Final Kingdom:
Chapter 2: The Queen
The Queen enjoyed her work. She got to have many fun memories because of it. She had brought back Sin, causing much distress to the people of Spira, she had raised many people from the dead, making many people perplexed.
When she had trouble, she just called her servants, and if they did not want to do her bidding, like feeding Sin, she would threaten with their lives.
After some time, she got to realize that to get them to do something, she just had to give them a little extra, and not threaten them, for that is the reason they were so reluctant.
She had many servants, but only some were worth her while, and the others, that she did not want to keep, were just to spend many hours doing her evil, stupid, and sometimes, though rarely, silly, bidding.
'When at last, my plan is complete, then I shall rule Spira, and I will not stop there, I shall also rule the United States, and the nine kingdoms. But it also will not stop there; I shall soon rule all worlds.'
In the morning when Kaori woke up, she found that most everyone was already awake and away from the tent. The only person left, was Lulu and Wakka's baby.
When she got cleaned up, for there was some water in a dish and a rag, and got dressed, then she went outside, and though she did not see anyone, she started walking around.
While she was walking, she suddenly remembered the face from her dream. Who was it? Why did she see someone in her dreams she did not know? Many questions ran through her mind.
In her walking, she found that at some point in time, she had wandered to the temple, and was sitting by the door. When she actually realized this, she went in, and started asking the priests there, how she could become a Summoner.
What she did not expect, they would not talk to her about it, but she then asked, if the knew where Yuna was, and they looked startled that she knew her.
"Lady Yuna is going away on her pilgrimage. She was also taking a young girl, that looked quite like you, with her." One of the priests replied.
"But she was supposed to take me. Something must have happened. Where will she be going?" Kaori asked, mostly in frustration.
"She will not be returning for sometime, if she does, and as to where she went, she will probably be going to the Calm Lands." The other priest answered.
"Where are the Calm Lands? I must get there soon, she is my way home. She was going to help me found out how to get home. I came here by accident." Kaori quickly told them, trying to make it clear that she had to get there.
With the puzzled looks that the priests gave her, she thought that she too had gone mad. Then, one of them softened, gave her some coins, and told her the way to get a chocobo, and a map, and told her that would be her only way once she got to the mainland, but before then, she had to go by boat. He even offered to help her find which boat would be leaving the soonest, and which would be going to the place best for her.
When they went through all the ship owners, they found that hers was leaving to Luca.
"You must take the boat to Luca, and then you must take the road, and that will lead you to the Mi'ihen highroad, then you must follow the road there, that will take you to Mushroom Rock Road. Then you must take the lift at the end of the road, and that will take you to Djose, then you must go to the Moonflow, taking the Shoopuff, then you will need to go to Guadosalam, then you must go through the Thunder Plains, and then you must go to Macalania, then you will see a path up in the trees that shimmer, follow that, and it will lead you to the Calm Lands. But you will never make it child, you must have some training, there are too many fiends, you are sure to get slaughtered." The first priest said, looking at her, and making sure that she understood the gravity of the situation.
"I know how to fight, but only Karate style. Other than that, I'm pretty hopeless." Kaori told him, started to blush.
"Well, we must teach you about sword fighting." The priest told her, walking to his hut.
When they got to his hut, he went into the back room, and came out carrying a long package, that looked like it might be for a fishing pole.
When he started to reach in, and pull something out, she saw that is was what looked like a very nice sword, she only wished that she had one in New York, so she did know a little about swords, but not much.
"You will train with me for two days, with this, and we will go all day, and the third day, the day your boat leaves, you shall be ready, and go with it." He told her, handing the sword to her.
"You will learn how to cast some easy, but needed spells, and you will learn how to use the magic in the sword, how to sword fight, and many more things that you will use much."
"That's too much to learn in two days! I'll never get through it! I'll probably die from overexerting myself!" Kaori exclaimed, thinking it would be impossible.
"No, I will not let that happen, and besides, we have spells to help with that. Makes less dead people to worry about." The priest told her with a bit of a smile. "By the way, I don't believe I have told you my name yet. But I am Vahe Yoshi. My father was Neron Yoshi. I hope that one day, I can be of more service than these small tasks." Vahe said, still smiling a bit.
"I will appreciate your help. It will be an honor to work with someone as pleasant as yourself." Kaori replied, trying to be very polite, and respectful, and adult like.
"The honor is all mine." Vahe replied, looking very pleasant.
The next day, during her training, she went through many bruises, and if it hadn't been for the skill of Vahe, she would have been dead by now.
By midday, she could not keep up even with a snail, so seeing this, Vahe decided to stop for a rest, and have the mid meal.
"We shall stop for a time, and you may catch your breath, and eat. I shall go to the temple, and fulfill my duty, and when I return, we shall continue." Vahe told her, barely breathing hard.
"Please…take your time." Kaori muttered, for she was well out of breath.
When at last Kaori started breathing normally, she had finished lunch, and had started on cleaning her sword, for it had gotten muddy, and dusty.
She had just barely finished, and was about to put the sword in the tent, when she saw that Vahe was returning. She groaned a bit, before he could hear her, and then stiffly got up on her feet.
"You act like you're one hundred years, and yet you are barely in you tenth." Vahe said, looking like he was trying hard not to laugh.
"I feel like it, never before have I worked so hard, and never before, have I been beaten so badly." Kaori told him, with a wry smile of her own.
"We shall see." Was all that Vahe said.
He picked up his sword, and took his position, which was her cue to do the same. She had already learned what positions she should take to his positions. That had taken most of the morning. Now they were working on her balance, and the hold of her sword.
When she mastered something to Vahe's satisfaction, they would move on to the next thing that he was to teach her.
That day, she mastered nearly everything that he had set aside, so he was quite happy with the days efforts, and the more part of the next day, would be learning the magic skills that he would teach her, and shopping for everything that she would need.
Surprising to Kaori, he did not expect reimbursement, and this puzzled her, when she questioned him about it, he just replied that he did not have any family of his own, but had always wanted a daughter, and so she in a way, was taking the place of the daughter he never had.
When Kaori and Vahe were both very happy with the way she had mastered something, for if she was not comfortable with it, she would not move on, but he would go with her a little further, then they would do what was next.
Kaori learned how to heal herself, how to cast shell, and protect, or reflect, and how to use some of the swords powers, which included, Blizzaga, Firaga, Waterga, and Thundaga. It would also cast stone, and petrify, along with poison. It could also cast Death, and Doom, and some other ones, but Vahe would not tell her what, but said, if she was to learn them, she would have to figure it out, that was the way this was done. She learned all these things, and then learned them, without the sword, so if she ever got it taken away during a battle, then she could still defend herself.
After all this, they went shopping in the village for the items that she would need, that would also allow herself to heal, and to get rid of poison. She also got a staff, and it looked somewhat like Yuna's.
When all this was done, it was time to head back to the tent, and prepare everything for the next day, though she would be helping a little at the temple, and Vahe promised her, that if she wanted, and if she returned, then she could become a Summoner, if she still wanted, and was learned enough in their ways.
When she went to bed that night, she again dreamed of the strange girl, as she had for the last two nights, though she could not tell anything different about her. She figured she would ask Yuna if she knew who it was.
When she woke up, she found that her breakfast was already there, and her bags were set out, and taken care of, and along with that, a note was left from Vahe for her.
When she finished cleaning and eating, she got dressed, left her bags, and went to see Vahe, as she had promised.
When she found him, he was helping to clean the temple, and so she asked what she could do, and he handed her his rag, and went to get another, then explained what must be done.
When they had finished with this task, which took a good part of the morning, they had to leave, for Vahe was going to help her one last time, by taking her to the boat.
She went and got her bags, and they left the village. On the way to the boat, Vahe stopped on top of one of the hills, and looked at a statue, and started praying. When she asked what he was doing, he said he was praying for good fortune for her journey, that all would go well, and that she would remember what he had taught her. When he said that she too, should pray, she looked at him confused.
He explained to her their tradition, and she joined.
When they finished there, they kept on their way to the docks, and when they reached it, saw that it was just about to leave.
"Thank you Vahe, for everything. I would never make it without a friend, and you have been the friend that I have needed." Kaori said, turning to him, looking up at him, and smiling.
"It has been my pleasure. Besides, I have needed a friend as well." Vahe told her, smiling as well.
They stood there for a few minutes, then, when the captain told her it was time to go, she stood there another moment, quickly hugged Vahe, and ran onto the boat.
All the way out of the harbor, she was waving to him, until she could see him no more, then she looked towards where they were going, with a grim expression on her face, and decided that she would make it to the calm lands, whatever she had to do.
When they landed, Kaori got off, looked around, thinking that she would ask where she would get everything else she needed, and was already lost.
When she finally found where to get the 'Chok-ca-bo's, she bought one, since she thought she would not be coming back this way.
With her map, she figured out where she was to go, had someone help her on the chocobo, and left. When she got to Mi'ihen Highroad, she followed it, until she was told by someone beside a patio, for that is what she thought it was, and was that Mushroom Rock Road was 'that way'.