The Omega Ruins were still over a day away. The entire party was relieved to no longer be walking everywhere and was enjoying the luxury of flying.

Tidus was worried about the strength of the fiends they would encounter there, not only for himself and Yuna.

"Do you think we should get some more fiends under our belts?" he asked as the party sat down to dinner.

"What do you mean?" Rikku asked.

"Don't you think we've seen enough fiends? What are you worried about?" Yuna asked.

"Not all of us are as experienced as others," he said quietly as he avoided looking at Moira.

"Careful boy," Auron said quietly. "This isn't a road you want to go down."

"No, Auron. I..." Tidus stammered.

"Auron, it's ok," Moira said. "I completely understand what he's saying. You have been dealing with fiends since you were old enough to hold a sword. Until a few months ago, none of these things were real for me. Of course Tidus is concerned, as I am, that any inexperience will put us all in danger in the upcoming battles."

"Exactly," Tidus said relieved. "We should all spend some time working on our skills before we get to the ruins."

Everyone agreed and Cid found a little known area where stronger fiends gathered. The plan was simple. Keep the airship nearby and use it as a base of operations and as a healing center if needed.

The next morning, having landed in the practice area overnight, the whole party set out to work on their skills together. Smaller fiends presented themselves and they were dispatched by everyone with ease.

"Moira! You're leaving yourself too exposed if you strike that way. Wait a beat before you strike so you can be sure to dodge the counter attack!" Auron called.

"Got it!"

Kimahri was glad of the practice as well since it allowed him to learn to mimic other attacks than the ones he had seen so far. In the middle of a particularly difficult battle with a dragon type creature whose name Moira forgot as soon as it roared, Kimahri stopped battling and closed his eyes in concentration. Suddenly a white mist surrounded him and spread out to the party. The healing magic brought all of them back to full strength.

"A white wind!" Rikku cried, quite impressed. "Thanks Fuzzy!"

Rikku was able to steal many useful items and given that they were not in short supply, she felt free to combine them as only she could to create some pretty amazing weapons and helpful concoctions.

Tidus spent his time working on his sword skills. Truth be told, he wasn't that far ahead of Moira in that department as he was pulled into Spira only three months before she was. He kept a close eye on Auron and tried to learn as much as he could from the master swordsman.

Auron revelled in the battles. It allowed him to stop thinking endlessly about what was going to happen to him once they had defeated Sin and Yu Yevon. Would he be separated from Moira? Would he be able to stay? Would she be sent back to her world? Endless questions with no answers.

Lulu and Moira worked together on casting fury spells. Several spells cast in succession in the heat of the battle was an invaluable skill. Moira was something of a natural and Lulu was so proud of her. Because of the skill that she showed, Lulu could call out a spell and a target and Moira would go on the attack. She was so adept that she could even cast a spell at the same moment she struck with her sword. It was incredible to watch such a natural talent.

Yuna worked on reading the battles better. She learned the cues that each of her Guardians gave while fighting. Auron for example would never admit he was in pain or feeling weak but she learned that when his sword started to look like it was a little heavy for him, he needed a boost in energy. Wakka stopped trash talking the enemy when he was tired. Tidus didn't run quite as fast. Kimahri growled lower. Lulu relied more on her mog to attack when her magic powers were waning. Moira had her fooled for a little while given she carried a bigger arsenal of skills but she did learn that she would flex her shoulders when she was getting depleted. She became very good at tossing out curative magic at just the right moment. Thankfully, there were no major incidents that needed serious healing or life giving magic.

Wakka, still a simple creature at heart, still thought of Blitzball. Every shot at an enemy was a goal scored in his mind.

After a morning of fiend hunting, the group decided to make its way back to the airship. Just as they reached it, a scream pierced the air above them. They looked up to see three dark shapes flying above them. Before they could decide whether to run for cover or fight, three large Varunas landed between them and the ship. This was a creature unlike anything Moira had seen thus far.

Seven feet tall and seemingly built of nothing but sharp angles. Their dark grey skin was tinged blue and red at the ears and on their huge bat like wings. While humanoid in shape, their faces were something out of a nightmare. Cold dead eyes stared at the party and their mouths opened to reveal jagged sharp fangs. The very air around them seemed to be still and cold. Moira shuddered at these monsters.

Without warning, they shrieked in unison and lunged forward to attack. One was met with Tidus' sword although the blow was a glancing one. He only managed to make a small cut on its arm. Green/black blood oozed from the wound.

The second beast was impaled on Kimahri's spear. He flung it to the side and it lashed out with its long claws as it passed Rikku. There were three scratches on the girl's face. Kimahri looked horrified but Rikku motioned that she was fine. She rushed over to the fallen Varuna and finished it off. She was also able to harvest quite a few items before it dissolved into pyreflies.

The third and strongest Varuna went toe to claw with Auron. With a few well placed swings of his massive sword, Auron was able to weaken the creature significantly. The creature pointed a venom coated claw at the swordsman and launched another attack. Auron launched the creature into the air and effectively cut it in two when it fell back within his blade's reach. Auron stood over the creature as it began to fade. They pyreflies masked the red mist that Varuna had cast just before expiring. The mist enveloped Auron and he couldn't help but breathe it in. His lungs seared with the heat and he suddenly felt as though he couldn't breathe. He finally exhaled deeply, feeling as though he had just been released from an underwater prison cell. For a fleeting moment, he heard the echo of the Varuna's scream and felt so much rage. His eyes were wild as he looked at the members of the party as though he was choosing a target but they never noticed. Auron shook his head to clear the sudden fog invading his thoughts.

Wakka and Lulu had been able to destroy the last of the creatures. A combination of spiked blitzballs and some well timed holy spells finished it off. They smiled at each other through the pyreflies.

The party celebrated their victory and took a breather before heading back into the airship.

"Is everyone ok?" Yuna asked looking at her Guardians.

"Out of breath, ya?" Wakka said.

"I'm ok," Tidus said looking at the summoner. "Are you alright?"

"Tired but good," Yuna replied.

Moira looked to Auron and was momentarily puzzled at his expression.

"Auron?"

"What?" he growled.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes," he replied flatly and walked into the airship.

Moira said nothing as she watched the swordsman walk away. She tried not to read too much into the fact that he didn't ask how she was.

Later that night as she said goodnight, she was treated to the old Auron, loving and comforting so she chalked up his earlier behaviour as just being tired after so many intense battles.