Sowing the SeeDs : Part 11 a fanfic by Greenbeans with His lordship Chaos additions by Quandry edited by Helen Fong based on the world of Final Fantasy 8 created by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. "SeeD Kei reporting," Kei saluted smartly before moving to the rest position. Cid waved for her to take a seat on a low couch that was off to one side of his office. Xu was already there pouring tea for the three of them. "I'm glad to have you back. What have you to report?" He inquired after accepting a cup from Xu. "A lot. Xu, if you'll assist me?" Her cousin stood up and moved to Kei's side. The elder SeeD hadn't taken the seat offered to her. "Please take your tunic off so that the Headmaster can see your back." Xu nodded her agreement and immediately began loosening her tie. "Really, ladies, that's not necessary," he protested when Xu turned around and slid her white undershirt off. A hand slithered behind her to undo the bra strap that was the last layer preventing an unrestricted view of the tattoo across her back. "Oh my," Cid breathed, his protests forgotten. He leaned in closer to take in the finer details. Xu kept her undershirt against her chest as she turned her head around to speak with her cousin. "So how am I supposed to see?" She teased. Kei batted the protest away. "I'll show you later." "You better not have cold fingers," Xu warned. "Whine whine whine," Kei touched the area between Xu's shoulder blades. "This is her name." "Yes, I remember the character," Cid admitted. Xu flushed slightly at the memory of why Cid would know it. When she first came to the Garden, she didn't know how to write her name in the standard language, so she signed her homework as she would back home. The Headmaster suggested exploring alternative spellings that were within the standard language character set. He had suggested 'Sue' since it sounded much like what she was saying and it wasn't so foreign. Kei suggested 'Xu' because it *did* reflect her foreign origins. Kei moved her fingers along the center of her back. "The reason we couldn't read the characters earlier, Xu, is because they are from an older form of the language. Pre-Lunar Cry times if the head elder is to be believed. They're supposedly close to the glyphs one would find at the Centra Ruins, though don't quote me on that. "These characters in the center indicates that Xu is a 'Spirit of Protection'. In my report I've explained at length what that means within the Anshin mythos. Needless to say, it's a calling of great responsibility." Kei's bland statement of how important such a declaration was caused Xu to look at her sharply. Her cousin acknowledged this with a shrug. "I don't expect the Headmaster to believe the way the Anshin do or to understand the significance within the culture." "What about you then? Are you a Spirit too? I bet you're the 'Spirit of Cynicism' if you are!" Xu barbed. Kei let out a bark of laughter. "According to them, I am a Spirit as well. The 'Spirit of Justice'," she pushed her thumb into her chest with an air of importance. Xu rolled her eyes. "That's all this world needs!" Xu shook her head. Cid watched them with a bemused expression before coughing discreetly to get them back on task. "Ah, yes, these eight characters ranged across the shoulder blades represent various elemental magics. The eight on the bottom are support magics. It took me a while to pressure the head elder into telling me why they'd put something like that on our backs. All he said was that it would add to our protection. I couldn't talk anyone into attacking me with magic to see if my resistance was increased. Maybe Xu will do the honors later." "Couldn't you have found a Jelleye? They use elemental magic," Xu pointed out. Jelleyes were the most common monster on the Serengetti plains. Almost more common than the tuffs of foliage that passed for plant-life in the desert. Kei put her hand up under her chin as she thought about it for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I was hit with magic when I beat down those Jelleyes. At the time I thought it was Alexander who was protecting me from suffering more than minor burns." "Alexander?" Cid immediately clued in on the unfamiliar name. "Yes, Alexander, he's a Guardian Force that is aligned with all that is Holy," she fished into her pouch and pulled out a milky white stone for the Headmaster to examine. He didn't remove it from her hand, but did nose in close to it. "The head elder gave him to me after they told me that I was the Spirit of Justice. He said that since I was aligned with Holy, I'd never have a high compatibility with Diablos. After touching Alexander for the first time, I knew that he was right." "Fascinating," Cid let the comment stand without further question, knowing that the full story would be in Kei's report. Now was the time for the highlights. He could call her back if he needed further elaboration. "Xu, there is a Guardian Force that you will bond with as well," Kei said softly. Xu had never seen her cousin refer to anything in such a near-affectionate manner. This relationship with Alexander was something more than a regular bonding. It was deeper. It was... "Carbuncle," Xu whispered. Cid leaned his head slightly to one side. "Carbuncle? Hum... Yes, there was a stone of Carbuncle's left in the training room some time ago in case a lesson required extra protection. Did you find it?" Xu nodded. "I found it. The first time I summoned Carbuncle, it was like the little green guy was my best friend. It got mad when I lent it to Myn..." Xu's voice trailed off as she considered what she was saying. She must sound like a madman to the Headmaster. "I'm sure I'll have more questions for the both of you after I've read Kei's report. Now, if you will kindly dress yourself, I have other things to which I must attend. Besides," Cid paused to pushed his glasses further up his nose, "it sounds as though you two have a lot to talk about." The SeeDs withdrew from the room after saluting him. Xu was quietly reflective as they walked to the Dormitory block. Kei almost ran into her when Xu stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "Is what you said true? About being a Spirit incarnate?" Kei shrugged her shoulders slightly. "It's what the elders believe to be true. But how often do the elders and I agree?" "Something tells me that you finally found your peace while you were there. You seem... different," Xu reflected. "I'm changed, just as you were changed. But isn't it the nature of human existence to be in a state of constant flux? Nothing remains the same forever." It was an argument Xu had used to encourage Quistis on many occasions in the past. She tugged at her tunic, straightening it before she continued walking. "Let's not discuss this now, hum?" Kei wordlessly followed Xu. She knew her cousin well enough to know when something had shaken her deeply. Despite what she said, Xu *did* believe in traditional values. To be told that she held a position of great importance within that structure would leave her somber for some time. Once Xu had mulled through her thoughts, Kei would be there to comfort her. ***** "I can't believe you're making me do this," Myn complained good-naturally before casting a protective spell on himself. "Bad enough that you do this to me as a hobby, but now you've been officially endorsed by SeeD to injure me?" "SeeD Xu said I needed the practice. How am I going to know that I'm doing stronger casts if I don't have someone tell me?" Nym reasoned. Charring a rock as a measure of her performance was making things too easy. Nym wanted her twin in on her practice and there was no way she would allow him to squirm out of it. And so, he stood out in the Quad and braced himself to be the target of her magical attacks. They had both completed the pre-requisites to the SeeD written exam, which was being administered in six weeks. Now was their chance to do any last minute polishing before they were put to the test. Myn felt confident in his skills. Unfortunately, his twin didn't share his sense of readiness. SeeD Xu had commented on a few occasions about her weak spell casting. Nym was determined to improve herself before it came time to be tested. "Fira!!" Nym called while channeling as much power behind her bead-cast spell as possible. It was the weaker of the two techniques taught. That's why Nym never put much effort into perfecting it. Myn was physically pushed back by the force of the spell, but could tell that it wasn't as strong as if he had cast it against her. His twin frowned slightly before preparing for another attempt. They went on like this for a solid half-hour before anyone with enough authority to stop them came by. It just so happened that it was SeeD Xu who paused to watch Nym practice. When the cadet stopped to allow her brother a chance to wipe the heat-induced sweat away from his forehead Xu stepped up to speak with them. "You look like you need a break from being a target, Myn," she sympathized. "Why don't you go get something cold to drink from the Cafeteria?" "I have to help Nym practice," he protested weakly. Truth be told, he was getting tired. It took a toll on the body to be hit with one spell after another. "I'll take your place," Xu volunteered. Nym began to shake her head in refusal, but Xu insisted. Myn was sent to the Cafeteria to retrieve drinks for the three of them. "Hit me with the most powerful spell you've got," Xu encouraged, bracing herself for the attack. Nym frowned slightly, then settled into her mantra. It was no use trying to talk their Instructor out of it, not when she was dead set on the idea. Carbuncle stirred in the back of Xu's mind. It could sense the gathering of magic and the intent for it to be used against her. The Guardian Force prepared itself to protect Xu from the attack that was about to be unleashed against her. 'No!' She ordered the presence in the back of her mind. Carbuncle recoiled, stunned by Xu's adamant refusal of assistance. It sulked, uncertain if she was angry because it had done something wrong. Xu wanted to tell the Guardian Force to leave her alone. She wasn't a host body for it to be carried around in, but her heart softened and she reassured it that it wasn't guilty of any wrongdoing. Nym's Fira spell crashed into Xu suddenly. She'd been so wrapped up in Carbuncle that she wasn't braced for the incoming attack. Xu fell hard to the cement. "Instructor!" Nym rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" Xu picked herself up from the ground, brushing off her uniform as she did so. "My pride is a bit scorched. Your casting has improved," she complimented with a small smile. What Xu didn't let show was the stunned surprised she felt at taking the attack full force with little damage resulting. She shouldn't be feeling this well after being set ablaze. Carbuncle made itself known again as it comforted her much as a pet would lick its master's hand. It was concerned for her. Did Carbuncle protect her? No, she had ordered it not to. Then what? The tattoos on her back as Kei had suggested? That couldn't be possible! Glyphs couldn't protect someone from the effects of magic... could they? "Instructor?" Xu's thoughts snapped back from her private wondering. Nym had a concerned look to her since Xu hadn't answered her question yet. Myn arrived then with their drinks. "I'm fine, Nym. I think you've put in enough practice for today. Go bandage your brother up and then get something to eat," she encouraged as she stood up. "I'll see you both tomorrow for our training session. Don't forget your GFs, Myn." "What just happened?" Myn asked with the three cups still cradled in his arms. "I don't know," Nym confessed. "Not even her uniform was scorched. How come they don't make ours out of that material?" Elsewhere in the Garden, Kei was searching for her cousin. She had yet to deliver the package from Xu's parents to their daughter. Xu wasn't in her quarters. Kei headed towards the Training Center next. It would have been easy enough to page for Xu, but that took the fun out of the hunt. Kei was so intent on finding Xu that she didn't notice the person outside of the training room until she nearly passed him. She paused and turned her head. Enju was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He looked as if he had been waiting there for her. "Welcome back," he remarked in a quiet if not idyllic voice. Kei said nothing, but continued to watch him. A curious tingle crept up her neck. Alexander whispered something in her mind, but she quickly shook it off. "Good trip?" he inquired. She nodded. A strange smirk appeared on Enju's face and he closed his eyes momentarily. The SeeD cadet then pushed away from the wall and started walking down the corridor away from Kei. Nothing more was said between them but Kei now knew something else about the 'reformed' assassin. "So," she murmured, scowling and not particularly liking what she had to say to herself. "You're a Spirit too." She resisted the urge to follow him, instead going on into the training room to look for Xu. Unfortunately, it appeared as though Xu found a place to disappear to today. Glancing at the chronometer, Kei noted that it was getting close to dinnertime. Maybe Xu had taken off early to get something to eat? Kei retraced her step out of the training wing to continue down the main corridor that ran around the Garden. The Cafeteria was two spokes away from her current location. She could swing by Xu's quarters once more on her way there to see if she had just missed her. When Kei tapped on the door to Xu's quarters it opened immediately. Xu was on her way out for dinner. "Do you have a moment?" Kei asked. Admittedly, what she wanted could wait until after dinner, but she wanted to carry out her 'duty' faithfully as she had promised. "What's up?" Xu brushed her hair back behind her ear. Her skin had a touch of pinkness to it that was the result of being magically burned. Kei set aside her curiosity about that for now. "I have something from your parents," she pulled the small cloth-wrapped package out from the nook of her arm. The cloth was held in place by a length of carefully tied twine. Xu accepted it with a puzzled expression on her face. She retreated back into her quarters to open it, inviting her cousin to follow. "Any idea what it is?" "No clue," she admitted. The twine was tied in such a matter that a knife was required to loosen it. It fell away, leaving the cloth wrapping to be undone. Xu undid the folds of cloth until she came to the item it contained. Her shaking hands held up a knife that would look quite ordinary in most any kitchen setting. That is to say if you were anyone except an Anshin. Xu swallowed the growing lump in her throat. What she held was commonly referred to as a Chef's Knife. The Anshin called it by its proper name: a Sacred Knife of the Tonberry. Xu's anxiety wasn't a result of her holding an artifact that the Anshin considered sacred. No, her fear was a direct result of recognizing the knife as being one she had used in battle when she was younger. Kei gently pushed her sheet white cousin down on the couch. There had to be a story behind Xu's parents giving her a Sacred Knife. Hell, she would like to hear how Xu parents even got one in the first place. Tonberries weren't known for handing them out to anyone who just happened to ask. Xu spoke slowly, reflectively, as the bafflement was evident in her dumbfounded expression. "I... recognize this knife, but..." her voice trailed off. Kei put an arm around her cousin's shoulder. Poor Xu. She'd been thrown through many loops lately and it looked like the joy ride wasn't nearly over. Kei wanted to be angry. Angry at *them* for causing Xu to have doubts, to feel so disheveled right now. But she couldn't, that part of her had been refined into a definite purpose. Just as Xu's purpose would soon come into focus. "Tell me about it?" Kei encouraged, trying to help her vocalize the thoughts that must be running rampant through her mind right now. "I never told you this before because I didn't think it happened this way," she explained in a whisper. "During my first coming of age I was attacked by the Jelleyes. I fought them off the best I could, but I lost my knife after sinking it into one of them. A Jelleye came from behind and wrapped me up in itself, suffocating me. Then I saw a glimmer on the ground that I thought was my knife. I squirmed my way free of the Jelleye and grabbed for the knife. They fell easily once I was armed again. "The days that followed are still a nightmarish blur. I remember the stream I laid by. I don't recall ever preparing food for myself, but I do remember eating. I hurt so much. In all my training for SeeD and the Weapons Guild I don't think I've ever been in as much physical pain as I was after that Jelleye attack. "Three days passed, I gathered my strength and dragged my sorry hide back home. That's also a blurred memory. From what I recall, I didn't stop to greet the gate watchman. I went straight home and fell onto my bed. I didn't even pause to take my shoes off at the door. I know that I was ill for a week after returning. It was a nasty fever that Mother still maintains was one of my worst." Xu paused in her story to examine the knife carefully. The grip had some dried blood on it. "I tried to clean the knife in the stream, but I couldn't get all the blood off," she explained. "I'd never held a knife before that day. I didn't realize that the knife I returned with wasn't the one I left home carrying. "I've wondered at times how I survived the attack. Jelleyes, while not exactly powerful, are more so than what I was then. It makes sense now. I survived because I used a Sacred Knife." Kei frowned slightly. Not all of the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together by her reasoning. "But how did you get it in the first place? It's not likely that a Tonberry would drop its Knife." Xu agreed, "A Tonberry wouldn't drop its Knife. Maybe it left it there for me? They do know more than we do. It makes sense in a way. I know that I didn't look for food during the time I was at the stream, but I did eat..." "You think a Tonberry kept watch over you?" Surprise colored Kei's tone. It wasn't unheard of (legends had to be based off of something) just very unlikely. Xu hung her head slightly, turning her gaze away from Kei to study the Knife. "I'm almost certain of it," she admitted quietly. "The elders must be right about you then. You are a Spirit of Protection. Tonberries wouldn't waste their time on a meaningless girl after all," Kei reasoned. "Speaking of the elders, I wonder if they know about this? I can't see them being happy about anyone, including a Spirit, using a Sacred Knife to kill monsters." "If they knew, things would have turned out differently for me," Xu stated. "I never told anyone except you that I was attacked. My parents surely know that *something* happened for me to come back with a Sacred Knife, but never confronted me about it. If they told the elders about the Knife, they would have been all over me." "This is true," Kei allowed. They wouldn't have sat on such knowledge one way or the other if they were in possession of it. Xu wearily leaned back into the couch. "I'm sorry, Kei, I'm feeling drained right now. Could we talk about this more tomorrow?" Kei nodded, knowing that Xu would stay up until the early morning hours thinking. "Get something to eat," she advised before standing up. "If you want to talk, you know where I am." Xu waved her thanks, then stretched out across the couch. She closed her eyes and focused on freeing her mind of its cluttered state. A small stone materialized in her hand. Strong fingers massaged it as she slipped further and further away from the immediate reality. A small creature was waiting for her when she entered the private work area of her Puzzle Stone. Carbuncle fluffed its tail at her then scurried over and demanded to be picked up. Xu took the Guardian Force into her arms and carried it over to the workbench, where she set it down. With large, dark round eyes it blinked at her cutely then bent over. Xu backed away from the bench as the creature grew in size and changed shape. "What the-?" The immediate question of how Carbuncle got into her work area was shoved aside in lieu of wondering what it was doing. It's a good thing that Xu was careful to keep her space clean so there was nothing to be knocked to the floor as Carbuncle continued to get bigger. Once it stopped growing, Carbuncle unfolded itself to reveal that it had changed into a shape that more resembled a human's. The hair on its head was a green tuff with short, emerald green fur covering its entire body. Its face was closer to a human's, but still had a muzzle in place of a human mouth and nose. "Berf!" It greeted happily. "Berf?" Xu asked. "Beeerf?" Carbuncle idly scratched an itch on its side with its hind foot while thinking about it. "Beeerftr? Beettr? Beettter?" "Better?" Xu volunteered. "Better!" It agreed with its muzzle twisting into an impish grin. "Speak hard," it explained. "Shuu no mad at 'Bunkl?" "What?" This couldn't be happening! Kei told her about her talk with Alexander, but she never expected to be speaking with a humanoid Carbuncle. "Shuu protek! 'Bunkl protek! Shuu 'Bunkl friend, no?" It blinked its large expressive eyes at her. "Well..." Xu began slowly, unsure as to what exactly Carbuncle was driving at. "'Bunkl no protek Shuu. Shuu no mad at 'Bunkl?" It pled again. "If you mean from earlier, I didn't want to be protected, so I'm not mad that you didn't," she assured. This seemed to be the answer Carbuncle was hoping for. It happily thumped its tail on the workbench. "Why are you here? Why did you choose me?" She pulled a stool out from under the lip of the bench then carefully sat herself out of tail whacking range. "Shuu 'Bunkl same," it squeaked gleefully, and then became serious as it peered down at her from its perch on the table. "Long time 'Bunkl 'lone. Shuu same. Spirit of Protek, 'Bunkl is. Shuu same. Shuu nice person. 'Bunkl make new friend!" That statement was punctuated with another enthusiastic tail thwap. "You certainly have a way with words," Xu drawled playfully. It was hard to be moody when Carbuncle was so happy. The creature surprised Xu by leaning over and hugging her. Xu returned the embrace hesitantly at first, and then more firmly when Carbuncle refused to let her go without putting some effort into it. "Speak hard, 'Bunkl change," it put words into actions as it curled up on the table once more and shrunk back down in size. The Carbuncle form she was familiar with walked up to the edge of the table and leaned against her, projecting warmth and affection for her. Xu petted the tuff of fur on the top of its head. Xu spent more time in her work area than she intended when she finally brought herself out of her meditations. She hadn't solved any puzzles, or even work on them. Instead she spent the time getting to know Carbuncle and more about herself. ***** The next morning Xu felt utterly drained from her late night soul-searching session. This wasn't going to do, especially since she had to go to Balamb and pick up some items she'd ordered for the training room earlier in the week. Maybe she could find someone to run to Balamb for her? Then she could rest during the lunch break instead of going to town. The perfect candidate for the job presented himself shortly after breakfast. "You want me to go to Balamb?" Enju asked from his leaning spot against a nearby wall. Xu had noticed that odd quirk of his. He always kept a wall to his back if at all possible. "I'll release you from this afternoon's training session if you go on this errand for me. Here," she pulled out a slip of paper, "take this to the Parking Garage and they'll issue you a vehicle. There should be four boxes to be picked up that have all ready been paid for." "Alright," Enju agreed since she seemed set upon sending him. "I'll go get your stuff for you. Who am I to argue with a sanctioned road trip?" He pushed off the wall after stuffing the requisition form into a shirt pocket. If Xu was going to be so accommodating by giving him a vehicle to use, he was going to enjoy it. Now, where was Quistis? Today also happened to be her free afternoon. They could go joyriding to Balamb together. The way he looked at it, she was well deserving of a road trip herself. "No thanks," Quistis returned to flipping through the book she was reading when Enju finally found her in the Library. 'I want to spend this afternoon studying monsters' indeed! He huffed, then decided upon a tactic that was more likely to work with her. "Mistress Xu was the one who asked me to go. She said there were four boxes, which sounds like an awful lot of stuff to me. I could really use some help with it." Quistis paused in her page turning to consider it. "Take Myn with you, he's stronger," she resumed studying her book. Enju refrained from making an exasperated face, lest the cry of 'Augh!' be heard from his mouth. No matter, he had an answer for that one. "Both Myn and Nym are training with Mistress Xu this afternoon. You're the only other person I can ask." Another pause. "Hum, I'd forgotten about that. Okay, meet me here after your classes and we'll go." Success! Enju bowed slightly to the lady then left feeling quite pleased with himself. After classes Enju and Quistis went to the Parking Garage to get a vehicle. The guard charged with issuing them was hesitant to hand the keys over to Enju. He took the requisition sheet and then called Instructor Xu to confirm that she'd actually given it to that rascal. Xu confirmed that she had and asked him to quickly send Enju on his way. The guard shook his head at the state of the Garden nowadays and gave the keys to a beat up truck to Enju. Enju simply gave the guard a sincere smile and waved as he climbed into the cab. "I have got to do this more often," he stated. Quistis wasn't sure she shared in his exuberance; already she was starting to regret going with the likes of him. At least Balamb didn't offer him that much free space to roam; if this were Galbadia they'd probably return a week later from sightseeing. The truck itself was, by no means, the best vehicle Garden had, but it was gassed up and good enough to get them to Balamb and back. Enju coaxed the truck into moving without grinding the gears too much. This piece of crap truck didn't seem capable of being put into gear without grinding them some. He drove them out half a kilometer before pulling over to the side of the road. A quick check in both directions ensured they were the only ones around. Suddenly a conspiring grin appeared on his face. "You drive," he said before popping the door open. He was pulling the door open on Quistis' side before she even moved. She had to scoot over to the driver's side of the cab since he was coming in regardless. "I don't know how," she protested weakly. He just smiled at her, his eyebrows moving up and down in devilish glee. She already knew his answer. Now was the time for her to learn. She'd learned how to drive an automatic, but hadn't tried her luck with a stick shift yet. Enju briefly explained what to do. When she tried following his instructions she promptly killed the engine. It took several attempts, but she did manage to get her co-ordination to the 'bunny-hop' stage. "You've got the hang of it now," Enju encouraged, reclining in his seat as he placed his feet on the dashboard. "Let's get to Balamb before the shop closes for the night. I trust you know the way?" His eyes closed. "Wake me when we get there, will ya?" "Don't you dare fall asleep while I'm doing this!" Quistis stated firmly. Enju's eyes opened back up. "Just kidding," he sighed. Quistis eased the truck forward as she worked her ways up the gears. She was feeling pretty good about herself when the road turned sharply to the right and she did not. Quistis panicked and slammed on the breaks. "Don't slow down!" Enju exclaimed, trying not to get bumped out of his seat. "Not into the-" he voice dropped off as exactly what he was trying avoid happened, "mud." With an optimistic sound, the motor continued to hum. Enju's window was already rolled down. He stuck his upper torso outside to get a good appraisal of the situation and winced at what he saw. "Oh shit," he muttered to himself, before flashing the alarmed Quistis a half-hearted smile. It didn't seem to be convincing her. But this really wasn't her fault. A storm came through last night and turned the already soft earth of the Alcauld Plains into a thick mud. Screeching to a halt while driving on it was the worst thing Quistis could have done. "Okay, I want you to let the clutch out *slowly* without giving it any fuel. The truck is going to start moving on its own since there is already some fuel coming through to make it idle," he coached. Quistis gulped and tried to ease the clutch as he instructed, but only succeeded in bunny-hopping it again, thus making the problem worse. "Go ahead and shut it off. Let me see if there's something in the bed that we can use under the tires." He was disappointed, but not surprised when he didn't find anything he could use to get them out of this mess. He bent down to see how far the tires were sunk in. It didn't look *that* bad. Maybe he could give it a bit of a push and free them? It seemed like a good idea at the time, Enju reflected. He should have known better. The mud was slick and caused him to fall when his footing slid out from under him. Quistis, who had been faithfully sitting in the driver's seat, straightened up as she heard a large 'splork!' sound, followed by Enju's footsteps shuffling up to her side of the truck. When she looked out the window, she screamed as she was presented with what looked like a mud monster. "You don't have to scream right in my ear!" the mud creature groaned. Enju wiped some of the mud off his face, flicking his wrist with great distaste. "That's gonna stain." Now the truck was stuck *and* he was caked with mud. This was not going to be one of his better days. "Looks like we'll be walking the rest of the way," he arched his back then shrugged with resignation. Sometimes it was better to admit defeat and move on to the recovery stage. Not a single monster attacked them as they walked to Balamb. This could have been for a variety of reasons. The storm cloud that was forming over Enju's head at being humiliated in front of Quistis was enough to discourage anything from approaching. Or it could have been that the mud covering Enju's usually meticulously clean uniform acted as a camouflage of sorts. Perhaps life decided that it had made Enju's day difficult enough and decided to cut him some slack. Whatever it was, it made for a pleasant walk into town. The kid working in the garage pointed them to his boss. The grizzly old man pulled his tow truck around and told them to hop in. Enju's humiliation was growing with each passing moment. He'd have to pay for digging them out with his personal funds or have to answer to SeeD (and especially Xu) about the fee charged to the Garden. Luckily for him, his days as Death's Angel had made for quite the nest egg. It was ruthlessly pragmatic, but assassinations made a lot of money -- though the field was a particularly brutal one to be involved with. Not that he was thrilled with having to fork over the gil in the first place. At least Quistis didn't ask him how he financed the towing. With the right equipment and a few well-placed boards the Garden's truck was out of the mud and onto the pavement once again. Enju signed the paperwork he was presented with. At least the fee wasn't too unreasonable. It wasn't until they were on the outskirts of Balamb that Enju noticed what time it was. "Shit! The shop might be closed!" He sped down the streets to come to a sudden halt in front of the General Store. A group of children that had been playing nearby stopped to stare at the cadets as they rushed to the door. It was too late, the door was locked. "Nooooo," Enju lamented. Failing a relatively simple task wasn't going to win him any points with Xu, especially since he was trying to get on her good side. Quistis cupped her hands against her face as she peered through the storefront window to see if anyone was inside. She then waved at someone to get them to come to the door. A middle aged woman unlocked the door and poked her head out. "I'm sorry, we're closed for the night," she apologized. "Please, we're here from the Garden to pick up Mistress Xu's stuff," Enju tried to keep the pleading tone out of his voice, but his desperation was very real. "Hum, yes," the woman considered their case. She looked Enju over in his muddy uniform, then glanced over at the muddy truck. She shook her head and motioned for Quistis to follow her. "You seem to be the only responsible one here," she confided to the young woman. Enju kept his mouth shut as he followed both of them into the shop. 'They're just lucky I didn't bring a sword with me,' he thought to himself, stroking whatever was left of his tattered ego. "These are it," the woman pointed to a stack of four very large and undoubtedly heavy boxes. "It was a good idea for you to bring him along to carry them for you." Quistis giggled as Enju scowled and pretended (poorly) that the jab had no effect on his pride. He wordlessly hefted up the first box and carried it out to the truck. Whatever the hell Xu ordered, it wasn't light. By the final box he was panting as he pushed it up onto the bed. Quistis took over at that point by securing them with a rope. She thanked the woman for letting them get the packages and they were on their way. When they pulled into the Parking Garage Xu was waiting for them with her arms crossed and an impatient scowl on her face. "What took you so long?" She demanded of Enju. Enju raised his hands to try and placate her. "I know this looks bad," he admitted, "but I can explain." He then looked down at his soiled uniform, and back at the equally soiled truck. "On second thought, no, I can't," he sighed. Xu's frown only deepened. "After you've unloaded the boxes I want you to change into some work clothes and report back here to clean the truck. Quistis," the girl snapped to attention, "you help him. Once the truck is washed you may shower and get something to eat. I expect both of you in my office first thing in the morning to tell me what the hell you were up to all afternoon." Xu pinned them both back with a glare and then left them to go about their assigned tasks. Enju sighed and hung his head with shame. "I'm really sorry about getting you in trouble, Quistis. Next time I'll drive... if you even want to come along. I really shouldn't have brought you in the first place." 'If there even is a next time after Xu finishes with me,' he reflected silently. She was definitely like Kei when it came down to discipline. If she felt the circumstances warranted, she'd shove her boot so far up your ass that you'd be left with a footprint on the back of your tongue for a month. Quistis shook her head. "No, we're not in trouble. Xu was worried about us and that made her angry. We're not being punished. We would have been expected to clean the truck regardless." Two burly cadets came up to them. "'Structor Xu said you have some things of hers?" The bigger of the two asked. Enju pointed to the truck and the boxes in the back. He was glad that he didn't have to move them to the cart by himself. Getting them to the truck in the first place was more than enough exercise for today. "Any idea what's in these things?" He asked one of them. "Equipment for the training room. Some new free weights, a set of wall pull-up bars, I think there was a medicine ball in there too," he commented absently. Enju sighed, 'In other words, the heaviest damn stuff she could order.' Washing the truck was more enjoyable than he admitted. Quistis took the bait when he 'accidentally' sprayed her with water. It would have turned into a water fight if it weren't for the guard scowling at them from across the way. Enju kept his hands to himself as he scrubbed down the truck. A beautiful girl and water wasn't an opportunity that should be wasted. What a shame... It was just after the usual dinner rush that the two finished. A bedraggled Enju walked into his dorm room, soaked, tired, and his uniform still stained with mud. Despite the washing reprieve it had not been a good day, especially given what he had to face tomorrow with Xu. He turned and stared straight at Myn with a deadpan look. "So," Myn remarked, unable to stop from grinning. "How was the road trip with Quistis?" "Shut up." Xu didn't waste any time in ripping them apart the next morning. There was no doubt that she was still angry about yesterday and fully intended for them to know it. Quistis didn't so much as blink as Xu listed each and every regulation their little jaunt violated. It wouldn't surprise him if Quistis were reciting the regulations along in her mind as Xu read them from a clipboard. "In short, if you two ever pull a stunt like that again I'll have both your asses, understand?" Xu growled. "Yes, sir!" Quistis snapped a perfect salute. He envied her easy acceptance of being busted. Her neutral expression could have been used to acknowledge the busting or if Xu had just congratulated them on a job well done. He was used to this, but it had been a long while since he'd been berated by Niethe or Talasu. This was not bringing back any fond memories for him. Xu's cool gaze bore into him as she waited for his acknowledgement. "Yes, sir," he saluted, but without Quistis' crispness. "Very well, dismissed," she waved them out of her office. Enju didn't release his breath until they had entered the training area proper. "I thought you said she wasn't mad?" He'd faced worse reprimands in the past, but Xu had a way for making someone know that she was angry without raising her voice. How her usually accented speech mysteriously became clear as a bell was unnerving to say the least. He idly wondered if Quistis even noticed the difference. Or, for that matter, did Xu? Her enunciation improved dramatically when she wanted to make what she had to say abundantly clear. Now probably wasn't the time to point that out to her. "Xu only gets mad when it's justified," Quistis defended. "We screwed up and she called us on it." Enju was oddly pleased that she used 'we' versus 'you'. Trouble loved company and he seemed to have a knack for attracting it. Quistis looked at her chronometer, noting that there was still enough time left to get something from the Cafeteria before classes started for the day. "See you later," she waved to him as she went on her way. It was such a sharp contrast, the Quistis walking away from him compared to the one he first met. This one was unusually confident in herself. Perhaps an experience like this was needed to pry her out of her shell? Or maybe having her old friend back was doing more for her self-esteem than any of them realized. The familiar was a comfortable thing and provided a solid base for building upon. Funny how his version of 'familiar' always came back to the sharp edge of steel and bodies littered in his wake. Enju played with that idea as he meandered towards the Cafeteria. Then another familiar event occurred. Kei stepped out in front of him in the hallway. He paused with his back leaned up against the wall to let her pass. She used that tendency of his to pin him against the wall. "You're a Spirit too," Kei said softly in a tone that invited no argument. "You've felt the pull, but haven't been able to understand what it means." "Oh, not this again." The fact was, he knew exactly where she was going with this. She'd tracked him down yesterday to tell him all about how he was a 'Spirit' or something like that. It had to do with some bizarre beliefs from her homeland. He wasn't Anshin. He didn't get it. He really didn't care to. But in Kei's eyes, it certainly explained why he was so unfocused and almost contradictory to himself as times such as these. He was only just starting to understand his destiny, and thusly only just starting to discover who he really was. Enju wasn't in the mood for revelation or introspection. This morning left him feeling unsettled. There was no reason for Mistress Xu to have intimidated him as much as she had during the last two days. She had nothing over him... Or did she? The uneasiness he felt could be written off as some association to Xu that he didn't know about if Kei were to be believed. But then again that was absurd. "All your fumbling around up to this point as led you here; to the Garden. This is where those who will lead the future have gathered to train. Keep that foremost in your mind and stop distracting Quistis. She's too important to be caught up in your foolishness." That irritated him. He only wanted to show the young lady a good time. Getting the crap beaten out of her in the name of training by a pair of psychopath Anshin didn't strike him as very educational. He gave himself a mental shake. He didn't have time for her bull today, not if he wanted to catch up with Quistis for breakfast. Enju abruptly smirked. He'd have a bit of fun before brushing her off. "Really? Forgive me for not thanking you for such a revelation, Kei." "You don't believe me?" He shook his head. It had come to his attention that she was watching him with increased intensity after she returned to the Garden. Whatever nonsense got pounded into her head while she was away needed to be knocked back out again. Spirit of Justice? Spirit of Protection? Ha! Spirit of the Balamb fish! She could take her philosophical crap and shove it for all he cared. The fact that she insisted on incorporating him into her world views irked him. He wanted nothing to do with it and would continue to do everything within his power to resist. "You make it all sound so neat and tidy," he sneered, "a wonderful little package of life all wrapped up for me. Well, I don't believe in destiny. I despise the idea of someone or something having already determined my course in life. Talasu said something along the same lines a long time ago, and that was one of the reasons I left the Guild: to prove I could forge my own destiny, apart from anyone else's. I don't bow to prophesy." "I was like you," Kei admitted softly. "I'd have nothing to do with it, but you can't deny what you are. You can't deny that you're a Spirit." "Whatever," he waved it off. He slipped past her to continue on his way before turning to get in a parting shot. "I think I like your cousin better. She's as much of a hard ass, but at least she's sane!" Kei closed the distance between them and yanked him around to continue their conversation. "Do you honestly believe that you have control of your own future? Look around you. Take a good hard look! You're in a Garden training to be a SeeD. Your 'destiny' is in the hands of Cid Kramer. You have no say in the matter!" He pulled his arm free. "Fuck you, Kei. I'm the only one in control. You more than anyone else know what I'm capable of." She grabbed a handful of his uniform tunic and tossed him around. He slammed against the nearby wall before sliding down it. That had managed to get a rise out of her, he ruefully thought as he rubbed the back of his head and glared at her. With a smirk she bent down to sneer at him. "Even gravity has its way with you. Accept those forces which you cannot control and learn to work with them." Enju stood, his eyes narrowing. "Is that a challenge?" "It's a statement of fact." "Well if you're a Spirit of Justice," he remarked, taking a fighting stance. "Let's see just how powerful you really are." Kei cracked her knuckles. She hadn't planned on this being so difficult, but didn't mind the chance to take a few swings at him. They were both unarmed, leveling the playing field that much more. 'This'll be interesting,' Kei thought with a sharkish grin. Enju could feel a familiar presence stir during the heat of conflict. It growled and wanted out. But not here, it was too cramped in the corridors. The voice told him to run. "Since when did you wake up without being summoned first," he muttered to himself. He wasn't a coward, but it wasn't a bad idea. The hallway wasn't the best place to be duking it out. When he was at this much of a disadvantage it was best to find another forum to battle in. Where to go? Came a helpful suggestion: 'Training Center....' "You always did have a flair with choosing your fights," he said quietly, nodding in agreement with the idea. The Training Center wasn't far from here. Once in the Training Center he could hide in the foliage until Kei gave up on trying to find him. The only concern was with the Center's local residents. 'I'll discourage them....' That was something Enju didn't doubt. It was the best plan for both escape and/or confrontation. The oddity of having a conversation like this didn't register with him, not when there were more immediate concerns. "Are you ready for me, Kei?" he inquired. Kei gestured with her hand for him to come forward and try his ill-fated luck. Enju just chuckled in response, his body tensing up. "But first, a magic trick. Now you see me." Suddenly he turned and raced down the corridor, kicking off the walls as he reached an intersection and dove into an adjunct corridor. Of all the moves he could have made, that was the one Kei hadn't expected him to do. "And now you don't!" laughed Enju's echoes. "Enjoy the hunt, Kei!" Like a rabid dog she was on his heels nipping at him. The first set of security gates to the Training Center slid open as he paused long enough to slip between them. Kei had just passed through them by the time he was down the long entrance hall and passing the second set of gates that separated humans and monsters. Which way should he go? He felt a nudge to go through the west gates towards the off limits overlook. Not a single monster approached him as he continued running. He was through the west gates with Kei still in hot pursuit. Skills honed by years of experience allowed him to easily leap up and catch a hold of a low hanging tree branch. He scaled up the tree to hide amongst the thicker cover. People so rarely looked up when searching for something. "Best seats in the house," he remarked quietly. He watched as Kei came through the gate. She gave the immediate area a cursory glance. Caution took over and she carefully looked around for him while being on guard for monsters. It was a dangerous game they played by being in here without weapons. He half hoped that fact alone would be enough to encourage Kei to look for him somewhere else. Apparently she wouldn't be dissuaded that easily. Enju was so wrapped up in hiding that he didn't see the T-Rexaur come down on Kei until it had engaged her. She managed to avoid its tail swing, but it was difficult to escape from a T-Rexaur, especially when alone. Challenging it was her only recourse. "DIE!" She ordered, summoning the icy Guardian Force Shiva. It would take more than one summoning of Shiva to defeat a T-Rexaur. Even a young one like this could take a beating and keep on feeding. 'Your choice,' the voice growled. 'Fight or flee.' He already knew the voice's preferred option, given how darkly it spat out the latter option. This was the first time it had ever reacted so strongly outside of their first encounter. Enju looked back at the SeeD. Kei would be busy for a while fighting the T-Rexaur by herself, but he couldn't very well leave her. The chances of the T-Rexaur winning were too great. He climbed down the branches until he was low enough that it was safe to jump. Once he was on the ground, he turned back towards the tree he'd just been hiding in. "You did well to guard me. I won't forget your sacrifice," he saluted the tree, then began his summons. Quezelcoatl answered, spreading its wings wide before attacking the target he indicated. A bolt of lightening streaked down from above to split the tree. The tree's thick trunk gave it the weight necessary to accomplish his end of crushing the T-Rexaur. Kei's eyes went wide at the sudden flash above her. The monster also noticed this sudden change of events. It tried to backpedal out of the way of the falling timber, but it was in vain. The tree came down on the monster with a sickening thud. It roared with pain and thrashed about, tail thumping against the ground. In the end, it didn't matter. Enju strolled over the smoking base of the trunk, his eyes fixated solely on Kei. "I'll have no interruptions during our duel," he stated coldly, gesturing for Kei to make the next move. The thought of thanking him never even crossed her mind. She charged and tried to throw a Fire spell at him while on the move, but had little success. Enju was racing off again down the path, easily dodging almost everything she could hurl at him. "C'mon, Kei, stop wasting my time!" He taunted. "I'll show you a waste of time," she growled angrily while scooping up a rock from the ground. What she lacked for concentration when it came to casting spells she made up for in throwing on the run. The rock pegged him in the middle of the back. Enju stumbled, then tripped as his feet became tangled in the underbrush. There was barely enough time for him to register what the hell had happened before Kei tackled him and began punching on his vulnerable side. He let out a shout of growing anger and pain as he tried to get away from her. A Grat saved him when it knocked Kei aside with a hit from one of its limbs. She leapt to her feet and proceeded to destroy the interfering Grat with another pounding delivered by Shiva. He rolled away into the brush, moving deeper into the Center. Without his weapons, he was at a sore disadvantage even when armed with his stealth. Kei was proving both relentless and damn near unstoppable. He needed to either shake her off or beat her down. The latter option was becoming more and more appealing with each passing minute. 'Stop stalling. Unleash me...' "Give me a minute," he hissed through his pants for air. His eyes were growing glazed, the instinct to shed blood returning in a dizzying rush. A buzzer sounded in Xu's office. She acknowledged the incoming call and put it up on her screen. A hooded Shumi ducked briefly before speaking. "There is a disturbance in the Training Center. Please come immediately." When Xu arrived there were several Shumi milling about in the hallway leading to the Center proper. The one that had called her motioned for her to join it. "The monsters are restless. Everyone except SeeD Kei and Mister Enju vacated the Center when a general announcement was made to come back." "Have you began pinning up the monsters?" She asked. This Shumi had taken more initiative than most would have in such a situation. They usually got the emergency under control then left the rest to their human counterparts. Then again, they didn't know where Kei and Enju were, or what caused the emergency in the first place. "May we accompany you?" Myn held up his weapon with a roguish grin. "Nym and I were training when we were ordered to leave. If you're going to investigate, you should have backup." Xu agreed, "Let's go." She wasn't sure which path to go down first, the west gate or the north gate. Carbuncle pushed her to try the west gate. It was as good of reason as any to choose that direction. Once they were through the gate she could see why Carbuncle encouraged them to go this way. At least one large tree was down with a T-Rexaur crushed beneath it. It wasn't an encouraged method for eliminating monsters, but it certainly worked in this case. There was significant damage to the surrounding plant-life. As they moved in further the monster body count continued to rise. Whoever came this way cut a disturbingly wide swath of destruction. "Where are the monsters?" Nym wondered aloud as she kept a look out. "They're smart enough to know when something bigger than them is around and out for blood," Myn answered. A loud explosion came from up ahead. Xu broke into a run with Nym and Myn a half step behind her. The source of the destruction wasn't far. Kei had caught up with Enju on the make-out point overlooking the Garden, but this time he had been waiting for her instead of running. Despite the wounds she'd given him, he was still on his two feet, and remained ignorant of the blood trickling down his face and one arm. "Ha!" Kei crowed. "I've got you cornered. It's one hell of a drop off the lookout point!" There was no way she'd let Enju get away now. The secret meeting place of those who wished to explore their relations with other would be the location of the greatest beat down in Garden history if Kei had her way. "Give it up, Enju," she ordered. Enju abruptly broke into one of the most sadistic grins Kei had ever seen him use. He looked every part the feared killer he had once been reputed as. "You've had your fun, Kei," he stated, stretching out his hands. Kei was immediately on the defensive as she felt him gathering power. Whether or not he realized it, he was summoning his Spirit powers. Enju laughed momentarily. "Spirit. Cadet. Assassin. Right now, I don't care what the hell I'm supposed to be." His eyes widened in unbridled fury. "I just want to kick your ass!!" he shouted. Kei stepped back as the Guardian Force Diablos exploded from a black cloud of dark energy that formed above Enju's body. Given the strength Diablos had, it was obvious those two were perfectly aligned. She'd never seen Diablos behave this way with anyone before. "Permit me to introduce to you a close friend of mine," he snarled, still working on drawing out as much energy from himself as he could. If there was ever a human expression to match the snarl on Diablos' face, Enju was mirroring it. Kei only smirked as she called upon the power of Alexander to defeat the demon. "What the hell?!" Xu exclaimed as she came rushing up to the outskirts of the battle. "They look really pissed off," Myn said, lowering his weapon in horrified awe of the two GFs raging inside the Training Center. Nym wasn't paying attention to the dramatics. "They're going to kill each other," she yelled to Xu over the howling winds. "And us with them!" Xu took out her GF stone. "Carbuncle!" 'Please be in time,' she begged. 'Protect them from each other, and us from them!' With three Guardian Forces now being summoned, Myn and Nym knew better and ducked for cover behind a rock outcropping. The world around them flashed between dark and bright as the Guardian Forces clashed. The last color seen was red as Carbuncle was too slow in answering its summons. The battle was already over. ***** Enju's eyes fluttered open and were presented with the faces of Myn, Nym and Quistis all looking down at him. "Am I dead?" he managed to croak out. Quistis shook her head, just relieved that he was okay. "Guess not," Enju sighed. "Did I win?" "At the risk of shattering your fragile ego," Myn said. "You got your ass kicked across the five continents and back." Enju sighed and tried to sit up. It was then that he discovered that moving really wasn't one of his better decisions as of late. His vision swam until he lay back down again. He was fairly certain that he was in the Infirmary. There was no mistaking the antiseptic smell of a medical office. "How's Kei?" Quistis leaned forward with her arms across her chest. "Recovering well. You got your licks in, but they're minor compared to what you took. She's been confined to quarters until further notice. As you've been confined to the Infirmary." Enju groaned on the inside. Well, it wasn't unexpected. Not that he could go anywhere right now as it was. His head hurt so damn much. Couldn't Doctor Kadowaki give him something to get rid of this headache? "How pissed is Xu?" Quistis brushed back a few strands of hair from his forehead. "Let's not discuss that right now." "Because Xu isn't the one you need to worry about. The Headmaster is furious," Myn added darkly. Nym gave him a solid poke in the side to keep him from making further comments that might upset Enju. "Shit," he muttered. The Headmaster promised that there would only be trouble if he caused it and he'd certainly done that. Damn Kei! Why wouldn't she leave him alone? If she'd just picked up on the hint that he didn't give a flying fuck in the first place, he wouldn't be in this mess. While the cadets comforted their classmate, one SeeD visited another. Xu sat on the edge of the bed Kei was stretched out on and simply watched her cousin. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Kei could *feel* the disapproval radiating from her. All right, Kei was ready to admit that she was wrong, but having Xu sitting there not saying anything made her feel even worse. Stupid Enju! If he'd only believed her and accepted the truth for what it was in the first place, she wouldn't be in this mess. ***** Cid leaned back in his leather office chair and closed his eyes as he thought. "What should I do with them?" It was a rhetorical question, so Xu didn't offer any suggestions from her position seated across him. She would rather not be involved with this part of the disciplinary process, but since the transgression had occurred in her Training Center she had to be. How they caused as much damage as they did still baffled her. Crews were working to remove the bodies of one smallish T-Rexaur and nine Grats in addition to three fallen trees and tens of thousands of gil worth of damage to the building's structure itself. Two people bent on the destruction of the Garden itself couldn't have done a better job of damaging it than they did. The cost of damages was a relatively minor point when the larger issue of breach of disciple was added into the equation. It simply wouldn't do to have a SeeD attempting to kill a cadet or vise versa. This was not the image SeeD wanted to project to the world. It was *very* unprofessional of them, never mind being dangerous and flat out stupid. What if one of them had succeeded? They weren't being very careful in how they accomplished their ends. What if a Life spell wasn't able to revive the fallen person? Damn fools! "What started this, Xu? I've read both of their statements and don't understand what Kei was so worked up over," he tossed the printouts back onto his desk after flipping through them once more. "Anything I suggest is purely speculation, of course," she began slowly. She'd read the reports herself and understood more than she wanted to. Why did Kei insist on dragging out the heritage that she'd abandoned years ago and slapping Enju around with it? Enju didn't understand it any more than Cid did, but Kei was bent on making him conform. Such an about face was out of character for her stubborn cousin. Did Alexander really have that much of an affect on her? Or did she grow that much in a few short weeks..? He nodded, "Of course, please continue." "As I understand it, Kei and Enju have had an ongoing rivalry. I'm not sure exactly what started it. I thought they'd come to a tacit agreement to avoid each other. "Kei was changed by her trip to Centra, as was I," she paused. How could she explain this to him in a way that didn't sound silly or undermined the significance of the experience? Cid met her eyes. He wanted to understand this event that was so foreign to him but significant to her. "Spirits are important. They're the ones who guide us from this plane of existence to the Path of Life. They're like our Guardians. Usually they don't interfere with our day-to-day lives, but when they do you can be certain that there's a very good reason. To have Spirits incarnate themselves as humans is even more rare. The Anshin view it as an omen of difficult times to come," she stopped. Cid's expression hadn't changed from polite neutrality during her explanation. She couldn't tell if it was because he accepted this or was privately mocking the idea. He rocked back in his chair, "So who is the Spirit incarnate?" He asked plainly. The tone in his voice wasn't challenging, simply inquiring as to what she believed to be true. "I am, sir." He continued his rocking. "And are Kei and Enju?" "Kei believes that she is. I'm unsure about Enju, but Kei is convinced." Cid grunted and then stopped fidgeting. "How dependent is magic on believing yourself capable of it?" Xu blinked at the sudden change of topics. The answer was one that he'd drilled into all his students. "Very, you can't do it if you don't have faith in your ability." "Allow me to make a few skips in logic then. You and Kei *believe* that you are capable of greater 'magics' and thus are when you push yourselves. Kei believed that Enju was capable of the same leap and became frustrated when he resisted her instruction." Her head cocked slightly at his bending of the perceived facts. She abruptly straightened up. "Yes, that sounds about right," she agreed. "And so, Kei was simply instructing Enju via rigorous training. The damage to the Training Center is unfortunate, but we do make allowances for such occurrences in the budget." "As you say, sir." Cid couldn't be justifying their actions! What good did having some cooked up reason do them? "Very good. If anyone asks about the Training Center, it was a training accident. I will speak with both of them after they have recovered further. A second occurrence of such," he paused as he searched for the appropriate word, "destructive practices cannot be allowed." "I'll get back to the Center. The workers were still building the temporary supports when I left," she saluted him then retreated from his domain. A Shumi entered his office as Xu showed herself out. Cid held up his hand to stop it from saying anything. "I'm coming, allow me a moment to finish this report." The Shumi took up a position by the door to patiently wait for Cid. 'Too bad the one we're going to see isn't nearly as forgiving,' Cid thought darkly as he penned a few final notes regarding this recent issue. ***** Kei dug her head back into her pillow. For the first time in her life she wished that her beloved cousin would go away. Xu visited her every noontime between class sessions to have lunch with her. Her cousin wasn't annoying; Xu was never like that. In fact, she was quite attentive to Kei's every need. But what disturbed her was exactly that. Xu shouldn't be so nice to her, not after what she did to destroy Xu's Training Center. Kei knew how many late nights Xu put in to get it up to her high standards. How many late nights her temper blithely wasted in a moment of anger. "Is there anything I can get you?" Xu asked, nudging Kei's legs aside so that she could sit on the edge of her bed. "I'm fine." "What would you like for lunch?" "Nothing." Xu gave her a warning look. If there was one thing Xu was anal about, it was maintaining a healthy diet. This quirk was usually restricted to her own diet, but since Kei was injured and 'couldn't take care of herself' Xu took over her meal planning. Not eating wasn't an option in Xu's book unless there wasn't anything available. Whenever Kei skipped a meal and Xu found out about it, she was faced with her cousin's lectures about the need to maintain a high calorie diet in their line of work and whatnot. Xu could be such a mother hen. "I'll have whatever you're having," Kei amended to stem off the lecture before it started. Xu nodded in agreement of her wise choice and left briefly to get their meal. What to do? The guilt was eating away at her. Why wouldn't Xu just yell at her? Get angry and pound on her or something! Kei sighed. That wasn't Xu's style. She was more sophisticated than that, more in control of her emotions. She would have never lowered herself to such a juvenile stunt as picking a fight with a cadet. Xu returned with a tray between her hands. She curled up to make room for her cousin on the end of the bed. They ate in silence. Moments stretched on into minutes and Kei became restless. "What's going to happen to us?" "Hum? You and Enju?" Xu glanced up from her plate with a questioning look. "You won't be publicly reprimanded, though you certainly deserve it. I'm not sure what Cid's decided your punishment should be. I think he's leaning towards drafting the two of you into the reconstruction efforts." Kei frowned, then nodded. "That's only fair." "More than fair." The conversation lapsed into another awkward pause. Well, awkward for her. Xu didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable as she chewed on her greens. "Why aren't we being busted publicly?" Xu swallowed hastily, "It'd look bad for SeeD. Best to keep such matters in house, you know?" "Yes, I suppose so." Another pause. "Why did you do it?" Xu broke the silence this time, watching her cousin intently -- the tray across her lap forgotten. "I-" she stopped, then laughed. Xu's eyebrows arched at this unexpected response. "I can't explain. To steal one of your lines, it just felt right." Xu tweaked her foot. "I've already laid claim to that excuse, think of your own. Come clean. What on earth were you thinking?" "I wasn't thinking. That's what it boils down to. I shouldn't have let him goad me on as he did. I lost my temper. It was incredibly unprofessional of me and I'm sorry. I can only imagine how disappointed the Headmaster must be with me right now. But that seems almost trivial when I think of how disappointed *you* must be." Xu ducked her head. "I won't comfort you on that count. You fouled up and are getting off easier than you should." "I know." Xu stood up and collect their plates. "Get some rest. Cid's going to visit you this evening. I'll come by after he has if you'd like?" She knew that he would stop by her quarters eventually to reprimand her. Xu would offer her a shoulder for that. Even if it would take a while to mend the breach between them on other counts. "Please." Her cousin paused to give her foot a squeeze. "Good luck." Kei wasn't Xu's only stop. She had the other duelist to visit before she returned for the afternoon training sessions. Enju wearily lifted his stomach off the bed. His eyes let the image of Xu come into focus. Upon seeing who it was, he sighed and lay back down. "Oh, it's just you." "You don't seem happy to see me," Xu said, making sure to keep her voice calm. The explosive display he and Kei had produced was something beyond what either of them was normally capable of. Enju especially wasn't the type to go into wielding magic; maybe he really was a Spirit after all... Wincing slightly, Enju rolled onto his side. "I was hoping for Quistis," he admitted. "Maybe even Myn or Nym -- though those two would only be bringing me homework." The markings on his back were hurting a lot more than he had ever known them to. Doctor Kadowaki had found slight traces of burn marks from magic, probably due to Diablos' rather dramatic invocation. As a result, he was spending most of his recovery time on his stomach. Xu sat herself down on the small stood that was next to his bed for that purpose. The silence between them stretched on for minutes before Xu spoke again. "I didn't know you had Diablos," she said finally. "It's a long story, one I usually don't like telling people. Even Cid doesn't know the finer points of it," Enju said. "When I first became Death's Angel, I came across a small lamp from a SeeD I had killed." Xu snapped her head up, eyes locking right on his. He had killed a SeeD in the past? How many others had he killed? This struck a personal chord in her; Balamb had been her home and family for so long. To think someone like him, who was now a part of her world, could do something like that. Yet on the other hand, SeeDs were required to set personal ties aside in favor of duty. But Enju showed no regret over the memory at all. He spoke of the tale quietly, with great nonchalance. "Imagine my unpleasant surprise when I touched the lamp, and out came a very irate Diablos. He decided to vent himself out on me. The only thing that has ever given me that much trouble in a fight outside of Diablos has been Kei. He flung me around a number of times, banged me up pretty badly. I wouldn't exactly call it a fight, though; sure, Diablos enjoyed taking a few choice swats at me, but his heart didn't seem to be in it." He scowled. "I'd almost go so far as to think the Guardian Force let me win, just so he could tag along with me. Don't know why a GF -- Diablos especially -- would want that. In the end, he retreated back into his lamp, and made it a point that if I left him there he'd come back and kick my ass again. I limped out from that battle, but Diablos was right. He's only appeared when I was in extreme danger, or sorely pissed off. When I get that way, I barely remember what happened." Enju rolled onto his stomach again, enjoying the feel of the cool air against his tattooed skin. Ever since he had been in Balamb, this sort of luxury was one he couldn't afford. But with the burns on his back, he needed all the fresh air he could get. Thankfully, his secrecy wasn't really an issue. Outside of Myn, Nym and Quistis, he had very few friends in the Garden. And after the damage he and Kei had wreaked, very few cadets would want to see him. "One time I unleashed Diablos and blacked out. When I regained consciousness, the bar I was in had been reduced to a smoking crater and debris field. Over fifteen people were killed. Only two had started the fight with me." Enju rolled his head on his pillowed arms to catch a look at Xu's face. Her stoic 'SeeD face' disguised what she was thinking. Much effort must have gone into having that firm of control over her expressions. He added that to the list of traits to admire Xu for. She was already leagues ahead of Kei, who had long ago gone into the negative by his count. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked. "Why leave me with your secrets, even though you keep them from a man who has trusted and done so much for you?" She was referring to Cid. The Headmaster has given him much. A new start on life was just the beginning of Cid's generosity. He encouraged Enju to continue learning his craft, clothed and fed him, and provided an honest means for him to earn a living. It was a deal that was almost too good to be true. What the Headmaster wanted in return seemed to be a simple thing; loyalty being the first and foremost request. Honesty wasn't far behind that, but he couldn't come clean with Cid. His past was so pitted that a small part of him feared that Cid would turn him away if he knew the depth of Enju's transgressions. As he's had time to lay here and think, Cid's greatest gift was one he never thought he would enjoy: companionship with those who *understood* him. Admittedly, no one would be a complete match, but many could relate to one aspect or another of his life. That was something he valued in his relationship with Xu. "Because we're the same, you and I," he answered solemnly. Xu stared at Enju in surprise. She'd pointed out their similarities before, but he was speaking of more than fighting techniques. There was a link between them that he was finally ready to admit. "I've had a lot of time on my own to think it over," he said. "As much as I hate to give her credit, Kei's been right about a lot. Only when I came to Balamb did I find something that actually felt right, like I had a purpose to my life. Anyone can take life, Mistress Xu, but it only a few find something worthwhile to do with a life, namely their own." "That's an astute observation," Xu agreed softly. There were more observations to go along with it, but now wasn't the time for them to come to light. The seedlings of ideas were still growing in his mind, not yet ready for harvest. Xu continued to watch him politely as he worked through his own thoughts. She had something else for him to consider (as if he didn't have enough). "What is your relationship with Quistis?" she asked, though her tone of voice made it sound like a rational demand. For the first time in their conversation, Enju deliberately avoided her gaze. "I wish I knew," he said finally. "There's a lot about our lives that would make anything beyond a friendship difficult. She doesn't know about my past -- not to mention that she's still a kid. As for me... I don't exactly make the ideal boyfriend." He laughed darkly. Xu glanced over at the small stack of textbooks on Enju's bedside table. "Maybe you should find out where the two of you stand. Quistis is a fragile spirit, Enju; she doesn't know what to make of you, especially in light of what happened between you and Kei." He didn't answer her. "You're going to have to answer for your actions. She won't be put off forever and once she starts asking questions, she rarely stops. Her insatiable appetite for knowledge may be your undoing. I'd advise you to carefully consider where you want to stand with her," Xu paused, then stood up abruptly. "I have a class to teach and you're not the one expecting a lecture," she stretched before walking to the door. She stopped to address him once more before leaving. "Quistis considers you to be a close friend." That said, she left the room. Enju waited for her to close the door before murmuring to himself, "The feeling is mutual." The silent truth was that he didn't want to tell Quistis. He feared her knowing everything. For if she did, he chanced losing his sense of mission once again, and would be left an aimless wanderer. He had been there once before, not so long ago. But now after tasking something that might have been called destiny, he felt uncomfortable about returning to the way he was. Strange that it had to take a beating from Kei and her damned GF to get him to admit to that. That wasn't the only place his thoughts took him. "When I first came here, it was because Balamb was a convenient place to hide out and work at my fighting skills. Now I'm finding myself wanting to stay because I have purpose... and friends." No one heard the heartfelt admission, but if they had they would have assured him that he was a welcome member of the family -- flaws and all. "I owe you one, Cid." Enju settled into the bedding and drifted back to sleep. ***** Kei and Enju were given a bill of clean health a few days later. Both 'volunteered' to aid in the repairs of the Training Center. Xu wasn't certain if she was thankful for their help or if they were being foisted off on her because Cid couldn't think of a more suitable punishment. She'd be content if they just kept from underfoot. They couldn't afford to have the Center closed for the two weeks estimated it would take for repairs. The monsters presented the real difficulty. Chasing them down every day to pin them up for eight hours while repair crews worked wasn't an option. And the eight hours the crews wanted to work were in the middle of the day when students were scheduled to train. The situation was dismal all around. The best solution she could think of was to keep the area sectioned off and have either SeeDs or cadets posted to guard the workers. As it turned out, Kei and Enju did find a way to make themselves useful. Neither of them could swing a hammer worth a damn, but they did have other skills that came in handy. Enju (and more specifically, Diablos) had a way for persuading the monsters to keep away from him and those he was with. Enju found himself spending a lot of time with the repair crews performing simple tasks. Perhaps he would learn a skill that wasn't directly related to killing something after all... Kei made herself useful by aiding Xu in the training room. As much as Xu loved Kei, she was certain her cousin would only get in the way. Much to her surprise, Kei didn't. In fact, Xu had more need for an assistant than she realized. Kei would take the cadets through the warm up exercises and stretches before turning them over to Xu's gentle mercies. She also sorted the weapons locker. That was a feat Xu wouldn't have thought her capable of considering the disorganization of her quarters. In short, Kei took up the small tasks so that Xu was freed up for more important things. Xu kept waiting -- hoping, really -- that Quistis would approach her to discuss her feelings about Enju. There was as much of a breech between those two as there was between her and Kei. Enju hadn't spoken with her since their talk in the Infirmary. Someone had to start talking soon or she was going to burst! Enju was the one to finally give, but not in a way Xu would have expected. He arrived at one of their training sessions without any weapons. When she asked if he wanted to practice hand-to-hand skills or borrow a weapon he shook his head. "I need to know what you do about Guardian Forces." There was more tension in his voice than she would have never expected to find there. Something was disturbing him greatly. She bobbed her head in acknowledge of his request. "What would you like to know?" "Why Diablos won't let me sleep," he answered promptly. Xu carefully concealed her startled surprise. "He won't let you sleep? Have you asked him why?" Enju's frowned only deepened. "He won't answer me. 'Not here,' he says. Do you know of another way to speak with Guardian Forces?" "Yes..." she allowed slowly, "but the technique seems to be dependant upon how strong you are magically. I can't guarantee your success, but we can give it a try." She sat down on the mat and invited him to sit down across from her. Once they were both settled she took his hands into her own and began the mind clearing exercises for a Puzzle Stone. The idea of teaching him it hadn't even crossed her mind. Enju didn't strike her as one who would make a habit of consulting outside sources for advice. There was an inaudible pop and Xu found herself in her own work area with Carbuncle watching her from its perch on the bench. Where was Enju? She looked around and didn't see him. Looking back at Carbuncle, the Guardian Force was cleaning behind an ear with a forepaw. It'd never happened this way before, where was Enju? A soft glow could be seen off in the distance. Xu recognized it as another person's work area that she was welcome to visit. Was Kei here right now? She bundled Carbuncle up in her arms and walked towards the light. Her work area melted away behind her, as the light grew brighter. It was another work area, but unlike one she'd ever seen before. Instead of the shelves of puzzles and a workbench, this one was a workout salle with racks of bladed weapons lining the walls. 'Of course it's full of weapons,' Xu chided herself as she glanced around Enju's space. The man himself touched her lightly on the shoulder, seeming completely at ease with his surroundings. He motioned around himself, "What do you think?" "You need to get out more," she shook her head. A deep throated rumble came from behind her. She turned around to find herself toe-to-claw with the towering demon Diablos. She sucked in her breath as he bore into her with his glowing eyes. He was over two and a half meters tall, which gave him a staggering height advantage. A part of her regretted not fighting Diablos earlier in her SeeD career so that she wouldn't be so intimidated by him. The other part of her was scared shitless. The demon roared again. Enju answered him sternly, "No, Diablos. Don't even!" Diablos leaned down to get a closer look at Xu and Carbuncle. The Guardian Force in her arms was squirming vigorously and bristling angrily at the demon glaring down at them. "You are not going to eat the GF, and definitely not Xu. So just drop it, okay? Don't make me kick your ass!" Enju said with a firmness that would make him a prime candidate for being an Instructor. Xu broke free of her fear and backed away from the demon with as much dignity as she could cling to. Carbuncle squeaked its protests as she took them to the corner furthest away from the other GF. "Cute Guardian Force, does it do tricks?" Enju crossed his arms and smirked. "Don't press your luck," Xu said defensively. This was *not* how she wanted to conduct their session. She should have left Carbuncle back in her work area. The small creature began protesting against that idea until she assured it that she wouldn't leave it behind. "Did you have a chance to speak with Diablos?" She asked once everyone seemed to be calmed down. Enju nodded. "I felt like we've be here for hours talking. I was beginning to wonder what happened to you. I opened my eyes and I was here with him waiting for me. Quite a trip, let me tell ya." "Time passes differently here for some reason. But it seems like everything you do has to be unusual. This room doesn't look like any other I've ever been in. And him," she jutted her chin over at Diablos, who had taken up a perch on a stool and remained as still as a gargoyle. Enju smirked again. "I won't be trained like a dog nor lumped into a category like a specimen. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason you see everything the same way was because that's how you were raised? Even Kei is a slave to her upbringing. *I've* broken free of the chains others threw around me." "You may have a point," she admitted. Now that she thought about it, she'd never been in the work area of a Puzzle Stone with someone who *wasn't* trained in the Anshin method. To think that Enju could produce something so very different... She tucked that idea away for later consideration. "I doubt the need to explain this to you, but I will any ways. Diablos is a part of you, an inseparable part. You've stumbled into that already and have an understanding of the implications that I'm still trying to grasp myself. He influences you and you him, but to what degree is something that needs to be explored." Xu petted Carbuncle as it rested contently in her lap. It loved the attention Xu lavished on it regularly. If there was such a thing as a spoiled GF, Carbuncle was it. Diablos growled something from his corner. Enju nodded his head in agreement, then spoke. "He says that we are one, even if we are of two bodies. I sense that there's a deeper meaning behind that statement, but I don't understand." "That's the feeling I get from Carbuncle. I don't understand it either." "Xu..." A voice reverberated around them. Xu stood up abruptly, tumbling the surprised Carbuncle to the mat. Oh no, now wasn't the time! Xu's name was called out again. "Kei?" Enju cocked his head slightly as he tried to identify the voice. "Yes, Kei," Xu walked a few steps into the darkness. "She must have been working with her Puzzle Stone and saw that I was also. We're close enough to each other that we can tell when the other is here. We sometimes work on puzzles together," her voice trailed off as she walked further into the darkness. A moment later she returned to her corner with Carbuncle. Kei was several steps behind her. "I finally found you! I wanted you to meet..." "Alexander," Enju growled as Diablos roared with outrage. Alexander followed Kei into the workout salle (which was expanding in size to accommodate the extra bodies). Kei choked on her own protest as Alexander regarded the dark elemental with blind eyes. "It's good to see you as well, brother," he gave a brief bow to the demon then took up a position near a wall. Kei continued to clench and unclench her left fist, deciding if she wanted to mix it up with Enju or not. She seemed to have simmered down regarding the entire destiny / Spirit argument. Her latest crux with him was that he wasn't remorseful enough for his part in destroying the Training Center. As Xu saw it, Enju could do not right in Kei's eyes. A sentiment Enju seemed to agree with in regards to Kei. "Are you going to hit me or not?" Enju taunted, ready for a fight. A low snarl came from Kei as she physically shook herself. "I'm not fool enough to fight you where you have the advantage," she encompassed the area they stood in with a gesture. "And I won't fight you out *there* where I might cause more grief for others. So consider yourself off the hook until I find an alternative arena." Enju smirked as he let his shades slip down his nose so that he could regard her with his blue eyes. Kei sniffed indignantly and crossed her arms, taking up a position near Alexander. Xu let out a slow breath as the room settled back into an uncomfortable silence. At least no one was actively trying to hurt someone else. Once the chill thawed an interesting conversation (stemming from an argument Enju started with Kei) took shape. Xu didn't know if Kei and Enju would ever be able to consider the other a friend, but they were willing to set aside their natural repulsion long enough to learn from the other. All three of them were caught in the same situation of being different in a way that they couldn't define, but was significant nonetheless. Did they really have destinies? Enju was quite vocal in his denial, while Kei seemed certain. Xu wasn't sure what to think. The only thing certain in her mind was that she had a purpose greater than just teaching students. There's something more important for her to accomplish, even if she didn't understand what that thing was right now. Some day she would discover the meaning of the relentless drive that propelled her forward and then she would do what she must to quell it. When Xu brought herself out of her meditations it was well past midnight. Enju flopped back on the practice mat from where he was seated across from her. "I'll escort you to your room if you want or you can do what I intend to and pull up a piece of mat to sleep on," she invited. Her training with Pan taught her to appreciate the luxury of even having the practice mats to sleep on. Her keeping a couple of blankets stashed away in a locker was a bonus. She also kept a few changes of clothes in the same locker for occasions such as this -- when she was too beat to drag herself back to her quarters to catch a few hours of sleep before going at it again. She could shower, change in the locker room, and be ready for another day of training in under ten minutes. Enju took her up on her invitation to sleep in the training room. If appearances were to be believed, he was as tired as she felt. He took off his kote and covered himself up with the offered blanket. He curled up around his kote like one would a stuffed toy. "G'night, Mistress, thank you," he mumbled sleepily before dropping off. Xu smiled to herself, certain that his thanks weren't only for the blanket and the place to sleep. ***** "Where were you last night?" Myn demanded of Enju after he sat down at their table for breakfast. Enju's hair was still slicked back from the shower he took in the locker room. Like Xu, he made a habit of keeping a spare uniform stashed in a locker just in case. "Late night training session. I slept where I dropped," he shrugged nonchalantly. Quistis raised a questioning eyebrow. "Honest," he added, holding up his hands innocently. "You, Xu, and Kei all disappeared last night," Nym noted. "What'd you do, have a kiss and make up session?" Enju spluttered some at her choice of words, then grinned impishly. "You could call it that." Quistis didn't comment, instead turning her attention back to her meal. Enju noticed this and nudged her in the ribs. "Our session is next," he said playfully. A blush colored her cheeks because of his teasing. "Could we go for a walk after classes today?" He asked with all seriousness once she had regained her composure. She ducked her head in agreement, then picked up her tray and left for her first class. "A half hour early," Myn noted. "You must have really gotten to her today." Enju didn't hear him, his thoughts following the young woman who just left the Cafeteria. Quistis brushed aside a braid of hair that trailed along the side of her face before falling in step beside Enju. He (and every other male on campus) took notice when Nym brought Quistis under her wing for lessons on how to drive them nuts. The cadet had the natural looks to accomplish that end without any extra effort on her part, but with Nym coaching her the guys didn't stand a chance. Nym seemed fond of experimenting with ways to put up Quistis' long blonde hair. Today's style involved a complex weave of braids that must have taken them at least an hour to construct. For what it was worth, he was fond of the style that left a few tresses of hair framing either side of her face while the rest was pulled back. 'But then again, what do I know?' He thought with a bemused grin. They walked in amiable silence to the courtyard Quistis frequented when she wanted to spend some time thinking. It was one of the first places Enju looked whenever he was seeking her out. The wide variety of plant-life was the apparent draw for her. Quistis loved studying the characteristics of something that she couldn't find in a book to the detail she wanted. Pictures only went so far, especially when the real thing was within walking distance. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked after sitting herself comfortably on the edge of a planter. She seemed to almost dread speaking with him. Was she afraid for some reason? He shoved that thought aside. There was no reason for her to fear him. "About us," he answered truthfully, casually sitting down next to her. When he placed an arm around her shoulders she tensed briefly, but didn't withdraw. 'Please let her not hate me after this...' he pled wordlessly to any deity that might happen to be listening. "I want to tell you some things about myself that I think you should know. You may hate me afterwards. I'm ready to accept that consequence, but I ask that you at least give me the chance to explain." Quistis blinked and looked up at him. This conversation wasn't going the direction she thought it would. In fact, it went many places that she would have never expected. She listened with rapt attention as Enju outlined his life for her before he came to Balamb. Part of her took it in stride, seeing now how the 'off' pieces of the puzzle that was Enju suddenly snapped into place. The rest of her felt like she had been betrayed, like the person she knew before was a lie or that *he'd* be killed and replaced with this Enju. He didn't go into any details when describing his crimes except to admit that he'd committed them. What was a criminal doing in Balamb Garden? Should she turn him into the authorities? "Why are you here?" She asked when he paused in his story. "Why? For the same reason you are, to start a new life. Everyone here has a history. I'm convinced that we're all here to escape one thing or another -- a fate we didn't want to face. I can apologize for the transgressions of the past, but that won't erase them. Nor will I have 'reformed' since I intend to use my particular skills for the benefit of SeeD." Quistis closed her eyes and pursed her lips with thought. What he said is true. He can't undo that past and his future appeared to hold more of the same. The difference being that now he was accountable to someone. He willingly put himself in the service of SeeD in return for their protection from his past. Her mind idly wondered who got the better end of the deal. "Cid has a soft heart for lost kittens," Enju noted. The image of the kitten she and Nym were searching for flashed through her mind. Whatever happened to it? She doubted very much that Cid did anything bad. She'd have to ask him sometime... "I don't hate Kei either, despite what it may look like," he continued. "We disagree on many points and we're both hot tempered enough to lose control. One of the things we disagree on the most is you, Quistis." "Wha-?" She didn't want to be a reason for them to fight! He tightened his arm around her. "We both love you in our own way. We both want to see you succeed in reaching for whatever star tickles your fancy. We'll do everything we can to help you get there, but we don't agree on the route to take," he laughed mirthlessly to himself. "It's a personality conflict that we're coming to understand and accept. We'll never be friends, but we'll work past our differences to accomplish our common goal: helping you succeed." "Does she know your past?" He nodded, "As does Xu, Kadowaki, and Cid. I trust you not to discuss it with others since it's something that can put me and the Garden at risk." He paused to scowl, "I've earned enough enemies that having them chase me down here to cause havoc wouldn't be out of the way." "I understand," she agreed. It wasn't a matter of just protecting Enju she was also protecting the Garden with her silence. A bird landed near their feet, explored the nearby ground, and then took off again as they watched it. Enju waited anxiously to hear her verdict of him. Quistis seemed content to watch the birds as they flitted from tree to tree, singing their song. She rose off the ledge of the planter and turned around to address him. Wordlessly she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. He resisted the urge to take her into his arms and turn the kiss of friendship into something more. Now wasn't the time to be testing her trust of him. She broke free and began down the path they'd arrived by. "Quistis?" He called out, rising to his feet. She paused in her retreat long enough to salute him, then turned the corner around the hedge and was gone. He stood in stunned silence before slowly returning the salute. They may not be friends to the degree that his hormones would like, but they were friends nonetheless. ***** "Come on, Xu!" It had been years since Xu had last seen her stoic cousin as near giddy as she was presently. Curiosity was reason enough to keep Xu on Kei's heels. When Kei came rushing into Xu's office with a cat-who-finally-got-the-bird sized grin on her face, the only thing she could think of was that Kei had put an end to Enju. Once she was assured that Enju was still among the living, Kei nearly dragged her into the Training Center. "What's gotten into you?!" Xu demanded again with a hint of concern. Kei's behavior was anything but normal. "I want to show you my Limit," Kei finally admitted with a broad grin on her face. Hungrily her eyes searched around them for a monster strong enough to knock her down to the level of desperation needed to practice her Skill. "But I've seen your Limit," her cousin protested weakly. They used to practice them together when they were cadets. Kei's Limit was named 'Dragon Claw'. In a near berserker state she would charge at the target and slash away with her katana. Her carefully honed technique gave way to getting in as many strikes as possible before her stamina gave out. Three Grats near one of the fallen trees was the best they could do. Xu really didn't want to take on a T-Rexaur no matter *how* pumped up Kei was feeling. Dissuaded from seeking out larger prey, Kei took on all three of them while Xu maintained her guard. If Kei got in over her head Xu was ready to haul her out. The telltale glow of Limit energy began to form around Kei as she knelt on the ground. The Grats hadn't taken kindly to her challenge and beat her down thusly. After using her sword to lever herself back to her feet Kei stepped forward and held her katana above her head with her left hand. A blue mist condensed onto the blade and in an instant it was encased in ice. "BLUE DRAGON!" She yelled at the top of her voice while swinging the sword towards them. The ice on her blade shattered and flew with frightening speed at the target. They were caught in a hail of ice shards that tore deep into their flesh. Pushed back, but not defeated, the Grats swung at the two of them with renewed outrage. Xu jumped forward to cover Kei. She didn't want her cousin to push herself too far into desperation. Limits were a dangerous game to play. The chances of building one up reduced when you knew that you were safe. If you were trying for them, you wanted to be in as much danger as possible. That was a fine edge to walk during a practice session. It did take Kei longer to gather a second Limit. Once it was ready, Xu moved back and let Kei take center stage again. This time her sword caught on fire before she announced "RUBY DRAGON!" and incinerated the Grats in a stroke. They didn't stand a chance after being hit with the pair of powerful attacks. "You learned a new trick I see." Xu cast a spell to heal Kei's wounds. "Alexander taught me." The significance of that didn't sink in immediately with Xu. Not until she asked *how* he'd taught her. As Kei described it, it was as though his hand was also on the hilt of the sword as it was being charged with elemental energy. He was as much a part of the Limit as Kei was. "Have you tried your Limit since picking up the furball?" Kei questioned. Xu wrinkled her nose in a disagreeable fashion. "Carbuncle is *not* a furball. And no, I haven't." Kei smirked at having teased Xu. Unlike Kei, Xu *liked* having Carbuncle comfortably curled up in her thoughts. Kei's nickname for her companion was one that wasn't appreciated. They continued roaming the Center to find a group of monsters suitable for testing Xu. There hadn't been a reason in quite some time for Xu to use her Limit. It wasn't something she thought to exercise as often as she did her regular combat skills. The two of them engaged a pair of Grats near the same ledge where she'd first unlocked her Limit years ago. It was with a touch of irony that fate found them there again. Xu allowed herself to be beaten down until she felt her body begin to turn hot. Focus. Focus. She stood upright as her feet began to lift off of the ground. The familiar iridescent shell took shape around her. Lifting her head up along with her voice she cried out "RUBY OF HEAVEN!" The expected energy burst out from her to crush the Grats up against the ledge. Though she was startled to find Carbuncle combining its energy with hers, not to increase the power of her attack, but to cast the spells of Protect and Shell on herself and Kei. Those two spells would increase their resistance to physical and magical attacks. Her energy spent, Xu's weaken condition caused her to collapse back to the ground. Kei quickly dispatched the monsters. It didn't take more than a couple hits each to finish them off. "Carbuncle..." Xu gasped between haggard breaths. Sometimes it felt as though her Limit was almost worse than continuing the fight without performing it. This time it drained her far more than she wished to admit. Kei returned her earlier kindness by healing her wounds, though Xu was still exhausted. "It was like... it was me... and it was *us*..." Xu grasped for the words to explain the feeling. Carbuncle *did* influence her Limit. It added its own twist that made the Limit all the more powerful without Xu's prompting. It was as though they were a single entity performing the Limit. Two people working in perfect sync couldn't have the closeness that they possessed in that moment. Kei nodded sympathetically, likewise at a loss for a way to describe it, but knowing to what Xu referred. "I haven't told the Headmaster yet. I wanted to see if yours was changed as well. There's no denying that they've added quite a powerful punch to both of our Limits. But at the same time I can't help but feel..." "Scared?" Xu offered. That was how she was feeling. One of her worst fears was that she would lose control. She had to trust Carbuncle, but her faith in it wasn't something that she had volunteered. The situation forced her to trust Carbuncle and that always left the way open for lingering doubts. "Among other things. I'm excited by the growth they offer us. Scared that I'm no longer *me*. But I have to wonder if I was 'me' before this happened or if I've only just recently discovered myself..?" They made their way back to the Training Center entrance. Xu rolled Kei's words around in her mind. Who was she before her clan merrily turned her life upside down? A cadet striving successfully towards defining herself within the organization. Who is she now? A SeeD with the same goals. Or did she only think she was..? This discovery certainly lent weight to the argument that her life wouldn't be nearly as simple as she had once thought. These things were too complicated for her to consider. She could tie her brain into a knot trying to sort out destiny versus a stubborn desire to make her own path. She was no longer the woman she once was. That much was clear. ----- Please visit our website at www.centragarden.net