((A/N: XD Sorry for the long delay, (caused by semester exams, and other family stuffs) . But here it is, Chapter 12. I hope it isn't disappointing. Oh, and before I forget... even though I'm late. Happy Holidays! (whichever ones you celebrate) and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Remember! Read, Review, Enjoy... and uh... eat good cookies? ))

Chapter Twelve

Kalvaras

Ren stood on the opposite bank of the Moonflow, trying to coax the chocobo from the back of the shoopuf. She had been so angry at the Hypello when they told her she couldn't take the chocobo aboard, but she managed to talk them into it. Secretly, Ren had a very bad temper; one that, as a summoner, she kept hidden very well. With the recent attention from all of Spira and, of course, being shot, there were a number of things affecting her temperament.

Staring up at the shoopuf as the Hypello began to reprimand her, Ren said, "Fine Obe! I guess Aucifer is the best chocobo after all!"

Annoyed, the chocobo's feathers fluffed out and he flew from the shoopuf's back and landed next to the ex-summoner. He nudged her so hard in the shoulder that she stumbled back and fell down.

Grinning, Ren told the bird, "Hah, see, I got you down!" Getting to her feet and dusting herself off, she said, "I was joking Obe."

The chocobo made a sound as if to say he didn't believe her, and they continued on down the road, ignoring the Hypello as they told her she could only ride again if she didn't have a chocobo. It wasn't as if they could ban her from the Moonflow. She was an ex-summoner and she fought for their lives as well as the rest of Spira, even if she wasn't the one to vanquish Sin.

Nearing the crossroads between Djose Temple and the Youth League Headquarters, Naji rushed up to them, shouting, "Ren! Kal's home! Kal's home!"

"So I've heard," Ren said, grinning ear to ear. "Naji, you seem more excited than I am!"

He shrugged. "Well... The last time I saw him was... the funeral," he told her.

Ren stared at him awkwardly for a moment. "That wasn't even a year ago, Naji." She shook her head. Then, more to herself, she said softly, "That wasn't even a year ago." Her eyes dropped to the ground and she seemed very confused.

"Seems so much longer, doesn't it?" he asked her.

"It... seems like it was yesterday," she said and raised her eyes to his. "But, at the same time, it feels as if it was a million years ago."

Silence fell over them. Naji took a breath, and then said, "Would you like me to go with you? Back to the village I mean?"

Ren nodded. "That'd be nice."

"Going to pick up the meyvn while you're at it?" Naji asked and cast her a curious glance, head tilted slightly to the left.

"I've got a feeling I'm going to end up punching you by the end of the day," she told him as she walked by, Oberron following obediently at her side.

"What? Why?" the Al Bhed asked as he took his place at her right side.

"I don't know, I just have a feeling," she said and shrugged.

They walked the road in silence until he finally said, "I was watching the execution." Ren looked to him curiously. Pulling his goggles from his forehead and cleaning them, he then put them back in their place and said, "I didn't think he'd make it."

Ren stopped in her tracks and looked to the blonde, spiky-haired Al Bhed. "You knew he was on his way?"

"He ran by on Oberron. Almost ran me over too." Looking over to her, he said, "Don't ever, EVER say you killed a leader of some organization EVER again, Ren," and put his hands over his spiral-pupil eyes in an exasperated gesture.

With a sigh, the ex-summoner told him the truth. She told him why she had lied, and for a split second, he didn't believe her. "The praetor's advisor threatened you?" he asked, uncertain.

"Figure it this way, Naji," she said, "If I had said Tannen had shoved him off the side of the cliff, they would've gone after the village. Saying that it was just me, made me the prime target."

Leaning forward, he stared her straight in the eyes and put his hand on her forehead. She gave him a confused look and he told her, "You have serious chivalry issues."

They turned and continued on their way. The silence consumed them like a thick blanket. Once again though, Naji cut through it by saying, "The entirety of Spira watched an ex-summoner get shot, and a praetor panic for a white mage today."

Glancing to him out the corner of her eye, she said, "I didn't hear anything."

"Well, you were dying," he said and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "The white mage casts the spells that make the peoples stand up," he muttered and then smiled ever-so-slightly.

"So a mage stepped forward and saved my sorry behind?" she asked, now a bit curious.

"You didn't notice?" he said now looking to her fully.

"I didn't see much. Everything was dark, then it was too bright. Next thing I know I can breath again and the praetor's there," she told him and shrugged.

"Whether you wanna hear it or not, he saved your life," Naji said.

Ren was quiet, she didn't want to think about it. She had just been freed from the presence of the praetor and his annoyingly wretched advisor, and she didn't want to even consider the fact that now, she owed him. "You had to bring that up, didn't you?" she grumbled.

"You're chivalrous," he said. "You would've come to it by nightfall."

"I would've rather waited until nightfall," she sighed and stuck her hands into her pockets.

Nearing the road that led to the Youth League Headquarters, she considered just walking by, but was caught off guard when she heard her name shouted loudly. Yaibal ran toward her and threw his arms around her neck, embracing her close. "Naoska!" he said again, burying his face against her shoulder. Confused, she put an arm around him and pat his back. Releasing her and stepping back, he sniffled and then smiled. "So you're joining the Youth League now, right?" he said, excitement growing in his voice.

Scratching her chin, she said truthfully, "I'll think about it."

He smiled and then asked, "Where're you headed?"

"Take us to your leader!" Naji said, throwing a closed fist into the air. Yaibal and Ren looked to him as if he were now insane and laughed. "What?" the Al Bhed said and shrugged. He looked to the ex-summoner and said, "Wasn't that where we were going? To see Nooj?"

Looking away, the brunette woman rubbed the back of her head and said softly, "I don't think I should..."

Naji and Yaibal looked to her curiously. "Why not?" they said simultaneously, ignoring the fact that their words were in sync.

Rubbing her shoulder in an indecisive gesture, Ren said, "I just, don't think I should."

"We're going to see the meyvn," the two men grabbed her arms and proceeded to pull her down Mushroom Rock road.

"Guys! Hey! What're you doing?" Ren shouted, trying to pull away.

As they passed guards, she asked for assistance, but Naji and Yaibal waved them away, saying, "She's fine, just a little psychotic after being shot. It'll pass!"

Arriving at the headquarters, Naji caught her in a headlock and Yaibal ran into find the meyvn. "Naji! What the heck is going on?" she grumbled, trying to get away.

"Nothing! We just think you and the meyvn should go together!" he said.

Quickly ending her struggle, she looked to him and stuttered, "G-go together?"

"Yeah, to see Kal! Nooj was his friend too!" he said, rubbing his knuckles along the top of her head and messing up her hair. "What'd you think I meant?"

Laughing, she said, "Something else."

"What's the emergency?" the two heard from the entrance to the headquarters.

Looking up and seeing Nooj, Naji asked, "Yaibal didn't tell you?"

"No," the meyvn replied, looking at them curiously.

Getting out of Naji's headlock and pushing him away with a swift kick to the hip, she looked to Nooj and said, "Kal's home. So you better get your half-metal ass moving." She smiled and he smiled back.

"Half-metal ass, huh? Like I've never gotten that before," he said as he walked to her.

"Yeah," she said and shrugged. "But it sounds so much better when I say it."

"I agree," Nooj replied.

The ex-summoner began her way down the road, Nooj following. Waiting for a moment, Naji went after them, saying, "Nooj, you just like it when she mentions your ass."

"Can't say I don't," the meyvn replied, shrugging.

Ren shook her head, laughing. This reminded her of old times. They were missing a few people in the group, but the light atmosphere was a near-perfect match to the days when they used to sit on the steps of her house eating ice cream, or at the fire, talking about whatever came to mind. She was quiet for the longest time, lost in memories once again.

"What do you say, Ren?" Nooj asked.

Snapping back to reality, the ex-summoner looked to him curiously. "What do I say about what?" she asked, not sure of what was going on.

"We've been talking about it for... what, twenty minutes now? Where's your head been?" Naji asked, walking to her left side and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Somewhere else," she said and shook her head. "What was the question?"

Dropping his hand to his side, Naji said, "We were debating on whether you'd join the Youth League or the Machine Faction."

Putting her hands behind her head and staring up into the blue sky, she thought about it for a long while. "The Youth League is... very radical. They're high strung and would slap their mothers if they were ordered to," she thought aloud. Nooj seemed a little insulted at her words. "But the Machine Faction plays in sand all day, trying to rebuild machina."

"Machines," Naji corrected her, he too feeling a bit insulted.

"Same thing," she told him.

When she fell into a bout of silence, Nooj asked, "Then would you join New Yevon?"

Turning quickly to face him, she snapped, "Never!"

Eyes wide, he stared at her. Ren was angry, eyes narrowed, fists clenched. The meyvn knew her anger, the real anger, not the suppressed kind of the summoner she used to be. Not able to apologize to her, he quietly walked past her. Naji, unsure of what exactly just happened, went and borrowed a hover from an Al Bhed woman working for Rin, and then picked up the other two before continuing on their way to the village.

Arriving, Ren jumped from the hover before it stopped moving and, after stumbling and regaining her balance, she looked around curiously. Her village seemed happy to see her. As people began to approach her, she ran away, heading to the small area that hung over the gorge.

Nearing closer and closer, a figure came into view. His hair was black, his dark blue eyes stared out across the gorge, and he was dressed like an Al Bhed. Stopping at a distance, boots scraping in the dirt as she came to a halt, she watched him for a moment. He stood with his back to her, arms crossed over his chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but he chose that moment as well and cut her off. "Sister," he said. "Summoner. Wife. Widow. Ex-summoner. Fiancée to the praetor. Traitor to our village. Traitor to New Yevon. Dead. Alive." Turning to her and smiling slightly, he said, "What's next? How many things are you going to be?"

"A lot of things, Kal," she said.

Naji and the meyvn joined them, making a some-what circle. Deep blue eyes shifting to the two newcomers, Kalvaras smiled. "You got taller, Meyvn Nooj," he said.

"Drop the titles, Kal," Nooj said, smirking.

Grinning, the dark-haired man said, "It's good to see your half-metal ass again, Nooj." They laughed and Kalvaras looked to Naji. "You too, Spiky."

Naji laughed and looked to the ex-summoner, who seemed a little saddened. "Ren," he said quickly and she looked to him.

"Ren," Kalvaras said and drew her attention to him. Walking up to her, he said, "Are you dating Naji?"

Looking to him curiously, she replied, "No."

"Are you dating Nooj again?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she replied, "No."

Drawing back he struck her with his fist. Ren stumbled back and fell to the ground. The Al Bhed and the meyvn went to rush to her aid but Kalvara held out his hand, signaling them to stop. He then glared at them, telling them not to move. Looking to his sister, he shouted, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Holding her bruised jaw, she stared up at him, something in between anger, fear, and confusion in her eyes. "W-What?"

"I'm not blind or deaf!" he said loudly. "Why'd you agree to marry the praetor? Why'd you go to Bevelle and say you killed him? What were you thinking?"

"I didn't have a choice!" Ren shouted back.

"Explain," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

As much as she didn't want to tell him, she knew he wouldn't let her off the hook until she did. Looking into his deep blue eyes, she said calmly, "Story time."

((A/N: P.S. : Meyvn is a funny word XD. ))