Chapter 3:

The young man adjusted his weight to his other foot and crossed his arms. His foot tapped impatiently and his eyes darted from side to side, desperately looking for any form of entertainment. How long had he been waiting here? He thought it had been ages, when in reality, it had only been a few short hours since he began leaning against the brick structure. His head bobbed to the left and his eyes rested on a young woman in elegant robes. She sat on the edge of the floating platform of grass, her feet dangling over the side.

The girl looked back at him and smiled, but all that the boy could focus on were her eyes – one blue and one green. "Yes?" Yuna asked the blond man. This time it was her turn to peer – her eyes only focusing on the crystal-shaped mark on his right cheek. "What is it, Layle?"

Layle threw his hands into the pockets located on his heavy jacket and began to respond. "Nothing," he shrugged his shoulders. "Just bored."

Yuna let out a giggle. "You always are," she replied in a soft voice.

"Well," Layle began, starting a walk toward the girl. "What can I say? I love excitement," he finished, taking a seat next to Yuna. She giggled again and he looked at her. "So how much longer do you think prince charming and the boogeyman are gonna' take?"

Yuna's response wasn't immediate. She didn't quite care for it when Layle said hurtful things like that, and, to be honest with herself, she didn't care much for Layle. The young summoner disregarded these feelings, for she knew that without the nonchalant man that their group may not have made it this far. Not only was he an expert in the battlefield, but his powers were unique – almost unpredictable. Layle was her sword, and Golbez was her shield; of this, she was sure. "Hopefully not too long," Yuna finally added.

Layle let out a grunt and flopped onto his back. With his head on the ground, he watched as two pairs of feet approached. Immediately, he sat up and turned around. Approaching them was a large, white-haired man. His unusually pale and muscular body was lightly covered with black robes; something Layle found hilarious when the two first met. Next to him was another, smaller man. Layle always wondered how hard it was for him to move, considering all the weapons he carried on his person. "'Bout time," the boy said.

Yuna turned around and lit up – there was finally somebody else to keep from being alone with Layle any longer. "Firion!" she exclaimed. "Golbez! Are you two decided?"

"Yeah, what's the game plan?" Layle added, jokingly.

Firion let out a light, irritated noise before answering. "We're to retrace our steps and locate the crystals."

Everybody was waiting for him to continue, and when Golbez realized he wasn't going to, he went on with it. "We shall travel back east instead of going south, then go north into the Land of Discord."

Layle couldn't hold back the smile as it spread across his face. He started pacing forward, placing his hand on Golbez's shoulder. "Smart man," Layle said, excitement burning in his voice. "Take it straight in to their homeland – all out frontal assault."

Golbez was one of the few people able to stand Layle's laid back personality, and this was proved with the smallest of chuckles. "No," Golbez said to Layle, his deep voice booming. "We will go to the Mirage Sandsea and no further."

Yuna perked up to the news. "Does that mean we must traverse all those gateways once again?" she asked, worry in her voice. "I barely made it the first time."

"Hmm," Golbez pondered. "Hopefully not," and with that he turned to start walking. Firion caught this and followed behind.

"Don't worry Yuna," Layle assured the nervous girl. "If it comes down to it, I'll have your back." Layle's smile after that sentence made her think it couldn't have been Layle saying those words. She let the thought go and nodded toward the optimistic youth. "And maybe-"

Layle was cut off by the echo of an ear-piercing and maniacal laugh. The four warriors stopped in their tracks and looked up. Standing atop the brick structure, leering down at them with excitement, was strangely dressed man wearing a clown face. "Well, well," Kefka taunted, relaxing his body off of the ground. "What have we here?" Two more beings appeared from behind him, one silver-haired and one wearing a dark suit of armor.

Golbez gasped at the latter. "Cecil!" he shouted at the man.

Kefka rolled his laugh again. "It appears these two are acquainted," he said, insanity leaking from his body language. "What do you think of this, Kuji-Koo?" he finished, looking to the man with silver hair.

Kuja sighed and looked away. "Could you please not speak to me," he told the crazy clown. "I grow far too weary of your games."

Kefka leaned back in disappointment. "C'mo-n," he exclaimed, his voice slowly changing from sarcastic to angry. "Can't you just go along with it!?" Kefka crossed his arms, gazed into the floor and began an angry mumble. "Callyourselfanactorandyoucan'tevenfollowthescript ,thenerveofthisguy,jeezearegoodpatheticpawnstohard tocomebyImeanreally,isitsomuchto-"

"Get on with it!" Layle shouted, growing impatient.

"Who do you think you're talking to like that!?" Kefka shouted.

Layle smiled and waved his arm upwards, using his power to lift Kefka from the ground. He finished by swinging his arm downward, slamming the started spell-caster into the ground. Firion was quick to follow his lead and grappled the structure with his rope knife, which he used to start running up the side. Kuja caught on fast, and intercepted the weapon's expert with multiple balls of energy.

As Kuja engaged Firion, Layle leaped far up with his gravity power, but was caught off guard by Cecil's dive. The two slammed into the ground and Layle threw the Dark Knight into the structure with kinetic force. The young man regained his posture but was stopped by a large pale arm blocking his path.

"Allow me," Golbez insisted on Layle.

"Don't worry about me," Layle assured the man. "I got this."

"I wasn't asking you," Golbez finished in a menacing voice.

Layle got the picture and looked to his left to see Yuna narrowly avoiding Kefka's black magic from afar. The coated man clenched his teeth and hopped into the air once again, intercepting the distracted Kefka with a punch backed by kinesis. Kefka was launched back to the ground with a loud slam; Layle smiled. Yuna followed his attack with a wave of her staff and Ifrit's clawed arm launched Kefka even farther.

Golbez stared hard as Cecil recovered, discontent building inside of his massive body. When Cecil finally looked back, the large man started speaking. "What faction do you belong, brother?" Golbez asked, already knowing the answer. Cecil didn't respond and Golbez feared he was right.

"Not yours!" Cecil shouted, spearing his lance into Golbez's direction.

The warlock rolled to the side and was met with Cecil's hard armor slamming into his sided. The blow was strong enough to send the two tumbling over the side of the platform and crashing down on the lower story. Golbez was the first to recover, bringing his arm back to strike his rising foe, but found himself stalling. He couldn't bring himself to strike Cecil – his brother. Being one Golbez's few memories, Cecil got lucky stabbed forward with his lance, striking his target.

Meanwhile Firion wasn't having the same problem, the last bolt of thunder bring his opponent to his knees.

"You're even weaker than you look," Firion taunted. Kuja slammed his fist to the ground in anger, but began laughing. "You laugh at your defeat?" the warrior of Cosmos asked.

"After what we have planned it will be you in the position for defeat," Kefka assured him before he started to fade.

"Wait!" Firion shouted, but it was too late – Kuja was gone. "What did he mean by that?" he pondered.

His thoughts were cut short by the sound of shouting, and Layle slamming you the top of the structure, next to Firion. The arms-master looked to his right as Kefka pelted Yuna with chunks of ice. He drew an arrow on his bow and launched it at Kefka, barely missing the Chaos warrior's head.

This caught the clown's attention, turning his head to see Firion and the recovering Layle. His eyes widened as he realized Kuja had been defeated. "Weakling!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, before disappearing and reappearing next to Cecil.

Cecil turned his attention from his fallen adversary and looked to Kefka. "What?" Cecil demanded.

"Don't get your armor in a bunch," Kefka snapped. "Say bye-bye to your play-date, 'cause we gotta' go." The bizarre man snapped his fingers and a dark portal appeared behind him and his comrade.

Golbez was just starting to recover when he looked up at the sight of Kefka and Cecil vanishing into the darkness. "Cecil!" Golbez shouted. "Wait!" but the Dark Knight was already gone. The pale man stood and punched the wall next to him out of anger. He had finally found his brother, the one he had been searching for this whole time, and he was on the opposite side as him. Golbez wasn't going to have this. "I will find you again, brother," he said to nothing, and started to walk after his brother.

He stopped, though, as he heard the voices of his comrades from behind him. Golbez stopped and looked back, his motives conflicted. He blinked and thought for a moment before turning back around and walking off on his own.