There were several places to rent out a room throughout the city. Just as Blank suspected, an abundance of homes was just sitting here for us. He told me I could choose which one I preferred. I didn't want to cause Blank any grief so I decided on the cheapest one.

He figured I would be so selfless and wanted assurance that I wasn't sacrificing anything for his happiness.

Oh Blank… He's adorable when he rolls his eyes at me.

The room we settled on was on the second floor of a tall apartment building. The owner was an awkward looking man named Gon. His long, straight nose and higher-than-waist shorts gave him a comical appearance that was nearly unbelievable. Though his geeky appearance gave perfect way for his favorite pastime.

At every turn in the place a stack of cards was displayed.

Tetra Master game boards, books, collectables, and tournament affiliates filled the spaces lacking the little paper monsters. Blank had given uneasy glances but I figured the man wasn't a threat, just creepy, so what's the harm?

Thankfully the room for rent was mostly Tetra-free. A few posters hung from the walls but the bed and dressers were vacant.

"This is your room," He spoke meekly, "You may use the rest of the house as you please but don't touch my cards… I'd like it if you'd buy your own food, too." He had no authority to his tone. I had a feeling if we disregarded the food part and just mooched off of him he wouldn't have a thing to say to us about it.

Though he seemed so fragile I felt sorry for him.

"We won't bother your stuff." Blank assured with a sarcastic wave of his hand.

"And we'll gather our own food." I added to the promise. Blank may have not intended to fulfill that part of the agreement but I felt the honesty needed to start here.

Gon left us alone in the room with a shy smile. I chuckled as soon as the door was shut and Blank doubled over in… lack of interest.

"Are you sure you're okay with this place?" He asked. The tone of his voice made it seem as if he didn't want me to be happy with it.

"Oh c'mon! It's not that bad. It's fine for now. Gon seems like the stay-out-of-the-way type and so long as we don't touch his merchandise we'll get along fine. Besides, we have this whole room to ourselves." I reminded him. Blank didn't cheer up much. He traipsed sluggishly over to the bed and threw himself onto the mattress.

"I suppose we'll have to start earnin' gil as soon as possible seein' as we have no food." Blank sighed.

"We'll be fine until then," I nodded. My stomach, irritating thing, decided to announce its input on the whole food subject without my forethought. It growled loudly in protest of the delaying of any sustenance. I quickly smothered my clothes to its surface and hushed it with a violent "shh!"

Blank sat up and checked his pockets.

"Blank no, really-"

"I'll just get some bread-"

"Don't waste whatever we have left on-"

"Waste?" He shook his head at me, "Zidane, since when has food dropped from your priority list? Money is not that much of a concern. We'll be fine." He stood as he made his argument. I didn't have a comeback. Maybe Blank should worry about the finances since I was about to dismiss food in place of Blank's few remaining gil… which would have gone to what anyways?

Food probably.

Maybe the idea of limited gil frightened me a bit. We're not invincible anymore.

"Y-you're right. Sorry." I grinned at him. He ruffled my hair and nudged me towards the bed as he began to leave.

"I'll be back soon," He waved and shut the door behind him, "You should get some rest while I'm gone." He suggested through the hinges.

I should… Yeah, everything's okay now. I need to keep up my faith in Blank.

I curled up on the mattress and let my eyes close peacefully. I didn't exactly want to go to sleep knowing Blank wouldn't be too long. But the feeling of an actual bed that was so comfortably supporting my body diminished my will to keep awake.

Blank's POV

"Gysahl pickles? Get your pickles here!"

"Fresh Zanghol meat!"

"Toasted wheat, delicious rye, breads for your delight!" I turned at this lone shout in the market place of screaming purveyors. A rickety wooden stand was built in front of an alley, in the back of which sat an old stove and large oven. A young man bustled about the place with steaming loaves of wondrous smelling bread while an older woman stood at the counter.

I hurried to them, already digging for my coins. The woman spotted me quickly and waved me on with offers of their many options.

I nodded occasionally but blocked out her voice as if my mind were a filter. My eyes scanned the breads and the prices as well. She rambled on and on. I thought of just stealing some but Zidane seemed really stalwart on abandoning that way of life. I sighed at the dismissal of the thought.

"That Baku is really stingy with the pay." My filter collapsed.

"Pardon?" I raised my eyebrows at the woman.

"I said the wheat's only 10 gil. Maybe 5 for you." She winked. I ignored her again and looked around.

"He's the leader of a band of thieves… They take money quickly but are none too eager to pass it out."

I was frantically searching for this conversation now. Those voices… it couldn't be… I spotted them by the meat cart. Amarant and Lani… Lani, that devil woman. I snapped my focus straight again but kept my peripheral intense. What are they doing here? They mentioned Baku…

"If the pay's so bad, why are we doing this job?" Amarant grumbled. Lani pushed her hips to the side and leaned over the cart, looking at the product.

"The pay isn't bad. It's excellent. But it doesn't come in full until we bring that brat back to him or kill Patches, either one." She sat up again and flitted her fingers carelessly, beckoning to her cohort as they took their leave. "Too bad it can't be the other way around. I think I'll sort of regret slitting such a beautiful throat." She hummed the torturous tune so easily it was sickening.

Baku hired them from the start! Maybe we had it all wrong… It may have been Amarant and Lani that destroyed our happy home… not Tantalus. To think Baku would go this far for Zidane to return. He wants… me dead.

I was wary of their position of walking and made sure they hadn't spotted me. I finally recognized the flustered woman in front of me and paid her for a whole loaf of wheat. It was bagged and I thanked her though she evaded my words as I had been so aggressively avoiding hers.

I turned just in time to see the pair as they headed to the right and disappeared behind a wall of buildings. Part of me knew it wouldn't be wise to leave them unattended to in the same city, but I needed to make sure Zidane was safe. We would probably have to abandon Lindblum just like Treno and Alexandria…

How long can we keep this up? I know what I told Zidane. I know how I feel about all of this but how much can he withstand? Maybe one day we'll wake up in another town and he'll finally think I'm not worth it anymore. He'll return to Baku and leave me to Lani.

No, that's ridiculous… How can I think so poorly of Zidane's love? I'm terrible.

Still, the truth is that no matter what we do we may have to accept that we'll never cease to be hunted. Lani and Amarant will keep on searching. They seem good at it too. Perhaps they already know where we are in Lindblum?

In any case, this isn't good. I need to reach Zidane before they do.

I began my sprint back home, panting breaths a little more sporadic than the norm from my anxiety.

Though I returned to find Zidane slumbering perfectly upon the bed. His knees were nearly touching his elbows which bent to keep his hands warm beneath the pillow. His tail coiled about his own torso and he hadn't even taken his shoes off. Despite the stress of the situation, I smiled at his innocence before gently shaking his shoulders.

"Mmm… Blank?" He stretched out at my touch. I sat on the edge of the bed as he sat up and dug a knuckle in the corners of each eye.

"Hey…" I spoke quietly. I hadn't realized until this moment, but I was reluctant to tell him the bad news. I'd rather him be oblivious and joyful… but I knew that couldn't happen.

"You brought bread!" He bounced a couple times in excitement. I nodded and held out the bag to him.

"But uh… when I was in the marketplace…" I scratched the back of my head as a nervous habit before continuing, "I spotted Lani and Amarant."

"Who's that?" Zidane seemed unaffected. I'd forgotten he never heard their names before, so why should he crumble in fear and disappointment at the mention of the unknown? He pulled out the bread and broke it in half, offering me the larger portion he unintentionally divided.

"Zidane… they're the one's who kidnapped me in Dali." I explained. His hand lowered and his eyes seemed so broken I couldn't help but to take his hand at least. "It's okay though, I spotted them before they spotted me. We can still escape-"

"Escape…again." He was so distant. He hung his head and I saw him shiver slightly as he choked back some tears.

"Zidane…"

"I know you implied that we might have to keep running… but I never thought we'd really have to. I wanted this to be it!" Zidane's upset was greater than I imagined it would be. I had no means to comfort him either…

"I know and I'm sorry," I shook my head sadly. Zidane looked at me curiously with a glossy sea green stare as I continued, "I'd understand if you decided to leave. If this is too much for you then Baku is willin' to take you back. Just… not me." I said. Zidane became furious and threw my hand from his.

"I'm not going to leave you! You think I'm worried about my own life? Well I'm not! It's this life we're trying to have together that I'm so broken up about!" He shouted angrily. I felt guilty for still voicing my offer even though I knew what his answer would be… I just wanted to hear him say it.

"You really thought… I'd just quit?" He half-whispered after he had calmed.

"No, I didn't. Not at all, actually." I gave a lopsided smile.

"Then why ask such a thing?" Zidane blinked a tear from his eye during the question. It rolled down his cheek and curved with the bend of a dimple before catching his chin. I softly brushed it away, absorbing it into my gloved thumb.

"I don't think I'm worth it. But I'm both extremely happy and extremely upset to hear that you won't save yourself just to be with me." I said. Zidane threw himself at me. His arms encircled my body and his face buried into my chest. Softly, I held him. My fingers caressed his back, soothing his troubles if only for as long as he was clinging to me.

"When do we leave?" Zidane's voice was nearly inaudible pressed so close to my skin. I could feel his lips as they moved to form words.

"Sooner the better." I replied. The boy pushed back from my hold and seized the pieces of bread. He re-bagged them and rolled the paper opening to a closed, makeshift handle. I stood and he followed me downstairs to the door.

I opened it only a sliver and with one eye I scanned the darkness. It was more quiet now and the lanterns about the carts were in motion as they were heading in for the night. The moon was no where to be seen in this pitch black sky. This was good for cover but Lani and Amarant could already be out there waiting in the shadows. I opened the door fully and motioned for Zidane to follow me. He seized my hand. I looked back to him, curiously. He didn't say anything, nor did his grip imply that he was holding me back.

I assumed that the intense blackness was cause enough for him to fear losing me in it. If we were to get separated it would be very problematic… I held his hand tightly in return and then hurried out into the street.

I kept to the main roads as opposed to the abyss-like alleys which we would usually track through. The smallest glimmer from a window was helpful enough to keep pace along the path.

Suddenly Zidane dove right and yanked me into a very slim passage between two houses. He stopped immediately and pointed to the roofs.

"There's something following us from up there." He whispered frantically, "I couldn't see it exactly but there's definitely movement and it's going in the same direction."

"You sure?" I asked. He nodded. I looked up at the crevice between rooftops and watched the edges closely for a few moments. I didn't see anything, but regardless it wouldn't be safe to remain stationary for much longer if Zidane had seen something. "Let's keep runnin'… if there is someone we don't want to stand around and wait."

He agreed and we rushed back out into the street. This time I watched the skies for signs of anything suspicious. As Zidane had said, as soon as we returned I saw a figure bounding from roof to roof right along side us. I panicked and sprinted faster. So did the figure. Then it disappeared.

"Where did…" Zidane spun his head anxiously. Our pace slowed as we took the time to turn around and look through all the buildings' tops. I was beginning to think they had truly disappeared when it emerged from behind us. "Bla-"

Zidane's hand vanished from mine. I whirled around in time to see him being hauled off by Amarant back into the city and into the dark. His mouth was covered with that giant pale hand, eyes desperate and frightened before being swallowed by nothingness.

"ZIDANE!" I cried, instantly dashing after him. I can't see- damn it I can't see! I was losing him! Still I ran and ran. My throat burned and my side hurt but I ran.

They won't hurt him… I heard it myself. They want him alive.

Zidane's POV

I struggled against the man's hold. He must be Amarant… I kicked and writhed like mad, attempting to squirm free. His arms were like stone, it was impossible to make him flinch enough to gain leverage. Finally, he stopped and kicked open a door. I looked around, trying to see where I was but it was too dark. I heard the door slam and I was dragged down a hall before seeing any sign of light.

"Hmph, you caught the kid." A woman's voice droned from my right. The room was a quaint little living quarter with a couch, fireplace, and everything. I was thrown onto a rug and left on my knees as an axe stabbed into the wood, threatening my fingers by only inches.

I gazed up slowly to see the owner of the weapon.

"You said, either." Amarant grumbled, taking a seat on the couch. The woman… Lani, wasn't it?… she grabbed me by the collar and hoisted me up to eye level.

"Baku said 'either'." She scoffed. Baku?! Blank was right… How could he do this to us? But doesn't that mean our Tantalus brothers refused to? So, they're on our side after all. She disrupted my train of thought by slamming me into a small wooden chair, sitting by the wall.

I tried to get up but she had me by the shoulders quicker than I'd expected.

"Tie him up." She commanded her partner. Amarant lazily stood and sauntered over, pulling some rope from aside the chair. Lani released me once Amarant was securing knots about my wrists, chest, and ankles.

"Isn't what Baku said what we're supposed to do?" He gave a laugh, returning to his place on the couch. Lani played with a twirl in her hair and shrugged.

"I'd prefer to keep Patches for myself. I'm sure Baku won't mind. He wants him dead so what's the harm?" She admitted. I rattled my chair in protest and got their attention.

"You stay away from Blank!" I growled. They both laughed and Lani walked over to me.

"Don't you think you've had him long enough? Learn to share. Besides," She gave a devious smile as she stroked my cheek icily, "I'm not going after Blank." I moved my face from her touch.

"You're… not?"

"No," She shook her head, "He's going to come to us. I was a bit upset that Red brought back you: the stupid kid, instead of my Blank but… he'll come for you, no doubt. And when he does…"

Her Blank… Her Blank?!

"If anything should happen to him, I'll kill you." I glared. Lani found this amusing and she told me to go on. I refused to say anything further to the witch but she wanted a conversation it seemed.

"You can relax, honey," she smirked, "He'll be in good hands."

TBC