"Mr. Tumahab…?"

Bahamut received a puzzled address as he reached into his coat and, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a large, wide-brimmed hat. He immediately pulled it over his head, and adjusted it low over his brow to make sure that it concealed his hair and features. Yet he turned to Ai after hearing this.

"Yes?"

"Why are you putting on a hat? It's still early."

"Oh…let's just say that I think your mother might be a little set off by my appearance at first glance…"

At last, the three were coming back to the ruined town. The sun was up now, but it was still very early. Even at a distance, Bahamut already sensed that everyone was awake. He also could smell their fear and anxiety at this point. No doubt, they had realized they were short a couple of children, and were wondering what had happened to them. Yet Bahamut remained calm for now…and tried not to smile at the fact that he would soon be bringing them back, alive and well.

The three passed through the main entrance on returning. The guard dogs turned to them, and immediately responded by sounding their alarm barks. Bahamut ignored them, and calmly walked on between Ai and Yu. He looked ahead, down the old, broken lane and to the houses ahead. As he walked on, he became conscious that the kids were wandering around, and they were calling out the names of their missing playmates. They also were looking in the ruins and cracks and other hiding places. He happened to catch a glimpse of Terra run by before the dogs started barking. Even from a distance, he could see the panic on her face, terrified that something horrible had happened to Ai and Yu. She had disappeared again before the dogs had a chance to sound the alarm. But once they did, immediately the children in view ceased their searching and looked to see the source.

They paused for a moment, as they saw Bahamut walk forward with the two missing children. Again, their fear of strangers and outsiders held them for a moment, and Bahamut, large and impressive as he was, had commanded their attention at first. But once they saw who was with him…and saw Ai and Yu begin to smile and wave at them…they forgot all about the stranger and turned their attention to them. Immediately, their faces turned into ones of delight.

"Hey! They're back!"

"Yu and Ai came back!"

"They're alright!"

The children immediately rushed forward soon after, coming to meet the oncoming group. At that, Bahamut halted and crossed his arms, letting the two children continue to move forward and merge with their friends. Immediately, they were lost in a storm of hugs and chatter, as the children forgot about their arguing or bickering and were glad just to see the friends returned safely. Even that young, they had sincerely been worried about them. It didn't take long for all of the young children to collide. Yet even as they did this, they soon forgot about the danger they were in when they saw their flowers. Within moments, the children began to "ooh" and "aah" at the flowers Ai and Yu had recovered, and began to give calls of amazement and wonder as they praised them for their achievement.

This lasted for a short while, until the others arrived. The young woman didn't come up. In fact, she hadn't even come outside. Abruptly, the door on the far building opened wide, and her body partially emerged from within. She was holding her child in one arm while staring out in open mouthed confusion as to what had happened. But soon, the one called Duane began to run forward into the crowd of children as well. He drew close to the children for a moment…until he saw Bahamut. At that, the young man immediately slowed, and he stared at Bahamut uneasily. The esper looked to him, and soon saw his face turn to a bit of irritation and fear…maybe even anger. He balled his hands into fists and glared at him, but did nothing else.

Finally, Terra came running up. Her eyes, laced with fear and anxiety, ignored Bahamut entirely and went straight for the kids. She scanned them for a moment until she rested her gaze on the two children she had been looking for, right in the crowd of the others. Immediately, Bahamut sensed her fear be swallowed up by relief, and joy flood her heart. Terra immediately leapt forward and entered the crowd of children, so that she could be right next to Ai and Yu and hug them both at once. On seeing this, the two children, seeming just as happy to see her, immediately returned the hug tightly.

"Ai… Yu…" She spoke out loud, closing her eyes and leaning over to kiss either child on the cheek, first one and then the other. "You're alright. Thank God you're alright…"

The girl smiled in response to this, while the boy, in typical young male fashion, grimaced and made signs of his manliness being embarrassed. Bahamut patiently waited through this, keeping his arms crossed as the half esper reunited with her children. However, Terra's hugging and gratitude, predictably, lasted only for a few moments. Still embracing them, she called out to both. Though she had a soft face, her voice turned upset.

"…I told you two never to go outside without me, Duane, or Katarin. Why didn't you listen to me?"

The children both grew nervous at this. The threat of punishment loomed again. At that, they both turned around and looked to their new acquaintance for help. Seeing this, Bahamut immediately uncrossed his arms, licked his lips, and took a tentative step forward. "Um…they were getting a present for you, miss."

At this, Terra finally became aware of the new arrival. She looked up, and immediately uttered a cry of surprise. She quickly reached out to touch as many children as possible, and began to push them back, away from the new man. Bahamut frowned inwardly. Very distrustful…obviously. However, he didn't believe that she had actually recognized him. His features were too concealed. Nevertheless, after she drew back, she became apprehensive, and the young man tensed up.

"Who are you?" He almost demanded from him. "What do you want here?"

Bahamut immediately put his hands up in an innocent, defensive gesture. "Just relax…" He responded to Duane. "I'm not here to hurt anyone…"

"Get out of here!" Duane immediately snapped at him, his face growing angry and passionate. "We don't want you around here!"

Bahamut muttered inside, but tried to look as innocent as possible on the outside. "If you'll just listen to me for a few minutes…"

"I said get out!"

Bahamut began to feel irritable. Another irrational human being. It was tempting to stretch out his influence and drop him like a sack of potatoes. He might if he didn't get anywhere soon…

"It's alright, mama."

Both Duane and Bahamut turned to the sound of this, forgetting about their spat for a moment. Terra, until now, had still been looking to Bahamut with fearful eyes, cringing away from him. But now, Ai had spoken up and gotten her attention. "He helped us back in the forest." She continued.

Terra turned down to Ai and stared in silence a moment, still seeming a bit stunned from this sudden arrival. But then, she gasped slightly when she heard where they had gone. "The forest! I've told you children never to go anywhere near that forest! It's too dangerous!"

Yu frowned in a pouting gesture. "But we're fine! Tumahab helped us and made sure we got back ok."

Terra hesitated at that. "Tumahab?"

Ai responded by pointing straight ahead. With that, the half esper turned and looked back up to Bahamut. The esper kept his own arms up for now, and put on the friendliest, most innocent smile he could muster. It was a good thing for those children. They may have saved him just now. At any rate…Terra went silent. She stared at him, and her face was frozen. Bahamut, however, saw that a look of worry or confusion was on it as she stared at him. She continued to do so for a few silent moments. Bahamut, noticing this, swallowed a bit. Obviously, she thought she recognized him…or remembered him at least. His facial features obviously weren't hid well enough.

Quickly, the esper formed an innocent grin. "Heh…it was nothing." He answered with a shrug, seeming as sweet and innocent as apple pie. "I was just wandering around, traveling the countryside, and I had settled down to camp in that forest for the night. The next morning, I heard the kids screaming and I thought I'd come see what was up."

On hearing this, the other kids, nervous and obeying their mother until now, suddenly perked up, and gazed at Bahamut in amazement.

"Wow…" One said. "You actually camped in the forest? With all of those monsters running around in it? That's where Phunbaba used to live…"

Duane, however, was still hard as stone. "That's a load of crap." He spat back at him. "No one can stay in that forest without getting eaten alive. What were you really-"

"…That's enough, Duane."

The soft voice surprised everyone present, especially Bahamut. They all turned to the source, and found that it was Terra. Her puzzlement, for the moment, had faded. However…her face was still dark and grim, and was very still. Her gaze was soft as she stared gently at the great beast before her. Duane bristled a bit, but he backed down, turning back to Bahamut to glare darkly at him but obeying his matron. For a moment, no one said a thing and simply stood in their positions, waiting for something else to break the silence. At last, Terra looked up a bit to him. She didn't meet his gaze, which was typical because his gaze was hidden, but she did look on his face.

"…So…you're a traveler?"

Bahamut hesitated, but then quickly got back into his persona. Smiling, he gave a graceful bow before Terra, seeming as friendly and pleasant as he could be. "I go by the name of Tumahab, as the children said. I've been…going around the world, ever since I lost my home in the destruction."

One of the children blinked at this. "So…you're from Vector?"

Bahamut was caught a bit by that…but then decided to go with it. "Oh…yes, yes! I was from Vector."

Duane crossed his own arms, and straightened up to glare at him. "So…you were an Imperial soldier."

Bahamut didn't know whose empire Duane was referring to, but he didn't have to be telepathic to realize that the title had a bad connotation with it. The esper stifled and "ulp" before raising his hands and waving them in a refusing gesture. "Oh…no! Not at all!" He quickly responded. "I just lived there! I didn't have anything to do with the Empire. And once it was blown up, I just fled from it as fast as I could. I've been wandering around ever since."

Duane, quite predictably, looked at Bahamut with total distrust. But children were far less receptive to lies, and they simply stared at Tumahab in puzzlement and wonder. It was rare that they saw any other living souls. After a moment of silence, Yu turned back to Terra, who hadn't taken that look off of Bahamut since she had asked her question.

"He's really strong, mama. He killed this giant spider with his bare hands, and he tore through their webs without using any weapons…"

However, this soon snapped Terra out of her daze. She turned back down to the children and gaped at them. "What? Spiders? What happened to you two in there? Did you run into any creatures?"

Both Ai and Yu paled again at that, realizing that they had spilled the beans. Now, they were facing the chagrin of their matron. However, at that, Bahamut decided to jump to their defense again.

"…Perhaps it would be better, miss, if we all sat down somewhere and sorted things out. If you please…could we go inside for a few minutes? I've been outdoors for quite some time…and I'd like to be under a roof. In addition…I'm a little thirsty, and I…lost my canteen. If you could spare me a drink, I'd be most grateful."

Terra looked away from the children, and back up to Bahamut. She stared at him with that odd look again. As for Duane, he continued to glare angrily at him, without the slightest hint of trust. But the children, on hearing what Bahamut had done, turned back and looked to him with awe again, amazed at his physical feats. There was silence for a long time, and Bahamut feared that he may have overstepped his bounds. These people were very distrustful. It was likely that bandits or rogues had taken advantage of their hospitality in the past. However…in the end…Terra, seeming to still be in a daze, gave a short nod.

"…Alright. Come with me."


"Oh my…" Terra responded, putting a hand to her mouth in horror.

"Thank God you were there, Mr. Tumahab." The young woman, Katarin, responded, gazing at him with wide-eyed shock as well at that story. "There's no telling what would have happened to those two if the spiders had finished with them."

Bahamut found that he had at last gained entry into the inner rooms of Mobliz. Where he was now was actually a sub-basement, making it a fairly effective shelter against any threat, living or nonliving. It was behind a secret passage behind the basement wall of one of the ruins. It looked mostly carved out of old rock. As such…it was a bit dank and dirty, but it was livable. Torches had been set up, beds and furniture had been arranged, and a few amenities like plants and rugs had been put out. Where he was right now seemed to be an all purpose room. Most of it was taken up by the children's beds, under which all of their meager clothes and possessions were stored. There was no room for them all to eat, and most of the cooking apparel and other basic necessities were all shoved onto one large cabinet against a nearby wall. There was only one other room behind one old door. This housed a fireplace area, another bed (likely for their matron), the winter clothing for the children, the gardening tools, the wash tub, and just about every other appurtance that hadn't been stored in the previous room.

There was a single small table that could just fit four at it in the first room. This is where Bahamut found himself seated. The chair was hard and creaked, looking like it wouldn't hold his weight. He also was a bit cramped. This wasn't exactly the best place he had ever been before. It was, for many intensive purposes, a hovel. At any rate, the other adults, Terra, Duane, and his wife, or at least the mother of his child, Katarin, were seated around it. Katarin had taken an interest in Bahamut the moment he was brought in, and had been listening to him in between attending her child. As for the rest of the children, amazed to have a visitor, most of them were gathered in close around him. What more…when he told the story about all that had happened, making sure to edit it carefully regarding how he came upon the children, they were justly amazed.

Bahamut, looking innocent again, merely shrugged. "I'm just glad I was able to help."

"Here, mama…"

Terra, for the most part, had stared at Bahamut with that same empty look during the tale. But now that she heard the children calling her, she turned to them, and found Ai and Yu at her side. Both of them now presented her with their glass jars, filled with the pale blue flowers. Terra was amazed to see them, and with some surprise she reached over and took them from the kids. However, Bahamut examined her a bit more closely…and saw that these flowers did something else. They seemed to trigger something…

Terra blinked once and stared at them in amazement, letting their odor come over her. "These…these are…"

"Water Dragons!" Ai called out, smiling at her. "We knew you were feeling sad, so we wanted to cheer you up by getting these flowers."

Yu turned to her with a slight frown. "Hey…it was my idea to go get them. You just tagged along."

The half esper didn't answer. She continued to stare at the flowers, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide.

"…I put these…on General Leo's grave…"

The others were silent to this, and Bahamut raised a slight eyebrow to it. However, no one said anything else for a few moments. After a short while, Terra looked up and to the children. Both of them beamed back proudly in reply. She held for a moment longer…but then managed a smile. It was soft and somewhat melancholy, but it was happy and genuine. She was glad to have these flowers.

"…Thank you. Thank you, children."

Both kids beamed in pride at this.

"…But you still should never have gone into that place by yourselves."

Duane still looked at Bahamut distrustfully and with a dark expression. "…I'm still wondering what you were doing in that forest to begin with. I don't buy that story about you camping in there, especially if those spider creatures were in it."

Katarin turned to him with a frown at this. "Oh, hush." She scolded, before turning back and smiling at the esper. "We're all very grateful for this, Mr. Tumahab. Ignore Duane. He's just very protective of everyone, and he doesn't trust outsiders. The fact is…we've had little reason to trust anyone but ourselves. Our lives here have not been easy. We've endured attacks by both other people as well as monsters… For a whole year we were terrorized by a horrible monster named Phunbaba alone."

Bahamut reacted a bit to this. "I've heard that name before. I heard it mentioned when I first came into your town. Did he live in that forest?"

Katarin gave a nod. "Yes. That's why, for months, none of us could even set foot outside the ruins. He was a horrible demon of the Old World. The rift in the Planet caused him to come out, along with many other horrible creatures that had been sealed away. Fortunately…" Here, Katarin turned and gave a smile to Terra, who still stared at her flowers and said nothing. "Terra managed to save us, along with her friends."

Yu poked his head up at that. "That's when mama turned into a superhero! She thrashed Phunbaba easy!"

Terra stiffened on hearing that, and her smile faltered. Katarin herself grew a bit uneasy, and she quickly turned to Yu and shushed him. Bahamut, meanwhile, took this in, and unconsciously began to stroke his chin once again. So…apparently there was a time and place in which Terra did evoke her esper nature. She did it to defend those she loved. Well…that was a pretty good time for it, in Bahamut's opinion. But what caught him more was this story about Phunbaba… Khan told him that creatures of the Ancient World had been released when the world was destroyed, but he had just assumed, until now, that it was a few meager beings that weren't much of a threat. But if this monster needed Terra to turn into her esper side to kill it…then perhaps he was wrong. He began to wonder if there was any connection to the release of these creatures…and this mysterious Nireevyou.

"…Mr. Tumahab?"

Bahamut suddenly found himself snapped out of his train of thought by a small voice at his side. He turned his head, and soon saw one of the younger children looking up to him curiously. The esper hesitated a moment, but then put on his friendly smile once again.

"Um…yes, child?"

"Did you really come from Vector?"

The esper was caught off guard by that question. Did she detect his lie? But as he looked again…he saw that her question wasn't meant in that sense. It was simply a little girl confirming something. And so, the esper managed to smile and gave a nod. "Oh…yes, yes indeed. I lived in the Imperial Capitol right up until I saw Terratopolis fly."

In response to that, the rest of the people gathered looked in puzzlement to Bahamut.

"…What is Terratopolis?" Ai asked.

Bahamut looked around to begin to answer the child…when he froze. Looking quickly around the room, he realized no one had any idea what he was talking about. Each one of them had blank expressions as they stared at him. The esper felt himself sweat. Khan had known the name of the place…but he realized it was highly unlikely that any human had known it. None of them knew what he was saying. Swallowing, and trying to keep from visibly showing his slip, he responded.

"Oh! Well…Terratopolis was…what my mom…always used to call…"

Bahamut froze again. Call what? He wasn't sure what the landform where Terratopolis had been looked like, or where it had been in relation to Mobliz or Vector. He wasn't sure if it had a special name for the gate or anything. Trying not to break…he quickly finished.

"…The place where the espers were supposed to come from."

Bahamut groaned inwardly at how lame that sounded. Luckily, however, they seemed to buy it. Duane was still distrustful as always, but luckily there were kids here. It appeared that Katarin believed he had intentionally dumbed down the expression for their sakes, so they would understand. Slowly, his heart began to quiet down again as he tried to relax.

"So…what was Vector like?"

…Bahamut's relaxation was blown away as he heard the little girl ask another question, and he struggled to keep his eyes from bulging in fear.

"Mama has been there before…but she didn't live there. How was the city like?"

Soon, however, other children began to join in.

"Did you see the armies? The Magitek armor?"

"What about the Magitek factory?"

"Or the Emperor? How was he? Was he a mean person? What did he look like?"

Bahamut felt his pink flesh turn white. His stomach began to turn. This was getting very difficult, very quickly. The worst part of it all was that there was someone with them who had actually been to Vector. Any lie he would make could be seen through if it wasn't close enough to the truth. He felt his heart begin to pound and he licked his lips in confusion.

"Oh, cut it out, you all." Katarin suddenly scolded. "I'm sure Mr. Tumahab is tired, and if you bombard him all with so many questions at once he'll be too confused to think."

The children groaned in response, and sadly bowed their heads. Inside, Bahamut once again felt relief, and began to quickly like this Katarin best of all. That was two she saved him. He struggled not to sigh in relief. This was getting to be more nerve wracking than some of the horrors he had faced in his lifetime. If he knew it was going to be this much trouble, he might have tried doing more research. Wiping a bit of perspiration from his brow, he took up the glass of water he had been given and quickly drained the rest, finishing it.

On seeing this, Duane seized a fresh opportunity. "Alright…now that you're done having your drink, I trust you can see your way out. Goodbye."

But in reply to this, the children reacted negatively. Their faces became anxious at the thought. They had a powerful new person in their midst, and they had all marveled at his tale of battling the giant spiders. What more, now that they were no longer timid, they were interested in talking to this man and hearing more about where he had been, and what the great Empire had been before it was destroyed. To that end, they turned away from Tumahab and looked to Terra. Terra, on her part, was back to being somber and quiet, and seemed to not be focusing on what was going on at the moment. Nevertheless, the children looked to her and held a moment, as if anxious or trying to say something. But after a short while, one of them finally ventured forward.

"…Mama…" Yu finally spoke up. "…Could Mr. Tumahab…stay the night?"

Duane snapped around at that in surprise. Terra, however, did much the same. She suddenly came out of her daze and looked up, turning to Yu at that comment.

"He did help us and all. And he said he was tired and wanted to be in a house. Maybe we could give him a place to sleep."

"And besides…the forest is too dangerous." Ai threw in. "I don't want him to run into any monsters if he's going to camp back there. It's safer here."

The other children immediately chimed in with their own words of approval. They too began to plead that he could stay with them. They all wanted the chance to quiz him or see him do what he had done to kill the attacking spiders. Terra stared blankly back, not showing anything in response to this. She was quiet and unresponsive. Duane himself crossed his arms at this and frowned.

"…He's a stranger. And we don't know whether or not he's a thief or murderer."

Katarin cast him a frown at this, but then turned back to the half esper with a smile. "Terra…it's really the least we can do for him. He did help Yu and Ai, after all. It would give him a chance to get a warm meal and place to sleep. And if he really did that to those spiders…then we're probably safer here with him helping out too. I think if he was really dangerous, he would have done something to Yu and Ai."

Bahamut felt like giving Katarin a kiss. But he tried not to show anything. In fact, after a moment, he thought it would be good to feign modesty. He put his hands up in a stopping gesture. "No…I'll be fine. I don't want to impose. I'll be safe enough in the forest."

Katarin turned to him at this, and waved her hand. "Oh…don't let Duane put you out. And you don't have to lie. You'd be safer sleeping in the open rather than out in that deathtrap of a forest, and that's not saying much. I'm sure Terra would feel terrible leaving you out in the cold after what you did for Yu and Ai." At this, the young woman turned to Terra again, still smiling. "How about it, Terra? Just for one night?"

The half esper continued to hold. Her face hadn't changed. Bahamut looked at this, and was puzzled. Was she that affected by the dream from last night? Or did she recognize him? Or was she just this worried for her children? He didn't know the answer, but was forced to wait for a response. Finally, Terra did change. Slowly, her uncertain, melancholy face managed to form the smallest of smiles, and then she just looked up to give it back to Katarin.

"…Alright."


It was a pretty uneventful day after that. Well…at least in the traditional sense of the world. Bahamut barely had a chance to leave that chair, because soon all of the children began to follow up with their earlier questions. Luckily, it was far easier to address them one at a time, and especially to manipulate some questions back to them to get more information from them. Still, he didn't risk any mind reading, especially not now. Luckily the adults stayed away, and his conversations could be private. This continued later in the day when the kids went out again. However, none of them played around that much, they mostly just hung around him once he went out and asked him more.

Later that evening, when the kids went in and had exhausted their inquiries, Bahamut was left with time to gather his clues. By now, he had names to go with the faces, based on what he heard today and what he learned last night. From what he could gather, this Empire had been the one primarily involved with using the esper as their power source. Typically, like most power hungry humans, they turned this power first on their own people in order to subjugate the world under their feet. There had been two main leaders. One was Emperor Gesthal, and the other was General Kefka. The former of these two was the one that Terra had such animosity toward. However, the latter of them was the true threat. This was the one who had laid the Planet waste and delighted in the deaths of his people. Bahamut almost wished that Terra and her as-of-currently unnamed friends wouldn't have finished him. He would have delighted in killing him himself. He had to have been strong, and were this the old Bahamut he might have won. But as Neo Bahamut, and at full power, even that clown would not have been able to die laughing…when his breath attackssucked the very air out of his lungs.

Dinner eventually came. All of the children gathered around, but Bahamut saw that most of them sat on the stone ground or on beds. The only table was big enough just for the four adults, and Katarin set her own child on her lap. The food was very meager. A mostly water stew of potatoes, leeks, and a single thin rabbit. There was barely enough for them each to get a small bowl. Bahamut knew their resources were strained by feeding him as well, however. On seeing this…he couldn't help but feel regret. This meal wouldn't fill him anyway. Later, he would have to go and find a large creature to feast on. It would be better if they would just keep it for themselves. However…seeing as Bahamut had enough manners to know that such would be insulting, he ate it regardless. It was rather bitter and old tasting too…but he forced it down.

Once dinner was finished, all of the kids helped out to clean their dishes and put them away. With that done, it was getting late. The kids had a few hours to play indoors, but then it would be time for bed. Bahamut mostly sat in his chair and waited during this time, thinking over his information and watching the group. Once the hours had passed, Terra instructed all of the children to start getting ready for bed.

At this, Bahamut rose from his seat, and stood next to the young woman. "…Where do you want to put me, miss?"

Terra hesitated for a moment. Again, she seemed to be unnerved. She didn't even turn right away. But in the end, she turned her gaze back slightly, and without actually looking at Bahamut responded.

"…We don't have enough beds for everyone. All we can give you is a blanket, a pillow, and a rug in the inner room."

Bahamut raised an eye at that. "You mean…I'll be sleeping in the same room as you?"

"Yes." Terra readily and calmly answered.

Bahamut hesitated at that, but he supposed it only figured. After all, assuming she didn't fully trust him, she would want him to be with her in the chamber where he would have to make the most noise if he woke up. However…he still felt a bit uneasy about it. After all…he was a loner. The truth was, in all the time he had been alive, he had never slept in the same room as a female. It was rather silly, not to mention unbelievable, but it was true. He never had the opportunity, and he had never been interested in marital relationships. Nevertheless…he quickly swallowed it. It was nothing to get bent out of shape about, after all. And so, he simply gave a nod to Terra, and then turned and made for the back room.

Within moments, he was inside. A small oil lamp was lit up near the bed's headboard, providing the only illumination in the room. He didn't remember seeing a rug earlier… However, he soon saw it. It was more of a straw mat than anything. It was flat and shaped the contour of the rough floor, and it looked like it was mostly used to set wet boots somewhere to dry in winter. The mud stains testified to that.

Bahamut gave a slight frown on seeing it.

Better than the ground, I suppose.

In his true body, Bahamut could sleep on a bed of nails. But in his human form, he had to worry about cramping up, pinching his soft flesh, keeping his body aligned, and all other problems. He had rarely slept in his human body, and when he did it was usually on a couch or recliner of some type. This was neither. Grimacing somewhat, the esper made his way over to the rug, crouched, and then plopped down on top of it. After doing so, he shifted a bit and then leaned back, extending his body over it. As he touched down to the ground, he already became aware of it being bumpy and uneven. He frowned again. It kept the sharp corners from poking him, but not much else. Nevertheless, he decided to lay there until Terra arrived.

As it turned out, he waited for close to an hour. Getting a house full of children to lay down and go to sleep was not easy for anyone. In addition to tucking them in, getting them glasses of water, and kissing them goodnight, Terra usually read a story as well until they all fell asleep. Duane and Katarin were old enough to go on without this, but the others weren't. Bahamut was lucky that Katarin's baby had started sleeping regularly, or he might have been waiting even longer for Terra to show up. But at last, they had finished. Terra went around and dimmed the lights one by one, and then went back to her own room. Very slowly, she pushed the old, creaking door open.

On seeing this, Bahamut, having been lying back until now, leaned up and looked to her.

"Oh…hello miss." He greeted.

Terra said nothing. She merely passed into the room with an expressionless face.

"I couldn't find the pillow or blanket." Bahamut continued. "I figured I should best ask you first before going through your things."

Terra didn't answer or even act like she heard. Instead, once inside, she turned back to the door and pressed herself against it. Moving very slowly, absorbing as much of the squeaking as she could with her own body, the young woman pushed it closed again. It took painstakingly long, but after a few moments it was back in the frame. Terra slowly pushed it forward the few more precious inches, and the bolt shifted out and locked into place, finally shutting it closed.

The instant it did, Terra wheeled around to Bahamut. Her face was no longer expressionless. Now…it was impassioned, anxious, and a little angry.

"What are you doing here!"

Bahamut's smile faded at that. He hesitated and stared back blankly at Terra.

Sigh…I guess the cat's out of the bag.

Then, all at once, Bahamut changed his demeanor as well. The smiling, innocent man from before disappeared…as Bahamut at once seemed much older and stronger. His body seemed to become solid and hard, and as he inhaled the power in his eyes seemed to flare up while his weakness disappeared. Soon…Terra began to shrink back a little as she felt Bahamut take on his cold, powerful persona. However, she managed to hold. As for Bahamut, he very calmly pulled himself up into a seated position. He crossed his legs in front of him, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"…So, you've figured it out." He remarked, his voice much stronger and colder.

Terra hesitated for the briefest moment, before she received the strength to speak again. "Of course I figured it out. I knew it this whole time. I knew it since I saw you. I have esper blood in me, remember? I can sense other espers. And I have a link to their thoughts. I've heard everything you've been saying to yourself. You really don't know what happened to this world, do you? You don't know anything about what's been going on."

Bahamut gave a somewhat dark look at that. "You know…in esper culture, mind reading like that is considered rude."

"Well this is human culture." Terra retorted.

Bahamut showed nothing in response. This was a dilemma, wasn't it? Apparently, his thoughts had not been so private as he had hoped. It had been some time since he had the necessity to try and cover up his own thoughts from prying eyes. He supposed he had to do it again. Immediately, he started setting up a mental wall in front of his reasoning and calculations. As he did, he raised one of his hands and waved it. In response…a wave of white smoke suddenly erupted around the room. Terra panicked. Immediately, she recoiled from it and stared at it. The smoke continued to fill up the room, however, but only on the edges. It seemed to only affect the area around them, not near them. What more, after a few moments, the smoke faded into thin air just as quickly as it had come. Terra looked at all this, and then wheeled back to Bahamut.

"What have you done?"

Bahamut sighed calmly to this demand. "If you insist on yelling so much…then I had no choice but to place a mute spell around this room…unless you want the children to know about who I really am."

Terra fumed and glared at him. "Who are you?"

"I already told you. I am Bahamut, King of All Espers…and as such, your king."

"What do you want from me?"

To this, Bahamut's eyes narrowed and became a bit angrier. "…I despise having to repeat myself, so I'll make this the last time. I want your allegiance as an esper, and your service."

Terra continued to frown. "You mean you want me as your slave."

"I have no love for slaves." Bahamut responded. "I prefer servants."

Terra snorted. "What's the difference?"

"Benefits and a common interest, but that's hardly relevant right now. I don't intend to claim you just yet, so you should feel grateful."

Terra didn't change. Instead, she balled her hands into fists and grew angrier. But she couldn't be too cold or defiant to Bahamut. His own overwhelming presence wouldn't allow her. She silently fumed for a moment, trying to think of something else. At last, she spoke up again.

"…You were obviously stalking my children. Why did you save them?"

Bahamut simply shrugged. "Because, at the time, it felt like the right thing to do."

"I thought you didn't care what happened to them."

"I don't recall ever saying anything to that effect."

"You were going to take me away from them."

The great esper merely leaned forward at this, and propped his head up on one arm. "Really?" He calmly responded. "And do they really need you?"

Terra was caught at that. Her eyes enlarged a bit, and her fear loosened. Bahamut, however, did not let up. He continued to stare right back at her, waiting for her to respond to that comment. Terra didn't for a while. She looked troubled and surprised at that sudden question. However…she did finally break. Abruptly, she bowed her head, as her own eyes began to look sorrowful. Her arms raised and crossed over herself.

"…I don't know." She finally said, very quietly. "…But I need them."

Bahamut raised a single eyebrow to this, but said nothing else. Both continued to be silent for a few moments. Terra kept her head bowed, and looked to the ground as her eyes grew sad. Bahamut noticed this, and was a bit surprised. So…she really did care about these children, it seemed. She definitely had a love attachment to them, and from all that Bahamut had seen they did as well. Nevertheless, he only let this go on for a few moments. It wasn't his concern. Eventually, he leaned back to where he was before, and put his arm back across his body.

"…To answer your first question," He finally began. "I'm here because I'm curious. There's only so much I can learn from talking to you personally. I want to know more about you. And I am still getting used to this world, and I am trying to figure out how to best implement my plans. To that end…I think it would be best if I hung around you and your charges for a little while."

Terra snapped out of it, and looked up to Bahamut in surprise. "What…?"

"I'll keep up my persona of Tumahab, of course." Bahamut went on. "I'll even earn my keep, if you want me to. But I'll be staying here with you and the children from now on. I'll keep interacting with them…playing, talking…that sort of thing. And you can just pretend that I'm the same person you let in today."

"But…" Terra responded, still surprised. "But…you can't…"

"As your king, this is my first order to you." Bahamut cut off. "It is non-negotiable."

Terra quivered where she stood, unbelieving what was being said. She hesitated. But then…her face suddenly flushed in anger, and she took a step toward the great esper.

Bahamut was perfectly calm.

"If you fight me, not only will you lose…I'll use my full strength in my true body. I don't think I can control my power well enough to avoid hitting the children."

Terra froze again, as he eyes widened and the breath caught in her throat. Bahamut calmly looked back, showing nothing. The young woman held for a moment, staring at him in sudden fear. That was a horrifying possibility. But what more…it also helped her remember what else Bahamut could do. He could turn her back into an esper and leave her powerless to return. He could injure or kill her. And right now…she wasn't sure if he wouldn't stoop to hurting the children. With that in mind, she couldn't resist. Slowly…her arms fell back at her sides and her fists relaxed. She closed her eyes a moment afterward, and clenched her jaw tightly.

"…Just don't hurt them."

"You should know, after this morning, that I'm not evil enough to wish to see kids, even human kids, die." Bahamut calmly answered.

"…You're supposed to leave tomorrow."

"We can work around that easily enough. I'll find something to do."

A brief pause between the two of them. Terra opened her eyes and looked back up to Bahamut.

"…So now what?"

"Now…we sleep." Bahamut answered simply. "I'm still looking forward to that pillow and blanket. After that, you need to rest more than anyone. You look like a mess, and it won't take long for them to realize something is wrong with you if you don't calm down."

Terra's face suddenly turned livid again, and frowned. "You expect me to be calm!"

"I'm not taking you anywhere, and I'm not changing anything in the foreseeable future. The longer I stay here with you, the longer you stay here as well. Be grateful. And if nothing else, control yourself for the sake of your charges. Whether you like it or not, those two did something very reckless and dangerous out of a desire to see you smile again. It would insult their struggle if you didn't at least make an effort to be happy."

Terra's anger vanished, and she recoiled a bit at that. She hadn't expected that sudden response. But now that Bahamut said it…she realized he was right. Those flowers had been obtained from a very dangerous place in the world. She would never let them have gone normally. But like Bahamut said…they had gotten them for her so that she would be happier. It was obvious to them now that she wasn't happy, and that she was brooding more often than not. Yet when they heard some silly fable about how those flowers would cheer her up, they foolishly risked their lives in order to get them for her. It was a stupid mistake…but the reasoning behind it was indeed very noble and sacrificial. Thinking of it like this, the great esper made sense. They had been trying to help her…and doing anything to upset them now would only make them feel worse…might even drive them to another reckless feat. She wouldn't dare. Those children were her life.

With that in mind…Terra at last closed her eyes and clenched her jaw again. She straightened back up and calmed down as much as she could. With that done, she walked slowly over to one of the nearby shelves, and practically tore a blanket and pillow of of it. She nearly threw both at Bahamut…who, in response, without batting an eye, seized both of them together, and with one easy twist put the pillow behind his head and the blanket over his body.

Terra didn't care. She simply walked back over to her own bedside and blew out the lamp. Without bothering to change, she threw herself into her bed, covered herself up, and said no more the rest of the night.

Bahamut let out a slow exhale, but then went down as well, turned his head, and tried to sleep.


To be continued...