Disclaimer: Anything that I created, is mine. Not anyone else's. MINE.

Chapter XXIII

Some Questions Answered

The soul unto itself
Is an imperial friend,--
Or the most agonizing spy
An enemy could send. --Emily Dickinson

XxXxX

"It's…you," Nooj glared at the man, his voice almost a hiss. How dare he show up like this? After all that's he's done? Heartless bastard.

"And it's a pleasure to see you again, too," he--the one who kidnapped his friends--said.

"Go to hell, bastard."

"Are you full of anger? I just saved your life, the least you could do is thank me."

That smirk… Oh how he hated that smirk. "I would have rather died."

"I could have that arranged," he looked down at him. Is he going to jump down?

"Why did you save my life?" Nooj asked, keeping the stern look on his face.

"Because I still need you alive."

"Why?"

"Because I need all three of you."

"All three--you mean, myself, as well as Baralai and Gippal?"

"Yes, yes," he squatted, still looking down at him. "In order to set the trap, I need all three of you."

"Trap? What trap?" Nooj remained where he was, looking up at him.

"Oops, I've said to much already.." The man smirked again. "But if you want to find out, then come with me--quietly."

"Never."

"Have it your way." He stood, but froze. "What? This can't be--" In a single movement, he turned, a gasp escaping his mouth.

There was a gunblade pointed at his head, only inches away form his face, but that's not what surprised him. "You--you have her--but, what's this? She's not awake!"

"Shut up, asshole, unless you want a bullet in your face or your head cut off," said a man very harshly.

Squall, Nooj couldn't see them, but he knew Yuna and the girl were with him.

The man seemed to ignore Squall's threat. "How is this possible? She is supposed to be dead!"

"What do you mean, dead?" Squall asked, not removing the harshness in his voice or his gunblade, for that matter.

He smiled, saying, "She did not tell you who she was, did she? Interesting…" That smirk returned, making it look like he was enjoying this. "You shouldn't trust her, you know. She may work with the enemy. I know she used to. How did she end up like this, anyway?" Squall didn't answer, the non-human man pleased with his response, or lack of one. "That's what I thought! Too bad it's time for you two to die!" Before either could stop him, a large fireball was thrown at Squall, since he was closer--but it bounced off, his own attack hitting himself. It almost threw him down the hole, but he unfortunately managed to regain his balance.

"What? I don't understand!" He growled, confused, and a second later, he was gone.

"What the hell just happened?" Squall said, gunblade by his side, his other hand trying to make sure the girl didn't fall off his back.

"I don't know… It was just like last time." Yuna walked up to him, looking at the girl. "Maybe it was her?"

Squall stayed silent, considering it. Anything did seem to be happening lately. "Let's just join Nooj," he simply said, jumping down the hole and landing in a crouch.

After Yuna joined them, Squall looked at Nooj. "You know more about her, what is it?" He looked at him with that cold stare.

Nooj sighed. "The girl--she's not human. I don't know what she is, but she's definitely not human."

"Why are you so sure of this?" asked Squall.

"Because when we were fighting that T-Rexaur, my bullet had gone through the fiend and into her, killing her," a gasp from Yuna, a slightly shocked look on Squall face, but he continued, "It was when she healed I figured she wasn't human."

"This was information I would have liked to know before I started carrying this--this creature and feeling sorry for her," his voice rose, him sounding a little pissed, but it didn't get any louder. "What if she is working for the enemy? What is she's exactly like that bastard and is plotting to kill us right at this moment? What if she really isn't in a damn coma!" He just lost it. For once he couldn't help it, couldn't lock up the rage within him. Having no sleep in the last few days can be a problem.

"That's a lot of 'what if's. What if Paine is dead? What if she's hurt, locked up somewhere? What if both Gippal and Baralai are dead, as well? I think those questions every damn day that they aren't here, and yet, I still go on searching for them, knowing damn well that my chances of ever finding them are low--extremely low." Nooj stared back at him. "You just have to take risks in your life, sometimes. Trust her, Squall. That girl has saved my life--as well as yours and Yuna's--the least we can do is trust her, even a little."

Squall was silent; as he stood there, the girl on his back felt heavier. Slowly, he turned and began to walk, ending their argument. "Let's get out of here before another monster shows up."

XxXxX

Squall was distant again; he walked ahead, the girl on his back.

This place makes everyone so angry at each other… Once we find Paine, Gippal, and Baralai, we all deserve a nice, week-long sleep. Yuna thought, eyes looking around then focusing on Squall's back. I see why Paine and him would be friends. I think. Them two talk about as much as a pyrofly does. She chuckled, thinking about the two's first meeting and how it was probably like.

She saw Nooj look sideways at her, eyebrow raised, but she shook her head, smiling and saying "it's nothing".

Where is Paine? she wondered. Everyone probably wondered that. She hoped her, Gippal, and Baralai were okay. It'd be awful if something were to happen to either of them.

Poor Nooj; his only three close friends are missing, probably--she didn't dare say it, or think it even. They are okay, she repeated over and over, hoping her prayers would be heard and answered.

XxXxX

All was silent inside Celcius, but outside the waves hit the side of the airship; they could not move, something stopped them. All people inside were confused by their situation, and by the storm that seemed to have a mind of its own.

Everything was working properly inside the airship, yet they still couldn't move. Outside the window they saw the dark clouds, the lightning, all signs of a deadly storm, but when they looked closer--

"Yo, is it just me or is that water floating in front of that window?"

Quistis looked in the direction that Zell was pointing in, closer to the window she walked, gasping when she saw what Zell had seen. "Look! He's right, there is water there!"

Brother and Buddy looked up from their work on figuring out what was wrong with Celcius, and at the window. "Does that remind you of something, Brother?" asked Buddy.

The Al Bhed nodded. "Uh-huh…"

"What?" Quistis looked back and forth between Brother and Buddy. "What does it remind you of?"

"Back on Spira," started Rikku, looking over at Quistis. "we had been grabbed by this thing and pulled underneath the water. It would've been a really cool ride if the water hadn't been there and there wasn't a chance of dying."

"Hey, guys!" Selphie ran off of the elevator, jumping up and down. "You've soooo got to come see the view from the cabin!" Expecting them to follow her, she ran back onto the elevator.

When Rikku, Quistis, and Zell had joined Selphie and Irvine on the upper floor of the cabin, they immediately knew what the 'cool sight' was: a strip of water in front of the windows, wrapping all around the airship.

"Isn't it cool? I've never seen anything like it!"

Quistis and Zell had to agree with Selphie--they'd never seen anything quite like that before.

XxXxX

The hospital hall lit up some as lightning flashed, sending their shadows dancing off the walls, then disappearing once more to only reappear again as yet another flash of lightning lured them out. Nooj watched the shadows dance around the hall as they walked cautiously, their footsteps barely being heard over the booming thunder.

"Nooj," Yuna slowed down her walking to walk beside him.

"Yes?" Her voice was in a whisper, so he lowered his to match.

She looked down at the floor as they walked. "Do you think she's working for the enemy? Is there a possibility?"

"There's always a possibility," Nooj looked sideways at her, a smile on his face. "But no, I don't think so. If she is, she's doing a damn good job at pretending she's not."

"Yeah…" She looked up at the girl on Squall's back. "She seems so…young, she can't be very old."

"It's hard to tell how old she is. Not being human, the way she ages could be completely different from us."

Squall stopped, not looking back at them. "Quiet," he said, voice harsh.

The two behind him kept silent, and that's when they heard the reason why Squall shut them up.

A low growl, heavy footsteps that came closer to the hall they were in. Lightning flashed and there, at the end of the hall, they saw the huge, black, six-legged, mutated dragon, its thick tail swinging back and forth. The eyes of the beast spotted them, and it let out a fierce roar. Squall took one step back, eyes not moving off of the dragon. He silently cursed their bad luck and glared at the monster. Would they never make it out of this damn hospital?

The mutated dragon let out another roar, taking one step toward them.

"Do not fear the beast, for it cannot harm you," the words were whispered into Squall's ear…

"Did she-"

"Yes," Squall hated the idea of putting their lives in danger like that. How could he trust her words? She wasn't even awake! You have to take risks in your life, sometime, he repeated the words spoken by Nooj minutes ago. He didn't want to, not at a time like this, and yet, he still walked toward the Hexadragon, his mind repeated one, single thought: please don't let this be a mistake.

"Squall!"

Nooj hushed Yuna, touching her arm and nodding his head toward Squall. "Let's follow."

Yuna was a bit hesitant at first, but she trusted her friend, and followed him as he walked a couple feet behind Squall.

The Hexadragon roared and charged at them, all legs pounding heavily onto the ground, shaking the entire floor beneath them, yet they still walked; even when the beast pushed itself off the ground, they didn't stop. Coming in for the kill, the Hexadragon fell closer to them--

And like the girl had promised, the beast hit a shield around them and disintegrated a second later. The group was standing there, completely in awe about what just happened, and seconds later after they recovered from the shock, they continued onward.

A/N: So this chapter is a bit short… I was having writer's block on it and I just finished it with that scene. Well, don't forget to review!