((A/N: Hah-ha! Yay! Chapter 13! This one took a while because I got wrapped up in school and... oh oh oh! YAY ME! I got a job! Aaaanyway, I'll be trying to work on this story a bit more because I like writing it, and I like writing for yous gais who review. The rest of you non-reviewers should be like those cool kids who review and... what? Yes, I am trying to get more reviews out of you. And yes, it is because I'm a dork, hehe. So yeah, I'll get to workin on chapter 14 now and I'll get it up as soon as I can. Until then, Read, Review, Enjoy!))

Chapter Thirteen

Shipping Out

They sat around the fire like they used to when they were kids. Cautiously, gaging his reaction with every word she spoke, Ren told Kalvaras the truth. She spared no details on what Aitigus had said, and how she had been treated. When it came down to saying she killed him, she gave all details about that as well.

The three men understood then. "I said it before, and I'll say it again," Naji began after her story was complete. "Ren, you have serious chivalry issues." Nooj nodded in agreement.

They fell silent for a moment and Kalvaras asked, blue eyes set on his sister as if they would look through her into her soul, "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," she replied softly. "I'm lost Kal."

"You're home," Naji said. "Forget things for a while, just relax."

"I'm not staying here," Ren said, staring into the fire.

They looked to her and her brother said, "I didn't think you would. It was the last straw, Naoska."

"Your own parents," Nooj said softly and shook his head.

"If you're not staying," Naji said, "then were will you go?"

Shaking her head, the ex-summoner said, "I think... I'll go on a walk."

"What do you mean?" Nooj asked, eying her curiously.

Looking up at the sky as it was getting quite dark, the ex-summoner sighed and said, "Maybe I'll... go visit the Ronso, or the Guado, or..." She shook her head. "I'm just going to go." Turning her attention to her brother, she asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Me?" Kalvaras asked. He smiled slightly and said, "I'm going to go back to Bikanel Desert."

"So that's where you've been?" Nooj asked.

Kalvaras nodded. "I... couldn't stand being here. There were... too many memories here." He took a breath and leaned forward slightly. "I went to the only place we never went."

Almost simultaneously, they all looked down to the fire, their minds lost in memories. Tears slid down Ren's cheeks and she wiped them away quickly, hoping no one saw, but they had. Getting to her feet, Ren walked over to the ledge and stared across the gorge.

Getting to his feet, Nooj went to stand at her side. He raised his hand to set it on her shoulder, but merely dropped it back to his side. Taking a slow breath, the ex-summoner said, "When I return from... wherever it is I'm going, I'll let you know my decision on what group I'm joining."

Grinning, Kalvaras said, "Machine Faction."

Turning to the dark-haired man, Nooj narrowed his eyes and said, "Youth League."

"Machine Faction!" Naji said, throwing his closed right fist into the air.

They laughed, knowing they were all trying to lighten the mood.

Placing his hands behind his head, the Al Bhed yawned and said, "I say, you should visit the Guado. They're pretty wise and such."

"Go with Kal to the desert," Nooj suggested.

Leaning forward a bit and then getting to his feet. Kalvara stretched and said, "Shut up guys. Let her go where she wants to go." They all turned to look to him and he grinned as he said, "After all, she'll end up in the Machine Faction either way. So why try to sway the decision with your crappy ideas?"

"Not fair, Kal," the leader of the Youth League said, "It's two against one."

Shaking his head, Naji crossed his arms and shook his head. "Actually, I figure it's pretty evenly matched. She used to date Nooj, but Kal, you're her brother."

"And where do you come in to play in this?" Nooj asked, brow raised as he watched the Al Bhed man.

"I don't count!" he laughed.

"Naji!" Ren growled and punched him in the arm. "What the heck does that mean?"

Changing the subject, the Al Bhed smiled and said, "Should we start getting you packed?"

Ren watched him for a long moment, unsure of what exactly he was saying, but she simply nodded and replied, "Yeah, we probably should." Yet, instead of heading into town, she merely sat back down next to the fire. Hesitating for a moment, the meyvn sat down next to her. She scooted away from him a bit, but it seemed as if it were unintentional and possibly completely out of habit. The three men looked to her awkwardly, but she stared down into the healthy fire, her eyes seeming as if they were glazed over.

Looking down at his sister, Kalvaras said, "Time to move on, kid."

Her hazel eyes flew up to him so quick, a glare hard enough in them that if they had been weapons, he would've died. He held his ground, a calm, nonchalant look in his blue eyes as he watched her reaction. She seemed suddenly mixed with so many emotions that if she hadn't been sitting, she would've struck him, or at least erupted in different directions. Silently standing, Ren glared at him from the corner of her eye and said softly, an angered tone to her voice, "When you finally get married, I hope things turn out right for you." Turning, she walked away from the village, past the meyvn and her brother, toward Luca.

"You shouldn't have said that," Nooj said, getting to his feet, his eyes on the dark-haired Kalvaras.

"You're thinking the same thing, Nooj. I can see it in your eyes," Kalvaras said, walking toward the ledge, overlooking the gorge.

The brunette meyvn turned his questioning eyes upon Ren's brother and said, "You can see it? What can you see, Kalvaras?"

Turning slightly, looking over his shoulder to the still sitting meyvn, he said, "You never get over your first love."

"If you're suggesting that your sister may still have feelings for me, Kal, I'm sure you're mistaken," said the meyvn, half turned in his seated position on the log.

"I was talking about your feelings for her," he said and turned his blue eyes out to the gorge. "It's about time we all went our separate ways."

"What're you saying?" Naji asked, staring at the non-Al Bhed dressed in Al Bhed clothing.

"I'm saying that," he said, facing the gorge and staring out into the night, "sometimes... I'd rather throw myself into this gorge than ever see any of you again."

"Kal..." Naji said softly.

Getting up from the log, Nooj strode over to Ren's brother and quickly spun him around shoving him back and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. A startled expression came over Kalvaras's face as he leaned back, over the edge of the cliff, Nooj being the only thing keeping him from falling. The dark-haired man didn't beg or reach out as if to save his life, he merely stood there, hands dangling somewhat behind him, his feet still on the ground. "Do you think you're the only one who feels that way, Kal?" the meyvn shouted. "Do you?"

The blonde Al Bhed stood helplessly near the fire. He didn't dare go near the other two. It wasn't his battle, at least not yet it wasn't.

Kalvaras stared back into the meyvn's eyes and said nothing. "I loved Ren," Nooj said, eyes glaring. "I loved her and every time I see her, every time she thinks about Eiolis. Every time she cries. Every time that happens, I think about when we were kids. I remember when I had the love of my life. I remember when we went to their funeral, and we couldn't even have it open coffin because there wasn't enough of them left for everyone to see!" His grip tightened on Kalvaras's shirt and he pulled him close so their faces were inches away. The meyvn glared into the other man's eyes and said, "Don't you dare think for a moment that you're pained more than we are. We all suffer just the same."

"Chalta once told me, that you all made a pact that you'd always be friends," Naji said, voice calm, eyes upon the other two men. "He asked me to make that pact as well, and I did." He shook his head quickly. He suddenly seemed very irritated. Head lowered, his hands clenched tight and his body shook. "Kal, you can't just quit when it's convenient for you!" The other two looked to their friend and Naji continued. "We made the same pact, right? We should keep it. We all lost the same friends, and they wouldn't want us to just walk away from each other." Relaxing, he stared at his open palms and said softly, "Chalta once told me, "Fa'ja paah dukadran cu muhk, dryd ev uha uv ic mayjac, dra nacd uv ic fuh'd ghuf fryd du tu."

"And what does that mean?" Nooj asked, eyes narrowed slightly, but his voice still light.

"We've been together so long, that if one of us leaves, the rest of us won't know what to do," Kalvaras said softly, fluent now in the Al Bhed language.

Naji nodded. "And he was right," he said. "Look at what we're doing."

Nooj pulled the dark-haired fully onto the ledge and shoved him toward the fire. Kalvaras stumbled and righted himself before reaching the log.

Continuing, the spiral-eyed Al Bhed sighed. "We should move forward," he said. "We should move forward, but not apart. Separate we won't be able to bear the pain of losing those two, but together, at least there's someone who knows what we're going through."

Inhaling deeply and standing very tall, looking down his nose at Naji, Kalvaras said, "When did you get so knowledgeable?"

Smirking, the blonde said, "That day I first met you guys, and Naoska punched me in the face."

Smiling slightly, the meyvn nodded slightly and said, "I think that hit would've knocked sense into anyone."

They agreed then that it would be a mistake to divide their paths. Sitting down, they spoke calmly, relaxing and cheering each other up.

While the three men remained by the fire, catching up on old times and sharing stories of their lives as of late, Ren stood leaned against the rail near the entrance to Luca. She stared out over the city, tears streaking her eyes. Memories flashed through her mind. Moving on, forgetting that Eiolis was once hers, that Chalta was her confidant, she couldn't do it. Forgetting, would mean she would have to rip out her own heart and never feel again. Did her brother really want her to do that. Her knees buckled and she slowly slid down to the cobblestone bridge. Clutching onto the bars of the railing, she hung her head and wept.

The ex-summoner was beginning to come undone. The strings that held her together at the seams were being pulled out and pieces were falling away.

Come morning, Ren's mother found her daughter out front with her bags packed. Three chocobos stood with the ex-summoner. As she secured the luggage onto the back of one chocobo, her mother approached and asked kindly, "Naoska, where are you going? You just got home."

Resisting the urge to throw something at the woman, the ex-summoner said, "Don't call me by that name." Though she had resisted the urge, she couldn't erase the anger from her voice, as she had nearly shouted at her mother.

"But, that is your name," the older woman said, taking a towel from her apron and drying her hands.

"Not anymore," Ren said.

Chuckling, her mother said, "Then what is your name? Lady Naoska?"

Pausing in the middle of tying down a bag to the back of a short, stocky chocobo, Ren looked to her mother and said, "No. You'll call me Ren, nothing more, nothing less."

"Honey," the older woman called to her husband. "Our daughter's got a rebellious streak again."

Coming to view in the doorway of the house, Ren's father leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Again?" he said and shook his head.

Ren glared at them. They wouldn't believe that she was leaving until she never came back. Silently, she continued to tie up the bags. When everything was loaded onto the stocky bird, she mounted a tall, handsome chocobo and Oberron slowly walked up to her, nudging her in the side. She pet his head and took the reins of the bird she was on, and the one with all of her baggage, and set off, away from the village, without looking back. Oberron obediently followed on her other side.

Her parents watched her go, taking the three chocobos and all of her belongings with her. They smiled. Ren hated them. How could parents turn against their children like they had? Her whole village had done the same. Knowing someone could turn on her so easily made her insecure.

The ex-summoner hadn't said goodbye to anyone, not even her ex-boyfriend, her new confidant, and her brother. Kalvaras had told her it was time to move on, and as she slowly rode away, she was trying to rip her heart out. After all, Kalvaras usually knew what was best for her, for him, for everyone.