A/N: In between obscenely difficult university deadlines and a very fickle muse, I finally got round to finishing this chapter. Big apologies for the enormous delay in this one – hopefully I'll get some more time over the Xmas hols to be more productive. On another note, I was going to do a spin-off from this story at some point soon, using some of the new characters. I was thinking about Rochelle, but if anyone's got any ideas then pop them in the reviews section. Anyway, enjoy and I'll see you next time.

Chapter X) Same Feelings

-

"'Remember me,' she said smiling.

'Write my name somewhere safe.

Touch and taste, fades with space

I'll never be who you'll dream.'"

Jimmy Eat World, "Closer"

-

-

The light of the rising sun filtered through the remaining leaves on the trees, now deeply coloured by autumn, and cast a patchwork of illumination and shadows across the small woodland path. What little wind there was danced playfully with Rochelle's hair as the Felesian walked slowly down the trail, the masses of dry leaves on the floor rustling gently underfoot. A strange feeling overwhelmed the young girl as she looked around the forest – the sensation building up inside of her, as though the place seemed familiar despite its obvious foreign nature.

The path continued on, lazily winding its way through the thinning woodland until the outskirts emerged ahead. Rochelle paused and blinked against the bright, now unhidden sunlight. Was that a village in the distance?

Whatever it was, its presence triggered another feeling in the Felesian – one that was warm, enveloping and safe. She had been here before. It felt like it did when she was with Presea, Lloyd and the others. It felt like home.

Suddenly the scene before her vanished, and was replaced with that of a small cell, constructed from moss covered stones and lit only by a single tiny window high up in the wall. Rochelle frowned and looked around, realising that, for some reason, she was sat huddled and shivering in the corner of the room – a sturdy looking and imposing door built into the wall opposite. Voices and footsteps could be heard approaching from beyond it and, as they grew closer, an immense and unspeakable fear began to well up inside of her. She couldn't explain it, but the familiarity had not changed with the location – it felt like she knew this place too, that and the voices.

Desperation lending her strength, Rochelle tried to climb up to the window, scrabbling frantically against the cold stones, but it was just too far away. Falling back to the ground, the Felesian retreated to the corner and cowered, barely able to tear her eyes from the door as it slowly opened.

Something was wrong. She had been expecting, no, waiting, for the owners of the voices to enter the room, but as the door swung open Rochelle realised that there was no one on the other side. Inside, the corridor beyond was filled with a ferocious inferno – tongues of bright flame licking up the walls and spilling out into the cell. She flinched instinctively away from the scorching heat, hearing a different set of voices fill the air; shouting and screaming and –

The Felesian woke with a barely stifled shriek, damp with sweat and panting heavily. Sitting upright, Rochelle wiped her brow and looked across her room, on board the Dawn Sabre, at the bed where Colette would have been if she weren't in the sick bay. The young girl wrapped the clammy bed sheets around herself and shivered, feeling very cold and very alone.

"Not again," she sighed. For some reason, the Exsphere on her arm felt strange – like it always did after the dreams.

---

"Presea, are you all right?"

It was hard for the pink haired girl to answer Lloyd's question to begin with, for the few moments following her waking from the nightmare were filled with a relentless nausea so strong that she thought she might be sick. Presea paused for a few moments, gasping for breath. They were getting worse.

"I…believe I am in good health," she replied shakily, lying back down to rest her head on the pillow and wiping rogue strands of damp hair from her face. "Just a…dream. I apologise if I woke you."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Lloyd's hand found hers under the sheets. "Was it a nightmare again?"

"Um…affirmative." Despite the fact that they had become much more frequent of late, Presea still found the issue of nightmares an embarrassing and childish topic to discuss. She looked across at the young man beside her and gave a small smile – trying to ignore the tingling sensation around her Exsphere. "I feel…foolish."

"You shouldn't." Lloyd rolled over, wrapping his arms around the pink haired girl. "We all get nightmares now and then. I mean, the other night I had one that I was back at school – and had a whole pile of work to do before I could go out and have fun with the others. Scary, huh?"

Presea laughed, appreciating Lloyd's efforts in taking her mind off things. "From what I heard, that was probably a memory, not a nightmare!" Hugging his arms close to her body she closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the familiar sensations that she associated with being safe and protected.

"Thank you Lloyd," she murmured, turning almost unconsciously in his arms to kiss him. "I estimate that it must be early morning by now. We should be close to Mizuho." It was hard to tell, what with the guest rooms being in the centre of the ship, and thus having no windows to effectively gauge the time via natural light – but Presea was pretty sure her estimation had been made with reasonable accuracy.

"Yeah, amazing huh?" Lloyd ran a hand softly through her hair and grinned. "I'm so excited. It'll be cool to see Sheena again – I wonder how she's been getting on?"

"Yes." Presea thought back, feeling the pleasant sensation of having her hair played with lull her into a state of drowsiness. "It must be hard work being the Chief of a village."

"Do you think? I thought it would be cool – y'know, being in charge." The young man allowed his hand to run down the back of Presea's neck, and the small girl shuddered in pleasure from the contact. "You could just spend time how you wanted, without anyone telling you what to do."

Presea laughed again and shook her head. "I think the position carries rather more responsibility than that. There would be a large number of tasks you would have to carry out," she paused, thinking. "I do not think I would enjoy being in such a role."

She heard Lloyd chuckle quietly to himself before he leaned his head closer to hers. "That's because you're so lazy."

Presea didn't dignify the comment with a reply, instead merely bringing her hand up to flick the young man's nose.

---

Sydney Alderwyn let a small, imperceptible sigh escape from his lips as he looked out of the grand window before him at the bustling city of Meltokio – a scene of silhouettes and twinkling lights contrasting with the night sky.

"Such a disgusting tribute to the follies of the modern world," he said softly before turning to the aide standing behind him. "Wouldn't you say?"

The aide, obviously caught off guard by the fact that Alderwyn had been aware of his presence, blinked foolishly for a moment before nodding. "Y-yes, my lord."

"Yes…" The raven-haired man paced across the large room towards a table covered with maps and charts. "Still…it only adds to the poetic splendour of having the glorious dream emerge from such a stagnant decay."

The aide remained silent, figuring it best to do so when he wasn't sure of the correct response. Alderwyn paused for a moment and smiled to himself before looking away from the maps.

"What news have you to report?"

"Uh, g-general Zao reports that he…he has received word from Captain Merendez." The aide swallowed. "He reports that he…failed in his mission, my lord."

Alderwyn chuckled with genuine mirth. "So, Zao's calling himself general now, eh? Well…let him have his small victories. As for Merendez, well, I hadn't expected the Juniper, or even the Aria, to triumph to be honest. At least the encounter confirmed our opponent."

The aide paused, before hesitantly speaking up. "The…Dawn Sabre?"

"Correct. The Dawn Sabre." Alderwyn spoke the words slowly, as if savouring them and laughed again. "Captained by…well, I trust you realise the advantage that gives us."

---

"Oh man, I am so bored! Quinn slumped down onto the small desk in front of his Captain's chair and sighed. "Aren't we there yet?"

"ETA to Mizuho: approximately five minutes. Nearly there now, Cap'n." The voice of Girvin, the helmsman, was soothing and light, as if he was speaking to placate a small child. Beside him, Lilly stifled a chuckle as she walked back to her post.

"How is it that the night shift get 'brave, dashing Quinn' and all we get is a tired, lazy, little boy?" she asked, removing her glasses to massage the bridge of her nose.

"Ouch," Quinn's head remained where it lay, his long brown hair falling forward to mask his face. "Why is it that I never get any respect here?" he groaned.

Silence reigned for a few moments on the bridge as the assorted crewmembers stifled their laughter before their Captain lifted his head up again.

"Hey, I just thought. In five minutes we'll be there right? That means I can actually get some sleep while our guests get their work sorted in Mizuho."

Lilly shook her head, her blue eyes glittering. "Ah ah ah Captain, you can't. A high-ranking member of the crew has to be present too as a representative of the ship, and our employer. You wouldn't want to make Mr Bryant mad!"

"What?" Quinn stifled a yawn and cast a sly glance around the bridge. "Well where the hell is Alwyn?

"He…ahem, retired to get some sleep Captain."

In the silence that followed, only Girvin dared to speak up, his gruff voice announcing their arrival. "We are at the location now Cap'n, you might wanna give the announcement."

Quinn slumped back into his chair miserably, grabbing for the intercom with one hand while the other ran through his hair. "So unfair…I get no respect here."

---

"Hey babe, how you feeling today?"

Colette opened her eyes slowly, but the movement still caused her head to swell with a nauseous pain and the former Chosen found herself holding her breath and mentally trying to quell the feeling of being sick. Beside her, Rochelle was perched on a chair and smiling brightly – her face a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Still feeling like crap huh?"

"Um, just a little sore," Colette replied, making to sit up but then thinking better of it. Morning light spilled through the numerous portholes in the medical bay, which now seemed less busy and more peaceful than it had the night before. "I'll be fine though." She gingerly touched the bandage around her head and returned the younger girl's smile. "What about you?"

Rochelle's tail joined her ears in twitching excitedly as she nodded enthusiastically, the movement sending her blonde locks spilling about her head. "I'm good!" she replied, leaning forward to check the dressing round her friend's head and slapping her gently on the hand. "Real good! Don't mess with the bandage babe or it won't heal!"

"Hehe, sorry." Colette lay back and let the Felesian finish her checks. "It's my first really bad wound…oh, and my first time in a flying hospital."

"Flying Hospital? Right…that's…uh, nothing to get excited about babe," Rochelle hands worked deftly as she finished readjusting the bandages. "Hey, it's healed well! Not even a scar or anything." She paused for a moment before grinning and adding proudly, "I'm so great!"

The former Chosen laughed. "Yeah, you should become a doctor, Rochelle. I'm sure you'd make a great one!"

"Ugh, yuck! I do not think so." The Felesian pulled a disgusted face and shook her head. "Did you see some of the things those doctors here have to do? Think I'll just stick with part-time healing, thanks missy."

Colette nodded and suppressed a shudder. "I know what you mean," she replied. "Those needles looked scary! They were so sharp!"

Rochelle blinked. "Well…think they're kinda supposed to be babe. I mean…what would be the point of a blunt needle?" She straightened suddenly and looked out of the nearest porthole. "Hey, did you hear the announcement a few minutes ago? Apparently we're just about to arrive at that Mizuho place. Exciting, eh?"

"Yeah, it's going to be fun! You'll like it there." The former Chosen smiled at the joy shimmering in her friends eyes but couldn't shake the feeling that she was forgetting something – something she was supposed to be doing or have already done. Frowning in concentration for a few moments, Colette eventually gave up and made another attempt to sit up. Whatever it was could wait until they arrived at Mizuho. The blonde haired girl wondered if Sheena was going to come herself with the escort party and then paused. She had forgotten to tell her they were on their way!

"Oh no! Uh…Rochelle…could you do me a favour? Inside my bag back in the cabin is my communicator. Could you go and get it for me please?"

"Sure babe, no problem."

Colette watched the Felesian leap from her chair and dash out of the medical bay, dreading having to give the news to Sheena.

---

"Sheena? Sheena are you there?"

The crackle of the communicator, not to mention the urgent tone in Colette's voice, stirred Sheena from the warm, drowsy embrace she had been succumbing to and the summoner rose her head from the work desk in alarm. Numerous papers she had been working on had remained stuck to her cheek from when she had been leaning on them, and the purple haired woman hastily plucked them off as she fumbled for the communicator.

"Colette? I was wondering what had happened to you all!" Sheena paused and stifled a yawn – shaking her head to try and remove the tiredness. "Is everything all right over there?"

"Um…yeah, it hasn't been too bad. We were attacked by pirates yesterday but I think everything is fine now."

"Nothing too serious I hope." Sheena replied, feeling a brief twinge of concern enter her voice, then paused. "Wait…pirates? Does that mean you're already on your way then?"

The communicator crackled but there was an obvious hesitance on the other side.

"Uh…yeah, you could say that." Colette giggled nervously

"Oh boy," Sheena laughed, feeling the humour spill uncomfortably into butterflies in her stomach. Somehow, she knew it this wasn't going to have gone as planned. The summoner leaned back into the rocking chair. "Come on then, how long till you arrive?"

"Well…" Colette paused again, as if considering the question. "…If we're taking into account the time it takes to land then about…five or ten minutes?"

Sheena grabbed the sides of her chair to avoid falling out of it. "Uh…you're joking, right?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that with all the excitement I…um, forgot…a bit."

A bit. The remark made Sheena laugh again, and she smiled affectionately down at the communicator. "Hey, don't worry about it – I'll come down and meet you there okay?"

"Okay! See you in a few minutes then. Colette out."

Sheena sighed as she thumbed off the remote and rocked the chair gently, closing her eyes to think for a moment. With so little time there wouldn't be any chance of organising some kind of welcome party or similar function, but that wasn't really the problem. No, the physical preparations were not the issue here – it was the other preparations that she needed time for. Mental ones.

"This is going to be hard," she whispered to herself, feeling her stomach lurch a little with acknowledgement.

"So, our long overdue guests are finally set to arrive then?"

Sheena jumped at the sound of the man's voice, familiar though it was, and turned round to look at the doorway to the room. The vice-chief of the village, appointed by Sheena herself, was leaning there nonchalantly, an amused look on his youthful face. He was, as always, wearing what appeared to be the most formal clothing in his wardrobe; the long silken kimono an immaculate combination of white and light blues.

"Hi Masaki, I didn't know you were back yet." Sheena stretched her arms and stifled another yawn.

"Of course you didn't," the young man replied as he crossed the room. The summoner noted that his long auburn hair was hanging loose today, trailing at waist length as he moved. "By the looks of things you were too preoccupied with sleeping!"

Sheena's cheeks reddened and she looked away. "S-so what? I'm not allowed to have a sleep in my own house now?"

"Nope." Masaki laughed and dropped himself into a seat opposite, looking at the scattered papers on the desk. "You're the chief remember! Besides, it looks as though you've drooled on that letter to the Sybak minister."

"Huh? Argh!" Sheena looked at the letter and sighed. It was true, and worse; it was ruined! Tossing it aside in frustration, the summoner looked back Masaki. "What do you want anyway? I've got to meet Colette and the others now."

The vice-chief leaned back in his chair and looked out the window beside him. Sheena followed his gaze and sighed on realising that the cold blue sky had began to unload its cargo of snow over the village.

"Do we really need to involve outsiders?"

Sheena frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "They're not outsiders," she said defensively. "They're my friends, and they know a lot about Exspheres and Delphinium. We've been through this before Masaki."

The young man smiled and raised his hands up in submission. "Hey, you don't have to tell me! I was just saying…"

Sheena sat up in her chair. "Saying what?"

Masaki shrugged and averted his gaze. "Well…you know how some of the older people in office are. There's just some rumours going about regarding their concerns for the direction of Mizuho."

"We can't stay secretive and in the shadows forever," retorted the summoner fierily. "I'm not saying we have to abandon our old ways, but it's detrimental for us to remain so isolated."

The vice-chief looked thoughtful for a moment, but shook his head. "Yeah, that's the problem though –"

"Oh, I haven't got time for this," interrupted Sheena, standing up suddenly in frustration. She bumped the desk with her leg and the impact knocked over a small pot of ink – spilling the contents over the letters and paperwork. The summoner bit her tongue to avoid cursing and made for the door.

"More haste, less speed," Masaki called after her, and sighed. "Not like you'll listen to me anyway…you never do."

---

The rough, country road between the Fooji mountains and Meltokio was always difficult to negotiate during the winter months, but for some reason this year it was especially so. The well-travelled ground was imprinted with wheel tracks and horseshoe marks – further cemented in place due to the unrelenting frost – and as his horses pulled the carriage slowly forward, the merchant realised he was going to be late on delivering his goods to the village. The first sprinklings of snow indicated that the weather wasn't going to improve, and the rows of bare trees on either side of road proved a lonely distraction to his bored eyes. There was still a good few days travel ahead of him yet.

Suddenly, five men leapt out from behind the trees – armed with an assortment of bows and swords – and moved into position in front of the carriage. The horses whinnied in alarm and lumbered to a standstill as silence returned to the previously tranquil scene.

One of the men, carrying a large two-handed sword and wearing a leering smile, casually approached the merchant's seat behind the horses.

"Travelling alone mate?" he asked, tapping the side of the wagon with his sword. "Don't recommend it – not in these parts. There's lots of bandits round 'ere…well, so I hear anyway."

The others in the group sniggered amongst them at their leader's words and the merchant felt his heart sink. Not again, he thought with a mixture of weariness and sorrow.

"I am carrying nothing of value," he replied, addressing the leader. "So there should be little for me to fear from bandits."

"Nothing of value eh?" The leader laughed and climbed up beside the merchant. "Well, let's have a little look, just to be on the safe side."

He clicked his fingers and the rest of his men approached the carriage to begin their search. Turning to the merchant, the leader grinned maliciously. "If we find anything of value then we'll keep hold of it for ya," he explained. "That way then ya really won't be at risk from bandits."

The merchant hung his head. "But –"

"Aw no, there's no need to thank us." The man clapped him on the shoulder. "It's our pleasure, heh heh."

A strange high pitched whine filled the air – imperceptible at first but then building in volume until it resonated heavily in the road between the trees. The merchant joined the bandits in looking around for the source of the sound, but there didn't seem to be anything identifiably causing it. A few more moments passed before a thick pillar of white light descended towards the tree-ridden ground nearby, parting the dull grey clouds filling the sky above. It made a thunderous noise upon striking the winter-chilled ground and, for a second, the air around it seemed to flicker and distort somewhat. The horses reared up in alarm, amplifying the effects of the strange phenomena, and causing the bandits to mumble amongst each other in apprehension.

The merchant looked into the winter-thinned tree line, squinting at the brightness of the light, to see something shift in the heart of the beam – a dark silhouette of what looked like a man. The leader of the bandits seemed to notice it too and unsheathed his sword before dropping down to join his companions.

"The hell is that?" one of them muttered, the question aimed at nobody in particular.

"Jus' shut up and ready your weapons."

The tall figure seemed to observe them for a moment, before stepping forward through the remainder of the trees towards the carriage. As he moved, the beam of light behind him faded and the man's features became more visible in the cold afternoon light. He was indeed tall, and seemed to contain a presence of immense strength within his relatively slender frame. The breeze danced lightly with his red hair, some of it spiked while other lengths ran long down the sides of his head, and the man paused on the edge of the country road – studying the scene before him with cold eyes.

"Bandits," he muttered simply.

The bandit leader shrugged and looked at his men. "Aye, you could say that. Now…it might be best if you jus' be on your way now."

The red-haired man looked from the bandits, to the merchant before returning to the bandits again. "I cannot comply with that request."

"Oh, well…that's too bad then." The bandit leader unsheathed his sword – his companions following suit – and smiled. "Kill him."

"…heh." There was a ghost of a smile on the red-haired man's face as two of the bandits raised bows and unleashed an arrow each at him. Kicking away from the ground, the man launched himself high into the air – pushing himself off a nearby tree with his feet to sail past the arrows. Unsheathing his sword in his descent, the man landed on one of the bandits and brought the pommel of his weapon down on the other's head. The two bowmen slumped to the ground and before any of the others could move, the red-haired stranger had his sword pointing at their leader's throat.

"Consider that a warning," he said evenly. "There will not be another."

The man quailed under his assailant's cold stare. "W-what are ya? That jump…no human could have done made that!"

The stranger cocked his head quizzically to one side. "I never asserted I was."

Whatever arrogant confidence remained fled from the bandit leader at that, and he dropped his sword – trying to pull away from his adversary. The man kept his grip on him for a moment, before releasing his hold on the leader, who fell unceremoniously onto the ground. Picking himself up, the bandit joined his men in running down the road away from the carriage – leaving their unconscious companions behind.

Watching them flee for a few moments, the stranger nodded, satisfied, and turned to the merchant.

"How far away is the nearest settlement?"

The merchant pointed a shaky finger down the road, still slightly scared by the unusual man. "M-my destination is the closest – Meltokio – it lies in that direction…a few days travel away."

The man thought for a second, then nodded. "Good…" he rubbed one of his shoulders and winced slightly. "I wonder if you will permit me to ride with you then? I am still a little weak from my travels."

"W-weak?" The merchant stared incredulously at the stranger for a moment, then nodded. "No matter. I owe you my goods and, most probably, my life. My hospitality is yours for as long as you require it."

Inclining his head slightly, the man climbed on board the carriage to sit beside the merchant. "Then you have my thanks."

The merchant cracked the reigns and the horses began to move slowly again. "It is I who must thank you sir. Do you have a name?"

"My name?" The stranger nodded. "Yes, my name is Kratos. Kratos Aurion."

---

The wind-chilled air greeted Quinn as he stepped out on the bridge's balcony, which overlooked the deck, and leaned nonchalantly against the railings. A gentle shudder shook the Dawn Sabre as it began its descent and the brown haired man felt a swell of pride overcome him at seeing his ship perform so well despite the damage inflicted upon it.

"Sorry, old girl," he muttered. "Guess there's still a bit of a reckless streak in me despite everything. Don't hold it against me, eh?"

"I'm sure the Sabre won't hold it against you, but I can't vouch for Ceiridwen and the others." Quinn didn't need to turn around to know who was speaking. A few moments later, his vice-captain, Alwyn, was at his side – joining him in looking down at the main deck. "I mean, she's going to be one grouchy cat when she comes to."

Quinn smiled and looked across at the elf. "Finally hauled yourself out of bed, eh?"

Alwyn grinned, taking a swig from his hip flask before offering it to Quinn. "Well, it was hard work giving orders all night. After all, you just ran around on deck the whole time."

The brown haired man took the flask. "Huh, well let me know whenever you feel like drawing your sword and fighting."

The blue eyed elf shook his head. "And ruin my dashing good looks? I don't think so!"

Quinn sighed, "Man, does anyone here respect their wonderful captain?"

"Well I know someone that does." Alwyn pointed down at the deck, and Quinn followed the finger to see Rochelle and Colette stood by the railing – the latter waving cheerily up at him. He returned the gesture and let out a low sigh.

"Think I'm getting old and sentimental, mate. I promised I wouldn't feel this way about someone again."

Alwyn brushed his windswept hair from his face. "Well, we've been here before though. Think it's time you made the choice whether it's still worth pursuing this vendetta."

"Like I could ever give that up." Quinn shook his head. "No, I'm just gonna have to hold myself back, that's all."

"If that's what you think is best." Alwyn took the proffered flask and took another drink.

"It is. To get close enough to Zao in order to kill him…well, you know what the odds are on getting out alive." Quinn looked at the elf and grinned half-heartedly. "Still, wouldn't be a challenge otherwise, right?"

"Sure…" Alwyn nodded, drawing himself off the rail. "Well, you know you won't be doing it alone. I owe you my life, so don't forget that I'll be by your side regardless."

The brown haired captain met his friends gaze and nodded sombrely. "Aye…thanks mate. That means a lot."

---

"Lloyd, come on! Your movement rate seems unusually low at present!"

The young man paused in the doorway as he emerged out onto the top deck and scowled. "That's because I'm not fully awake at present!"

Presea's hand remained entwined with his as she pulled him insistently onward, the winter air causing her breath to mist as she replied. "You've had all morning to wake up. Look – the others are already out here!"

The pink haired girl guided Lloyd towards the railing where Rochelle and Colette were already standing and smiled in greeting as she looked below – feeling a dizziness pass over her as the snow coated ground came into view beneath the icy clouds. The expanded village of Mizuho could just be seen in the centre of the Gaoracchia forest, barely peeking through the vast canopy of leafless trees.

"High," she whispered.

"Way high," added Rochelle with a low whistle. "It's awesome babe."

Presea looked across at the Felesian and nodded. "It is a beautiful sight. I feel a little trepidation at the height, but it is exhilarating too."

Colette gave a little giggle. "I'm so excited! It's going to be good to be back."

Lloyd squinted as the ship descended closer to the ground. "Hey, what's that moving through the trees? Some kind of carriage?"

Presea found Rochelle's hand threaded through her own and gave it a quick squeeze as she peered closer at the object passing through the forest. "Affirmative. It appears to be a large land based transportation vehicle – most likely a caravan."

---

You can do this. You don't feel the same.

The thunder of hooves was deafening as the seven horses drew the caravan through the thinning outskirts of the Gaoracchia forest, and Sheena cursed as she was nearly thrown from the driver's seat for the fifth time. More haste less speed indeed, she reflected moodily and ducked too late to avoid some low hanging branches – the thin pieces of wood getting caught in her hair.

No time to even arrange a greeting party to meet them, ugh – I really suck at this today!

The horses guided the caravan onto the wide grassy plains beyond the forest and Sheena looked up to see the vast bulk of the ship hang in the icy sky as it slowly descended, seemingly guided down by the gentle snowfall. Excluding the odd thrown together quality of it, it was clear that the vessel was a mess. The system of masts looked heavily damaged, with at least one missing by the looks of things, and numerous holes of various sizes pockmarked the ship, smoke still billowing from some of them.

Pirates huh? Looks more like they ran into a small army. Sheena slowed the horses down and the animals responded – moving from their gallop to a gentle canter before coming to a halt – seemingly unaffected by the noise and presence of the enormous vessel landing nearby.

Several struts emerged from the base of the ship, acting as support columns as they touched the ground and, with a final shudder, the engines of the vessel were shut down. Sheena leapt down from her seat and took a few hesitant steps forward, feeling the cold wind chill her through her clothes. Looking across at the light grey horizon, the summoner sighed. It looked as though more snow was coming.

A few moments passed before a section of the base of the ship opened up and slid aside, allowing a long gangplank to lower automatically down to the grassy floor. There seemed to be some activity inside the ship by the boarding device before the first person descended down and Sheena felt herself gasp. It was Colette, and the former Chosen looked terrible, a large bandage wrapped around the top of her head and spots of blood and dirt on her clothes. Her pale, smiling face lit up even more on seeing Sheena though and she ran unsteadily towards the summoner – wrapping her arms tightly around her.

"Sheena," she began, before blinking against dizziness. "Oh…"

The purple haired woman clasped her friend close to her and smiled. "Colette! What have you been up to? I hope you're not too badly hurt."

"I'm fine." Colette blinked again and grinned happily. "At least, I'll be fine. How's the village been?"

"Missing you!" Sheena sighed then, looking at her feet. "Oh, I don't know Colette. Sometimes it feels like I can't do anything right by way of Mizuho. Especially now…"

"Hey, it'll be okay!" Colette grabbed her friend's hand and smiled. "We'll do it together! Just like always."

"Sheena!"

The summoner looked up to see Presea running happily towards her and was amazed how different the pink haired girl looked after the six months or so since she had last seen her. Her hair was loose now, hanging around her waist, and she had grown physically too – despite the relatively short passage of time. Most noticeable of all was the comfortably warm smile on Presea's face, looking more natural and at ease now than ever before.

"Presea! How have you been?" She wrapped her arms around her friend, feeling a surge of warmth at seeing her again, and looked down at the girl's wounds. "Uh…Except for now that is. Did everyone get injured in the attack?"

"Negative. But I am fine, these wounds are only minor afflictions and will fade with rest." She looked up at Sheena and smiled again. "But how have you been? Being in charge of a village…it must be such a difficult task."

Sheena grinned self-consciously. "Ah, um, well it's got good and bad days you know? I'll have to tell you about it at some point when we get back."

Noticing movement nearby, Sheena turned her head slightly to see Lloyd approaching with another, older, man with long brown hair and outlandish clothes, and a young, energetic, looking girl with choppy shoulder length blonde hair and – Sheena blinked – were they feline ears? And a tail?

It was Lloyd who approached first with a delighted smile on his face, and Sheena felt her cheeks flush a little – hoping the others mistook it for the cold – wondering if it was right to embrace her…friend, or if she should initiate the greeting or if –

Lloyd held his hand out then, and Sheena moved hers forward to shake it in greeting – feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment. As she grasped it, he pulled her into a tight hug, laughing.

"How have you been Sheena?"

"Heh, I've been doing well Lloyd, yourself?" Sheena closed her eyes for a second, feeling the embrace warm her before pushing him off, and the joking quality of her laugh infused with nervousness. "Haha, get off you. Heard you all ran into some trouble."

"Yeah," Lloyd looked back to the ship. "Pirates of all things. Can you believe it? It was pretty rough up there too!"

The older man intervened then, clapping a hand on Lloyd's shoulder and smiling roguishly. "Ha, listen to the kid. Pretty rough? That was nothing compared to what my old girl's been through!"

Sheena looked from Lloyd's fuming face to the older man's, who must have spotted her inquisitive glance as he held out his hand. "Quinn's the name, captain of the Dawn Sabre."

The summoner took it and nodded. "Well met Quinn. I'm Sheena, chief of Mizuho. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. Always a pleasure to meet such a charming lady. Especially one holding such a high position." Quinn closed his eyes and smiled. "Women in power are so…exciting."

Sheena sighed and looked across at Lloyd, who was glaring at the captain. "What happened, wasn't Zelos available?"

The brown haired man seemed nonplussed as the others laughed. "Uh, I don't get it."

Sheena smiled, feeling truly relaxed and happy for the first time in a while. It was good to be in the company of old friends again. "Never mind," she said, looking across at the young blonde haired girl. "You must be…um, Rochelle, wasn't it?"

The girl seemed taken aback at first, her tail going rigid for a moment before relaxing. "Whoa! You know my name?"

"Colette told me before you left Altamira." Sheena smiled, watching Rochelle's ears twitch in understanding.

"Ah! Hehe, people were talking about me – I feel special!" The affable girl held out a hand. "Yup, I'm Rochelle babe, and I've heard loads about you too!"

The summoner shook the affable girl's hand. "Hopefully just the good parts!"

"Oh yeah babe – there's loads of them! Colette's been telling me loadsa cool stories about you from when you all travelled together." Rochelle's pale blue eyes were sparkling with excitement, making Sheena feel slightly embarrassed and self-conscious. "All that summoning stuff – it sounds amazing!"

"Haha, it's nothing that special." Sheena scratched her cheek absently. "I'll show you before you go, okay!"

"Oh wow, Big Sis, Colette – did you hear that!" Rochelle sounded genuinely delighted. "That's so cool!"

Shivering against the sudden gust of biting wind, Sheena looked up at the snow filled clouds blanketing the sky. "Hehe, looks like the Sylph sisters and Celsius are working us hard today! Come on, let's get back to Mizuho and out of this weather." She looked back at the caravan for a moment, trying to keep her gaze away from Lloyd and Presea's linked hands, both wondering and knowing why it bothered her.

Quinn seemed to be thinking something over, looking slightly uncomfortable, and Sheena considered him for a second. No, it wasn't quite uncomfortable, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"Are you coming too?" she inquired.

Quinn's gaze encompassed Colette for a fraction of a second, before he shook his head. "Ah, 'fraid not. Thanks for the offer though but I've got, um, captain things to do. The Dawn Sabre will remain here until you're ready to be taken back."

"Huh?" Colette looked across at Quinn, a slight unhappiness flickering on her face. "You're not coming too? Not even for a little while?"

The brown haired man squirmed a little, trying to look anywhere but at Colette and failing. "Well…I haven't really got the time my dear Colette. My ship needs someone to get the repairs in order, heavens help us if I leave Alwyn organising things."

"Oh…yeah, of course – you're right." Colette was looking down at her feet, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice. Sheena frowned as she wondered what was going on. The way the former Chosen was acting seemed strange, like – wait. The purple haired woman hid the smile that was threatening to emerge on her face. Does Colette…like him? The summoner couldn't be certain, but it was obvious her friend wanted him to come along.

Looking up at Quinn, Sheena shook her head. "Well…one of your sub-ordinates will have to cope I'm afraid. The invitation I offered was a formal one – between the chief of Mizuho and the representative of the Lezareno Company. It would be uncivil to not accept." As she spoke she saw a look of comprehension form of Colette's face, followed by one of gratification.

"Oh…ah, uh." Quinn thought for a second before hanging his head. "Then I must humbly accept." Turning to Colette he smiled. "Besides, I guess my orders are to ensure my passengers arrive safely at Mizuho, right?"

Colette let out a happy giggle. "Hehe, yeah – I'll show you round the village."

Lloyd sighed and looked across at Presea and Rochelle. "Great, looks like we've got to put up with him for a while longer yet."

Smiling softly, Sheena shook her head as she climbed back up into the driver's seat and waited for the others to board the caravan. She thought of the warm, cosy interior and sighed – a little envious at having to be stuck driving the vehicle rather than being inside. For a second, Colette looked as though she was going to go inside too, but then clambered ungracefully up to sit beside Sheena.

"It's good to be back," she said happily and looked around. "Everything looks really pretty in the snow."

"Yeah…and cold." Sheena added sourly, but smiled nonetheless. "I'm glad you're back too. It'll be nice to have a friendly face in the Mizuho political arena again."

Colette let out a startled squeak and gripped hold of the seat so as not to be thrown off as the horses began to move under Sheena's guidance. "Has it got worse?"

"Yeah…I guess." The summoner shook her head. "I don't know…everyone seems more than happy to criticise every decision I make at the moment. I mean, not the citizens – they seem pleased – but the ones who have power and influence."

"You're doing the right thing," Colette rested a hand on Sheena's for a moment and smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's all so complicated to me…but I'll support you in any way I can."

"Heh, thanks." Sheena gave her friend's hand a squeeze. "You know, I still really wish I could have made you my vice-chief."

"It's fine – I mean, you couldn't have really. I'm not technically a citizen of Mizuho yet…" Colette looked up at the sky. "About that, though…and about what you said to me before I left…I've had time to think about it now, and I'm ready. I want to become one."

"R-really?" Sheena looked across, feeling a mixture of happiness and shock. "I didn't think you would want to. That's wonderful Colette! It's your choice of course, but I can make the arrangements for whenever you want."

Colette smiled, bringing her gaze down as the trees moved past. "I was hoping we could do it while Lloyd and the others were here. It would be nice to have our friends there."

Sheena thought about for a second and nodded. "That should be achievable. I'll start the notice when we return."

"I just hope they'll accept me," Colette murmured.

"Of course they will." Sheena turned her gaze back to guiding the galloping horses and laughed jubilantly, fuelled by happiness and a sense of security. "They'll have no choice!"

---

Murder. Freedom. Elation.

"Stop the creature! Quickly, before it escapes!"

Fear.

The long and slender wolf, strangely coloured and large for its type, rose unsteadily onto her hind legs to sniff the cool night air in desperation. The sirens from the large complex behind the animal continued to wail, but her ears filtered in another sound besides it – that of a dozen or so heavily armed men dashing from the facility towards her location. Pausing for a second more, as if taunting them, the wolf dropped onto all fours again and bounded forward into the surrounding forest – the moonlight glinting silver across the human blood splattering its purple mane and grey fur. The sounds of the men calling out commands were muted by the alarm, but the high pitched whine of the laser blasts that followed certainly weren't. The wolf gave a yelp of surprise as a searing beam of heat flew past, missing her by a hairs breadth, and smashing into a nearby tree.

Horror. Escape.

Moving ever faster in desperation, the wolf continued to put distance between herself and her pursuers – every single step increasing the hope that she would be able to finally escape and be free.

---

"Whoa, now that is a strange Exsphere."

The group of companions, lounging on the variety of soft cushions and blankets within the parlour of Sheena's house, turned their attention to the item as the chief carried it into the room. The soft moonlight spilling through the window caught the Exsphere, turning gently red as it passed through the tinted object – which looked, for all the world, like a small glass orb.

"Isn't it just?" she replied, handing it over to Lloyd before returning to her cushion. "We found three in total in the Saube River – just outside of the village – but we haven't been able to search further because of the sudden Delphinium presence."

"Delphinium again?" Rochelle frowned and looked down at the low table, packed with a variety of sumptuous foods, centred in the middle of the cushion arrangement. "Man, they seem to be everywhere."

Presea, who was resting drowsily in Lloyd's arms, shifted as he took the Exsphere so she could get a better look at it. It still looked like a glass bauble but, up close, she could see that the red tint seemed to be caused by the Expshere's contents. She squinted at the strange, almost gaseous substance within and shuddered – wondering why it bothered her. The familiar runic markings were etched onto the surface of the orb, but it was clear the item lacked a Keycrest.

"Delphinium seek these?" she asked, looked up at Sheena.

The purple haired chief transferred a selection of rice onto her plate and shook her head. "We don't really know to be honest. They haven't said as much, nor have they attempted to enter the village."

Lloyd frowned, and handed the Exsphere over to a curious Rochelle. "They must be – why else would they be here?"

"It doesn't make sense though." Presea stifled a yawn and sat up, taking an empty plate. "Delphinium would not openly expose their interest in collecting Exspheres by engaging with communities in such a manner."

Sheena absently pushed the rice around her plate. "Well, it doesn't matter for now. We've set up regular patrols and watches just in case, and they seem to be having the desired effect."

"Well, we'll go and check it out tomorrow anyway," replied Lloyd, taking a plate and placing a variety of the food on it. "I wonder if we'll find any more?"

Quinn scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Odd that how something so small seems to attract everyone's attention."

"Well, I guess people don't use Exspheres as much as they used to, but there's always some that still try to." Colette replied, tucking into some honey-glazed pastries. "Ooh Sheena, these are lovely!"

"Yeah! So is this…um…" Lloyd looked down at the half eaten fried roll and frowned. "…What is it?"

Sheena leaned forward. "Oh, those are squid and seaweed rolls. I'm not too good at making those yet, but I'm getting better."

Lloyd paled a little. "Uh…squid?"

Presea down looked at the table. "You made all of this Sheena? That's amazing!"

The chief coloured slightly and looked down at her plate. "Ah…it's nothing really – I mean, it's worth putting the effort in when you have friends over, right?"

"Well, I'm impressed." Quinn looked across at Sheena and grinned. "I'll have to represent the Lezareno Company here more often, but I'm also confused." He ignored Lloyd's muttered remark at that, and considered his plate. "Is this the type of food you eat here? I've seen some of these dishes around the world and, considering how secretive Mizuho was until recently, I would have thought they would be more…exotic?"

"Hey, some of this is exotic!" Sheena smiled as she reached over for a jug of winter berry cordial. "But yeah, a lot of the dishes are from other parts of the world. I've been trading recipes with some of the ambassadors and ministers who we communicate with."

Filling her glass, she set the jug down and pointed at a few of the plates on the table. "The four meat and ale pie was from Meltokio, the honeyed lamb and strawberry oatcakes over there came from Ozette – oh! And that fish and mushroom timbale was from the daughter of the mayor of Luin."

Ozette. Presea felt a pang of curiosity and restlessness strike her at the mention of her hometown. Looking across, she saw Rochelle's ears twitch and perk up, although the blonde haired Felesian said nothing.

Lloyd laughed, his eyebrows raised slightly. "Well, you certainly sound enthusiastic."

Sheena blushed again and took a sip from her glass to disguise it. "Ah, well it's fun to meet new people and things. It's nice to cook new things too."

Presea turned her stare to the chief and smiled. "I think it's wonderful! You'll have to teach me if you ever have the time!" She laughed with the others as Rochelle tapped Lloyd on the shoulder, and used her tail to steal a pastry from his plate as he looked round. The young man swatted at it with his hand and sighed. "Anyone want to swap places?"

---

In the silent night air, a single figure stole quietly through the outskirts of the Gaoracchia forest, hugging close to the sparsely scattered trees and avoiding the moonlight coated clearings. Emerging from the woodland, the man paused and looked from the tree line to the wide, open plains beyond and sighed heavily.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a number of flickering, golden lights approach, and turned to greet the owners of the torches that emitted them. Two of the three figures came to an abrupt halt at his gaze, but the third – a tall man with a thick beard that glowed orange in the light of the torch – moved a step or two closer.

"You're late Masaki," he muttered gruffly.

"I am?" The young man looked up at the moon and shrugged. "Huh, I am aren't I? Well, there's something."

"I've already reported to my superiors on your lack of co-operation so far." The bearded man warned. "So let's make this quick shall we?"

Masaki smiled thinly and inclined his head. The man with the beard grunted and handed over an envelope. "This is a copy of the battle plans. Lord Alderwyn said you should have one so as to make your own arrangements around it." He paused, and smiled coldly. "Quite the traitor aren't you?"

Masaki took the envelope and looked the man straight in the eye. "Traitor? Don't make me laugh, and don't insult my integrity and honour again."

Turning to leave, the vice-chief paused for a moment and looked back. "Oh, the new arrivals at the village – I hear they are heading to the Saube River tomorrow; looking for more of those Exspheres. I thought that might be of interest to you, Eiros."

Eiros brought his hand up to the burns on the left side of his face, the smile on his lips emotionless and cold. "Lloyd and Presea eh? You're right. That is interestin'." Looking back at his companions, the bearded man laughed spitefully. "Tomorrow, then, we get our revenge."