Sorry for taking so long to update, I was unable to come to this site due to personal problems (not that you who come here care about the author's problems). Before starting this chapter, I'd like to say something for one of my reviewers: It is too late, my darling Kelly L! It has begun, and cannot be stopped! Ahahahahaa! *signature sly smile* Anyhow, my dear, Gerald is not just a Phantom anyhow, if you make a suggestion, I make it work for characters based off reviewers. Anyways, let us see how I am faring now!

Chapter 9: Marks and Targets and Allies, Oh My!

We returned to Rabanastre some time later. I had recovered somewhat from my outburst, but I still held an ember for Gerald when I next met the man. Balthier headed off towards the Sandsea bar, saying he needed to 'freshen up.' I assumed this meant have a drink, maybe get actually drunk, and I couldn't blame him. We had been through a lot. Ace headed into town, wanting to visit the bazaar and sell some stuff and get new gear for us.

Meanwhile, Silver and I followed Balthier to the Sandsea, where I checked the Bounty Board for new marks. There, I found two: one for the Thextera Wolf, and one for the Flowering Cactoid. Being as they were in opposite directions, I decided to send Silver after Thextera and take on the Flowering Cactoid myself. It was annoying, but only because it ran away the entire fight. Its Thousand Needles attack would not kill me, because I had, according to Libra, the statistical power to withstand or avoid it easily. What was indicated as HP in the game registered here as force of the Mist all beings expel, basically their stamina. Just like when one is injured, they become more exhausted, when one got hit, their stamina decreased by set units. Mine registered about 1125, so Thousand Needles, which removed 1000 units, would be withstandable, though it would cut things close. Fortunately, nothing else was a threat in there. I headed out back into the Estersand for some solo training and that Mark.

[Music theme: Dalmasca Estersands, Hitoshi Sakimoto FF12]

The Yardang Labyrinth area wasn't too confusing, even in person. Signing in the petition was easy as well. Finding the little bugger, now THAT was annoying. I had to go through the entire area twice before I noticed the flower, then a third time through chasing it as it began running around.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU FREAKING *censored for virgin ears* OF A WALKING WATER GOURD!" Needless to say, it was not the most therapeutic event, nor the most graceful fight you've ever seen. That little thing was FAST for a walking plant. Eventually I cornered the annoying thing, and that's when it decided to use its Thousand Needles attack. They all hit me in the face, and boy, was I ticked when it ran off while I reeled from the pain. I growled to myself as I prepared a Chi Seal for Wind and Spirit, casting an essential Haste on myself, as well as charging myself with wind energy. "Air Rush. You've asked for it now..."

I ran after the creature as it ran towards Nalbina, catching up to it just before it reached a crack in which it might have hidden safely from me. However, I then swung my katana, charging it with all the Mist energy I still had left in the Rush spell. This resulted in a massive wind wave that sliced the cactoid in two, all the water inside spilling out onto the sand. Fortunately, the flower, the object of my hunt, was still mostly intact, only a few petals falling off from the rough treatment it had gone through. Just then, I realized my action had caused a sandstorm to occur inside the labyrinth, and blow out of the canyon into Nalbina. Feeling like messing with someone, I decided to walk out of the sandstorm, looking as normal as possible, just to see the looks on people's faces to find such a strange creature emerge from the first sandstorm the Yardang Labyrinth had seen in a long time. I still debate whether it was smart or not to do so. Here is what happened:

I step out of the canyon, hands in my pockets, doing my best sandstorms-for-breakfast impression. Many of the Nalbina residents looks were exactly as I expected, eyes the size of dinner plates. I smile, and wave, giving a hail to them.

[Music stop]

"Hey! Where might I be? Traveling by sandstorm is rather inaccurate sometimes. Am I anywhere near Nalbina?" They all stood there, watching me. Some whispered among each other, but my enhanced hearing still picked up what they said:

"He looks just like her. Is he here to help us?"

"Another one! Where are they coming from?"

"Who is he? What does he want with us?"

Eventually they went quiet, and I smiled slyly, being as I knew that a normal smile would not be a good idea, what with it looking more like a snarl in this form. "I was just passing by, and thought that I should stop for some provisions! I am running low..." This was somewhat untrue, I was stocked pretty well with Potions from Burogh and Barheim, and I actually had a fair store of status healers as well, including the surprisingly rare Phoenix Downs, which actually were uncommon to find in shops. "Oh! I can trade in loot from my travels for stuff, as well as Gil! I know what a bargain is, if you have one." Most of the merchants looked to each other, and traded words of agreement to sell to me, should I come to them. However, one elder still seemed to have his doubts, which he made known.

"You are an imposter, a curse, the same as that vigilante who has plagued us the last three years! Leave us, and don't think nary a thought of ever coming back!" Some citizens began to agree, but it all seemed fine until one of them shouted out the one thing I didn't want to hear:

"Wait! I know you; you are one of those fugitives from the Garamsythe gang! You're wanted by the Archadians!" My ears shot back from that and the resulting torrent of jeers and catcalls that followed. It all seemed like I was going to get mobbed and taken right then and there when something interesting happened. A voice I hadn't heard yet spoke out.

"Stop!" Everyone turned around and a passageway seemed to clear among them as the speaker came to the forefront. When the last person cleared out, there stood the one person I had hoped to find, yet feared our meeting.

The speaker was a female; I could tell by the body shape and way of walking she had about her. Also, she was another fox, like me: brown fur with tan streaks, brilliant blue eyes, and a confident smirk mixed with evident contempt for me, as if I had walked in covered in mud or something similar. She wore a brown duster in contrast to my black one, a blank white t-shirt, and a dream catcher necklace just like mine, and even similar, if tighter, blue jeans like mine. To top off the ensemble, she had a black yang mark on her forehead and tribal fang marks on the sides of her muzzle. A sword and gun were strapped crossways on her back, proving to me that this was exactly who I thought it was; another one of my heroes.

"Kiara…" I wasn't sure what to do. It seemed like she was not going to be too friendly at the moment, being as she had lived a period here as a vigilante hunter. "You don't have to do this…" There was no way I would be able to defeat her, not at this point. I was tired out from chasing the Cactoid, and I did not hold enough power to fight her for long anyhow. She was going to wipe the walls with me if I didn't stop her from attacking.

[Music theme: Falling, Obsidia feat. CoMa]

"You are a fugitive from the Archadians, are you not?" she pulled her blade out and pointed it at me, revealing it to be a one edged Flametongue sword. Can anyone out there blame me for feeling as if I were in heaven at that moment though? I was meeting the star player of my created characters from Earth, and she was posed almost perfectly as I would have imagined her when challenging an opponent. Of course, I was the opponent, and she was going to turn me in, so I shook myself out of it quickly and looked at her evenly.

"Yes. And you want to know that why…?" Her eyes narrowed at me and a strong Mist aura came off from her. Spirit Aura. I gawked for a bit at the realization of her use of that move. She must have learned it from my third of her triad, Tan Zeng, before we were pulled into this world.

"Because you are therefore my prey, and you cannot escape!" She dashed at me, and then faded out, jumping over me, yet a brilliant orange afterimage continued to come at me. The afterimage punched at me, and I dodged, knowing it was no illusion and could actually hurt me. Strange, I'd always imagined her to have a blue Spirit Double, but this one was a burning orange… my momentary distraction was interrupted by pain exploding all over my back and head as the real Kiara landed a rapid series of jabs and kicks, followed by a final punch that resulted in an orange explosion of Mist. I flew forward a few feet, landing on my face. As I tried to get up, I tried speaking again.

"Kiara… we don't need to fight…"

"Shut up, fugitive! I know you won't come quietly, your blade indicates so, so now you will fall to me so that I don't have to deal with you any more than necessary!" She dashed forward yet again, this time her orange double in tow, and swung her blade at me. This time, I was prepared for the strike and blocked the blow with Saving Grace. The victory was short-lived, though, as the double then came in under my guard and landed a crushing blow to my ribs. Somehow, pure Mist held more force than real flesh and blood. The result was that I had the wind knocked out of me, but I had no time to worry about that; the real Kiara was coming at me with her blade, forcing me to block. I tried again to reason with her. "Kiara! The Archadians are not one to ally yourself with! Listen, everyone, they are the harbingers of injustice, and Vayne is the worst of them all! Some time from now, the king of Archadia is going to be assassinated, and the Senate will be blamed for it. The real perpetrator will be Vayne. You will know this when you see it."

"How can you prove this? How can you know this? You are lying to save your own skin! I may have no love for the Archadians, but they will pay me well for one of the Garamsythe Fugitives." She pulled out her gun, a modified Ras Algethi, and opened fire. The bullets seemed to come at me in slow motion, but I still couldn't dodge all of them, so I got some in my legs and shoulders. Severely weak, I fell to my hands and knees. My stamina registered only 25 units left. I decided to go for broke, and set a seal for Ice and Shadow, wishing to see what this combination would result in. From the seal emanated a series of flitting shadows, which attached themselves to her before she could react, and froze binding her in place. "Frozen Shadows" The Spirit Double of Kiara also froze, and then dissipated. Somehow, the Mist was absorbed by the Shadows and transferred to me in the form of energy to replenish me. I slowly got up from my position. Dusting myself off, I turned to Kiara.

"I can't prove it. You will just have to trust me. Now, come on, we don't have to fight, and we shouldn't. There are larger things at work here, things bigger than you and I could comprehend. Follow me, and we can make the world a better place." Remembering the compassionate side was a weak point for her, I pressed further to appeal to her want to help the impoverished of Nalbina. "Don't you want a place where the people of Nalbina can live freely, with an actual chance at life?" Kiara's eyes widened. Apparently I had hit her motives head on.

"What could a fugitive know of making a better world? You all lie, and cheat, and kill, and take advantage of other people. Such injustice could never foster a better world." She somehow managed to break free of my shadow spell, and the fight began anew, albeit on more equal grounds. As I fought with all my power, I continued to reason with her.

"Yes, I am a fugitive, but aren't we all under this Archadian curse? Aren't even the children you doubtless care for fugitives from something? We all kill, we all lie, and we all cheat. Not a single person is innocent of having taken advantage of at least one person." I ducked a sword swing. With all her Mist power gone, she was relying on her skill with her weaponry. "Ever care to think that justice comes in many forms?"

"You think to confuse me? I know my path, whelp!" She put her gun on top of her sword, and suddenly they merged to form the gunblade I had designed her with. "Kitsu Blade: Angelwisp!" she then proceeded to open fire and swing with renewed ferocity. The blade burned with the energy from the Wyrmfire bullets that came at me, curving as if controlled by one mind. "Burning Swarm!"

I swiftly formed a wall of Ice, reinforced by a seal of Spirit. "Winter Mirror." The bullets slowly whittled away at it, some bouncing off and hitting the sand, while others were sticking into my shield. I then gripped Saving Grace, prepared at last to draw it. This had to end before someone got severely hurt. Even with the odds evened a little, I was still in a rather bad situation I wasn't sure I could win. Hopefully I could bring her around before I got defeated, or it was all over. "I fight for my friends, just like you. Yes, I sometimes kill, but I am not evil. I only kill because I need to in order to defend what I hold dear. Surely you can understand that?" I ran out, katana drawn, and went on the offensive. I wished to show her I was not merely trying to stall for time anymore.

She easily avoided many of my attacks, then kicked me in the chest in an unguarded moment between one of my swings, knocking me back. "I can understand perfectly. The difference is, you value petty things, like money or pride. I value the lives of these people. You could never understand, lost in your selfish needs. Doubtless you'd abandon your 'friends' the instant they bored you, if you hadn't already!" She swung heavily, forcing me to block again, then kicked me in the chest, knocking me to the ground. As she stood over me, I looked at her dead level and shook my head slowly.

"That's not what friends do. I would stick with my friends to the death, and the only reason they aren't with me now is because we agreed to take a break from our quest. Come with me, we're all meeting at the Sandsea tonight to contemplate our next move." The fox woman looked shocked; she obviously hadn't expected that answer. She just attacked me, and here I am, inviting her into my group! She quickly recovered, however, and picked me up to hold me in front of her face.

"Why would I be interested? You don't even know me!" She punched me in the gut, and I grunted in pain from the impact. Man, is she strong. She threw me back down, then rushed me to knock me unconscious. I managed to recover and draw my black diamond sword. I weakly blocked her next few attacks, getting nicked on the shoulders and ribs multiple times. She screamed at me as she swung with blind rage. "Why are you interested in me? What connection do I have to you? Who are you!? What do you want with me?!" She dropped her blade, as did I, and so she proceeded to pummel me with her fists as she continued to do the same with her words. "You don't even understand me! How could you?! What rights do you have to speak of truth when you're a fugitive?!" She just kept swinging, and I stood there and took it. Her blows and words grew steadily weaker until they stopped altogether and she collapsed on my shoulder and began to cry. Bewildered and beaten, I did the only thing that came naturally; I put my arms around her and kept her supported.

[Music end]

"Because I do not feel good when I see people cry; because I am here to help; because Fate brought us together." My voice was hushed, so only she could hear. "I do not presume to understand you, but I can hope to make you understand. Justice is flexible, and to be found in many forms. An injustice to one may be a justification to another. Come with me, we'll find justice within our hearts together." She looked up at me, tear streaks lined in the fur around her muzzle. I smiled gently, not showing any teeth, but showing a warm smile nonetheless. "Come now, I am Grypinh Moonfox, and I want you to come help me make the world a better place. Are you interested, Kiara Alchesy?" All the Nalbinan citizens stared as I set her back on her feet, retrieved our weapons, handed hers back to her, and extended my hand out to her. "What do you say? Is the Nalbina Firefox interested in following a fugitive planning on clearing his name to the whole world?"

She looked at me a few seconds longer, then placed a hand on mine. "Very well. It is time I moved on to see more of the world. I will come with you to the Sandsea tonight, and then we shall see how I may help." We left the town and headed into the Yardang Labyrinth once more.

Well, ummm... that was interesting... those of you who read k entertainment's stories, Kiara is mine and I have every right to use her how I choose. Besides, Kiara and Blaze are two different characters, despite similar backgrounds and attitudes. Kiara here is more of a fox, like me, while the other is a fox viera, with more human(heh, that's ironic, being viera are not human by any chance) qualities. Kiara is more flexible and susceptible to emotion. I give Kel full liscense to do whatever with Blaze, she could go full criminal and the furthest i will care is to speak my disappointment in breaking from original character in such a way. Those of you who don't read k entertainment's stories, I recommend them because they are good despite mild to moderate swearing and bloody violence, as well as some adult scenes and situations(that last one is rather infrequent, but unavoidably noticable). That guy inspired me to write this and fanfics in general, so go check him out if you can bear the warnings i just gave in mind. Speaking of, don't forget to check out my tale of Blaze's background. Any whoo, I'm hoping for more reviewers, its dismal when one writes a story and no one seems to care, or only a small amount do… enough dismal stuff, life should be all about the positive. Till next time, readers! *signature sly grin*