Home of the Heart

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Well, I've decided to try to tell about both event areas (Desert Palace and Lindblum) in the same chapter (no more alternating chapters unless I have some sort of writer's block). Read & Review! Extra spacing between paragraphs means scene/time transitions. Oh, and I don't own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 11: Reunions and Minced Words

Kim runs towards Reinheit happily as he turns towards her with a shocked expression. It's been a year since the incident happened and no one expected a reunion so soon. Kim's only a few yards from him, so she smiles and calls to him again, "I thought you were dead! I was so sad!" The glint of a metallic object whizzes past her face, cutting her left cheek and makes her stop in her tracks from surprise only two yards away from Reinheit.

Alicia glares at the sight and sighs, "I should've known things wouldn't be simple..."

"Listen," Blank smiles, still relieved that that monster wasn't able to hurt Kuja, "I had heard that a while back, um, during the sh-, I mean... events that happened last year; you were after Garnet's Eidolons. Obviously, I can use an Eidolon's attack, even though it puts a lot of strain on me to even try. Anyway, that's really why I got mad at you a while ago; this might sound seriously stupid, but I was worried that you wanted to... well, use me, and it really made me... frustrated to think that you would do that, I guess."

"I used to be after the power of the Eidolons, but I realized the stupidity of my plan; I gave up about a year ago. I don't want to use you or anyone else with that kind of power; I'm powerful enough to live by myself, anyway, and that's what matters," Kuja replies.

"Yeah, sure, by yourself," Blank almost frowns at the thought of the way that sounds.

"Um, maybe I should go check the trap room," Kuja suggests.

Blank looks around the room and decides that he would still be lost if he stays there, "I'll come, too."

Right before they leave the room, Kuja casts a "Firaga" spell, killing a monster that had tried to sneak up on him, "Let's go."

"Saphir," Brianna glares angrily, "Why are you here, too?"

"To protect Reinheit," Saphir answers, his eyes wandering to the redhead next to him; the way he said it, it sounded like it should be so obvious and then states, "13-G over there had tried to kill him. Not only that, but 24-D and you, 16-E, tried to kill Ereignis, Kurios, and I. Too bad for you that we all survived."

"I'm not 16-E anymore," Brianna growls, "My name is Brianna!"

"You named yourself, hm?" Saphir smirks, "How cute."

"Leave us alone!" the puddles around Alicia start to ripple, as if from a tremor and a few water drops from them start to float in the air around her, "We deserve names, unlike you! I'm Alicia now!"

"Kim," Reinheit still looks amazed to see her, "You still have my bandanna... Um, your name is still 'Kim', right?"

"Mm-hm," Kim blushes while nodding her head 'yes', "I like that name... and I'm sorry I hurt you. I never really wanted to do anything like that."

"I know," Reinheit smiles.

"Hey! You're actually falling for that pack of lies!?" Saphir frowns, "She tried to destroy you!"

"Only because we made her! We were scared because we thought that if we didn't kill Ereignis, Kurios, and Reinheit, they would try to avenge your death! You wouldn't deserve them wanting to avenge you, though," Alicia retorts.

"Is it a fight you're looking for?" Saphir growls.

"I guess so..." Alicia challenges.

"Well, then come to our old home, you remember where it is, don't you? We'll be waiting," the blue-haired man smirks, disappearing into the crowd, "You have three months to prepare."

Kim frowns, of all the people to survive through the attack Saphir did, and asks, "Reinheit? Are you leaving, too?"

"No," Reinheit smiles walking up to the group, "I won't leave."

"Saphir will get mad," Brianna comments.

"No, don't worry. Saphir has a bit of an... obsession with me, I think," Reinheit shudders at the thought, "But anyway, he won't hurt me, he'll try to put the blame on you guys, but I won't let him."

"This is the trap room?" Blank glances around the room and comments, "It sort of looks like a torture chamber." The most obvious object in the room is a table, human shaped, with straps where the wrists, ankles, and waist are located; spikes line the area right over the head area as a strange decoration. It really intimidates Blank.

"It is. I don't use it, though," Kuja says, he hasn't actually use it except almost dropping some of Zidane's friends into a lava pit underneath the rooms he locked them in while Zidane and his other friends were in Oliviert, "No one seems to have been in here, either. Good. We should probably find somewhere for you to sleep, it's almost dark. Let's go."

Wow, Chapter 11 is done already. Is it good? Read & Review!