Chapter 2

"Oh Cloud I almost forgot" said Squall reaching into his bag.

He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Cloud.

"What's this?"

"It's an invitation to the SeeD ball we're having at the Garden in a few weeks. It's an excuse for the ladies to get all dressed up and stuff but it should be pretty fun."

"Oh ok thanks" said Cloud.

The two continued to walk down the street. A few minutes later they approached Junon Diner and Tifa walked out as soon as they came near.

"Hey Cloud. Hey Squall what's up?" said Tifa as she exited the diner.

"Not too much" said Squall.

"We're just coming from Auron's. How was work today?" asked Cloud.

"….."

"That bad eh?" asked Cloud.

"I should be out of here soon. I'm determined to get my own place. So I see you got an invitation too?" said Tifa as she pointed to the envelope in Cloud's hand.

"Oh yeah. So you're going to?" asked Cloud.

"I think I will. It should be really fun" said Tifa.

"Yeah"

"Well I have some errands to run. I'll talk to you two later" said Tifa as she walked down the street.

"Bye" said Squall.

"Talk to you later Tifa" said Cloud.

Cloud and Squall continued to walk down the street.

"If Aeris shows up to the SeeD ball this is going to get really interesting" laughed Squall.

"Squall….shut up…"

(Next Scene)

Wakka and Tidus walked back into the house after Tidus's impressive display of the Jecht Shot.

"That was impressive. I never seen anything like that before ya know?" said Wakka as he walked into the house.

"Thanks a lot I ….."

Tidus stopped in mid sentence as he walked into the house and saw Yuna there holding Vidina. He thought his chances of seeing her were very slim in such a large city as Square but here she was.

"Its you…hi" stuttered Tidus.

"Hello Tidus" smiled Yuna.

"You two know each other?" asked Wakka

"We ran into each other today" said Tidus.

"Literally" laughed Yuna.

Lulu could sense the attraction between Tidus and Yuna so she made her move.

"Here, give me Vidina"

Lulu took Vidina from Yuna and walked over to Wakka.

"Wakka I need your help in the kitchen" said Lulu

"What?"

"Just come on" said Lulu as she pulled Wakka out of the room.

Tidus and Yuna were alone in the room.

"Hi" said Tidus.

"Hi" smiled Yuna.

Tidus walked over to a couch and sat down.

"That was a really amazing shot you did" said Yuna as she sat down beside him.

"You saw that? Thanks. My dad invented it."

"So your father was a blitzball player?"

"Yeah he was one of the best in Zanarkand. He never actually taught me that shot though. I had to secretly watch him and teach myself how to do it" said Tidus.

He kind of looked sad for a moment after saying that then immediately went back to smiling.

"So you're following in your fathers footsteps. My father was a powerful summoner so I'm trying to follow in his footsteps too" said Yuna.

"Now this summoner stuff sounds interesting. I don't really know much about magic and summons and things. Zanarkand didn't really have many mages around. I've heard a lot of people mention Guardian Forces, Espers, Summon Monsters, Eidolons, and Aeons but I don't really know what they are talking about. Can you give me some info on it?" asked Tidus.

"Sure…now let me see how I can explain this quickly so I don't babble on and bore you…"

"No please take all the time you need. I really want to learn about this stuff it's really interesting" said Tidus.

"Well. . . let's start off by explaining what Guardian Forces, Espers, Summon Monsters, Eidolons and Aeons really are. All of these terms describe the spirits that inhabit our planet. These spirits lend aid to the inhabitants of this planet whenever needed.

"Why are there so many terms to describe the same thing?" asked Tidus.

"Well they describe the order of spirit by the amount of power they wield. Espers and Guardian Forces are the weak levels of spirits and Eidolons and Aeons are the higher powered spirits. Summon Monsters tend to fall in the middle. The names also change depending on the way in which they are used.

"Really…" said Tidus.

"Yes, for instance the mercenaries known as SeeD's are required to use Guardian Forces to augment their fighting ability. Guardian Forces are junctioned which simply means that they are joined with the users mind. In a sense they become a part of the user. They enable the user to use magic spells, various skills, and even summon the Guardian Force temporarily when need be.

"What about Espers?"

"Espers, are the weakest form of summon magic because they are actually the remains of dead spirits. When the spirits power fades away they leave a little piece of themselves in the form of an ore called Magicite. The Magicite can be used to cast certain spells and even temporarily summon the spirit to perform a low level attack. Not many people use Espers because with the Magicite you can only use certain spells. Usually only three to five spells so they don't offer enough versatility.

"I see"

"Let's see whats next? Oh Summon Monsters are spirits whose essences have been accidentally trapped in materia. People use materia to augment their strength and use magic as well. I think the Shinra SOLDIERS use a lot of materia. Of course if you have natural ability to use magic like Lulu does then you don't need materia to use magic. Summon Monsters have about mid level attack power although there is a legend about one particular Summon materia.

"What is it?"

"It says that the spirits of thirteen knights were trapped in materia and that their power combined is the most powerful summon magic in the universe. Even more powerful than Aeon power. That's just a legend though.

"That's amazing! Go on please" said Tidus as he moved a little closer to Yuna on the couch. It seemed that he showed genuine interest in what Yuna had to say.

"Now I'll go on to the spirits that trained summoners use. Summoners are the only ones capable of accessing the higher level spirits called Eidolons and Aeons. That's because we commune with the spirits and actually try to find favor with them. They choose to aid us and lend us their awesome power. Eidolons have large amounts of destructive power. In ancient times they were said to have leveled whole cities. The thing is just like Espers, Guardian Forces, and Summon Monsters they only stay around temporarily when summoned.

"So after they attack they just simply disappear?

"Yes, they return to their world. Aeons are the only ones that can be summoned indefinitely and controlled by the summoner.

"Controlled?"

"Yes. Aeons are the highest order of spirit. Their attacks are incredibly powerful and the summoner is actually able to tell the spirit what it wants it to do. Whereas with the other types of spirit they do as they please and then leave. Well I think that's everything in a nutshell."

"Wow that is so awesome! That's for ridding me of my ignorance. Now I'll actually know what people are talking about" said Tidus

"It's no problem. I'm glad you're interested. Most people get bored when I start to explain this stuff" said Yuna.

"You seem like a really awesome girl Yuna"

"Thank's you're not so bad yourself" laughed Yuna.

They both chuckled a bit then got silent for a few moments. Tidus finally broke the silence.

"Yuna…"

"Yes Tidus?"

"Would you like to maybe hang out sometime?" asked Tidus.

"Yes I'd love too"

"That's great! Can I get your phone number?"

"Sure" said Yuna.

Yuna grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote her number on it.

"That's my cell phone number so you can reach me anytime"

"Great I'll give you a call really soon" said Tidus smiling.

"Ok" smiled Yuna.

Meanwhile in the next room Wakka and Lulu had been listening to the whole conversation between Yuna and Tidus.

"Lu is this what you pulled me in here for? You just wanted to eavesdrop on them ya?

"Be quiet or they'll hear you. I could tell they liked each other from the start and I know how you get so overprotective of Yuna" said Lulu as she bounced Vidina in her arms.

"Aww c'mon I'm not that bad. . ." said Wakka.

Lulu simply looked at him with a blank stare. Vidina looked up at his father and giggled.

"Am I?" asked Wakka while scratching his head.

(Next Scene)

C'mon Barret buy a flower please! You can give it to Marlene! Marlene would like a flower?

A young woman with a long brown ponytail stood at a flower stall in the area known as Wall Market. Several vendors had set up stalls to sell their goods around the area. She tightened the pink ribbon in her hair as she talked to a very large, muscular dark skinned man. Next to him was a little girl with brown hair.

"Aeris, now you trying bring Marlene into this?" said Barret.

"Daddy that's a pretty flower' said Marlene pointing to a pink flower.

"Your daughter has good taste Barret" laughed Aeris.

Barret sighed and rubbed his face.

"How much is it?"

"20 gil…"

"20 gil! I bet Cloud would only have to pay 1 gil…" said Barret under his breath.

"What?" asked Aeris.

"Just give me the flower"

Aeris got the flower and wrapped it in some pink tissue paper around the stem. She then handed it to Marlene. Barret payed her the 20 gil.

"Thanks for the flower daddy" smiled Marlene.

"You're welcome sweetheart. You ready to go to the park?" asked Barret.

"Yes"

"Bye Aeris" said Barret.

"Bye Miss Aeris" said Marlene.

"Bye Marlene. Thanks Barret" said Aeris as she waved goodbye to them.

Aeris went back to rearranging the flowers at her stall. The sun was beginning to set when a small young woman with short brown hair and a yellow sun dress walked up to Aeris. Aeris didn't notice the young woman and kept on working on her display.

"Hey Aeris" said the young woman.

"Oh hey Selphie! I didn't see you there" said Aeris.

Aeris stopped working on her display and looked at Selphie.

"What can I do for you?" asked Aeris.

"I wanted to tell you about the SeeD ball that we're going to have at the Garden in a few days. It's going to be so much fun! You see I'm the chairwoman of the committee planning it and I wanted to know if you would help decorate with your flowers. You have the prettiest flowers Aeris and I really want you to help. Please, please, please, please, please!" begged Selphie.

"Ok hah hah. I'll help you. You don't have to beg Selphie" laughed Aeris.

"Thank you so much. You're going to make a lot of money off this too because we have a big budget set aside for this ball! It's going to be so great! Also don't tell anyone this but…" Selphie looked around to see if anyone was around then leaned toward Aeris and whispered.

"I'm trying to see if Lenne can make a surprise performance"

"Lenne! The singer Lenne!" yelled Aeris.

"Shhhhh lower your voice. Yes the singer Lenne. I'm currently trying to get in contact with her" said Selphie quietly.

"Wow that would be great. Her music is so good and romantic. It makes you feel all sorts of different feelings. You know I heard a rumor that she got a lot of her inspiration from her boyfriend that died a few years ago" said Aeris.

"Yes I heard that too. Oh that's so sad and romantic at the same time" said Selphie.

The two young women sighed together.

"Well, I'll be in touch with you about the decorations for the ball. It's starting to get dark now so I better head back to the Garden" said Selphie.

"Yeah, I'm about to pack up too and go home. I hate being on the streets for too long after dark. Talk to you later Selphie"

"Bye Aeris"

Selphie left and Aeris finished putting away her things and closing up her stall. On her way out of Wall Market she thought to herself.

"I need to see if Cloud is going to this ball"

(Next Scene)

"Zidane if we don't get jobs the landlord is going to kick us out! We'll be homeless!" said a little black mage.

He wore a yellow hat and a blue cloak. His eyes were like yellow circles and his entire face could not be seen. He bounced frantically around a young brown haired man with a tail. The young man held his head down and his hands in his pockets.

"Vivi, I know I'm trying to figure something out" said Zidane.

"If we don't find something soon then we're out on the street for good! Oh no I'm going to be homeless…." said Vivi.

Vivi sat down on the curb and looked down at the gutter.

"Vivi calm down. There has got to be someplace around here that's hiring" said Zidane.

"Zidane, we've tried all over the city and no one is hiring" said Vivi sadly.

"Oh my yes, yes, yes that was a good performance indeed if I do say so myself" said a strange high pitched voice.

Vivi and Zidane turned around to see a very short man standing there. He was even shorted than Vivi. He looked almost like a small child and he wore a mask over his face that was in the shape of a ducks bill.

"The feeling, the emotion, the sadness yes, yes, yes it's all there indeed it is. You two have potential yep yep" said the strange young man.

"Who….are you?" asked Zidane.

"Oh how rude of me! Allow me to introduce myself! I am Tobli! Yes Tobli is my name and my name is Tobli indeed it is yep yep. I couldn't help but hear your predicament and I must say it's a rather bad predicament to be in and that I have been there myself yep yep" Tobli talked so fast.

"How can you help us?" asked Vivi.

"Oh yes yes! You see I'm a producer. That is I like to produce. I'm a person that produces. Produces shows that is. My fellow Hypello companions and I run a production company and we are looking for great actors to star in our shows. Would you be interested in working for me and becoming famous?"

"Are you serious?" asked Zidane.

"Yes yes I am serious! I know potential when I see it young lads! I'm sure I can help you out of your financial troubles!" replied Tobli.

"Wow….acting. That doesn't sound bad at all" said Zidane.

"We need a job badly. We'll do it!" said Vivi.

"This is great! Great indeed! There is much time and so little to do I mean there is much to do and so little time!"

(Next Scene)

Quistis walked through a rough neighborhood. She had stayed out giving invitations to the ball just a little too long and now it was dark.

"I shouldn't have stayed out so late. I hate this place at night."

Quistis continued to walk down the dark street. The train that would take her home was only a few blocks away. She walked past a stoop where a bunch of rough looking characters sat. They watched her for a second then one of them shouted to her.

"Hey baby you need to make like a baseball and let me hit it!"

The group laughed at the vulgar remark that was made. Quistis simply ignored them and continued on.

"What a bunch of creeps" said Quistis under her breath.

The thugs got up from the stoop and began to follow Quistis down the sidewalk. There were five of them. The biggest of them had large fiery red hair and on his right hand he had a set of claws. He was obviously the leader of the group.

"Yo you think you too good for us? What we not rich and high class enough for you?" yelled the big guy.

Quistis stopped and looked at the group of thugs.

"How rich you are has nothing to do with it. You're a bunch of rude, vulgar, immature little wannabe thugs that think yelling obscenities at a lady is how you get them to notice you" said Quistis.

"She's a tough one eh Amarant?" said one of the thugs to the biggest thug.

"Yeah but I like em like that. I like to tame girls like that. Get her"

With that the four thugs near Amarant started walking toward Quistis. Quistis pulled out her whip with surprising speed and slashed the four thugs across their faces in a straight line.

"You picked the wrong girl to mess with tonight!" yelled Quistis as she expertly wielded her whip.

Quistis was a SeeD. A specially trained mercenary so her fighting skills were pretty top notch. After striking the four thugs she wrapped her whip around the leg of one of the thugs and tripped him up. He fell back and hit the ground hard knocking him unconscious. Another of the thugs rushed at Quistis. She simply sidestepped him and tripped him up with her foot. She struck her whip out at a nearby trash can. Her whip wrapped around it and she then hurled the trash can at the two other thugs.

"It's fitting. You're nothing but trash anyway" said Quistis as she hit them with the trash can.

Before she could react Amarant was attacking her. He moved with great speed for someone so large. He got near Quistis and pushed her on the ground. Quistis struck her whip out and it wrapped around Amarant's large arm.

"That felt like a mosquito bite" laughed Amarant.

He simply pulled the whip out of Quistis's hand and threw her whip on the ground. Amarant then leapt on top of Quistis and held her down.

"Get off of me!" yelled Quistis.

Amarant held his claw up to Quistis face.

"C'mon baby you know you want it"

"I wish I was junctioned" thought Quistis.

Suddenly out of no where Amarant was knocked off of Quistis.

Amarant slid across the ground then quickly got up.

"What the!.." yelled Amarant.

Standing next to Quistis was a man that brought an eerie dark presence. His hair was long and black as the night sky. His eyes glowed red. His mouth was covered slightly by the red cloak that he wore. His left arm was a metallic claw like gauntlet. He looked at Quistis for a moment then looked at Amarant.

"I don't know who the hell you are but you should have kept walking buddy" said Amarant as he got up off the ground.

Amarant lunged at the mysterious man with his claw extended. The man deflected the attack with his gauntlet then punched Amarant directly in his stomach. Amarant bent over in pain but then shook it up.

"AAARRRGH!" yelled Amarant as he prepared to attack again.

Suddenly a gunshot was heard and Amarant stopped in his tracks. In the blink of an eye the mysterious man had pulled out a gun and shot at Amarant. Amarant looked at his claws and saw that they had been completely shot off.

"Leave" said the mysterious man.

Amarant ran off into the dark streets without hesitation. Soon his thug friends joined him.

Quistis still sat on the ground. She was still amazed by the whole thing. The man looked to her and helped her up.

"Are you ok?" asked the man.

"Yes I'm fine" said Quistis as she stood up.

Quistis looked into his glowing eyes and sensed a warmness about him. His exterior seemed sinister but by looking into his eyes she could see that it wasn't so.

Quistis dusted herself and went to pick up her whip.

"Thanks for your help. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't…."

Quistis turned around to look at the mysterious man but he had vanished without a trace.

"Where'd he go?" thought Quistis.

She looked around and saw no sign of him. She only saw a Shinra Corporation truck pass by.

"This is enough excitement for me tonight" thought Quistis as she made her way to the train station.

(End Chapter 2)

Thanks for reading. Be sure to let me know what you think. I'm sure any Final Fantasy fan knows who it was that helped Quistis out. Anyway we'll find out more about that and many other things later on so keep reading please.