe he could stop her.

When he reached the edge of Cleyra and the beginning of the sand storm that surrounded it he skidded to a halt. He looked for one of the many men posted at the edges of Cleyra incase anyone wanted to leave. There, not too far away. Kie ran to the guard who stood with his back to him.

"Did you see-" he said through heavy breath, "a girl?"

"What's that? A girl? Not today. You might try the next sentry over."

Again Kie ran until he reached the next guard and asked him the same question. But he too shook his head. Where could she have gone? Was it possible that she was still in Cleyra?

"Are you looking for a girl?" came a voice from behind him. Kie spun around and found himself face to face with Daga, the man that had waited for them outside of Cleyra.

"Yes. Nami, the girl that was with us when we came. Have you seen her?"

"I haven't, but if she left I know someone who might have. Follow me." With that Daga turned and began walking hastily away with Kie at his heels. He led him to the main entry of Cleyra where he stopped to talk to the two men posted here.

"Have you seen a girl come through here today. She has reddish blonde hair, looks like she's from Dali?" he said referring to the town nearest Cleyra that was inhabited by humans.

"We saw her. She left," one the men explained.

"How long ago?" Kie asked stepping forward.

"Aboutthree hours."

"Nami," Kie said to himself. Where have you gone?

Miles away from where Kie stood now growing more panicked by the second, Nami was walking toward the west.

Nami, come to me, a voice to her. I need you. Come to me.

Nami come back, came another voice. It was Kie's.

No Nami, come to me.

"But they're calling me," she said quietly. Her eyes were fixed on the great blue ocean that spread across her glazed eyes. "They want me to come back."

Come to me Nami. I'll take care of you. Trust me.

With that Nami nodded and began her journey across the sea.