Me: Yes I know I just put a Flashback up but I want to put a reg chapter up cause…well… I was kinda inspired by the Naruto/ Neji fight. To be branded with mark that last a lifetime and to try to prove people wrong, to prove you can be something other then a failure. I know how that feels. Everyday, people see me as the lonely little know-it-all geek that sits with the card players, The one everyone asks for answers to homework from. So hard I've tried to make friends, especially on the swim team since I'm a Captain but… only two or three of them are true friends. The others are merely acquaintances, semi-friends, except for Bobbi. She seems to hate me just for merely existing, I try to compliment her but she ignores me, and I don't compliment her all the time, just when she's worked hard. I think she sees me almost as a rival. I mean she been swimming since she was five and is the fastest long distance swimmer on the team, a state qualifier. Me, I've only been swimming for four years and I've gone from almost 8 minutes to a 5:43, almost 6 seconds slower then her. Why does she hate me?

Lloyd: Madison…

Me: Dammit Lloyd! Don't call me that! Call me by my penname!

Lloyd: Sorry Jen! You don't have to bite my head off though!

Me: I just need some time alone…

Lloyd:… Jen Rem doesn't own ToS or FF, only Tiamatt and the Oblivion Blade.

Kratos' POV

I turned to look at Tiamatt as Dsanios disappeared into the distance. The woman was trembling as blood poured from the slash on her left wing and pooled at her feet. I noticed a faint glow in one of her arms but before the materia could activate completely, Tiamatt fell face first into the ground.

"Tiamatt!" I rushed to her side and picked her up so that she wasn't lying on the injured wing.

The Cetra's head in my lap, I examined her wing, noticing several large blood vessels had been severed, allowing the wound to bleed profusely. If the bleeding wasn't stopped, she'd bleed to death and her breathing was already shaky. I placed my hands over the torn membrane of her wing and chanted quietly in an attempt to heal the wound, if only slightly. The wound closed a little and the bleeding slowed. I knew Tiamatt had a first aid kit in her bag and carefully removed it from her shoulders. I found the kit and the bandages and wrapped the wing tight, stopping the bleeding completely.

"Whine!" I looked up from the woman whose head rested in my lap to see Noishe running towards us, Cloud flying overhead.

Mommy! The paragriff cried as he landed next to Tiamatt and nuzzled his head in her hand. The sorceress didn't respond and remain unconscious.

"Cloud, Tiamatt is severely injured. She needs to rest." I told the bird as he jumped lightly on her chest and looked at the wing I had just bound in bandages.

She'll be ok won't she? Cloud asked turning his sad beady eyes towards me.

"Yes, she'll be fine. But I'm afraid we can't move her." I could feel the pain in my heart as the woman I still hadn't truly admitted that I loved, lay injured and on the verge of death.

"Whine! Whine!" Noishe nuzzled my shoulder trying to reassure me.

"Noishe, please watch her as I go look for firewood." I told the protozoan, who laid down so that I could lean Tiamatt against his side. Cloud moved down to her lap where he curled up and looked up at her with concerned parakeet eyes. I stood up and gathered our gear near Noishe before I went in search of fuel for a fire.

"Kratos." I turned to see the dreaded face of Mithos Yggdrasil.

"Lord Yggdrasil, what brings you here?" I asked, my heart filling with fear that he would take Tiamatt now.

"Kratos, that woman, Tiamatt, what is she?" Yggdrasil looked concerned.

"You witnessed the fight against Dsanios?" Mithos nodded, waiting for an answer to his question. "I'm not quite sure on all the details but… she is not human or elf. She's not even half elven. She claims to be a being called a Cetra."

"A Cetra? What is that?" Yggdrasil asked.

"I'm not quite sure other then the fact that she said all humans evolved from Cetra and that the Cetra themselves are in tune with the very planet itself." I explained, dreading each word as the Cruxis angel's eyes brightened in interest.

"Surely her powers that she used in the fight are not the powers of a Cetra or whatever you called her." Mithos was clearly interested.

"Lord Yggdrasil, why do you want her?" I finally had to ask.

"Humph, don't you feel it, haven't you witnessed it. Her power, it's incredible. But there is something else, another power, I can sense it, that she doesn't use. One powerful enough that it might alter everything that I've worked so hard to create. Already her presence has brought on a string of strange events. Things that do not belong on either world have appeared suddenly, causing disturbances. It must stop." Mithos told me. "Besides, imagine if she joined Cruxis, how much she could aid in reviving Martel."

"Yggdrasil, please, not now. She is injured." I pleaded.

"Fine. I'll collect her at the Tower when Martel's new vessel arrives." Yggdrasil said and teleported in a small little flurry of feathers.

"At least she's safe for now but how much longer can I protect her without risking Lloyd too." I sighed and returned to look for fire fuel.

Kratos, hurry! She's shivering! Cloud's tiny voice rang through my head as I picked up an armful of wood and headed back to the small group.

I've endangered all the worlds…

"Tiamatt, what do you mean?" I asked the dragon as she stood before me.

By saving you and bringing you into this world, I have opened a dimensional rift that refuses to close and continues to grow.

"What so wrong abut that?"

The worlds are slowly fusing together.

"What? Like how?"

Do you not understand? Already the Sleeping Forest sits to the north by the town known as Hima. A school from Gaia has also appeared to the south of your present location.

"What? But what will happen if this continues?"

There are two possibilities. One, the dimensions will fuse gently and create a new world or worlds that live peacefully in the new dimension or…

"Or all will be destroyed." I finished her sentence. The dragon nodded sadly. "How do we stop this?"

There is a being in that dimension that created a powerful weapon. Find this weapon and use it to restore everything to its rightful place.

"What? But wouldn't that be like TC?"

Yes but no, Time Compression, which started this event, is not strong enough, at least on its own to stop the rift. Find the weapon and the wielder and restore everything…the dragon started to fade into the white abyss.

"Tiamatt, please, tell me where to find it?" I yelled but the dragon just grinned and faded away. I felt myself slip from the void and felt the soft warm fur of Noishe beside me.

Kratos stood nearby, tending to a fire as turned as Cloud gave a small cluck to get his attention.

"Tiamatt, you're awake!" the mercenary looked sincerely happy as he quickly crossed the small gap between us and sat beside me, smiling as he looked at me.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked, confused by his behavior.

"Tia, I thought… you had lost so much blood, I wasn't sure if…" Kratos tried to explain.

"I understand." I smiled slightly but winced in pain as I tried to move.

"Don't move. Your wing was bad and needs to heal." Kratos warned, turning serious.

"Thank you. Um, Kratos, how long was I out?" I asked.

"About a full twenty four hours." The swordsman answered. "Now hold still. I need to rebandage your wing." I nodded and cringed slightly as he unwrapped the old bandages and put on fresh ones. "Sorry about that." He apologized as I let out a small yelp when he accidentally touched the wound.

"That's ok." I smiled though the wound still stung. "Kratos?"

"Yes?"

"Tiamatt, she came to me again." The mercenary's eyes widened in shock.

"What did she say?" He asked.

"She said that be bringing me here, she endangered the worlds. She said things from both Earth and Gaia have appeared in this world. She said the only way to reverse it was to find a weapon that could restore everything to the way it should be." I told him as Cloud jumped onto my right shoulder and snuggled into my neck. I noticed that Kratos' eyes clouded over as he thought about something. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just thinking." He replied snapping from his trance. "Luin is three days walk from here. Do you think you can stand?" I nodded and stood up on wobbly feet. "Maybe you should ride on Noishe?" Kratos suggested as I took a couple uneasy steps.

"I'll be fine." I said I concentrated on the dragon DNA in me so I could have a tail to help balance myself. "There!" I said as I took now steady steps as my dragon tail whipped around, keeping me balanced.

"Fine, but you better walk between me and Noishe." Kratos sighed as I flicked my tail carelessly and stood beside him.

I smiled at him but at that moment, Cloud decide to land on my shoulder and, though he only weighed a pound or two, was enough to unbalance me and I fell into Kratos. The mercenary caught me and I was left staring into his auburn eyes. Before I knew it, our lips were locked together in a long passionate kiss.

"I love you." Kratos smiled when we finally broke apart. I blushed and pulled him in for another kiss.

"And I love you." I told him, looking once more into him eyes.

Smiling, we took each others hand and began the journey to Luin.

Lloyd: (wide eyed in shock) Tiamatt…kissed Kratos!

Me: Yep! I knew people were waiting for that so I decided that was the perfect opportunity but poor Kratos, how is he going to be able to let Yggdrasil try to make her an angel of Cruxis? How will she react? Even I don't know cause I haven't wrote that far yet! In fact, in one or two more Regular chapters, I'll have to stop cause I have no more written but that's why I like having the flashback chapter for backup.

Lloyd: Wow, you don't even know whats gonna happen?

Me: Nope! Now please read and review! And Happy New Year!!! Remember, don't drink and drive! You might spill your drink!