A/N: Happy first week(s) back in classes!

Another shortie chapter for you guys…I considered keeping this part of one long chapter, but it felt better to split it up, given that this is a different POV.

Last chapter was also short as some of you noticed, but the meat and potatoes are still coming (and are already half-written)!

Beastly beansprouts…

….

Chapter Eight

Rosa

Rosa felt something in her heart wither when the five of them set foot in the Tower of Babil. The false light, the thrum of gears—it was like stepping back into a nightmare.

She tucked herself between Cecil and Yang in the line and tried to appear as unbothered as possible, but the truth was, she was terrified. The last time she had been in hallways like these, was during her captivity. She didn't like to think about those months very often, but it seemed at the moment, she didn't have much choice. She was surrounded by reminders of those dark times. Living in a cell in the Tower of Zot like a caged animal with no sunlight and scant food… Only the knowledge that Cecil was coming for her, had kept her sane at all.

Kain's presence to her right, sent a chill through her. It was his silence, the environment, and her troubled thoughts that made her doubt him all over again. Which version of him was she seeing now? The Kain she'd known since childhood, or her sullen captor? Cecil stopped unexpectedly, and Rosa nearly tripped over her own feet trying not to bump into him. She felt a hand on her arm, steadying her, and realized it was Kain's. She inhaled sharply, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. His blue eyes were concerned, but clear. She let her breath out slowly. There was no malice behind his actions, no second consciousness controlling him. This was Kain.

Cecil began walking again, choosing a different hallway, and the movement allowed Rosa's thoughts to flow in a new freshet. What was it exactly that had allowed Kain to be manipulated? He had been influenced enough to remain servile, but not enough to escape her influence on him. She had almost broken through to him in Fabul's crystal room, she'd been sure of it. But what did it all mean? Why had he allowed Golbez to take her prisoner and use her as a bargaining piece? She clenched her fists. For their friendship to be manipulated in such a way…

And then she nearly laughed. How long had it been since the three of them had moved beyond the threshold of friendship? Naïve fool! she thought to herself.

She pinned her eyes on the corridor ahead, guilt and anger twisting knots in her stomach. She had never meant for Kain to develop feelings for her, but somehow she'd known…always ignoring them in light of her own feelings for Cecil.Hadn't he even admitted them to her—right after she'd been freed in Zot? She wondered if Cecil had never arrived, would he have set her free at the last minute, right before the blade fell? The thought of cold steel coming down on her, severing her spirit from its mortal shell…Kain, would you have saved me in the end, or would you have let me die at your 'master's' command?

She would never know for sure.

She glanced at him again, at the set line of his mouth, at his tired eyes. Could it be, that he was wondering the same thing at that precise moment?

She took a few more breaths, letting the air out of her lungs slowly, calmly. This was Golbez's fault, she reminded herself. He was the root of the evil surrounding them. Kain would never willingly commit such acts, she knew that. She tried seeing the good in him, and not the puppetry. Besides, Cecil was with her again, and having both Kain and Cecil working together, they were once again the unstoppable pair—the two great captains of Baron.

With that resolution in place, she began to pay attention to their surroundings again. It was difficult, though, as they never seemed to change. The numbing presence of technology was stifling, but it was the eerie sounds that were the worst. Doors opened in the distance with no discernable footsteps, monsters keened around corners and through walls, and lights turned on as they walked underneath, only to turn off again as the group pressed onward, leaving darkness in their wake. It was easy to lose one's edge, or sanity, for that matter, in this place.

Cecil led them through a series of twisting passages; through doorways that slid open into pockets in the wall, and up stairs—an endless quantity of stairs. Rosa admired Cecil's leadership the higher they climbed. She didn't know if she would have the nerve to press on and maintain a clear head. It helped to have the three men strategizing from floor to floor. She and Rydia had their own skills and talents, but when it came to battle they relied almost entirely on the men. One would scout, the other lead, and the third, trail, and their efficiency with this routine made Rosa think it had something to do with their experiences in Zot. She sighed again. All of that work to get her out of a tower and now she was climbing back into one.

At one doorway, Cecil paused uncomfortably long. It was a large door, one that was at least twice the height of any human, and twice as wide. Yang had stepped through, listening with his head cocked to the side, and Cecil was still eyeing the hallway for any roaming fiends. Even Rosa knew there must be something lying ahead. She slipped her bow off her shoulder and nocked an arrow. Rydia was eyeing her apprehensively, holding the coil of her whip in her hand.

Rosa felt a pang of guilt when she looked at the Summoner. She was so young! Did she really know what she was getting herself into? Rosa shook her head. She had to stop seeing Rydia as the little girl she'd first met in Kaipo. It had been a full decade, a full ten years, since Rydia had been with them. Rosa thought back to the magma plains when Rydia had used her magic for defense and survival. She had never known a Black Mage to use spells in that manner, as if Rydia was using her magic intuitively, not in the studied manner of some mages. Rydia was not a little girl. Young, yes, but helpless? Rosa had to reassess the Summoner on a daily basis. She was full of surprises.

But then, so was each bend in the Tower. They never knew what might be lurking in the shadows just beyond light's reach. What lay behind this door, she wondered. A Flame Hound? Or worse, a Lamia?

The roar that resounded in her ears told her otherwise. Her blood chilled, and her eyes widened as lightning arced through the cavernous hallway beyond.

Cecil ducked back into the doorway, pushing her in the direction they'd come.

"We're going to have to run!" he said in a rush.

They sprinted as quickly as they could down another branch of the hallway and through another set of doors, leaving the thundering of dragon feet and a roar behind them.

The lights had snicked on and the five of them found themselves in a small room with nothing in it but a few levers and switches.

"What was that?" Rydia asked, after a moment, catching her breath and looking over her shoulder at the door that was sliding to a close.

"A dragon?" Rosa reinforced. "How could there possibly be a dragon in here?"

Kain paused, looking back. "I don't particularly care, nor do I want to know how a dragon entered these halls. All I know for certain is that I don't want to meet another one."

Cecil grimaced, relaxing his sword arm. "Why do I feel like I've entered some kind of circus?"

"We must be getting closer to the 'Zoo'," Kain answered, his voice serious.

Rosa sighed. Strange things were only bound to multiply as they climbed higher. It raised goosebumps on her skin.

"Are you alright?" Rydia asked, placing a hand on her arm.

Rosa nearly jumped, but put on her bravest face. "Absolutely," she lied.

She had to give Rydia credit. The girl saw through her lie as if looking through a pane of glass.

"I don't like this place, either," Rydia admitted, looking past her. "Brings back unpleasant memories."

Rosa stared at her friend. "Of your—?"

Rydia's green eyes were troubled. "Monsters like these invaded the Feymarch not too long ago. We had little time, and a warning…but Golbez clearly wanted the Eidolons preoccupied. I don't know if he was looking for crystals or if he simply wanted to destroy them…all I know is that a few Eidolons lost their lives. I can't forgive Golbez for that."

"His reach has gone so far," Rosa murmured.

"Still," Rydia added with an encouraging smile, "I'm happy I'm not alone."

"Rydia…"

The Summoner shifted her gaze to the door which was now open. Cecil was peering into the hallway, checking to see if their dragon had pursued them this far. Then he looked to the left and Rosa heard him stifle a chuckle. He pointed and Yang joined him to see what it was.

"You must be joking," the monk uttered.

He and Yang stepped out of the room, Cecil beckoning for the rest of them to follow.

"Come on, I think Cecil's found the stairs to the next floor," the green haired girl said, sounding hopeful. Rydia pulled at her arm until she followed willingly.

Jumping from one danger into the next, Rosa thought glumly.

Still…Rydia's attitude affected her, that spark of positivity amidst all the gloom. She found herself relaxing, despite her earlier dread.

So long as we're all here together, she thought, I can get through this.

…

A/N: Once again, thanks for reading, and thank you to those who've left reviews! You guys are awesome, and thank you for your patience as I slowly work my way through these novelizations :)

Till next chapter!

~Myth