Auto the Frogster: Thanks again for reviewing. I hope you like this next chapter. ;)

Melesse.sprit: Thanks for reviewing! ;)

Again, thank you Morgan and James for reading Chapter 2. (I know you can't review because both of you don't have pen names;)

This chapter's for my 4 readers (and anyone else who wants read and review!)

N/A: I'd like to say thanks to all 4 of my readers. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 9. Square Enix does.

Chapter 3: A Fateful Storm

"Get your filthy hands off of me!" Natalie screamed.

"Let her go, you fiend!" Tyler yelled. He began to draw his Ragnarok out of its sheath.

"You there!" Black Waltz No. 1 pointed to Eiko. "You're the one. You're a summoner aren't you? Challenge my Sea lion, win and I'll let her go. If you lose, I'll kill her. Choose your eidolon wisely."

"Fine. I choose Madeen. You better keep your promise and let her go when I win!" Eiko replied.

"Very well. Sea lion will not lose." Black Waltz No. 1 rang a small bell and suddenly, a strange creature appeared from behind a cliff. It shook the ground as it slowly moved towards the Black Waltz.

"I summon Madeen!" Eiko called as she began to play her Angel flute. The lion-like Madeen appeared. "Don't let up, attack Sea lion with all your might." Both creatures rushed towards each other to get within attack range. Sea lion used Blizzaga on Madeen. Madeen took the attack and let out a wild roar. "Use Terra Homing!" She ordered. Madeen saved up energy and then with another roar, released Terra Homing. The attack instantly killed Sea lion with one blast!

"My Sea lion's dead! My brothers 02 and 03 didn't tell me you were so strong," Black Waltz No. 1 responded.

"You better let Natalie go, or else you'll taste steel," shouted Tyler.

"Oh, you mean this girl? I'll let her go. She's of no more use to me." Replied the Black Waltz as he let Natalie fall to the ground. "The one I'm after is Eiko. We Black Waltzes need her to fulfill our plan."

"And just what might that plan be?" Eiko inquired.

"Ha ha ha! Revenge on someone you know very well. Destroying the little black mage, Vivi, is our goal."

"What did he ever do to you?" Eiko asked.

"He destroyed our lives. Without him and his magic, my brothers couldn't have been defeated. He ruined our lives!"

"I won't be bait for your trap," Eiko said.

"Then you'll all die!" He yelled as he rang his little bell. "Firaga!" Tyler quickly drew his sword and lunged toward him and stabbed the Black Waltz in the heart. "Ouch! This isn't the end. You may have killed me, but my brothers are stronger. You don't stand a chance against them…" The Black Waltz fell to the ground and his bell broke into a million tiny pieces.

Tyler pulled his Ragnarok out of the lifeless body. "I suppose there are 2 more of these things."

"I don't know. I've never seen them before. I remember Vivi and Zidane talking about 3 Black Waltzes though," Eiko replied.

"How did the Black Waltzes know we were coming?" Natalie asked.

"There's no telling how they knew," stated Tyler.

"Do you think Vivi is here?" Natalie asked as she turned to Eiko.

"I have no idea. I'm more worried about the moogles; they should be here. If it's alright with both of you, I want to check out the eidolon wall," Eiko replied.

"It's your decision," Tyler said.

"You're the boss!" Natalie exclaimed. Followed by Tyler and Natalie, Eiko made her way to the fountain in the center of Madain Sari. They turned and followed the path to the Eidolon Wall.

"Morrison, Moco, Mocha, Chimomo, Momatose, where are you?" Eiko yelled.

"Eiko, kupo? Is that you?" 5 flying white creatures came towards them.

"There you are! I'm so glad to see you're all safe," Eiko hugged the moogles.

"So this is what a moogles looks like," Natalie commented.

"It's been 10 years, kupo!" Morrison said.

"We were hiding from that horrible Black Waltz, kupo. We thought we were goners and now he's dead!" Mocha said.

Eiko was glad to see her moogles again, but because of the Black Waltz, she was very concerned about finding Vivi. "Has Vivi been here?" She asked.

"He was here, kupo. He left a while back; I guess it was about a day ago. He was looking for you, Eiko. Momatose and I told him you weren't here, kupo. We heard from Stiltzkin that you were living with regent Cid. We told him to go to Linblum Castle," answered Chimomo.

"Thanks for the info. I'm sorry to leave so soon, but if I want to catch Vivi, I have to leave now! Goodbye my friends. I'll visit you soon," Eiko said. Tyler, Natalie, and Eiko started walking away.

"You said we're leaving. Are we going to Linblum?" asked Natalie.

"If we go there, then it will just take longer to find Vivi. He's probably already there," Tyler commented.

"Everyone at Linblum thinks I'm visiting Alexandria. He'll probably go to Alexandria after he doesn't find me a Linblum," Eiko stated.

"We depart for Alexandria and wait for his arrival there," Tyler suggested.

"Good idea," Eiko said. "Let's do it!" The 3 of them ran back and boarded the Invincible.

"Everyone, set a course for Alexandria immediately!" Tyler commanded to the crew. He walked off to another part of the airship with Natalie. Within a few minutes, the Invincible was at full speed heading toward Alexandria. Eiko's heart was filled with joy at the thought of finally seeing Vivi again.

"The moogles said Vivi was looking for me. Why would he be trying to find me? I hope that he's looking for me for the same reason I'm trying to locate him. Vivi…" Eiko thought.

"Captain says we'll be there soon. –That's weird, I didn't notice that storm when we took off," Natalie said as she reentered the room and approached Eiko. "We're going to crash if we go through that storm!" She shouted.

Tyler came back into the room and instructed, "Veer right hard, pilot! We can't get caught in this storm."

"Captain, it's pulling us in! This is no ordinary storm," yelled a crewmember.

"Reverse at full power!" He ordered. The Invincible was very agile, but the storm slowly dragged them in. "This airship is supposed to be invincible because that's its name."

"It would be Captain, if this was a natural storm, but it's almost as if it was formed by black magic," Natalie responded. Lightning crackles loudly all around them. The Invincible began to shake violently. "Ahhh! We're going to crash into the ocean!" she screamed.

"Captain, what should we do? We're going to fall into the water! There's a large island over there. Should we aim for the island?" the pilot asked.

"Yes, we should just make it. I believe that's Sacrobless Island," He said. The airship began to descend rapidly. The Invincible smashed into the side of the giant island. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, no one's hurt…yet. The airship is on fire, Captain!" Natalie screamed.

"Evacuate now everyone!" Tyler demanded. Eiko was rushed outside along with everyone else. Fortunately, necessary weapons and supplies were hurried out as well. "What am I going to tell Queen Garnet? I can't possibly tell General Beatrix and Steiner that a storm brought down the Invincible…and when I was in charge of it."

"I'll tell Garnet it was my fault. I was the one responsible for the entire trip," Eiko said.

"If this is Sacrobless Island, then the village of Daguerreo is just up those cliffs. We could rest and get supplies there. I'm surprised that the storm blew us this far off course. Since Daguerreo is my hometown, I'm sure we could get some help there," Natalie suggested.

"The cliffs aren't the biggest problem. It's the hordes of Grand Dragon that I'm worried about. This storm doesn't help either. I guess we have no choice though. Natalie lead the way please," Tyler responded. Tyler, Eiko, Natalie, and the rest of the gang started climbing the steep cliffs. Natalie led the way, since she was the one most familiar with the area. The storm seemed to get worse every step they took.

"Yeah! We did it. I guided you to the top of the cliffs. Just a little farther and we'll be at Daguerreo," Natalie said when they reached the top. When lightning lit the sky, massive shadows were cast on the ground.

"We have to hurry. I can sense the Grand Dragon's presence. It's almost like they're breathing down our necks," Tyler said. A dragon's roar reached the party and struck fear into their hearts. Everyone knew that one Grand Dragon would be trouble but if it called for its friends, then they would be doomed. Following another earth shaking roar, an enormous Grand Dragon swooped down and landed in front of Natalie.

"Everyone draw your weapons! We have to destroy this one before more come," shouted Tyler while he drew his sword. Everyone with a sword or lance dashed forward and began to attack the creature. The beast cast Thundaga on some of the squad while it attempted to stomp the rest. Upon hearing the commotion, 6 more dragons arrived at the party. "Damn, we're surrounded."

Tyler remembered the promise he had made to Queen Garnet. He promised Eiko would be safe. He always kept his promises. "Natalie, take Eiko and make a run for Daguerreo. If you sprint, you can probably make it. I have to keep my promise. I made it with my life," he said.

"No, I can't. I…" Natalie paused. "I won't…I can't leave you, Captain," she replied.

"I don't want you to go, but it's the only way to guarantee your safety. I couldn't stand to live without you, that's why you have to go. Eiko is a summoner. She can take care of herself as long as she has MP. Even if it means dying, I want you to live. I want to be by your side, but I can't. I took an oath to protect my crew until my death. Natalie, I wish I could tell you that you mean the world to me. I know it's wrong to feel this way about someone I work with, but I love you," Tyler thought.

"I want you to stay alive. Accompanying Eiko is the only way to ensure that happens. I will probably die in this fight. Someone has to finish the mission. You know the way to Daguerreo. You have to go," he said. He turned away from Natalie and was barely able to hold back tears. The thought of never seeing Natalie again overpowered him. The fear of dying gave him the audacity to express what he wouldn't have said otherwise. "You mean everything to me. I couldn't live without you. Natalie, I…"

"I feel the same way, Tyler. That's why I must stay and fight with you," she answered with tears in her eyes. Lightning flashed across the sky. A bolt of lightning shook the ground as it demolished a large tree. A single spark ignited the remains of the tree and it burst into flames. The red flames rapidly engulfed the thick grass.

Eiko soon found herself on one side of the fire while her friends were fighting to the death on the other side. "I have to go to Daguerreo and get help," she thought. She raced toward Daguerreo as if her life depended on it. She heard another roar and then, out of nowhere, another Grand Dragon appeared. It was quickly closing in on Eiko. Then she spotted a small cave that the dragon couldn't go through.

Cliffie:She barely made it into the cave when the dragon smashed into the rock above it. The force caused part of the rock to break away and tumble downward, blocking the entrance to the cave. There was no way for Eiko to escape the cavern from there.