((A/N: Yeah, this was written last night... I was tired... But other than that, yeah, Read, Review, Enjoy! I'll be updating again tomorrow, since I don't have school because of the lovely winter events! Yaaaay! ))

Chapter Fourteen

Fading Warmth

Riding away, Ren felt a sharp pain in her heart. Home was gone now. She lived on Spira, and that was it. The list of things she was now grew by two. She was now a runaway, as well as a wanderer. Leaving the village with her current intent meant that she would never return. It meant that she would never again see Eiolis and Chalta's graves. The pain in her heart struck again, this time growing until her heart felt numb and she quickly dismounted the chocobo to run and vomit in the tall grass. She wouldn't cry, not for anyone; at least that was what she told herself.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she turned and found Aucifer standing close by. Mounting up once more, she took the reins of the stocky chocobo, Ceka, and called Oberron to follow. The four continued down the road.

Passing the travel agency, a man ran into the building and a group of people quickly came out, surrounding Ren and asking her questions that she couldn't answer. It wasn't that she couldn't answer because they were personal or difficult questions; she couldn't answer because she simply couldn't discern one voice from another. Ceka began to panic. Tightening her hands on the reins of both chocobos, she forced them to run through the crowd of people. Oberron followed quickly behind, ignoring the pain in his chocobo-feet as the group made an escape.

Ren slowed her traveling party as they neared the road that led to the Youth League Headquarters. Pulling Aucifer to a stop, the ex-summoner dismounted and walked back to check on Oberron's feet. Seeing them bloody, she mentally kicked herself in the teeth. "Aucifer, Ceka, guard Oberron... I'll be back. Don't let him move. Obe, don't move!" she told the chocobos. Turning, she went to the Youth League guards that stood at the head of the road and asked, "Is there, anyone in the Youth League that could help with a chocobo injury?"

"Of course, Lady Naoska," said the guard, bowing. He looked one of the other guards and said, "Go get Clasko." The other guard quickly obeyed and rushed down the road.

"Thank you," Ren said and went to turn away. Quickly she stopped herself and said to the man, "Oh, and, please, call me Ren."

He nodded and replied, "Very well, Ren."

Returning to her chocobos, the brunette ex-summoner stroked Oberron's beak until the guard and another man approached her. "Lady Nao—" the guard began but the brunette woman quickly said, "Ren," and he continued with, "Ren, this is the man you requested."

"Thank you," Ren said to the guard, thinking that it had been an interesting way that he had arranged the sentence since she had not requested that man exactly. The guard returned to his post and Ren's hazel eyes landed on the man who wore armor that seemed a just a little big for him. "You are... Clasko?"

"Yes Ma'am!" he said quickly, appearing quite nervous.

Fully turning to him, she crossed her arms and said, "I hear you can help my chocobo. That true?"

He nodded and said, "I love chocobos. I know all about them. I'm sure I can help you with whatever you... need help with."

Stepping back from Oberron, she told Clasko, "He's got injuries to his feet. You're the expert, get to it." Her voice said she didn't believe he was that good with the large birds, but in truth, she was encouraging him to do his best, and it was a bit evident from the smirk upon her face.

Walking over to Oberron, Clasko looked him over and then looked to Ren. "What... happened to him?"

Sighing and leaning back against the rock wall, she said, "Stupid praetor ran him 'cross the world."

"This's a worker chocobo, not a racer," Clasko said, looking the yellow bird over. "If you really wanted to, though," he said as he began to scratch the bird's neck. Oberron made a strange cooing noise that Ren had never heard before and Clasko continued with, "you could turn him into a racer." Shaking his head, he then knelt down and said, "He's got to be off his feet for a while. No running, no walking. He's gotta take it easy."

Another pain struck in Ren's heart. She would have to leave Oberron behind. Standing up straight, she said, "Clasko, could you... keep watch on him for me? Heal him up and stuff?"

He looked to her awkwardly. "Do you need to be somewhere?" he asked, brow raised.

"Anywhere but here by nightfall," she replied. The injured chocobo gave her a look and she reached out to him. The bird angrily snapped at her and she quickly withdrew her hand. The sharp pain in her heart grew once again. She didn't want to leave him behind. Taking a deep breath, she strode right up to the bird and said, "Hey you! You listen to me! I don't want to leave you behind but I can't have you doing irreversible damage to yourself, you big idiot!" Oberron turned his head away and she used both of her hands to make him look back, straight into her eyes. "Listen! Obe, I need you to be healthy." The bird made a noise of protest and she looked to Clasko. "Hold him until he's healed and then let him go. He'll find me. Clasko, can you do that for me?"

Nodding, Clasko replied softly, nervously, "I can do that, Ren."

Smiling, the ex-summoner said, "Take good care of him, he's my baby." Looking to Oberron, she hugged him and said, "Listen to Clasko." The bird made an a noise of acknowledgment and Ren said, "Thanks Clasko. I'll repay you for this, I promise."

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "I live to take care of chocobos!" He stood tall and proud and Ren smiled.

Turning, she went to Aucifer and pulled herself onto his back. "Thanks again, Clasko," she said to the brunette man and took the reins of her two remaining chocobos.

"Anytime, Ren," he replied and slowly began to lead Oberron to the headquarters.

Ren watched until they disappeared from her sight and then her two remaining party-members continued on. Reaching the Moonflow, she received opposition from the Hypello as she tried to cross on the shoopuf. Dismounting, Ren strode up to the blue creature and her eyes became fiery with a pre-summoner look of anger. "Don't stand in my way," she said angrily.

The Hypello almost immediately backed down at the sound of her anger, and she and her two chocobos took a peaceful ride to the other bank. Reaching the other side, it took no time at all for them to get down to the ground. Ceka and Aucifer weren't as stubborn as Oberron. At the thought of the injured chocobo, she simultaneously felt very sad and very angry. Sad because she had to leave him behind, angry because he wouldn't be hurt so bad if she hadn't had to run from those people. Angry because if the praetor hadn't nearly ridden him to death, he wouldn't be hurt. Angry because if she hadn't decided to visit home, she ultimately wouldn't have been sentenced to death. Angry because if she hadn't suddenly decided to get a bit of revenge on Bevelle, she never would've been put in jail. Angry because if she hadn't decided to become a summoner, none of it would've happened, and Eiolis and Chalta would still be alive.

Would still be alive... the thought rang in her mind and made her suddenly feel very numb. Was it her fault? She thought it was. "I want to be a summoner," she said aloud and shook her head as she rode Aucifer toward Guadosalam, Ceka following closely behind. "How could I have been so stupid."

Dismounting and holding the reins in both hands, one bird on either side, she entered the city and quickly went to exit, heading to the Thunder Plains. "Just a moment!" said a man in a green uniform, his face covered. Ren slowly turned to look to him, brow raised. "I knew it!" he said. "Hey, Boss, it is her!"

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, a scantily clad woman with a fan approached, shoving the man out of the way and stopped before the ex-summoner, a way about her that made Ren instantly hate her. "So," the woman said, looking Ren up and down, "you're Lady Naoska." She folded her fan and set her hands on her hips. "I don't see what's so special about you."

"Neither do I," Ren said shrugging. She turned, beginning to walk away, but the woman shouted for her to wait. Pausing in her steps, the ex-summoner looked to the blonde woman and couldn't help but stare straight at her chest where a heart-shaped tattoo was.

"What're you staring at?" the blonde woman asked the ex-summoner.

Ren looked up to the woman's eyes and said, "Your breasts." Blinking twice, she then said, "They're not hard to miss. I honestly don't understand how anyone could miss them."

The woman seemed annoyed and, before she could start yelling, Ren asked, "Who are you?"

The blonde's eyes widened and her fists clenched. "What do you mean 'who are you'?" she shouted.

"I mean," Ren said slowly, "Who. Are. You?"

"I am Leblanc! Leader of the Leblanc Syndicate--" she began and it was as far as she got before Ren started laughing.

"The Leblanc Syndicate?" the ex-summoner said, grinning. "That's the best you could come up with? I would've called you the Spandex Syndicate. Heheh, the SS." She made an awkward face and shook her head. "So, Leblanc, right?"

The blonde woman seemed on the brink of bashing Ren in the head with her fan. "Yes," she said in a very stressed voice.

"What do you want?" Ren looked to her curiously and found it amusing when the other woman couldn't form any words. "If you're going to just stare at me, then I'm leaving," the brunette said and began to walk away.

"Just a minute!" Leblanc called.

Ren stopped, fists clenched on the reins of the two birds and quickly turned to face the woman. "What?" she said loudly and it echoed.

"Hmph." Leblanc looked her up and down again and said, "For a summoner, you're pretty rude."

"Ex-summoner," Ren quickly corrected her, glaring with hazel eyes. "I don't have to pretend to be nice anymore. So if you cross me, I might have to beat the living crap out of you."

"Living crap?" said a light, peppy voice that immediately brought a smile to the ex-summoner's face.

Seeing Tobli bounding over, the brunette woman smirked as she said, "Well if it isn't Tobli! Long time no see."

Stepping in front of Leblanc as if she weren't there at all, Tobli said, "So I've heard you're going by Ren now instead of Lady Naoska!"

Smiling, Ren replied, "Yup yup!" Shaking her head, she muttered, "News sure does travel fast."

"Yup yup!" Tobli said and swayed from side to side. "So what's next on the agenda for the ex-summoner Ren?"

"Ren is going traveling," the brunette said.

"So I see from the chocobos. I've heard a lot about Aggravating Naoska Rensan and her Infamous Chocobos, from the Hypello," Tobli said quickly, almost squishing the words together so that Ren couldn't hear them clearly.

"So I'm just aggravating?" Ren pondered and tapped her chin. "I guess I'll have to annoy them even more so I can be infamous like my chocobos."

"Ooooh, an ex-summoner going baaaad. Is that a good idea, Ren?" Tobli said, jumping into the air and rapidly moving his feet.

"Of course it is," she replied with a shrug. "Doesn't mean I'm going to do it though." Smirking, she added, "But if I decide on it, you'll be the first one I tell."

"Sounds like an idea, yup yup!" He swayed again and then said, "Must get back to work now! Bye Ren!" and he darted away as suddenly as he had come.

Blinking a few times, Ren laughed and, now ignoring Leblanc's shouts for her to stop, she left Guadosalam and ventured out into the Thunder Plains. "Leblanc Syndicate," Ren thought aloud and laughed. Shaking her head, she muttered, "What a fashion statement." Glancing to Ceka, she said, "How does she keep from falling out of that top?" The bird made a curious wark-like noise and she said, "What do you mean you didn't notice?" Sighing she grumbled, "I'm holding conversations with my chocobos..." Taking a breath, she trudged through the Thunder Plains, still laughing at the thought of the Leblanc Syndicate.