Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
I'm glad people are liking this story. For this one, I'm going to have Alex and Sesshomaru hate each other in the beginning - I've never really done that. And I may be edging toward KogaXAlex instead, so let me know which pairing you'd like to see! And just to clarify some things, I HAVE combined areas of Spira and FFVIII together. I've always thought they have anyway - I mean, it's always FF, right? I kinda think that maybe Spira is on one side of the world, and the others are in other parts...but I'm babbling.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome. No flames.
"What's going on?" Koga demanded, as they flew towards the Calm Lands main area. "Why'd someone attack the Garden?"
"What happened to all the teachers?" Sesshomaru added broodingly, as Alex remained silent. "And why did they feel the need to slaughter everyone?"
"We're coming into the Calm La-oh, shit," Koga whistled, as the town came into view. The same soldiers had already arrived, and the town was also in flames.
"What about all the others?" Alex suddenly asked, panic edging her voice. Koga was concentrating on flying the ship away before they were located, so Sesshomaru grabbed her by the shoulders firmly.
"If they're worth their training, they escaped," he said, and Koga blinked at overhearing the reassurance coming from the demon. "Calm down, or I'll throw you out the ship, understand?"
Alex gulped air, trying to keep from hyperventilating, and nodded. She sat down, and rested her head in hands.
"What now?" she asked, "Where do we go now?"
"I don't know," Koga replied grimly, exchanging glances with Sesshomaru.
"This is crazy!" Sango swore, as the four raced down the plains on their Chocobos. "What's going on?"
"Those soldiers came out of nowhere," Miroku added thoughtfully, and glanced back. Sango had summoned Shiva, and the ice-goddess was blocking the soldier's path, preventing them from chasing after the teens.
"The Garden!" Kagome gasped, and they stopped in their tracks. "Everyone's still in there!"
"Shippo!" Inuyasha called, seeing the orange-haired boy rushing across the grounds, using his Fox speed to avoid being called. "Over here!"
"Inuyasha!" he yelled, barreling towards them. Skidding to a stop, he panted heavily.
"Shippo, what's going on?" Miroku demanded, "Who are these men?"
"Soldiers, but I don't know from where," he told them, "They killing everyone! I saw an airship fly off a few moments ago, but I don't know who was in it."
"And the teachers?" Kagome interrupted. Shippo's eyes welled with tears.
"Dead!" he wailed, "They were the first to fight, and someone appeared, and disintegrated them!"
"Are you sure?" Sango asked sharply, "Could it have been a teleportation spell instead?"
"I…I don't know," he sniffled, regaining his composure.
"What did this person look like?" Inuyasha asked impatiently, and Shippo scrunched his nose in thought.
"I'm not…"
"Heads up!" Miroku called, and they ducked. A fire ball flew past, and they realized that the soldiers were advancing toward them.
"Summon the Aeons!" Kagome ordered, "We'll have to ride them to safety – we don't have any other options!"
"All right," Inuyasha nodded. Within instants, the Aeons Shiva, Anima, Ifrit, Ixion, and Zewek had appeared, and were soon thundering across the plains.
"We can't go around wearing these," Koga mentioned finally, glancing down at his and Sesshomaru's uniforms. "We'll be picked off right away. Alex, is there anything in the ship?"
"No, just more uniforms," she shook her head, "And those are too small for you guys anyway."
"We'll have to buy clothes," Sesshomaru decided, and looked at Alex. "You're the only one with street clothes, so you'll have to do it."
"Sure," she nodded. The female had regained control of herself within moments, and now that they were over the ocean, had fallen silent. "I'd need sizes, but I can manage. I shopped for my dad and brother all the time before I came to the Garden."
"Good," Koga agreed, and glanced down at their radar. "We're coming up to Timber. Think that's far enough away, Taisho?"
"We'll have to hope so," he said. "We need supplies as well as fuel and clothing. Clothes first," he added to Alex, "And then all of us will go out. We'll have to split up, though. They may be looking for our airship."
"That's another problem," Alex pointed out, "Any sane person is going to recognize this thing. We need to either ditch it, or get a paint job."
"I know just the guy," Koga grinned, "And it just so happens he lives in Timber, too. He'll fix us up – we can trust him, believe him."
"That's good," Alex sighed, "It'd be hard finding another airship, especially without being able to show our licenses or credentials."
"Speaking of which," Sesshomaru continued, "We'll hide them somewhere on the ship, so no one will be able to find it. We have money, right?"
"Yes," Alex nodded, "Koga and I both carried it."
"I have some as well," Sesshomaru conceded, "Koga, how much will we have to pay this man?"
"Not a thing," Koga responded, "He'll fix us up with fuel, and some supplies too."
"So just clothes and food," Sesshomaru muttered, and handed his money over to Alex. "Here. I'm sure we have enough – we're not shopping for anything good, just street clothes."
"I know," she said, a bit annoyed at his tone. "You don't have to tell me."
Koga, hearing them begin to argue again, grinned to himself.
"Of all the people in the Garden, it must be fate I was stuck with those two," he thought, and shook his head in disbelief.
"Of all the people in the Garden, I'm stuck with him!" Alex thought to herself, making her way down the busy streets of Timber. She wasn't attracting any attention, which she was grateful for. Looking around, she didn't see any of the crimson-and-black clad soldiers, and managed to find a rather-inexpensive clothing store.
"I didn't think pretty young women like yourself wore men's clothes," the elderly clerk winked good-naturedly at her as Alex paid for the pile of cloth, and she grinned back.
"They're for my brothers – well, most of it," she amended, as the clerk noticed several woman articles.
"I see," he nodded, and proceeded to ring her up without another word. Once she paid the bill – which left her more than half of the money, she noticed with satisfaction – he followed her to the door.
"Thank you for coming – and enjoy your stay here," he added, and Alex nodded before she left.
"Ha! More than half the money left – that'll teach Sesshomaru," she thought to herself, quickly going back to the airship using a different route, to throw off any possible followers.
"Thanks, Alex," Koga grinned at her, dressed in dark-gray pants, black boots and a belt, and a fitted tan short-sleeved shirt.
"I'm glad they fit," she said, having changed into a sheer, light-teal T-shirt over a snug white tank-top, due to the warmer weather in Timber.
"Not bad," Sesshomaru forced out, taking back the extra money from her. He wore black boots, light-blue jeans, and a snug black T-shirt. Alex had stashed her former shirts with their identification and other important papers, just in case she needed them.
She looked smugly at him, and he promptly ignored her again. Both young men attempted to ignore the new curves that Alex's clothes suddenly revealed, and got back to business.
"I'll go talk to Cid about the airship and fuel," Koga began, "He can help us out with a few supplies as well. You two should probably go get the rest of the stuff."
"I thought we were going to split up," Alex protested, and Koga looked at her innocently.
"I know, but with the amount of supplies we need, more than one person is gonna have to be there to carry 'em," he pointed out. Alex slumped her shoulders in defeat, and Sesshomaru muttered something under his breath. Alex couldn't hear it, but Koga's demon hearing picked it up with no problem.
In a flash, Koga had grabbed the taller demon by the neck and growled at him.
"One more remark like that, and I'll rip your eyes out," he snarled. Alex blinked in surprise, and then stepped back as Sesshomaru threw Koga off him. Getting the distinct feeling she was the reason they were standing in a face-off, she stepped in-between them.
"Cut it out," she ordered, 'We have to work together if we're going to survive, right? So stop trying to kill him, Koga. And you could treat me with a little more respect, Sesshomaru."
The dog demon pointedly ignored her, but Koga nodded, relaxing his stance.
"All right, you've got a point," he agreed, and then glared at Sesshomaru. "So, are we gonna do this, or not?"
"Fine," he nodded slightly, and began to stride out of the airship. Casting an exasperated glance at Koga, Alex ran after him.
"Did you see any stores while you were in town?" Sesshomaru asked shortly, as they walked toward the buildings.
"A few. I think we should shop at several different ones," she suggested, "If we buy a whole load at just one, that might raise suspicions. I didn't talk to anyone here, but I'm sure they've heard about the attack on the Garden by now."
"All right," he agreed, much to her surprise. Casting a suspicious glance at the demon, she hurried to keep up with his long stride, even though her legs were long as well. Sesshomaru, as they reached the town, suddenly slowed down enough that she didn't have to rush.
Alex followed him into the first store, where they managed to get some supplies at a decent price.
"You shouldn't threaten them like that," she told him after the third shop.
"It got us some discounts, didn't it?" he retorted, as they strode back towards the airship. Alex paused, unable to refute this logic, and then stopped as it came into view.
"Hey, wait," she grabbed his arm, and he turned to look back at her in annoyance.
"What?"
"Someone's by the ship," she told him, becoming aggravated with the arrogant demon, "You should be able to smell him, at least, with your great demon powers."
Sesshomaru ignored her, realizing that there was indeed a stranger lurking around their ship.
"Stay here," he ordered, and sped off faster than she could see.
"Not fair," she snorted, but remained standing at the spot.
"Don't kill me!" the orange-haired man cried, diving to the ground as Sesshomaru appeared.
"Who are you?" the demon demanded, and then looked up as Koga emerged from the airship. Seeing the wolf demon, Alex picked up their things and began to trudge toward them.
"Chill, Taisho," he said calmly, "This guy's Cid, the one I was telling you about."
"Really," Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow at the human, who had regained his footing.
"Yes," Cid said haughtily, and then caught sight of Alex, who was coming toward them slowly, panting from all the weight. "And this young woman is…?"
"Keep away from her or I'll castrate you," Koga growled, going forward to help Alex with her burdens. Sesshomaru remained silent, but inwardly was glad that the wolf had put the human in his place.
"Th-thanks," she took a deep breath, and then shot a dirty look at Sesshomaru. "Thanks for nothing."
Sesshomaru merely ignored her, and looked away. Alex looked on the point of telling the demon exactly what she thought before Koga put his hand on her arm, and she exchanged a glance with him.
Sighing, she picked up several things and headed into the airship without another word.
"Well, you were right, Koga – it's gonna be more than a paint job to disguise this baby," Cid told him, once Alex had disappeared into the ship. Sesshomaru noticed with disapproval that the man's eyes had followed Alex's body until she had gone from view, but was unable to pinpoint the reason he was mad.
"I thought so," Koga groaned, "How long for a complete overhaul, then?"
"Well, this thing is custom-built to Garden regulations," Cid thought, "I'm not sure I can do a complete overhaul, to be honest. If I did, it'd take a few months, at least. I think the best thing is for you guys to exchange ships, and then I can crash this one out in the mountains to make it look as if you're taken care of."
"Interesting idea, human," Sesshomaru mused, and exchanged a glance with Koga.
"I think we'll have to do it," Koga sighed, and cast a fond glance towards the airship. "Too bad – I was hoping to at least keep one thing from the Garden, but…"
"Hey, you've got Taisho and me," Alex joked, reappearing. Sesshomaru blinked at her usage of his last name, but decided to continue to ignore her. "And we're from the Garden, right?" she continued, and Koga nodded in agreement. Cid rubbed his hands together, apparently anticipating the crash the huge ship would make.
"All right, then. If you get your stuff and meet me at the hanger, I think I've got just the thing for you kids," Cid told them, and Alex frowned.
"How're we supposed to get all our supplies from the ship to your hanger?" she demanded, "Yeah, we've got two demons, but it's too much, and too noticible."
"Good point," Koga agreed, and turned back to Cid.
"I'll send you an auto-carrier later today, then," he agreed, climbing back into his one-seater. "It'll be big enough, don't worry. Just sit tight."
"You better hurry, Cid," Koga threatened, "We hardly have time to waste."
Cid merely grinned at them, and disappeared in a cloud of dust.
"Are you sure we can trust him?" Alex asked doubtfully, unknowingly giving voice to Sesshomaru's own concerns.
"No doubt," Koga nodded, "We better get packing – it'll be here soon, you can be sure."
"Where is he?" Alex demanded, as the sun began to set, "I thought you said he'd be here, Koga."
"He will," the wolf replied defensively. The three SeeDs sat with several crates stuffed full of supplies, and were waiting several yards away from the ship.
"It appears that he was merely wait," Sesshomaru commented, as an auto-piloted transport shot up.
"Finally," Koga huffed, as they began to load their crates on. Once everything was on, Koga lifted Alex up, and she jumped up onto the top of the stack. Sesshomaru and Koga squeezed in the front, and Alex grabbed on the sidebars as the machine suddenly shot forward at a ridiculous speed.
"Toldja it'd be big enough," Cid said gruffly, his bright-blue eyes hidden beneath a flame-protected mask, "I was just making a few adjustments to the ship I picked out for ya."
"Where is it?" Koga asked, looking around curiously with Alex.
"Over here," Cid called, striding to a back room, "I moved it out of harm's way, and so it won't attract attention."
"Amazing," Alex breathed, as the three surveyed their new means of transportation. Just big enough to carry a crew of five, it had a cargo hold, one cabin, a kitchen and eating area, and of course, the bridge – which was the largest and main room.
"Kinda flashy, don't you think?" Koga looked at it doubtfully. The body was a deep red, with the hull a magnificent silver-and-gold, with matching finishes on the rest of the body. Several bright turquoise streamers floated behind it, attached firmly to the engine.
"Believe it or not, you'll fit right in," Cid told them firmly, as they inspected it. "This baby is brand-new, and I just finished the adjustments, like I said. She'll do thirty for every MAPH - Miles Achieved Per Altitude - and is resistant to almost every kind of magic available."
"Fuel?" Sesshomaru asked shortly.
"Full tank, and plenty on board enough to get you around Spira three times without stopping," Cid said proudly, and Koga nodded in approval. "I put some supplies for ya on board, and it looks like my bot just finished loading the rest of your stuff," he continued, and glanced at the mechanized mechanic .
"Thanks, Cid," Koga shook his head, as they began to board.
"Aren't ya gonna spend the night, at least?" Cid asked, but Koga shook his head.
"Nope – we've got to get moving to find our friends, for thing," he told the older man, "But we'll let you know how it's going, okay? And if we need anything, we'll stop in, no prob."
"Good," Cid nodded sternly, and opened the hanger's roof as the airship slowly began to start up and ascend toward the sky.
"It's so…small," Alex said finally, after they were well-hidden in the clouds.
"We didn't need a big ship," Sesshomaru told her shortly, and she glared at him.
"I wasn't complaining, idiot," she shot back, and Koga covered his eyes with a hand. "I was just saying it's different," she finished, still meeting the now-angry glare of the demon, even though he was making her more and more nervous.
"If you ever call me anything like that again," Sesshomaru growled, suddenly grasping the front of her shirt and lifting her into the air, "SeeD or not, I will rip your throat out and feed you to the carrion birds."
"Put her down, Taisho!" Koga said sharply, and winced slightly when Alex was dropped from her height onto the floor, landing on her behind.
"You…you…" she failed to think of a fitting insult, and stalked from the bridge with a shattered dignity.
"Taisho, cut it out," Koga told him quietly, "You better not harm her. For one thing, we need every fighter we've got, even if you don't think she's worth much. And for another, I'll personally feed you to my fellow wolves if you do anything to her."
Sesshomaru locked stares with the wolf for several long minutes, neither willing to back down. Finally, Koga dropped the gaze to concentrate on steering, not much caring who won it in the first place.
Rina Ninomori: If you like this, I suggest you try Striking Falcon's "Cross of Blades" if you haven't already. It was the inspiration for my story!
Aki-Shi-Kitsune's: Sorry it took so long. Glad you like this, and I'll try to hurry faster, for you.