The Omega Ruins were just that, ruins; an underground structure that was deteriorating. Endless corridors that were filled with incredibly strong fiends. Moira was exhausted, having not slept the night before. She was too angry. Angry with Auron for acting the way he did, but mostly angry with herself for investing so much time and energy into the relationship. Did she love him? Absolutely. Were they meant to be together? No. It was a mistake, one that she'd made before and she would not do it again. She was just one of those people who was better off alone.

She was so lost in thought she didn't notice their latest encounter. In fact it was only the rancid stench that the creature brought that snapped her back to the real world.

She turned around to see they were confronted with a Grand Marlboro. She had so far only heard about these monsters but the sight of one sent ice through her veins. It had to be close to 10 feet tall and composed of tentacles and razor sharp teeth. As she marvelled at the sight, she heard Auron yell.

"RUN!"

The whole party turned tail and tried to escape but the Marlboro pursued them, its slimy tentacles propelling it surprisingly fast over the ancient stones.

Suddenly, the whole party was surrounded by a dense yellowish green fog. The stench was unbelievable and they tried not to inhale. Coughing and sputtering, Moira watched in horror as the rest of the party was affected by the miasma.

Tidus and Kimahri immediately turned on each other. They were confused and confounded by the Marlboro's bad breath. They didn't manage to land too many blows as they were also temporarily blinded.

Wakka hit the ground, unable to find the strength to get back up. Rikku used him for target practice, but in her confusion, she was pelting him with bread rolls and not the grenades she thought she was using. She laughed wickedly as another "bomb" hit its mark. Wakka tried his best to cover himself but found he could hardly move.

Yuna fired spell after spell around the ruins. Healing spells, nul spells, and even a few black magic spells were sent out by the confused summoner. She even tried to summon aeons but found she couldn't say the right words. Thus no matter how hard she yelled, Shifrit, Valjimbo and Bahmagus brothers never showed up.

Lulu just sat down to have a conversation with her mog. Thankfully, she was out of the marlboro's line of sight as she was completely vulnerable.

Auron wasn't confused or blind or silent. He was berserk. He ran heedlessly to the slimy creature and slashed away with his massive sword. There were dozens of wounds visible but the Marlboro didn't seem phased. Despite being flung across the room by one tentacle or another, Moira could see that there was nothing stopping Auron's onslaught.

She was oddly unaffected by the breath so she quickly sent out rounds of esuna spells to bring everyone to their senses and get them focused on the fiend. Tidus, Wakka and Kimahri were able to join Auron in physical attacks but they weren't making much headway. Moira gasped as she saw the creature start to inhale deeply.

"AEON!"

Her cry was heard by the rest and they managed to retreat to a safe distance. Moira called up Anima and the bleeding leviathan took on the Marlboro. She cast pain spells over and over and Moira kept healing her aeon as needed. Before too long, she heard Lyra call out to her.

"I need to take this to the other side. I need the old queen's help"

Moira agreed and although no one but her saw what happened, the rest of the party knew they had seen the last of the fiend and the pyreflies appearing from nowhere confirmed it.

They all sat down right where they were and waited as Yuna and Moira doled out healing spells.

Auron stood up and went across to Moira. There was something strange in his voice and manner. Like a thinly veiled rage.

"We need to talk," he said flatly.

Moira told him that there was nothing else to say. Auron grunted and reached down to grab Moira and flung her over his shoulder. In any other situation, this would have been hilarious but no one was laughing.

Down the corridor, away from the others, Auron dropped Moira unceremoniously onto a rock. She glared at him, her mind racing with the choicest remarks she could make at the time but she held her tongue. Rage was flowing freely through her and her hands began to tingle with the black mist.

"You are right. We are done. I don't love you." Auron smirked at Moira's shocked expression.

The frank statements caused Moira to gasp aloud. There was no way she was expecting this speech from Auron.

She attempted to save face and said "If that's what you think."

"Oh, I don't just think it. I know it." Auron said looking down at her with a wicked stare. "I mean look at you," he sneered. "Who could possibly love something like you?"

Something. Not someone, some THING.

Moira was gutted at this new level of cruelty.

"This is quite a change from how you felt just a few hours ago," she said quietly.

"I'm a much better actor than I thought then," Auron said with a smug smile. Moira gasped again.

"I didn't know you saw yourself as an actor. You've always prided yourself as an extremely honest person. This isn't you, Auron."

"Oh it's me," he drawled raising her to her feet with a finger beneath her chin and slowly backing her into a wall. He raked his eyes over her. "Just because I don't love you, doesn't mean we can have a little fun. I still have needs and I can just about stomach looking at the back of your head if it scratches an itch for me."

In her life, she had been abused in countless ways, either intentionally or passively but Moira had never been treated like this. Her rage reached a pinnacle and she shoved him backwards, black mist surrounding her hands. She shoved him again when he moved in again. It took all her strength but she could hardly move him.

Without warning, Auron smashed both fists into the wall on either side of Moira's head. She screamed but was frozen as small shards of rock rained down on her shoulders.

"Maybe I'll just take what I want from you here and now," Auron hissed. With one strong, one time loving hand, he reached out and tore the front of her dress, exposing her to the waist. Moira moved to escape and cover herself but he grabbed her hands and trapped them above her head. He lunged forwards, running his tongue down her throat while his free hand violently squeezed and tugged at her exposed breasts. Moira sobbed while Auron continued his assault. Hands that she had once dreamt about explored her body anew; possessing and violating rather than caressing and cherishing. It was too much to be borne!

"Stop!" she cried fruitlessly. She screamed and struggled to free her hands from his iron grip. Her struggles were rewarded with a painful bite on her breast. She fleetingly wondered if he had broken the skin, then she felt the blood flow from the wound. There was nothing for it, she needed help.

"LULU!" she screamed, "Help me!"

The rest of the party looked up and began to run towards Moira's voice but Lulu stopped the three men. Without a word, she looked to Yuna and Rikku and the three of them ran down the corridor to save Moira. The sight was too much for the black mage. She watched in horror as Auron continued his onslaught on his beloved. As he shoved her dress up her thighs, laughing, Lulu hit him with a powerful shock of lightning.

Snarling, Auron turned to the mage.

"It's your turn next slut. We can finish what we started." he hissed. "Then maybe I'll take on the other two as well. They'd look very fetching on their knees!" A voice that was decidedly not Auron's laughed and all at once Lulu understood what they were dealing with.

"LET HIM GO!" she screamed. "He's a good man and what you are doing is horrible! Release him NOW!"

The beast that looked like Auron laughed. It turned away but before he could return to his violent attack on Moira, Lulu hit him in the back with a powerful stop spell.

She rushed around the incapacitated man and rushed to Moira. She helped adjust her dress and had Yuna cast some curing magic over the bite marks and wounds.

"What just happened?" Rikku asked, unable to fathom what she had witnessed.

"He's cursed," was all that Lulu said.

"Cursed? How?"

"Do you remember the Varunas from the other day? One of them hit him with a curse before it died."

"And this is why he's acting like this?" Rikku exclaimed.

"Yes. The possession was almost complete too. Look into his eye," Lulu said. Rikku crept towards the frozen man/beast and cried out at the sight of Auron's deep brown eye. There was a thick swirl of black flowing there. Almost all of his natural eye colour was occluded.

"How do we reverse this?" Moira asked quietly. "I need him back."

"Yuna?" Lulu said looking at the young summoner.

"It's too much for my skills."

Lulu sighed knowing it was beyond her too.

"I can do it," Moira whispered.

Yuna nodded and quickly explained the spell needed. Moira focused her energy on the man she loved and called the spell forth. Nothing happened. Frustrated tears flowed as she tried again and again.

"You need to try harder!" Yuna called.

"Look into your heart," Lulu said. "Forget what has just happened and think of what you must do."

Moira understood all at once. Working up the spell again until her hands shone with a sapphire light, she placed her hands on either side of her frozen lover's face. She sent the spell down through their connection and hoped it would be enough. She felt the link open up to her and was suddenly engulfed in Auron's memories. There was nothing new at first but then she realized she could feel what he was seeing. She blushed to see him making love to her, so many different times. Each time she could feel how strongly he felt for her. Her heart swelled as she felt his contentment afterwards. She saw his dreams and the conversations he'd had with the Fayth, trying desperately to find a way to remain with her. Wincing at first, she saw again the stormy encounter with Lulu but this time could feel how detached he was throughout. He had stopped because it suddenly felt wrong and he couldn't risk hurting the young mage. He wasn't harbouring any secret feelings towards Lulu and he didn't compare her to Moira in any way.

Her name was painted everywhere in his mind and heart. Moira wanted to shout to the stars. She was beyond secure in the knowledge of how he felt for her and no bitter voice in her head would ever be able to tell her otherwise.

She saw a replay of what had just happened. She could feel his horror at being forced to watch helplessly as the beast overtook him. She found that she could not blame him for what happened and even though it brought back memories of the attacks at Seymour's hands, she was able to detach herself from those feelings and focus on helping the man.

"Auron, can you hear me?" she called out from her mind to his.

"Moira!" he gasped. "Can it be you?"

"Yes my love."

"My love. I never thought I'd hear those words from you."

"I'm beyond sorry!" Moira exclaimed.

"You have nothing to apologize for. Did I..." he paused, unsure how to continue.

"I'm fine. Just let me finish this spell. Hang on, I don't know what this will do to you."

Moira concentrated the sapphire magic and sent it directly into Auron's eye. The blue magic shimmered and surrounded the dead black mist. All at once, it cleared and Auron's liquid brown eye stared back at her.

"Lulu, you can release him now."

Lulu quickly sent a counter spell to allow the swordsman to move again. He only raised his hands to grasp hers as they still cupped the sides of his face. He gently pulled them down, kissing each one before gathering Moira into a loving embrace. Moira sighed and thanked her lucky stars for him. Both their curses were broken; his from the fiend and hers from her own bitterness and doubt.

Auron reluctantly broke the embrace and turned to Lulu.

"Thank you. I owe you an apology." He hung his head as he spoke.

"No need," Lulu replied. "I understand it wasn't you."

He looked at the two younger girls and immediately dropped into a formal bow.

"I will never forgive myself for what I said and suggested," he said, unable to look them in the eye.

Both girls grabbed and arm and hauled him up. They both said emphatically that they understood what had happened and there was not even the slightest hint of bad feelings.

"We will not speak of this to anyone," Lulu pronounced. They all agreed at once.

"Thank you for keeping my shame a secret," Auron said, bowing low once again.

"There's just one thing," Rikku said. "What do we tell the guys about Moira screaming for help?"

They thought furiously for a reason and just as they were about to admit that there was no good explanation, a loud squelching sound echoed throughout the chamber. They turned to see a giant flan had oozed into the room.

"As explanations go," Auron said, "that'll do." He drew his sword at the same time Moira did.

"What kind is it?" Moira called. The sudden chill in the air answered her question. The flan opened its cavernous mouth and spit large chunks of ice at them. The party was scattered in all directions as they dodged the ice missiles.

"I'll call Ifrit!" Yuna cried.

"NO!" Moira called out. "Give me a minute."

Gripped by a sudden inspiration, Moira focused a fury of extremely powerful fire spells onto the blade of her sword. The usually crystal blue blade changed and became an angry shade of red/orange. Lulu nodded to herself as she whipped up another flurry of flames at her fingertips.

"Auron! Can you cut it?" Moira yelled.

"Yes, but it will just close up again," Auron replied.

"That's ok. I only need a moment. Lead the way!"

Auron rushed forward with Moira in his wake. He drew his blade back and delivered a brutal slash to the flan. A large gaping wound appeared but before Moira could focus on it, it started to close. She rushed forward and stabbed it with her flaming sword, preventing it from closing completely. Lulu directed her fire spells into the wound without needing to be told. The flames died at first contact but as the sword sunk in a little deeper, the fire spells began to do real damage. The flames grew, feeding on themselves as the damage to the flan increased. The flan attempted to put the flames out by directing ice magic to the wound but Moira intercepted it, much to everyone's amazement. She seemingly called the ice magic to herself and with a shout of triumph was able to alter the spell to fire and send it back to the flan. Now there were two gaping, melting wounds on the jelly creature.

Drawn by the shouts, Tidus, Wakka and Kimahri rushed into the chamber. They were able to witness Moira's groundbreaking magic theft and were stunned.

"What just happened, ya?" Wakka asked.

"I have no idea," Tidus replied.

"She called the magic," Kimahri said. "She is an arch summoner."

"An arch summoner?" Tidus asked.

"I've never heard of that," Wakka said.

"It is what she is," Kimahri said.

The three men watched the remainder of the battle with a new appreciation for the skills of the former interloper.

The flan finally succumbed to the intensity of Moira and Lulu's fire magic. It collapsed upon itself and transformed into a pool of melted frosty goo. Moira turned in triumph to see the stunned faces of their audience. Now that the flan was dispatched, she was faced with six shocked faces.

"Did you..." Lulu began.

"I thought I saw you..." Yuna continued.

"What?" Moira asked.

Lulu and Yuna just stared at her.

"I thought it was just a legend. I never thought I would see one in real life." Lulu said with obvious awe in her voice.

"One what?" Moira asked. She could see that they were all stunned and shocked but could not understand why. They had faced flans before and although they were tiresome foes, they were always dispatched.

"Moira," Auron said walking towards her. "You are an arch summoner!"

"A what now?"

"An arch summoner," Yuna gasped. "It's true!"

"What does that mean?" Moira asked.

Lulu smiled and put a comforting arm around her.

"I always wondered if it could be true. You have such a natural way with magic, both black and white. You were able to control the elements long before you should have given how little practice you had. The natural progression of your skill has led you to this point. You can now control the magic of others!" Lulu was so close to jumping with excitement. She began to pace thinking of ways that Moira's newest talent could help them.

"I can?" Moira was shocked. She hadn't realized that was what she had done. She just did not want the flan to heal itself. Auron took her hands in his and opened the connection to show her the memory. Moira gasped as she saw herself not only steal the magic from the flan but also alter it and send it back. She could almost feel the flan's confusion and fear.

"But this is a normal thing, right?"

"No."

"You are something out of myth, Moira," Lulu said with admiration.

"What? No!"

"It's true," Yuna said smiling.

"I don't understand though. Magic wasn't a part of my world, how can I be this arch summoner of legend?"

"Magic was a part of your world," Lyra whispered.

"What do you mean? There's no magic being flung in the streets where I grew up."

"That place is not your world though," Lyra explained. "You were born in Spira."

"WHAT?!" Moira shouted. She looked around as the others gave her strange looks for talking to herself. Only Yuna understood what was happening.

"What is Lyra telling you?" she asked coming over to Moira and taking her hands.

"That I was born on Spira."

The entire party gasped.