Disclaimer- I don't own Final Fantasy or any of its characters. Square-Enix does. If I did own Final Fantasy I'd probably end up running the company into the ground. I'm really bad at business plans.

Damien- I've been reading your profile.

Krimson- Oh really?

Damien- You've got a nickname for your nickname?

Krimson- Yup! Krimson instead of Krimson Rogue.

Damien- What's wrong with you?

Krimson- And now for Chapter 3: Different Plans!

Damien- ANSWER MY QUESTION!

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The two brothers basked in the sunlight which bravely poured in from their newly created pathway to freedom. After months of imprisonment, they had finally found means of escape.

"If we spent one more day in that tree I would've gone crazy." Zidane said.

"Indeed." Kuja responded. "Shall we leave then?"

"Oh, yeah!"

After some time walking down the few roots which had stayed in place rather than coil around the trunk of the tree, the two noticed that the mist was still in place at the base of the tree. It looked like the same amount of mist that was there before was still there.

"Kuja, isn't that mist?"

"I believe it is."

"Shouldn't the mist have stopped flowing?" Zidane asked.

Kuja looked at the mist and stood in thought. After a short while, he brought his head up. "If Terra was really destroyed, then the flow of souls was cut off. There should be no mist."

"Then what's that? Fog?"

"I wonder…?" Kuja thought aloud and ran down the root they were walking on and ran up to the mist. He cupped his hand in the mist and examined it. His eyes shot open in surprise.

"What is it?" Zidane asked after catching up.

"This mist is lighter than normal." Kuja said. He trailed off in thought. After a few seconds of thinking, Kuja stood up and said "Well, thank you for the assistance back there Zidane, but I'm afraid this is where we must part."

"What?" Zidane exclaimed. "You're going to leave just like that?"

"I have something I need to take care of. Besides, don't you have a canary to return to?"

"Well, yeah, but we should stick together. What if we run into a monster?"

"Zidane, after the events in Memoria, none of the monsters on Gaia should be any challenge."

"But what are you going to do? Maybe I can help."

"No thank you Zidane. I can handle it on my own. Now farewell and have a good life."

With that, Kuja walked off. Zidane watched as his brother grew smaller in the distance. Zidane realized that he would have to find his own way home. Kuja was his own person and Zidane couldn't control him.

Facing the East, Zidane started off towards Conde Petie for supplies and more importantly, food. Oh, how he wanted real food instead of mushrooms or moss or some other kind of fungus. His food supplies would only last a day so he would have to hurry as much as he could. Zidane took his leave of the tree he was imprisoned in for so long.

Two days later

Zidane was amazed at how long it took him to walk this far. He must have been deprived of more nutrients than he realized. Well, maybe a chocobo pie or a leg of griffin will help cure that, Zidane thought He approached the walkway up to the strange dwarven city and greeted the guards.

"Rally-ho!" Zidane said enthusiastically. He was so hungry that he was willing to put up with this bizarre little habit of the dwarves.

"Rally-ho!" the guards said in reply. "An' who might ye be?"

"I am Zidane of Tantalus!" he described in his overly practiced introduction.

"Tantal-who?" one of the guards asked.

Oh, right, they don't know me out here. Zidane thought to himself. "Uh, I was with a girl named Dagger and we got married here and-"

"Och, aye! The one hundredth couple!" the other guard exclaimed. "Have ye returned from the Sanctuary?"

"Sanctuary?" Zidane thought. "Oh, you mean the Iifa Tree. Yes we have."

"Aye that was mor'n a month ago." Said the first guard. "This is surly deservin' of a feast."

Zidane couldn't believe his luck. Not only was he going to get to eat, he was going to get to eat a feast! And he was going to be the center of attention too. Not a bad combo.

"But that long out in'na Sanctuary." Said the second guard. "His bride must be waiting for three children at least."

"What?" Zidane asked, very confused. Why would they think Dagger- OH MY GOD!

The trips that the dwarves took out to the Iifa Tree for their honeymoon wasn't for sightseeing. It was for-

"You think that Dagger and I…"

"Aye?"

"…had…sex?"

"Aye."

Zidane almost fell on his back. Sure, he had thought about the subject before, but being accused of actually doing it was nerve-wracking,

"Wait," Zidane said weakly. "We never…actually…"

"Where is yer bride anyway?" the first guard asked. "We cannae have a feast withoot the bride an'na groom."

"Oh, uh," Zidane said, still trying to recover from the sudden shock a minute ago. "She's not here."

"Wha?" the guard asked.

"Yeah, she's across the ocean in a place called Alexandria."

"But she is expecting a child, right?"

"Well, no. We never actually…did it."

The guards just stared off as if they got hit in the back of the head with a club.

"Um, could I still get some food?" Zidane was as nervous as Vivi. First there was the presumption that he had slept with Dagger, now the two guards looked like they were going to maul him. What a day.

"Hello?"

"GIT OUTTA HERE YE DAMN BLASPHEMER!"

"NE'ER RETURN TAE CONDE PETIE AGIN'"

Zidane ran from the city as fast as he could. Although the dwarves were small, they could adopt a look of such ferocity it would make a behemoth cringe.

After running for a long time, Zidane came to the fork in the road where he, Dagger, Vivi, and Eiko all fought the giant Hilgigars. Oglops were running about everywhere. I wonder if I could eat them? Zidane thought. By now he was on the brink of starvation. He staggered along the canyon wall, unsure of where he was headed. He was tired, hungry, and exhausted. The dry air in the area really wasn't helping.

As Zidane walked his vision started to tunnel and become blurry. Zidane tried to stay conscious as long as he could. There had to be food somewhere nearby. Once Zidane got some food he could find some way across the ocean. But with all the recent events leading up to this point and how hungry he was, even moving became a chore. Then Zidane, despite his best efforts, passed out.

Nearby, a woman saw him collapse. "Grab his legs." She said to her two companions. "I'll get his arms."

Zidane woke up in a small room. There was little light entering the windows, but there was a candle sitting on a table across the room. There was a bookcase filled with scripts written by Lord Avon. Zidane sat up and saw that he was lying down on a table. I've been in this room before! Zidane thought. This is Eiko's house!

"So you're awake."

Zidane turned to face the kitchen entrance and saw the axe-wielding beauty Lani. Morrison and Momatose the moogles were standing next to her, one to each side.

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Damien- You really talked about food a lot.

Krimson- An important note to my fellow writers: don't write while you're hungry.

Damien- Is that what's wrong with you?

Krimson- Maybe. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get a sandwich. (Leaves)

Damien- Hey! Aren't you going to ask… (sigh) please read and review.