"Shh! Don't wake mama!"

"I stubbed my toe!"

"Just shake it off! Don't be such a baby!"

"I'm not a baby!"

This chatter, whispered rather loudly, was what awakened Bahamut bright and early the next morning. Actually…the bright part was a little off. It was still pretty dark out when he cracked his eyes open to the sound of this bickering. On doing so, he blinked to adjust his vision a moment, and then looked up to the sky. Only half of it was a dark purple, at the moment. The rest of it was still dark. There was barely enough light out to see in front of you, and being spring it was rather cool. Most of all, however…he noticed that it was far earlier than yesterday. This was odd…

Bahamut leaned his head slightly up and looked over the abandoned town below. Why would Terra be letting the kids out this early? Was she trying to escape him? However, as he looked down, he soon realized that wasn't the case. Terra was nowhere to be seen. A quick scan confirmed it, revealing her energy signature to be in bed. She had been up most of the night, and must have finally gone to sleep about two hours ago. Yet there were people out…kids, by the sound of it, and they were making noise and alerting him.

The great esper quickly gave a look over the area, and soon saw them. Two children were already to the outskirts of the town, creeping out. They weren't using the main entrance with the dogs, but rather were worming their way through a tree filled, rocky area a bit farther away, going around and behind one of the ruined buildings. No doubt, that was the way that the monster had come in yesterday. It was a good secret entrance. Bahamut himself hadn't noticed it until today. That monster from yesterday must have totally stumbled upon it. But forgetting that for a moment, Bahamut instead tried to focus on the children. What were they doing up so early? With Terra asleep, this was obviously not her request. And considering the wild environment, the kids shouldn't have gone far from their shelter. Yet here they were, already vanishing behind the building and moving away.

Bahamut hesitated in puzzlement. He scratched his chin again and paused. Obviously, these two children were doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. Terra hadn't let them play yesterday unless she was out with them, and only a total imbecile would let children that young wander around a place like this, unsupervised. They were probably just being disobedient. Bahamut would have preferred reading their minds to know for sure, but that wasn't an option. Terra would pick up on it too easily. The best thing to do would be to just sit tight and wait to see how this situation developed.

And yet…Bahamut felt uneasy at that. No one knew these children were out here. No one was looking after them. And despite his recent apprehension at the human race…Bahamut wasn't so cold as to feel that a couple of kids were responsible. They shouldn't run off by themselves though…and he felt that he should do something. His logic told him not to. So long as he stayed hidden and neutral, he could continue his spying. Every involvement risked detection. And he had to worry about his own race, and how to get Terra on his side.

Still…in the end, Bahamut couldn't shake it. He felt he had to do something.

The great esper sighed and looked over himself a moment. Alerting Terra was out of the question. She had been scared too much. Sounding a signal might be possible…but it would be more likely they thought he was a monster attacking, and would forget about the missing children. That left only one option…and Bahamut frowned a bit at it.

The esper looked down at his body for a moment. He unfurled his air foils, and strengthed the weakening invisibility spell on himself. He would have to keep a careful eye on it. If he didn't, the children would see a king-sized dragon hovering over them, and would probably scream and panic, running into who knew what or where. Still…it might be hard to watch them. He preferred to find a place to rest and do these sorts of things. Yet after a moment…he remembered he had new powers. He thought for a bit longer, and then simply leapt off of the ground and into the air. When he did…he immediately told his body to halt. The airfoils responded, and he found himself hovering in midair. He hesitated a moment longer, and then told himself to go forward slowly. In response, the airfoils complied, going at the exact slow speed Bahamut had in mind.

Happy with this, the esper turned his head back down to the ground. Soon, he had located the two children, emerging on the other side of their canine guards, and going out into the wild. The esper pitched himself forward soon after, and followed them.


The sun was nearly up before the children stopped. Where they had gone had been some distance from Mobliz, about three miles. That wasn't good, Bahamut thought with a frown. No one would hear them cry for help from there. But the children seemed oblivious to that. They were acutely aware of danger, no doubt about that. On the way there, they had been nervously shivering, darting their heads about fearfully, and trying to be very quiet. Bahamut could smell the terror on them…and it was far stronger than what he expected. Watching them, even without directmind reading, he occasionally caught images of some great green abomination…which looked far more deadly than the standard fare. Nevertheless, Bahamut continued to follow them, and saw that they made it safely through the long wasteland and to their destination.

Where they went ended up being quite an unusual sight in the middle of this wilderness wasteland. From far off, Bahamut saw it long before the children got there. It was a forest. Well…perhaps forest was too strong a word. It was more like a grove, or a patch of trees still standing out here. That was unusual indeed. Bahamut had been looking at the type of biome around here, and he knew already that even prior to the destruction of this world, this had been a dry area. To see trees that managed to survive the end as well was quite a surprise.

However, as they neared it, Bahamut grew uneasy about the children. It grew increasingly clear as they got closer that they were headed for this place. That was bad. Bahamut knew that all sorts of wild nocturnal animals probably made their home in this grove, being the only shelter and forest for miles. Regardless of what time of day it was, in this wilderness he wouldn't think any human would be safe. Yet the children continued, and did not relent. They were scared…and frequently they traded words of who was a "baby" or "chicken", but they kept coming.

Finally, they reached the forest edge. The two paused there a moment, and both of them swallowed. Bahamut thought they might turn back. And now…he truly hoped they would. Bahamut could sense this area as well…and he could sense that this place was filled with lifeforms, and not all of them were plants…

"W-W-Well…here we are."

"Y-Y-Yeah…"

"W-W-Well…g-g-go on in."

"…You go first."

"What, are you scared?"

"I'm not scared!"

"Then do it!"

"How come you won't do it?"

"It was my idea!"

"You're scared too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Then watch this!"

Immediately, one of the children ran forward and plunged just barely into the woods, just a few feet under the canopy and near one of the trees. The other one hesitated, surprised that he had actually done it. She stared back blankly, and continued to tremble and look nervous. But the one who had gone in, having proven himself brave, soon boasted of it.

"Ha! Nothing to it! Now come on, you big fraidy cat!"

The other child hesitated at this. But then, she forced herself to frown, balled her hands into fists, and planted them at her sides. She would not be outdone by this other one, who now mocked her with a grin. Being as brave as she could, she stomped in marching format into the forest after the boy. Once both were inside, and stood together, they turned and began to walk deeper into the forest.

Bahamut rolled his eyes and cursed the infallible human ego. That done, he quickly powered up his invisibility again, and flew over the area after the children. They slowed down as they entered. Apparently, fear soon grabbed the both of them again. They were soon nervously cringing and looking around, staying close to one another for protection. They were shrouded in darkness now, and it was hard to see. This area was rather night-like in the dim light of the early dawn. As for Bahamut, he kept an eye out on the various life forms in the area. None of them had reacted yet…and didn't seem to be too aware of the children. But this was not a safe place. They had to get moving. What madness was driving them to come here in the first place? He didn't know…but the children only continued to move forward and deeper into the woods…farther away from anything that could help them if they got in trouble. Bahamut impatiently waited for them to get done with this, and turn back while they could.

Finally, the two children came to a stop. When they did, Bahamut's view was partially blocked by the canopy. However, he heard one of them call.

"There! There they are!"

"Wow!" The other answered. "They're beautiful!"

"She'll love these! Let's get them!"

Bahamut twisted his brow in puzzlement at that. He looked below, and he saw the children run over the ground toward something that was in a bit of a clear spot. The sunlight was able to come down through it, although for right now the sun hadn't risen enough to illuminate it. It was as dark here as everywhere else. The great esper craned his neck and struggled to see around them, but he could see nothing as the kids came forward and bowed low to the ground, and then began to work.

Frowning, Bahamut moved himself around. He hadn't followed these kids this far just to not even see why they had come out here. He shifted around a bit longer, and finally he reached the other side. Then, at long last, he saw enough of the ground to see what the source of their concern was.

It was flowers. Rather beautiful flowers, at that. They were a pale blue like the sky on a cloudless day. They were still shimmering with dew from the early morning, and they grew in such a way that they were gorgeous. In the early light of the morning…they seemed almost to shimmer. Bahamut knew of these flowers. Leviathan had named them "sea dragons", for their pale blue color and their similarity to snapdragon flowers. It was these flowers that the children were getting. But they weren't just picking them as some children would. They were digging around them and pulling them from the ground, roots and all. Once they did, the children revealed that they had broughtsomething with them. They went for their overalls and produced glass jars, and they slowly began to put the ends of the flowers in them, and then fill themup with soil.

"I sure hope mama feels better after this."

"She will. These are magic flowers."

Then at once, it hit the esper. That's why they were here. Terra had been afraid and troubled yesterday when she saw what had happened to the crops. She had no doubt been in a sad mood. These children were trying to cheer her up by picking these special flowers. However…Bahamut knew that sea dragons only grew in forest understories. This was the only forest for miles, and they had come here to get them. That surprised Bahamut a little. So…it seemed as if these children really did care about Terra after all. For no other reason would they have risked life and limb to come out this far, especially when they had been so scared. Realizing that…Bahamut had a bit more faith in Terra. She had to have a kind soul, if nothing else. Such a thing these children had done was only motivated out of true love.

It was actually…a little sweet.

However, this rosy thought was soon driven far from Bahamut's mind. For as the children continued to gather their precious treasures…he sensed something. The life in the area was moving…and it was near the children. Bahamut quickly shifted his gaze and looked to the source. For a moment, he could see nothing. But it was only a moment. Then…the ground suddenly bulged. It wasn't an incredible large bulge, only about as large as the children themselves. But it was a bulge. And after a bit longer, it began to pulsate a bit. Bahamut felt a ripple of anxiety go through him as he stared on, waiting for something to show itself.

Finally, it did. Abruptly, the bulge cracked and a black, stick like leg poked out. Soon, another one followed it, and two long sticks came after and began to sweep around the ground, vibrating and swishing it. Moments later, the earth was flung off as the thing beneath shook, and Bahamut saw what it was. He wasn't sure of the exact scientific name or what the humans called it, but these were what Leviathan had once called "pyramid beetles". They were called that for the unusual tall, pointed shapes of their shells. They lived underground most of the time, eating things like moles and gophers. However…the digging that the children had done had obviously alerted one.

After a moment, however, Bahamut soon realized more than one had been alerted. Four more bulges began to rise around the first one. And after that, more bulges started to spread around in a semicircle that surrounded the children. They were behind them, well out of their immediate visual range. After they rose, more bulges appeared behind them. Bahamut felt a chill down his spine. The children had awakened a whole colony of them. Soon, the first four began to shake off dirt and come to the surface. They flexed their cruel mandibles and felt around with their feelers. But then…they seemed to catch wind of the children. The first five soon began to crawl toward them. But as they did, the ground seemed to come alive. More began to burst from their mounds, one after the other, and followed suit.More of the giant beetles came from the ground and began to crawl after them.

Bahamut began to panic. He turned to the children…but they didn't know what was happening. They were still too fixated on their flowers. The beetles weren't totally silent, but they didn't make much noise. They were creeping up on them right now…and Bahamut realized they wouldn't hear them until the beetles were close enough to pounce on them. The esper turned back to them and grit his teeth. They were still finishing up, and wouldn't get up for anything. He turned back to the beetles, and now saw twenty of them crawling toward them with more coming. They were continuing to move around, trying to cut off their escape…

The esper forgot all about his spying or thoughts of humanity, and instead began to think about what he could do. He still didn't want to show himself or alert himself, but the kids weren't moving. They didn't even know what was coming. He had to warn them somehow… He looked about desperately for a moment, searching for something that could be used to help. Finally, he focused on a tree branch not far from where he was hovering. He looked down, and saw it was right about where the kids were. It was fairly light, and it wouldn't hurt much on landing. But it would make them look. Immediately, the invisible esper swooped forward, and with a single slice of his talons cut off a section of the branch and let it fall to the ground.

Moments later, the branch struck both children on their backs. It was light enough to not cause any pain, but it did make them both jump. After all, they were still afraid of this place. Yet, to Bahamut's relief, they also turned when they felt the branch hit…and their pupils soon shrank as they saw the virtual army of beetles massing behind them. Immediately, they took up what flowers they had and leapt to their feet. They both screamed out in fear. Panicking, they began to look around them for a way to escape. But on seeing the beetles moving around, they locked up and stood there, absolutely petrified. Their fearful eyes darted about, and they quivered and held one another as they stared at the little monsters surrounding them.

Bahamut cursed inwardly. They had to run before the beetles fully closed the circle! They could still make it if they ran now… But they were too scared. They didn't want to get anywhere close to these creatures. And that fear would seal their doom in a moment. Bahamut balled his hand into a fist and swung it. They were going to die if he didn't help them again. He hesitated a moment…but then he finally spat and cursed again. He had to do this. It didn't matter whether or not Terra could still pick up on it. These children would die if he didn't.

Bahamut blared a mental message to them…a command.

Run for the break in their circle! Now!

Both of the children froze as they heard the sudden sound in their minds. Their headsperked up and their eyes went wide. But the command of Bahamut could not be denied. The power was too great. A second later, both children, clutching their flowers close to their chests, turned and ran for the break. The beetles, nasty as they were, were only so fast. They tried to speed up to finish closing the circle when they saw the two run…but it was too late. They broke past just in time, with the beetle's leg just catching the trim of the boy's pants. Once they were out, they continued to run into the forest. The beetles took only a moment to reassess the situation, and then ran after them.

Despite the narrow escape from death, Bahamut frowned again. The children had been driven not to the forest edge, but deeper into it. They needed to get out of there, and soon they would be stuck again. However, they were at least as fast as the beetles. Though the creatures increased their speed and soon dashed after the children as fast as they could scurry, the two were still faster. What more, their very systems were geared for longer periods of activity compared to the beetles. Due to the terrain, they didn't gain or lose ground at first. Bahamut continued to follow, and earnestly awaited their escape.

Then…all of the sudden…the beetles froze. The one in the lead stopped first, but as the other beetles came up to the same position, they stopped as well. Soon, there was a great beetle pileup, while the two children ran deeper into the forest. Bahamut hesitated a moment at this, and looked down to them curiously. What had made them cease? Were they too tired? Did they give up? He didn't know…but he soon began to reach a conclusion. A big tip off was when the beetles suddenly gave out a cry, one that sounded like distinct panic rather than any mating or assistance call. Then…they all suddenly thrust their heads into the ground and began to bury themselves again, as fast as they possibly could. That…coupled with the fact that Bahamut now sensed a much larger, much deadlier energy begin to move…confirmed the true reason for breaking the chase.

Something they feared was coming.

"AAH!"

Bahamut turned his head up the sound of the children screaming yet again. He saw that they too were stopped, just a little ahead, and were now frozen in terror. A new horror had emerged. Crawling off of the nearest tree and planting itself right in their path was one of the largest spiders Bahamut had ever seen in his long life. It was hideous…having the body of one of the more spindly members of their race like the Black Widow. It hoisted itself on little black legs, dragging its massive swollen abdomen forward. Its black, soulless eyes peered at them as its massive manibles shifted, dripping venom and drool out from its jaws.

Somehow, the children managed to snap out of it enough to back up and then turn to run away. But it was too late. The moment they did, some sort of sticky stretching sound resulted…and another giant spider, just as hideous and monstrous, extended down in front of them. The children froze again and screamed in terror. The horrible creature continued to dangle in midair for a moment, before it dropped itself off of a strand of silk protruding from its end and plopped down on the ground. Now, the two hideous creatures both leapt forward toward the kids.

Bahamut cursed yet again. This was not his day…

Turn left! Go left!

However, if the children heard him, it didn't matter. Suddenly, both spiders lunged at them. The kids could do little except suddenly get grabbed by their long, cruel legs. Soon, both of them had been seized. They both continued to cry out in fear. One tried to beat against their foe, but it was useless. These things were bigger than them, and wouldn't be so easily killed or thwarted. The spiders didn't even react as they carried both of the children up to the first set of branches on nearby trees. It was only so they could get proper leverage, however. Once they were there, they stretched themselves out in a position that was more comfortable, and then they began to wrap their respective prisoners in silk.

Bahamut grit his teeth. Mental messages weren't going to help now. They were beyond that. Now, there was nothing that could help them from external sources… There was only one thing that could do it now…

Damnit.

Bahamut grit his teeth in frustration, hoping he hadn't blown a future opportunity. Immediately, he dropped down through the canopy and into the trees. He brushed past a few branches, breaking some along the way, and then landed on the ground. He was still invisible, but he had left more than an impression behind when he landed. Both spiders briefly ceased their wrapping to look up and stare in his direction. However, after a moment of silence and stillness, the dim-witted creatures resumed cocooning their prey.

As for Bahamut, he thought a moment. He didn't want to just jump out there. He'd just scare them into running into another trap. Besides…he didn't want to reveal his full form just yet. He thought for a moment of what would be best, but knew he couldn't hesitate long. Finally, he reached a decision. He just hoped he remembered how to do this. It had been some time…and he wasn't even sure if his body would do it. Quickly, he stepped behind the nearest tree. If he was visible, it would have scarcely hidden him. But the invisibility spell would hold until this was finished at least…

Bahamut closed his eyes and focused. Luckily…his ability was still clearly ready and flowed easily. If anything, his new powers just made it easier. As his body slowly began to fade back into clear vision, his massive airfoils collapsed and sank back into his flesh. His neck shortened and crest vanished. His tail fell off and disappeared, and his red scales vanished. He paused a moment there…only long enough to decide on a new pair of clothing. In the end, he decided to dress himself in a fairly basic package. Loose pants...a light shirt, and a light jacket over it. He didn't worry about shoes right now, as he turned his clothing into blue colors like his old namesake. After hesitating just long enough to mentally sweep his long white hair back and generate a tie around it, he was done. Now, Bahamut was visible and in human form.

The esper turned human inhaled deeply and cracked his knuckles.

Back into combat already…

Bahamut stamped his foot on the ground. As he did, a long, solid branch that he had knocked down moments earlier was knocked into the air, and he immediately snatched it out of it. Grasping it, he ran his hand along the side, pulling off the twigs and branches, and then moved to the end and broke it off. On doing so, he managed to break it at such an angle that it produced a point. With that done, Bahamut stepped out from behind the tree and surveyed his situation again.

The spiders had been very fast. Already, both children were up to their elbows in silk. By now, they had both been immobilized enough so that, if the spiders didn't mind them screaming until their mouths were wrapped, they could finish at their leisure. They failed to notice Bahamut, which only was typical because the esper could move so silently. However, that was also good for him. Hoisting the stick behind him like a javelin, Bahamut took aim at the nearest spider and let it fly.

Even in human form, Bahamut's strength was inconceivable. The deadly missile whizzed through the air with blinding speed, and imbedded itself right in the spider's head. It only had time to give out an abrupt death gurgle before the force ripped it completely off of the branch, carrying it across the air for two hundred feet before pinning it to a tree. The girl, still partially cocooned and immobilized, was dropped, and in a mixture of amazement and sudden surprise at what had happened, she fell to the ground and landed with an oof. As for the spider, its lifeless body curled, and it swung around on the new "axle" that was through its head before facing downward and coming to a rest.

Immediately, the other spider broke off its own wrapping and looked up to what had happened. It soon saw that there was another in the immediate area, and that it had just killed its relative. Forgetting about finishing up with the boy, the creature merely dropped him to the ground, almost discarding him. Giving a mild screech, the horrible black arachnid leapt off of the branch and to the ground. Its jaws began to move and salivate again as it started to creep toward the man. Bahamut, on his part, merely glared at it, unmoving since he had harpooned the other spider. The one approaching him hissed and spit, and made itself large and impressive as it advanced. After landing with his own oof, the boy blinked once and then turned to stare at this new sight. The girl likewise had recovered by now, and gasped as she saw the hideous beast make its way toward their savior.

Bahamut continued to coldly stare at the creature. He didn't move as it drew nearer and nearer, no matter how menacing and vicious it became. Finally, the spider halted just within striking distance. It reared back and opened its mandibles, screeching at Bahamut in some hideous voice. The man just stood there and stared.

Finally, it reared back, and lunged with both of its front legs out, meaning to stab the intruder.

What happened next took place within the span of two seconds.

Bahamut, moving like lightning, raised his own arms and seized both legs as they were about to hit him. Not wasting any time, he clenched his hands into fists, and broke both in his iron grasp. That done…he merely gave one powerful yank and ripped both out of the creature's sockets. Before it had time to scream or even bleed, Bahamut shifted his grip and went for the creature's mandibles next. He seized both by the fang, making sure not to cut himself, and then with another mighty tear ripped those out too. By now, the spider had felt enough pain reach its nervous system to cry in agony…but Bahamut soon ended that. After discarding the appendages, Bahamut drove his fist forward like a bar of steel and smashed right through the eyes of the creature and into its skull. The head caved in around his arm as he did so. Immediately…the screeching was cut off, and the creature soon began to go limp around his limb.

That done, and haven't even having broken a sweat, Bahamut pulled his hand out and let the body fall to the ground. He looked down to his arm at that, and frowned at the mess he made. He proceeded to shake it violently, scattering most of the foul material off. But that wasn't enough, and soon after he bent to the ground and began to wipe it off on the grass.

Bahamut was justly pleased. In fact…he was a bit amazed. He had so much power as Neo Bahamut that his human form was almost as strong as his original body was. And that wasn't all. In surpressing his inner power to take human form, he had realized something else. He wasn't at the peak of his strength even in his Neo body. He found the capacity to call on vastly larger amounts of strength lurking deep within him. He wasn't sure how long he could sustain power at that level…but it was good to know. For now, he finished cleaning himself off and looked to the kids.

The moment his own powerful blue gaze met theirs, both children gasped. Human or no, they had never seen anyone do that before. What more, they had learned to distrust strangers since their parents had died. They were silent, and stared back blankly at the great esper before them. Then, suddenly, in response to them both…Bahamut managed a smile.

"Well then…" He began, being as friendly as possible. "Let's get you out of those webs, shall we?"

The children merely blinked in response, not sure what to say and still amazed. However, Bahamut was perfectly calm, and he kept that smile on his face. He tried his best to convey an aura of being friendly and comforting. Now that he had blown his cover…he realized that he might yet be able to make this work. But to do so, he had to start by earning the trust of these little humans he had just saved. To that end, he had to make sure they knew he was a friend and not an enemy. He didn't dare betray any of this, of course. He acted perfectly regular, and continued to exude positive emotions.

Soon he reached the girl, and bent down to her side. The moment she did, however, the children's fear of strangers set in. Though Bahamut had just saved them, she began to cry out again in fear, and inched away from him as best as she could. The boy likewise was fearful, and cringing before him. Bahamut endured this for a short moment, but then he reacted. Very calmly, he extended a single finger and put it to the girl's lips, in a silencing motion. The girl, in response to this, was so surprised at this kind of reaction that she stopped immediately, and looked to the esper in puzzlement.

"…If you two don't be quiet…you'll attract more spiders and who knows what else." Bahamut calmly addressed them. His smile had left, but his voice was still pleasant. "I'm not going to hurt either of you. I'll try to help you, if you'll let me. I'm going to free you…but only if you agree to stay calm and not run off. If you run into these woods there's no telling what kind of monster will jump out and grab you, and next time it might prefer to just start eating rather than gift wrap you first, and I might not be fast enough to kill it. Do you understand?"

The two children continued to tremble a moment. However, Bahamut was relying far more on just his normal voice and personality with them. He began to exert his own aura over them both. He spread out feelings of comfort and peace on them, like a blanket spread over a sleeping child. He soothed their anxious emotions and made them feel calmer and more tranquil. Soon, both of them began to relax, and their logic set in. This man, strange as he was and strong as he was, just saved their lives. And they definitely didn't want to lie around in the spider cocoons any longer. Finally, the girl nodded, and the boy followed soon after.

Bahamut gave a nod to that, and then looked down to their bonds. To a normal human, a knife would be plenty to cut them free. But force for ripping would be useless. Five yoke of oxen couldn't break a spider web like this. Luckily…Bahamut was far stronger, even in this body, then five yoke of oxen. It was a simple matter of him reaching behind the girl, grabbing the top of the silk, and then giving a quick and clean rip down. He easily shredded the webs, and soon the girl was free. Immediately, she scrambled out of the cocoon, grateful to be out of it. But once she got to her feet, she stopped, remembering what she had said. She looked to Bahamut somewhat nervously instead. As for the esper, he moved over to the boy and did the same. He quickly ran up and joined his sister. They didn't move, but both stared at him. Bahamut himself calmly rose to his feet, and then stood before them both. He towered over them easily, and they looked up to him nervously.

Neither said anything for a few moments. But then, the girl managed to bow her head slightly, and then issued a small, quiet mumble. "Thank you…"

Bahamut smiled again at last. "It was nothing." He calmly responded. With that, he bent down to the ground again, and proceeded to pick up the jars with flowers that both children had dropped when the spiders had grabbed them. He very carefully took both, turned them right side up, and then stood and presented them to their respective child. "I believe you dropped these."

Both children now looked up at this, and their nervousness was forgotten. Immediately, they reached out and seized their precious treasures, and brought them close to their chests. Now, it was the boy's turn to respond, still uncertain but a bit more readily. "Thank…thank you, sir."

"Perhaps it's best if you two stick with me until we're out of the woods." Bahamut suggested calmly. "In case anything else happens."

Both of the children were silent at this, and uneasily recoiled. They turned away from Bahamut and were silent a moment.

"…Mama told us not to take walks with strangers."

The esper hesitated at that. It was good advice, after all. However, he knew an old adage to get around something like this. Cracking one side of his mouth, he merely put his hands on his sides and gave them a nod.

"Very well…what's your names?"

The two children paused at this. They looked to each other nervously, but then looked back again.

"…I'm Ai." The girl finally answered.

"I'm Yu." The boy added after a short pause.

Bahamut gave a nod to this. "Alright. Well, my name is…"

Here, Bahamut paused for a second. He realized all of the sudden that he didn't want to throw his name around, especially considering what he had planned. He realized it might be best if, for now, he was incognito. With that in mind, he turned back to the kids, and quickly thought up a fake name.

"…Tumahab." He finished. "Just call me Mr. Tumahab. Now then…since we aren't strangers any longer, Ai and Yu, what do you suppose we go out together?"

The two children hesitated a bit longer at this. However, there was still the feeling that they got from Bahamut that was comforting. It wasn't like any other relaxing feeling they had ever felt from a stranger. And the truth of the matter was…both of them were scared half to death after nearly becoming spider meals. They knew that this guy could kill anything else in the woods. In the end, fear of self preservation won out over fear of strangers.

"…Alright."

Bahamut smiled again at this, and gave a slight nod. "Alright then." After doing so, he reached up and pointed through the forest, to the left as he had wanted them to go before. "I think that if we go that way…we will be able to get out of here as quickly as possible. Shall we?"

Bahamut extended his hands out to the children at that. However…it was too early for that move. Both of them recoiled, and clutched their flowers tighter. After a few moments, Bahamut realized they weren't going to bite. With that, he simply replaced his hands and began to move forward. Soon after, the children followed him. Once they did, Bahamut quickly slowed and put himself between the two, and the three continued to walk onward through the forest.

They only went a few steps before the silence started getting to Bahamut. He needed to connect with these children more. After a few moments longer, he suddenly looked down to the flowers. "So…did you kids come all the way here, through that dangerous field, just to get these flowers?"

On hearing this, Bahamut was pleased at the result. Children may have distrusted strangers…but they loved chances to brag about themselves. Immediately, Yu brightened up and looked up to Bahamut. "Uh-huh. This is the only place we can get them from. They only grow in this forest."

"Weren't you scared?"

The boy smiled confidently at that. "Ha! I'm not scared of nothin'! My sister was though."

Ai wheeled around with a sour look at that. "I was not!"

Not wanting another spat to begin between the two of them, Bahamut spoke up again. "So, why did you two want to get these flowers?"

Both of the children stopped at that. They hesitated a moment, but then Ai spoke up in a sad voice. "…We're doing it for mama."

Bahamut raised an eyebrow to this, feigning ignorance. "Mama? Who's mama?"

"Our mama." Yu replied. "She looked after us ever since the town blew up…except for that one time when she went away for a few months. She said she was making the world safe for us to grow up in. I don't know any more…"

"I think Duane and Katarin might." Ai responded, and then began to pout. "She's always telling them stuff that she won't tell us, because they're grown up."

Bahamut hesitated for a moment at that, taking in this new nugget of information. A time apart? It had to have happened after the end of the world, which according to Bahamut's timeline was after the esper genocide. This was interesting… Bahamut wondered if this had anything to do with the attack against the man who set himself up as the ruler of Gaia…

"…I'm sure she has a good reason." Bahamut finally answered. "But why flowers?"

Ai smiled in response to that, and held up her own jar right into Bahamut's face. The esper was taken aback a little, but looked at them none the less. He could smell them…and they were very lovely and fresh indeed. Bahamut had never had much love for flowers, but there was no denying that these were very pretty things.

"We want to give mama a present. She's been looking so sad since yesterday, and so we wanted to cheer her up. We wanted to get her the best gift we could find."

"Before our first mama went away…" Yu added. "She always told me that these flowers were magic. They would make anyone sad laugh and smile. That's why they were so hard to find, and that's why they only grew in dark forests. They brighten up wherever they grow. So we thought we'd bring some home for her. We thought maybe we could plant them…and then mama would be happy every day."

Bahamut looked over the two of them and thought about this story. A kid's fable, to be sure. But apparently, Terra was no stranger to trouble. And she was definitely struggling with the latest misfortune that had befallen her and her charges. Still, this managed to give him another idea.

"Well then…they must be very special flowers. So I'll make sure you two get back safe to your mother and give them to her."

The children had eased up a bit by now, after having talked about things that interested them. But they still turned and looked a bit uneasily at Bahamut. "Oh…you don't have to do that." Ai answered.

"I insist." Bahamut simply replied. "Your mother must be someone very special to you for you to risk the danger in getting these flowers. I would like to meet her if she is. And besides…" Here, Bahamut's look turned a bit crafty. "…Perhaps I can help get you two out of trouble for running off into the forest by yourselves, when I explain the situation."

Both Ai and Yu swallowed here. Bahamut inwardly praised his good thinking. These children would probably be looking forward to a spanking when they got back…assuming Terra had the heart to do that to these children, which she didn't. However, they would probably be due for some punishment. And any person who would intervene was welcome…especially a big person like him. After all…grown ups only tended to listen to other grown ups. Every child knew that.

"Well…alright." Ai finally consented. "It's a bit of a long walk, though."

"Oh, don't worry." Bahamut calmly answered. "I'm perfectly fine."


To be continued...

To those of you who are familiar with Final Fantasy Unlimited, you'll notice I named the twins after the same twins in that Anime. However, there is no relation. I was just looking for a name to give the kids. So there. :P