The Henchmen were over powered with the arrival of the two angels, and with Kobie now close to Tsunami it appeared a sure victory but as if from no where a black scalely hand grabbed ahold of Tsunami and pulled her in, it came from the one of hooded men, his arm strectching to an unbeliable length, and with a quick knock Tsunami slump to the ground and slung over his shoulder.

"Come on lets get out of here!" he yelled

"No Tsunami!" Keiji shouted and he and Kobie charged towards the three men only to get thrown back by a wall sand. When the sand cleared the hooded men where no where to be seen yet it appeared more Henchmen had arrived.

"Damn it!" Kobie yelled as he blocked a blow from a charging undead Ronso.

"Tsunami..." Keiji hung his head, "Tsunami I'm coming!" he yelled before pushing his way through the attacking henchmen, and brushing past Eevee and Sonya.

"Keiji, where the hell are you going?" Eevee yelled but the quick Keiji had already disappeared into the dark street.

"Eevee worry about Keiji some other time, we must deal with these first,"

Keiji had ran blindly out of Bevelle, and soon found himself at the beach just outside, there standing on the shore was the three hooded men still carring Tsunami.

"Stop!" he shouted

"How the hell did you find us?" one barked, Keiji honestly had no idea but something inside him said go to the beach. Keiji explouded in rage and began to charge up his fathers favourite attack, his hand turned into a lightning blue colour, and crackled with the sound of thousand chirping birds.

"I know this technique," one said to himself

"Another trick boy, I'll deal with him, you guys go on ahead," another said

"No you fool have not heard of the lightning edge before, he truely is Neji's son," Keiji charged at the three men, lightning edge pointed forward.

"Let her go!" Keiji yelled, one of the hooded men stepped forward and slammed his fist into sand, a great wave of sand enguffed Keiji and threw him back.

"Come on lets go," Keiji could only watch as the three hooded men when turned around and made there way accross the water, one began to float under and cloud of sand, one crew to an increible size and walked and the final one grew wings of metal. Keiji ran into the water but soon collapsed on his knees as he watched them disappear into the distance.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Keiji yelled tears swelling in his eyes, he punched the water, "I promised! I promised her! Tsunami...I'm sorry,"

"What you crying for kid!" a rough voice said from the shore. Keiji turned around to see a rough looking man, sitting on a hover bike, he was wearing a black open vest, loose black trousers and knee high boots, his long dark hair was braded and tied back.

Keiji got up and approached the man, "Its nothing,"

"I saw what happened ki..." The man stopped and looked at Keiji as if reconising him.

"Neji?"

"No my names Keiji, my father is called Neji,"

"ah so you're,"

"what?"

"it's nothing, so kid you need across the water? My names Soven and Well today is you're lucky day, cause I'm gonna take you across, I'm sure by jet bike can handle it, you know where to go?"

"Keiji thought for abit...Yes,"

<ooc - ROFL I love this guy, he’s hilarious! XD>

Feyd had retracted his Atellian claws and raised his elven bow, his thumb resting on the Thundara rune etched on its long shaft. The arrow was sparking ominously with magic potential. As the Unsent Ronso came at him again, he loosed and the arrow blazed forward in an arc of lightning, impaling both the Unsent and a demon following close behind so they were both hurled back in a haze of Pyraflies. Clenching his fist to extend the blades on the hand that wasn’t holding his bow, he leapt forward to engage a second demon - a monster with a devilish visage, curved horns and scythe-like talons. They met in midair, Feyd spinning round the demon’s wild slash and cutting him in half with his return blow. His blades hissing back into their bracer, Feyd landed crouched with his bow arm thrown back and his other hand touching the ground for balance. The demon landed heavily, fell to its knees and began to slide apart before dissolving into another Pyrafly.

Nearby three Unsent came at Sonya, but as thy did she raised her fist, a glowing elven spell whirling from her magic-amplifying Atellian ring.

“Shea nudh elthir erreintha!” she cried the elvish Banishing spell as she punched her open hand forward, and a crescent-shaped shockwave of white light swept out.

It passed harmlessly through Feyd, Eevee and the Atellians, but the Unsent and the demons screamed as if burnt, crumbling to dust and obliterating in white flares as the shockwave swept through them.

<ooc - sorry, thought I’d shorten that damn Banishing spell coz it annoyed me…oh, forgot to mention - Sonya doesn’t need her staff anymore coz she uses her ring :D If things get up close and personal she can wreathe her hands in magical energy and use them to block sword-blows>

The Atellians began to falter and draw back. One particularly hard-bitten and muscular Atellian with black wings, a scarred face and a spear stood his ground, snarling a challenge at Eevee as he came at her.

He hurled his heavy spear towards her with impossible strength. Casting a localised Shield spell around her right hand, Eevee deflected it aside enough so she could twist her left shoulder back out of harms way. She twirled her still-glowing daggers in her hands, facing off against the Atellian.

“You’re going down!” she snarled at him.

The Atellian let out a sound that was half a contemptuous laugh and half a snarl of rage and leapt skyward, drawing two short swords that were sheathed at his waist.

Drawing on all her nascent magical ability, Eevee punched her fist skyward, attempting to cast a Thundara - a spell she had recently perfected under Alarielle’s teaching - at him. But it wasn’t a Thundara that happened. Instead a great bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky to link with her fist, forming a crackling thread of stuttering electricity. Slipstreams of fire, ice and water appeared, corkscrewing down and round the bolt in a swirling triple-helix. The combined magical forces coruscated over Eevee’s hand for a second, surrounding her with a bright nimbus of light, then blasted outwards and lanced into the Atellian with a blinding flash. The Atellian was smashed from the sky to disappear in an explosion of magic as he hit the ground, a Pyrafly spiralling upwards all that remained once the smoke had cleared.

<Ramuh + Tritoch = aceness XD>

The other Atellians didn’t hang around.

“Go, go! We’ve got what we came for now let’s get out of here!”

Turning they took to the sky and soared away as fast as their angelic wings would carry them. Feyd, Sonya and Eevee let them go.

“Wow,” Eevee stuttered, “Did I just do that?”

* * *

Using his demonic second sight from a far-away island, Penance watched with interest.

* * *

The two Angels and their daughter didn’t have time to celebrate their victory.

“Where’s Keiji?” Feyd asked sharply, looking around.

“He went after the hooded men who took Tsunami.” Sonya replied pensively, “What do they want with her?”

“We’re in over our heads here,” Feyd said, “I’ll go after Keiji, you two go back to the elves and tell them what’s happened.”

“Feyd, no!” Sonya protested. Feyd stepped forward and hugged her.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, we don’t have a choice. I love you,” he kissed her and turned to his daughter, “Take care, Eevee.”

“Watch yourself out there, dad,” she replied, before running back towards the Stead mansion to get back her normal clothes and her force lance.

Feyd held up his hand and summoned Ramuh in a crackling lightning storm, the Judgement Aeon rising up in a swarm of Pyraflies. He jumped up onto the robed mage’s shoulder, who immediately ascended skyward and glided down towards the beach on a magically-conjured wind.

Looking down Feyd saw the footprints of Keiji and the three hooded men he had been chasing end abruptly at the water’s edge, the tracks partially washed away by surf.

“Let’s go Ramuh,” he said grimly, and on the giant Aeon’s shoulder, soared upwards and headed out to sea.

(this post should have been done first)

After the battle in Ellessar woods, Laconfir ordered a meeting, attending, was Zell, Retala, Laconfir and varieus other high ranking elves.

"Clearly tonights attack on us was Penance showing us that he is ready to invade Spira,"

"Then why are we all sitting here, the wrest of the world is oblivous to Penance and are unprepared,"

"Indeed we must inform them, and mount a defensive,"

"We could cause world wide Panic if we do such a thing!"

"You're right we must relie on the Angels, to end it quickly,"

"Neji is gone, Fariel is nowhere to be seen as is Tanis, and Feyd and Sonya are trying to find Keiji, and Penance is sure to attack soon,"

"we can't handle him by ourselves, perhaps the time is now to come out of hiding, the peoples of Spira are now fully united, apart from us we should reveal ourselves and join them in fighting Penance and we way be able to stand our ground, what do you think High Preist," all the elves in room turned to Laconfor who sat silent deep in thought.

"I just don't know if the word is ready for our return,"

"They aren't ready for Penances return yet they have no choice do they! If you truely want to fight him on you're own we need to gather allies, I will take the shadow and go find Cid, he'll know what to do, I can also pick up the others," Zell shouted

"Cid's airship crashed on that island, we don't even know if he is alive, and beside the Shadow is our best weapon you can't take it out already and reveal it to them," an Elf argued

"I'm the captain of the ship and current leader of the Neji's team, I decide what to do with airship,"

"Zell, calm down my friend, they have a point," Retala said putting his hand on Zell's shoulder. Zell stood up.

"Enough of this! you elves are cowards! you fear the outside world, you stay snug in you're little forest surronded by goodness afraid to face the big bad reality, the harshness of the natural world, most of you are well over 100 years old yet you act like children relying on the brave people outside this forest to deal with current problems, the angels are out there they gave it there all against Sin along with the people of Spira and the angels and friends are currently giving it there all against Penance while you hide, rooting from the shadow, you are a dying race but you weren't always when you intercted with other races, shared magic, technology, medicines you were at you're prime, but when you're allies perished you hide from the others who survived in fear of ridcule, war, disese and look at them, the humans, Ronso, Guado, Al'bed sure they fought eachother yet they never hid from eachother and the outside world and now they stand supream, together as a united world, and look at you, those who hid, doomed to fade away in there forest, if you ask me, now is no better time to come out of hiding, mix with other races and rebuild with the help of allies, you can't stand against Penance alone, and they can't without you, I feel you're cowardice has doomed the world, think about it!"

Zell stormed out of the room followed by Retala, leaving the elves who sat quite after Zells rant.

"Zell where are you going?"

"To that island, I'm going to find Cid and Keiji,"

"You heard the council,"

"**** the Council," Retala smiled.

"Then I will come to," Zell turned around surprised at what he just heard Retala say.

"You were right Zell, I'm tired of hiding, I'm going fight along side you all and face the demons of the past,"

Zell and Retala arrived at the landing bay, sitting by the airship was Gau.

"Where are you guys going?"

"To find Cid and battle against Penance,"

"I've Penance's power are you wise to go oppose him, if so then count me in,"

"My son is fighting out there, as are my friends, and all I did was sit a cry about my husband, no more," they heard a voice say from behind, they turned round to see Melina, Atellian Staff in hand.

"I'm coming to,"

The three nodded and together they all went into the airship and jetted towards the island.

Tsunami held the beaten Keiji up as they watched an epic battle take place before them, Soven was engaging Soren and bitter battle, Retala created a massive dome of shield magic to protect him from the combined attacks of Kiba and Gaget as he spun round throwing balls of fiery lava.

Eden's sword clashed with Xipetotec's fist. And Zell and Gau fought against the small number of troops, Zell blasted smoking holes through there undead bodys with Neji's pistols, using his rifel to fight in close combat to those who pushed close enough. Gau clashed blades with beasts cutting through there tender bodys with ease.

"You really think that shield will hold Retala?" Kiba taunted "Behold one of my deadlest techniques, Diamond hands," Kiba gathered sand into his hand, the sand quickly solidified into a a sparkling diamond shaped blade, he charged at Retala and thrusted his arm forward similar to the action used in the lightning edge. Kiba collided with the sheild and after not much of standoff the shield shattered causing Retala to falture and lose balance.

"Now you die," Gaget shouted and he aimed his cannon gun, it charged with many differn't colours before unleashing a round ball of magical energy. Retala crossed his arms infront of his face and took the attack, sending him flying back. Retala lay on the ground his body smoking as a result, he healed himself quickly yet could not heal himself fully and could not take away the memory of the pain. Kiba and Gaget laughed as Retala tried the steady himself standing.

"Eden use Halo Blade!" Melina shouted at her aeon, Edens bright sword glowed with celestrial colour and she swiped at the mighty Xipetotec. the Blade successfully cut through Xipetotec and slowly back seperated into two, Melina thought she had one until the massive body changed into a liquid black goo and gathered together to regrow into Xipetotec.

"Foolish girl, I won't be so easily between," he laughed before stretching his arms to ensnare Eden, Xipetotec laughed as his arms tied tighter round Eden crushing the mighty Aeon. He slowly opened his mouth and a pink glow formed soon launching itself at Eden in a stream of energy, when the blasted faded Xipetotec still head a now headless Eden, whos body soon followed, dissolving into an army of Pryfiles. Melina gripped her shoulder and collapsed on one knee, Edens voice whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry Melina, he is just to strong,"

Zell and Gau continued to battle the undead and demons they stood back to back.

"It's not going good for them Zell,"

"I noticed,"

"What are we gonna do,"

"Keep fighting there is nothing we can do we are surronded," Zell and Gau continued there fight against the evil enemys unable to help there friends.

The three powerful servents of Penance lined up to stare at there beaten opponents.

"So Kiba, who do we kill first," Gaget said aiming his arm cannon at the brave warriors. "The annoying brat, the summoner or the worthless elf," the three laughed wickedly but the laughter was soon cut shorts, when the all heard the sound of the sky cracking, and then bursting through the mist above came a what looked like dark angel, it charged at tremedous speed to the battle leaving behind a trail of purple energy.

The winged being, slowed before crashing into the ground on both feet, standing in the middle of a swirl of dark energy, was a tall greatly built man, holding two massive swords in his hands.

"It-it can't be!" Kiba yelled in disbelieve

"My demon," Soven said to himself

"Father!" Keiji

Neji had returned from the depths of the underworld to save his family.

"Soven, I have come to tell you, you are free from you're dedt, and that you three have one hell of mad demon to deal with!" Neji yelled

Xipetotec and Gaget stepped back in disbeleive, but Kiba stood snarling at Neji.

"I never thought this day would come, to day for my revenge!" Kiba yelled and charged at Keiji, lifting his heavy sword high and coming down in a flashing arc, Neji crossed his blades and blocked the attack with ease. Neji now looking 17 years younger, bearly even flinched as he blocked the massive attack.

Kiba jumped back and threw five solid sand spikes at Neji, yet Neji's sword shatter everyone. Kobie ran over the horizon to witness the return of Neji, "so Keiji was right all alone, he mused before seeing Zell and Gau struggle against the small army around them. In a blurred flash he disappeared, suddenly he reappeared inbetween Zell and Gau crouched arms against his chest in a cross, blood stained blades extented from his arms. Zell and Gau turned to him surprised when suddenly all of the surronding monsters collapsed into the ground. Zell and Gau cheered and patted Kobie on the back, cheering both for Kobie's rescue and the return of Neji.

Kiba angered by the now stronger Neji, raised his hand to form a diamond spike. Neji smiled undazed by Kiba's new powerful attack unaware of it capabilties, yet Melina knew. Kiba threw the spike at Neji and Neji did not move planning on taking the attack.

"No!" Melina shouted and she ran inbetween her husband and the spike, it drilling into stomach, spraying blood in the air. Neji's eyes wided never taking his eye off Kiba yet knew what had just happened, he froze and dropped to knees, catching Melina as she feel.

"MOTHER!" Keiji shouted

Neji held Melina gazing down at her, blood at spread everywhere, and blood ran from her mouth.

"Me-Melina," Neji said softly tears pouring from his eye. Melina opened her eyes and smiled at her husband.

"I-I-I'm glad I got to see again...my love,"

"No Melina, don't give up. Retala!" Neji shouted and Retala ran to there side, he pressed his hands down on gaping wound in her stomach and healed desperatly, but it was to no avail.

"Its ok Neji,"

"Melina, its not ok, why, why did you do that,"

"The attack would of killed you, I didn't want that to happen,"

Tears poured down Nejis face, Keiji ran to his mothers side crying loudly.

"No, mother you can't go, you can't!"

Zell wiped the tears from his eyes, and turned the Gau, "get everyone on the airship and get out of here," Gau nodded sadly and ran up Neji, Keiji and Retala, Neji scooped up Melina still holding on for life and walked to the airship, to devestated to fight any more, Tsunami gently pushed Keiji on the airship followed by Retala.

"Kobie go with them," Zell said

"Those bastards must pay," Kobie said wiping the tears from his face

"The others need you now, please go," Kobie stubbornly headed onto the airship knowing Zell was right.

"Gau, take them back to Ellessar woods, I'll stay and hold them off,"

"No I'll stay to!"

"Someone needs to fly the airship, now go, I'll be fine, pick me up tomorrow, I'll be here," Gau headed onto the airship, slowly the doors closed and it jetted off leaving Zell behind, facing down the three meneces.

"Shall we chase," Gaget said

"No lets leave them to there misery for now," Kiba laughed "Let's return to Penance,"

"Stop!" Zell shouted

"One of you must pay for today!" The three looked at eachother, and then Gaget stepped forth.

"I'll deal with him, you guys go on ahead," with that Kiba and Xipetotec disappered into the island leaving Zell and Gaget.

********

Melina lay on a blood soaked bed, her wound now bandaged, Neji sat by her side holding her bloodied hand tight, Keiji sat at the far end of the room, Tsunami holding him trying to comfort him.

"Melina..." Neji weeped and she opened her eyes once again smiling.

"I can feel my end Neji,"

"No! you can't what am I without you! I'm nothing,"

"Neji...hold on the me," she said tears in her eyes, Neji scooped his hands under Melina and came in closer.

"Neji, all I want to say is a I love, and I'm not afraid to die,"

"but my promsie to you,"

"It doesn't matter Neji, you have to carry on living, for everyone in Spira don't let my death hold you back, now I want to speak to my son,"

Keiji walked slowly over to his mother.

"Keiji, I love you, continue to grow, become stronger, marry a good women and have a good life, my greatest achievement in life was having a family, and I've never looked back,"

"Mum...please," Keiji held his mothers hand tight

"I know you both have taken in what I have said, I can taste it in you're tears, Neji kiss me one last time," Neji leaned in and kissed his wife, and as the kiss ended so did Melina, her soft mother hand gently slipping out of Keijis hands. Neji put his head on her stomach and wept and Keiji ran out the room. Where Kobie and Retala sat leaning against the wall and hanging there heads. Outside the airship it began to rain gently as Melina's spirt left for the farplain.

(hope u guys shedded a tear, try playing sad music will you read, adds the the effect )

<ooc - I was going to post Feyd fighting a couple of Ghead's creations on his way up to the tower but now I've read Sean's last post I'm too stunned to write...>

<ooc - Gee, thanks Squall, Eevee’s a “little girl” now, is she? LOL And they already know about Neji but meh, minor things so…>

“Okay, Tanis.” Sonya agreed, “Come on, Eevee.”

There was no reply. She looked round.

“Eevee?”

Tanis chuckled.

“Is she always wandering off?”

“She gets it from her auntie Fariel,” Sonya said with an exasperated smile. They headed into the woods to go and find her.

* * *

While her mother and Tanis had been talking, Eevee had walked off further into the forest, hoping to find someone who could tell her what happened. Within a couple of minutes she had reached the forest town, but there was nobody about. Some of the houses had suffered extensive fire damage.

“Hello?” she called, “Anyone here?”

No answer.

She wandered on through the ghostly, derelict town. Maybe the elves had all gone to a council? But then where were all of Neji’s crew and their families? Had they moved too? She decided to try the airship hanger - there was always someone coming and going about there. Hopefully she’d find Zell or Gau or maybe Melina.

As she jogged over to the partially-ruined building she noticed that the Highwind was still in its berth but the Shadow was gone. Perhaps Zell had finally finished repairing the ancient piece of tech they had dug up in the desert around Atellier?

She entered through the open main doors and walked down the wide corridor beyond towards the hanger, her boots thudding softly against the metal floor. All the lights were out. She drew one of her daggers from inside the sleeve of her coat.

“Bisingr du knifr.” she whispered, and the blade immediately lit up with a comforting white glow. She smiled and proceeded down the twisting corridor, calling out every now and then but not expecting to find anyone - the place looked derelict.

As she moved through an area which had obviously suffered severe fire damage, her illuminated dagger revealing black scorch-marks on the walls, the metal floor shuddered under her feet. She jerked her foot back as the ominous grinding sound faded.

“Doesn’t look very stable…” she muttered to herself. Whatever had hit the elven woods had damaged the hanger more badly than she had thought by looking at it from the outside. Part of her, the curious, adventurous part, wanted to go on, but reason told her that there was nobody here. All was quiet, the lights were dead and the only movement she had run into so far was a damaged piece of machina on the far wall further up the fire-blackened corridor, which sparked fitfully every now and again. Shrugging, she turned to go back.

She froze as a menacing growl echoed down the corridor from behind her. She whirled round, her hand flying to the short, white-metal tube of her force lance, but when she looked back down the corridor she couldn’t see anything. Her eyes flicked around the dark corridor for a few seconds, her fingers flexing nervously on the handle of her force lance where it rested on her belt. The broken machina abruptly let out another stutter of sparks and in the light they cast Eevee saw, for the briefest of moments…something standing watching her from the other end of the corridor.

The sparks died, plunging Eevee into darkness again. Her heartbeat pounded in her head as she held her glowing dagger up higher, trying to illuminate further down the corridor. She squinted into the darkness for what seemed like a small eternity, and slowly, she thought she could make out a darker shape among the shadows. Her heart skipped a beat. It looked vaguely human, but taller, and…were those bat-like wings swaying slightly to and fro behind its shoulders? Or was it just a trick of the light?

Whatever it was it just stood there, as if regarding her in turn. Another low growl echoed around the walls. Eevee tore her force lance from her belt, whipping it up to aim at whatever the nightmare was down the corridor, but at the same moment, the broken machina suddenly exploded in fire and shrapnel, searing her vision and throwing her down hard on her back. Her dagger clattered away across the floor and went out.

“Eevee?” she heard a voice call out from somewhere behind her. Pulling up her knees and flipping back onto her feet, Eevee went to retrieve her dagger and turned her gaze back down the corridor. She couldn’t see anything. All was quiet. A warm glow emanating from Sonya’s ring filled the dark corridor, before Sonya herself accompanied by Tanis rounded the corner. In the new light, Eevee could see that the corridor ahead was empty. The shape, the nightmare, whatever it had been, had disappeared. She frowned.

“Evelyn Jenae Kobie, you don‘t half pick your times to wander off,” her mother reprimanded her gently, “Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

“I’m fine, mum. I was just looking for someone who could tell me who made such a mess of this place.”

“There’s nobody around,” Tanis said, “Everyone was moved to safety deeper in the forest while elven sweepers searched the town for any demons that remained.”

“Demons?” Sonya and Eevee asked together.

“Yes, Penance’s minions attacked our forest. But we drove them back. If Penance is growing bold enough to launch a direct attack on the Ellessar woods then time is indeed growing short. We must go, now.”

Eevee looked back down the corridor again, wondering if she had imagined the whole dream-like encounter. Demons? Someone had once told her that the dark can play tricks on your mind more effectively than almost anything. Frowning again, she followed her mother and Tanis out of the damaged hanger.

“I wonder where dad is?” she asked her mum at length as they stepped out once again into the moonlight, “I hope he’s okay.”

Sonya, who had been wondering the same thing, closed her eyes and was about to use her Farsight to contact Feyd when a roar of turbines overhead made her look up. A darker shape against the deep blue of the midnight sky, the Shadow glided down towards them.

-- Edited by [BOSS]Fenix at 16:16, 2006-11-25

O.O.C- fixed some errors. and fenix you gotta remember...Tanis is still in deep **** with the elves. He wouldent be helping them lol...Heed have been avoiding them like the plague! oh yea i'll post tomorrow :P

(OCC - OMG LONG! Ya don't really have to read it seeing as you know what i'm going to say, but it's for the benifit of Jacen and out readers ;) lol Isn't it all very sad ^_^ lol kinda worded badly but it is like, 7am so you understand XD lol)


“It’s complicated…and a long story, I never usually tell anyone it…” Fariel started.

“I’m listening to you Fariel.”

Fariel sighed, “I used to be in The Crusaders with my parents; I was a captain and was very proud of my position. In a battle with the Custodians, Sin killed my parents, and I fled to Kilika. I was so messed up with everything that was happening I didn’t really realise what I was going to do. I saw a kid, being chased by a fiend, instinctively fulfilling my duties as a Crusader I killed it and saved the child.” She paused.

“The child was called Kerr Locke; he was a very inexperienced thief, pretty unskilled as well…” She smiled as she remembered him, “We went our separate ways, and quickly I blamed the meastors, yevon and Sin for my parent’s death and left the Crusaders and became a thief to survive, training to become strong enough to avenge my parents as well as find others that would team with me to defeat him. It was a few months later that by chance I met Kerr again in the street, fleeing from a merchant he had robbed. I swung down from the rooftops and scooped him away to safety.”

“I think because with the loose of my family I needed someone that I could connect to. He never mentioned having a family, I assumed he was in the same situation as me and didn’t bring the subject up. I took him with me, as a student, to become a better thief and fighter, and the months that followed he soon became more a rival and friend then a student. We both had our half of Luca, and be would fight over the position of top thief.”

“Soon I found a team to travel with to go and defeat Sin…though…I did, being my immature self at the time, piss of Meastor Seymour…”

“What did you do?” Jacen enquired, Fariel sighed

“I stole his Meastors Amulet, I don’t know how he figured it was me but he pretty much turned Luca upside down looking for me. But I was in Guadosalam at the time. Me and my friends moved out into the Thunder Plains and ran into Kerr…who, even though had the whole of Luca to himself, made a greedy deal with Seymour.”

“A deal…?”

“While raiding Luca, Seymour discovered Kerr and his record of criminal acts, he made a deal with him that if he helped capture me then he would be allowed to continue what he was doing without interference from him…which knowing Seymour was a total lie. So Kerr set us up. The guado appeared all around us and we tried to fight them off but Seymour turned up and pretty much beat the hell out of me.”

“We got taken back to Seymour’s mansion and locked up to sit and wait our sending to the farplane…By the time I came to, I was fuming, I couldn’t believe that Kerr would betray me. We managed to get out of our restraints just before the door opened and I dragged in the one opening the door…it turned out to be Kerr, busting us out. But the damage was already done, he had betrayed me, and trying to make amends for it because he felt guilty doesn’t work. Betraying your own kind for greed is not acceptable. I locked him in there and fled with my friends…”

Jacen lowered his eyes; a mix of emotions filled his head. He was upset because she had trapped him but somehow understood why she did it. He would have felt the same if he was betrayed by someone close to him.

“It pretty much degraded from there…I suppose he felt betrayed by me for leaving him in that cell, which I don’t understand because it’s hard to betray someone you’ve been betrayed by only hours before. I don’t know the story behind it but he hooked up with Mika, of all people, and along with four others, came hunting me and my friends.”

“Hunting…?”

“The five of them were hired to assassinate us.”

“Kerr…was so pissed off that he tried to assassinate you?” Jacen looked at her in disbelief, “I don’t understand, all you did was lock him up in a cell. He’s more then skilled to break out.”

“Exactly my thoughts…but he tried several times to kill me, he came close a couple times…I still have a few scars from the various blades he stabbed me with.” She chuckled.

“So then, what happened?”

“Eventually it came down to the final battle between the two of us…I don’t know how he managed it but he screwed up and I pinned him, I was going to kill him but I didn’t…I couldn’t do it.”

Jacen let out the breath he had been holding without noticing, he thought he was going to say something he didn’t want to hear.

“He took the chance to disable me with a sword through the side.” Jacen flinched, imagining how much it would have hurt. “He said something to me, that really pissed me off, I gathered up my remaining strength and launched at him just as he was about to finish me off.”

“You…killed him…didn’t you…?”

Fariel drew one of her wave swords, stabbing it into the ground before her, “I sent him to the farplane with this sword, all those years ago...you’ve been searching for a memory all these years…because that’s all he is now…a memory.”

Jacen fell silent; he opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as he saw a tear roll down Fariel’s cheek, “So that’s it, that’s the story of your brother.” She drew her sword out the ground and sheathed it again. “And no matter how I believe that it was an act of self defence, and that he deserved what he got. It still haunts me, he wasn’t my friend when I kill him but I still killed the memory of a friend when I did it.” She got up and left.

“Count me in.” He called, Fariel paused and looked back at him with a warm smile, wiping away her tears, concealing her admiration for him not shooting her in the back and instead accepting the news in his stride.

“Well then,” She turned, “let’s get you properly kitted out.” She waved at him to follow, putting her memories aside and returning to her normal self, “Dante, where did you scamper off child!” She turned and jogged off with Jacen following. “We got work to do!”

oo0oo

Fariel and Sheana walked together through the shadows of Bevel’s streets in single file, Fariel flanking. Breezer had filled them in with the general information of the meeting on their way through the tunnels before emerging on the outskirts of the city.

The contact was one of their usual ones, an Al’bed that worked in one of the larger workshops of the city. The Al’bed were very cooperative with Kebel, they would accept payments for their ships to be ‘stolen’ by Kebel. Usually the ships that were due to be collected by The Guard the day after, which left The Guard lacking in aircrafts.

Dante and his brother scurried across the roof top silently, their soft based shoes making no sound on the tiled roofs, a few buildings a long, Breezer jumped across a thin alley onto the building on the other side. Ahead of him, Lei and Jacen were already moving on.

Before leaving Kebel, Fariel explained that they did not kill without reason and took his rifle from him, she said it was too powerful a weapon to use darts so she issued him with another sniper rifle, or similar design but took tranquiliser darts. Each of the five men on the rooftops held various guns that suited them; each had darts instead of bullets. On their shoulders sat small cameras, they all each had their radios as well to communicate with each other as well as Kebel.

Faber and his team were back in their cave at Kebel monitoring their progress through the cameras and radios, as well as guiding them from other cameras hidden across the city.

“Dante.” Jacen whispered into the microphone as they neared their destination, and started taking up positions with the best view of around the workshop where their contact was supposed to meet them outside.

“What’s up?” Dante answered, looking across to Jacen on the other building.

“I’m getting a no-go signal. My trackers stopped working. You think it’s interference?” Jacen, who was laying on a flat roof with his rifle sitting ready, tapped the tracker on his wrist.

“That can’t be right; they are supposed to work through anything…”

Fariel and Sheana who were waiting at the meeting place listened to their conversation curiously and their surroundings cautiously, “Can you hear it too…?” Sheana whispered.

“Sure can, they try really hard to be sneaky but they simply can’t…” Fariel smiled at The Guards incompetence, their contact wasn’t there which was a sure give away that something was wrong.

“Maybe someone’s jamming it?”

“But who could jam it, the only person who knows where going to be here is the contact…” Dante fell silent as he realised what was about to happen.

“You’ve got company Fariel.” Faber appeared on the radio, “All the camera’s are out in your area, including your mini-cams.”

“Though the radios are intact…they really are incompetent…” Sheana agreed with Fariel.

“FREEZE!” A flood of men in Guard uniform appeared from their poor hiding places and surrounded them, Fariel ****ed a brow, there were more then we originally though, though she knew that if Gerald got information on her whereabouts he would send an army. “DISCARD YOUR WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!” They kept yelling, but Fariel and Sheana smiled.

“This isn’t the most open of places to fight in.” Sheana commented.

“We’ll just have to make due.” Fariel laughed, “Keep hidden.” She voiced into the radio. And the five men lowered against the roofs and peered through the sight on their guns, aiming up for the first strike.

“Well, I guess you got us.” Fariel mocked sarcastically reaching behind her to pull out her swords; all the men raised their guns and watched her with itchy fingers on the trigger. “Sheana.” Sheana nodded.

All the uniformed men yelped and fell backwards as a shockwaves of magic were sent out in all directions, a volley of darts shot down and pinned into a select few and they collapsed asleep. “They have snipers!” Someone yelled, “FIRE!”

The bullet’s shattered on contact with a shield of water that encompassed both Sheana and Fariel, “Guns are useless as long as they can use magic.” Someone growled and threw his gun aside, and more followed suit, drawing their secondary weapons, swords.

Fariel and Sheana ran away from each other, splashing through the diminishing shield, the unexpected movement of the pair made the men jump, “Attack!”

Drawing her wave swords Fariel laughed as she danced around the blades coming at her, a few retrieved their guns fired at her again but a shield of water always blocked them. Sheana broke out quickly with a barrage of magic that sent the men recoiling.

From above Dante and the others fired as quickly as they could but there were a lot more then they thought, they were surprised at how quickly Jacen adapted to his new weapon, a target fell every second to his skilful firing. All the men surrounding Sheana collapsed in a heap as the tranquiliser took effect.

Dante moved across the rooftops to Jacen’s side and watched as he moved the gun in such small motions yet his aim was dead on. “You’re good.” He praised.

“Why thank you.” Jacen grinned wolfishly.

Fariel cut a small wound into a soldiers arm and smiled as he fell to the ground, it was barely noticeable but her blades had a slight blue gleam to them from where she had laced them with a poison that would knock the men out. Spinning out the way of a sword she clipped a man in the back of the head with the hilt of her sword and laughed as he fell down unconscious.

Sheana was more protecting herself then attacking, the snipers above took the soldiers out without hurting the, she didn’t want to risk hurting them badly with her magic so instead danced around in similar movements to Fariel, her knife like Fariel’s was poisoned to occasionally she would take the opportunity to knock someone out with it.

It didn’t take long until there were only a few soldiers left, Sheana smiled, Fariel was about to take one down but growled as a dart embedded in his neck and knocked him out, she looked up at Jacen who had taken her prey from her and grinned, he only grinned back. She turned to see all the other men fall to his skill.

Sheathing her blades she looked to Sheana who said something while covering the microphone so that the snipers didn’t hear, “He’s talented, you got to admit.”

Fariel smiled and patted Sheana on the shoulder, “I didn’t deny it to begin with.”

Jacen smiled, his lip reading sufficed and he could tell they were speaking about him, movement caught the corner of his eye and he looked to see what it was, there was one man left, creeping up behind Fariel with his sword.

“Damn.” He cursed, running across the roof and launching off the side he free fell to the street below.

Sheana yelled a warning and instantly a barrier of water shot to life between Fariel and the soldier, Fariel rose a brow as she saw a blur fall from the sky and then a yelp, lowering her shield she saw Jacen standing proudly on the soldiers back, rifle slung over his shoulders.

“You missed one.” He announced with a grin, a smile itched at Fariel’s face.

“He even has a sense of humour.” Sheana laughed.

With a hiss the door to the airship slidded open, and a great ramp lowered, Eevee, Sonya and Tanis gathered at the bottom, expecting to see someone who could give them answers of what has happened to Ellessar woods. The first one to come was Kobie, Sonya ran up to her lover and wrapped her arms around him, but she could tell by the grim look on his face something was wrong. Retala and Gau walked out shorty after, sharing the same grim look.

"Feyd? whats wrong? did something happen to Keiji? or Tsunami?" Sonya fixed her look on Gau and Retala both were baring battle scars. "What happened? tell me,"

"Mum..." Eevee said, and Sonya looked up to the airship, walking silently down was Neji caring the lifeless Melina.

"Is she?" Sonya asked, and Kobie nodded. "No,"

Neji said nothing and brushed past his friends, Keiji trailing behind him hanging his head, ignoring any of Tsunami's attempts to comfort him.

"The elves have retreated deeper into the forest, please follow me," Retala said.

******

That night Melina's funeral took place, deep within Ellessar woods in the elves most sacred grounds, rarely ventured due to Elves living so long, the graves of those buried due to the attack were still fresh and the candles still burned. Melina's body had been cleaned and dressed in pretty white elvish cloth, a crown of flowers round her head, her hands rested on her chest holding her Atellian Staff and a photo of her family. Tears flowed in the funeral as Laconfir chanted above Melina's corpse in Elvish, Candles lit around her body, even Tanis attended the funeral standing a fair distance.

******

The funeral over and Melina buried slowly one by one everyone began to return home until left standing alone before his mothers grave was Keiji Neji dragged away to the elf council even despite the circumstances, Keiji's face was blank as he stared down at the tomestone.

"Keiji," Neji said returning to his wifes grave, Keiji did not answear, Neji placed his hand on his son shoulder. "Come with me," Keiji followed his father through the forest until they came to a crystal lake. They sat for around an hour.

"Father? why did she have to die?"

"I find myself asking the same question, yet I can't find no answear because there is no answear, she died to save my life, she did it because she loved me, we do some stupid things for the ones we love," They went silent once again staring down at the sparkling lake.

"Father, I want to get back at them, I want to get back at Kiba for killing mother, I want to get Penance because its all his fault,"

"As do I, but if we seek them out on revenge alone we are sure to die, and Melina didn't die so we could, she died so we could live, Spira is about to go through something major and I feel we both have a part in it, and no matter what happens, you are always mine and Melinas son, she will watch over both of us, so lets not let her down, I can feel she is upset cause you and I are upset and push for revenge, we are letting her death perhaps lead to ours, we must move forward not to avenge her, but for her, make her proud,"

"...father, you're right, thank you,"

"Neji?" a voice said from the trees, "the council needs to speak to you, it's urgent,"

"Sorry Keiji I must leave, the world won't stop and events won't come any slower due to Melina's death," Neji left and disappeared in the forests, leaving Keiji behind still sitting by the lake.

******

Many Elves had gathered in the council room, Neji amoung them as well as Retala and Laconfir.

"Now then, Retala I beleive you have made a discovery?"

"My subordinates found a text predicting Penances return we had over looked it before because the text was mainly about Yevon creator of Sin, aparently when Penance was sealed he gathered a large portion of his energy, and with it created a child, Penance had hoped that the child would mature and carry on his conquest until he returned but the child turned out to be a normal Atellian the power laying harmlessly inside of them, when the last of the summoners went to start Zanarkind the child was agmounst them and lived a full live, marrying and having one child, he died aged 66 and people believed that all traces of Penance had now vanished from the world and thus it was forgotten about, but one man believed that the energy had a mind of its own, and that it passed down to the daughter, he recorded there family tree as it grew, passing on the knowledge to a friend or child and them passing the work onto another, the result being this," Retala unraveled a great family tree on the table.

"It may look normal enough until we came to this," Retala pointed to a point low down on the tree, and written in bold letters was the name 'Yevon' the room went silent till one elf stepped forth.

"so? Yevon is related to the man created by Penances power, what is you're point being?"

"I thought that also, until I had a chance to speak with Keiji's friend Tsunami, she does not know her real parents, and her adopted father found her a new born on the beach after Sin was killed and do I need to remind you that Yevon is Sin," Retala pointed to Yevon's name again on family tree,

"If you look Yevon has a direct route back the this man created by the power, I have a theroy that that energy did pass down the line, and it ended up in Yevon, and stuck in him when he became Sin and when Sin was killed the energy survived and formed once again into a new born child, sitting harmlessly within them until Panance can take it back, and to back up my theroy, Tsunami has been kidnapped by Penances men twice, the second time he sent three of his best men, and Keiji said something about Ghead saying she's not ready yet, so that energy is within her but not ready to detach itself from her," The room went silent.

"So the child is here, the person Penance need to become complete is here, in Ellessar woods, we could not ask for a better opportunity, if we kill her then Penance can't get the energy," one elf said

"You can't kill her! she is living person!" another shouted standing up.

"keeping her alive is to risky, Penance is strong enough as it is and if he gets the girl again and reclaims his energy, he'll be almost unbeatable!" the elves in the room rose in conflict, some saying to hide the girl, other to kill her. Kobie burst into the room wondering what was with the racket and soon got filled in from Retala and Neji, who sat back from the arguement along with Laconfir.

Eventually Laconfir stood up and brought order to the room.

"I have thought about it, and although its brings me great pain to say this, the child is too risky to be kept alive," Laconfir turned to the elf guards and ordered them to seek her out and terminate her.

"Neji, Keiji will protect her, if the elves go to kill her," Kobie said once the room was empty. Neji sat silent.

"In that chase we must explain it to Keiji, Laconfir is right she can't be left alive," Retala said in response.

"If Keiji defends her he will fight to the end against the elves, many elves could die, and so would Keiji no dout," Neji said grimly

"Then we must go, we must find them before the elves do,"

********

Keiji continued to sit by the crystal lake, he relaxed and lay back on the grass looking up at the nights sky, soon his view was blocked by a smiling Tsunami leaning over him.

"Took me forever to find you," she said, Keiji smiled looking up but soon felt a bundle land on top of his stomach as Tsunami dropped something on him. "There for you from the elves, since you're fighting close are at my house," Keiji looked at the bundle of clothes given to him and swifty changed into them, they were exactly the same as his prevous fighting gear, apart from they came with a black T-shirt to wear underneith until he got his white T-shirt and Shirt back.

"Look what the elves gave me, man never thought I would be saying that," she laughed pointing at her new clothes, she wore a white short sleeved robe, which showed her neck and the top of her chest a black leather band was round her neck leading down and braching off into the three leather straps which were attached to the dress holding the loose fighting robes securely on, the robe came down to a half short half long skirt, the front coming down to just above her knees and the back flowing all the way down to her angles like a wavey cape, she wore black leather knee high boots and long arm length black leather clothes. She twirled for Keiji.

"Like it?" she said smiling, Keiji responed with a thumps up and a smile. "Aww you're sweet," she said mockenly, Keiji half chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. Suddenly they heard a voice in the bushes call out.

"She's here! she's here," it called, Tsunami paniced and stepped back, "they're not back are they?" she said. Keiji stood ready when running out of the dark woods came a group of six elves all holding bows ready to fire.

"Step aside Keiji, we have been ordered to teminiate the child of Penances power," Keiji looked back at Tsunami, "You mean to kill her! no way, I won't allow it!"

"she is to much of a threat to remain alive, step aside,"

"No!" Keiji shouted and he he split into a large group of dark clones, they all charged and grapped the elves bow, who struggled to snatch them back, Keiji grapped Tsunami's hand and ran into the forest.

"We have to hurry, those clones will only stay long if I'm close by, they'll fade soon and we have to be a fair distance," he said while running.

Eventually the pair came to the edge of a cliff over a grassy field and leading to Machilani forest, they turned around but as they did they saw Kobie standing. He had a serious look and slowly he walked towards them. "Tsunami fly, I'll lead them astary,"

"Do you mean, to hurt her too,"

"Keiji," Keiji charged at Kobie and launched his fist, but Kobie merly twisted his body in a flash to avoid, again Keiji swung but once again Kobie again dodging the blow, moving in a blur, Keiji swung round for a spinning kick but Kobie vanished before his foot, appearing behind Keiji, Keiji turned swifty throwing a punch, but in a flash Kobie caught his fist.

"Keiji, settled down, I don't want you, or Tsunami"

"Liar!" Keiji threw his other fist but Kobie caught that too with his spare hand, and in one quick motion pinned Keiji to the ground, his arms crossed across his chest and forced to the ground.

"Tsunami fly now!" he shouted and but Tsunami did move

"I won't leave you Keiji!" she shouted

"Keiji settle down and I'll let you go, I told you I don't want to hurt Tsunami, but we do need her stay here,"

Keiji continued to struggle and eventually threw Kobie off with black shockwave attack, he sprang to his feet, standing there when he rose was his father Neji. Keiji buckled knowing he would be unable to defend himself against both his father and godfather.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay here, not if the elves want Tsunami, dead, I promised her I wouldn't let anything happen to her," Neji froze, he made a promise like that to Melina so many years ago and he could see in his sons eyes just how much he ment it just like Neji did when we was around his age.

"What if it was Melina they were after or Sonya, I know you guys would the exact same," Kobie and Neji knew he was right, they truely would do the same even if it did mean putting the world in jeapordy.

"Father you said yourself we do the stupidest things for the one we love," deep within the forest the sound of the elves looking franticlly for Tsunami could be heard, and suddenly jumping out of the bushes emerged a worried Eevee.

"Guys whats going on, why to the Elves plan on killing Tsu? They are getting real close,"

"Keiji run, run with Tsunami and keep you're promise to her," Neji said

"father..."

"You have grown so much my son, I beleaved you lacked what it would take to be a truely strong warrior, but seeing you now has proved me wrong, I wanted to protect you from any harm, but now i can truely see you are more than capable, I'm proud of you, now go,"

"Eevee I want you to go with them," Kobie said turning to his daughter

"What?!"

"Me and you're mother will have to leave soon with Tanis, and we can't take you with us, I beleive these two will need you for now,"

"Dad,"

"Eevee, go," another voice said within the forest, walking out came Sonya. "We will all meet again but for now we must seperate," Eevee walked over to Keiji and Tsunami and Sonya began to cast an aero spell.

"Look after eachother," Sonya said

"try not to get into too much trouble," Kobie said smiling

"You three have you're part in this story, play it well and lets us meet again," with those words the mighty aero spell lifted the three young heroes and lowered them down the cliff.

<ooc - *sigh* great, you’re back in Kebel LOL now I’m going to have to come up with a slightly less plausible way for you to meet the threatening threesome :P>

The Aero dissipated to set Keiji, Tsunami and Eevee safely down a fair distance south of the Ellessar woods.

“So where do we go now?” Keiji wondered out loud.

“Our best bet for a first stop is probably Bevelle,” Tsunami said after a pause, “The elves won’t risk exposing themselves around somewhere as crowded as the capital city even if they do figure out where we’ve gone. Plus I need to let my dad know I’m okay and pick up a couple of things…it’s not safe to be wandering around unarmed any more and I’m sick of being a damsel in distress - no offence, Keiji.” she added with a wink.

“I don’t understand, Tsu,” <ooc - well picked up on that btw, Sean :D> Eevee said, chewing at her nails, “What’s up with the elves? You didn’t do anything wrong - why would they want to hurt you all of a sudden?”

“Apparently Penance lost some of his power when he escaped the demon-world, and it now resides inside Tsunami here. If he gets it back then he’ll be all but invincible, and the elves didn’t want to take that chance. To their credit a lot of them were against it, but even Master Laconfir had to give in to the majority in the end. They thought Penance capturing Tsunami and getting the last part of his power back was too great a risk to take.”

“Even though you’re completely innocent?” Eevee said, looking at Tsunami with horrified disbelief.

“Yeah, but that’s coz the Ellessar are cold, calculating bastards,” Keiji said grimly, “Come on, we’d better get moving.”

* * *

“They’re not here,” Sonya said with closed eyes as she pretended to use her Farsight to search for Keiji and Tsunami, “They’ve left the woods and they’re heading north to the Calm Lands. We’ll head out after them, you go and tell Master Laconfir.”

The two elven archers nodded and bounded back the way they had come, leaping over fallen logs and other obstacles to quickly disappear into the trees.

Once they had gone, Tanis detached himself from the shadows and came to stand by Neji, Feyd and Sonya, an amused look on his face.

“Very well, my friends,” he said, “It seems we have a ready-made excuse to take our leave. I’m sorry to drag you off on another insane quest like this but I told Fariel to meet us in the Calm Lands this morning, and it is almost time.”

He turned and looked over the trees towards the eastern horizon, where the moon was fading and a grey light was beginning to creep into the air as dawn approached.

“They’ll be fine,” he added, apparently without cause.

“Are you reading our minds again?” Neji snapped.

“No, I don’t need to. I could sense your concern for your children from a mile away. Do not be troubled - they are more than capable, as were you when we set out on our first little adventure, though you did not know it at the time. The path of the Avenging Angel is written on their fate.”

That thought brought a slight ease to Sonya’s worry as they turned and began walking through the peaceful night-time forest towards the northern treeline and the road to the Calm Lands.

* * *

Sleet lashed down onto the three young travellers as they struggled through the snowy landscape. The weather had turned bad shortly after they had entered Macalania, and the driving snow whipped their hair and coats about them as they went, biting at exposed ears and hands. Keiji was up front bent, pushing implacably through the knee-deep snow and bent double against the storm, for if he looked up he couldn’t see more than ten yards in any direction anyway.

“Are you sure we’re still going the right way?” Tsunami yelled over the wind. Keiji frowned.

“I hope so! We should have passed the deserted travel agency by now…must be a bit further on.”

Tsunami laughed.

“Keiji, don’t tell me you’ve got us lost already?”

But she said it with a twinkle in her eye.

“Gotta ask yourself the question; where are you now…?” Eevee sang from behind them, spinning her force lance blithely in one hand, until it slipped out of her numb fingers and fell into the snow, “Come a bit closer guys, this is silly,” she said as she picked it up, “Nullfrost!”

As she held up her hand, a hemisphere of pale blue light enveloped the three of them, pushing back the snowstorm.

“Much better,” Eevee said as she brushed snow off her black coat, “Well, now that we can see a bit further, do you know where we are?”

Keiji looked around, and thought he saw a dark shape in the distance that might have been a building.

“Yes!” he said, “Rin’s is right over there!”

They headed towards the building and sure enough it turned out to be Rin’s deserted travel agency, and soon they had taken shelter inside and built up the log fire to keep them warm, Keiji igniting it with a Demon Ball.

“Well, here we are again,” Tsunami said cheerfully, winking at Keiji as she slipped her arm into his and sat down in front of the fire, “Where we first met.”

“Not much point moving on until the storm clears.” Keiji said in a business-like way, trying to cover his embarrassed blush at the memory.

“Not necessarily,” Eevee put in, “If you want to go then let’s go.”

“What are you talking about, Eevee?” Keiji asked her, “Surely not even you’re nuts enough to want to go back out there with that blizzard still going on?”

Eevee rolled her eyes and started shifting broken furniture off a carpet that lay more or less in the middle of the room, kicking the rug aside with her booted foot to reveal a trap door underneath.

“How did you know that was there?” Tsunami said in surprise as Eevee busied herself pulling up the trap door with a loud groan of rusty hinges.

“This is one of auntie Fari’s secret tunnels - there’s a network of them all across Spira, apparently. She took me down this one the one time she let me visit Kebel. More to the point though, if you go down it the other way it leads straight to Bevelle.”

Tsunami made an impressed noise.

“Well, you coming then?” Eevee said as she dropped down through the trap door, into a narrow, roughly-hewn tunnel just about big enough for them to stand upright in, buttressed every few feet by wooden supports.

Keiji and Tsunami followed and closed the trap-door behind them as Eevee cast an illumination spell on one of her daggers and held it up like a torch to light their way as they began walking down the tunnel, the muffled noise of the snowstorm sounding comfortably remote above them.

* * *

It was dawn, and still nothing stirred in the Calm Lands apart from the occasional flock of Chocobo racing across the open grasslands kwehing to each other.

Jacen detached the sniper scope from his rifle and used it as a telescope to scan the horizon, but he couldn’t yet see the group Fariel had claimed might be arriving any time now. Evidently Fariel couldn’t either. She slumped down next to Larek with an impatient noise as the sun began to creep over the horizon east of them, causing the snow around them to glisten. At this altitude it was almost completely quiet; there was no wind to speak of and the only sound was the faint breathing of the three humans and Whisper as their breath misted the cool early-morning air.

They all started slightly when the silence was broken by a loud triple-beep. Fariel tapped the machina device on her wrist and held it up to her mouth.

“Yeah, what is it Faber?”

“Fariel, we’ve got a problem down here.”

“What kind of a problem?”

“Motion sensor 572 just picked up unidentified movement in the Macalania tunnel, three people heading towards Bevelle.”

“We don’t have anyone scheduled to be coming in from there?”

“No,”

“Damn,” Fariel cursed, “If a Guard patrol has found one of the entrances to the tunnel network then the ****’s really gonna hit the fan…okay Faber order a team to lock down the tunnel, I’m on my way.”

“Fariel?” Jacen asked curiously.

“I’m gonna check this out myself - come on Larek.”

She unceremoniously grabbed his hand and led him towards the edge of the steep-sided precipice.

“Jacen, look after Whisper for me til I get back will you? And call Faber or Dante if you see anyone approaching across the Calm Lands.”

“Uh, okay…” said Jacen, not sure how else to respond as Fariel grabbed Larek tight, flexed her wings and dived off the cliff, spreading her wings to catch a thermal as she neared the bottom and swooping down towards the cave entrance into Kebel’s lower level.

* * *

Eevee, Keiji and Tsunami pulled up short as a blinding machina torch-light snapped into life ahead of them, forcing them to shield their eyes.

“Halt!” a voice ordered, and there was the unmistakable sound of several machina guns being ****ed, “Identify yourselves!”

“Eevee, what the hell have you led us into!?” Keiji hissed.

“Oh frak…” was Eevee’s reply.

* * *

Fariel and Larek strode purposefully down the cramped tunnel as the helmet and gun lights of her interdiction team came into view ahead of them. Raised voices reached their ears as they rounded a corner and saw three young-looking people standing with their hands up in the torchlight - a young woman dressed in angelic white with black boots and gloves, a tough-looking boy in casual combat gear, and a goth teenage girl, the last of whom seemed to be arguing with her men.

“…Look, I told you already! Do you not remember me coming to Kebel with Fari Oreen once before? No? Let’s see, my name’s Eevee Kobie, I’m the daughter of Feyd and Sonya Kobie, I’m Fari’s favourite niece and my favourite music group is Effervescence.”

Fariel smiled in spite of herself.

“It’s alright guys, lower your weapons - I know these people. Eevee what the hell did you think you were doing just waltzing into the tunnel network?”

“Thankyou!” Eevee said testily as the Kebelites slowly dropped their gunpoints and flicked safety catches, “Auntie Fari, could you please explain to these guys who we are?”

Fariel couldn’t help but laugh.

“False alarm guys, it’s just Feyd and Sonya’s hyperactive daughter and a couple of her friends. Heya Keiji. So what you been up to?”

“We were trying to get to Bevelle.” Keiji answered, rolling his eyes at Eevee. She pretended to pull a face back at him.

Larek, standing behind Fariel, laughed as the Kebelite security team turned and disappeared back up the tunnel.

“So these are your friends’ kids you’re always going on about.”

“Yeah,” Fariel said fondly, “Oh of course, you haven’t met, have you? This is Eevee, Keiji, and…?” she paused as her eyes fell upon the unfamiliar face of Tsunami.

“Tsunami Stead.” she introduced herself, putting her arm around Keiji.

“Cool. Kids, this is Larek Atlen.”

“You’re Larek?” Eevee said, looking impressed.

Larek grinned at her, “Yep.”

“Ah,” said Eevee, turning to Fariel, “So this is the guy you’re always referring to as ‘your bitch’, then?”

She flashed a mischievous grin at Larek’s expression, pressing her tongue up against her front teeth. Fariel avoided Larek’s eyes awkwardly.

<ooc - felt like a comedy post XD>

(occ - if you want me to change it slightly to fit what you had planned for eevee and stuff, Fenix, just say)


Larek looked at Fariel with a smug grin and then looked to Eevee, resisting the urge to make a sarcastic come back, instead he changed the subject back to the matter at hand, “So why is it you little people need to go to Bevell so badly that you had to use our tunnel system?”

“Ah…” Eevee looked away at Larek’s accusing glare but then he smiled and she calmed down, “We have stuff to do.”

“Is such stuff important?” Fariel asked, Keiji and Tsunami nodded, “Well then, we won’t keep you any longer. Eevee, you do know if you kept going in this tunnel you would have ended back up in Macalania?” She teased, and Eevee looked at her in disbelief, “I’m joking. Follow the tunnel and take the left at the fork and you’ll come out at the edge of Bevell. Do you want someone to go with you, make sure you don’t get lost?”

They shook their heads, “We’ll manage.”

“Okay. Oh and next time you want to use one of my tunnels, make yourself known first so we don’t have this problem again?” Larek laughed.

“How?” Eevee asked flatly.

Fariel unclipped Larek’s radio from his belt without objection and handed it to her, “If you ever need me, use this. My friend Faber will patch you through to me, okay?” Eevee nodded and smiled. “Now go on, I’m a busy woman and can’t spend all my time dealing with trespassers.” She winked and stepped aside so the three could pass.

Keiji took Tsunami by the hand and went first; Eevee waited a second and smiled, “Thanks Fari.” She smiled; Fariel nodded and let her pass.

“Fariel, Jacen is calling for you.” Faber spoke on the radio, Fariel and Larek looked to each other and rushed through the tunnels towards Jacen’s position.

oo0oo

Instead of wasting time climbing Fariel carried Larek up to the cliff top with magic as she flew. Jacen sat with one arm around Whisper while holding his rifle sight as a telescope with his other hand.

“Did they arrive?” Fariel composed herself as she landed and knelt down beside him.

“I don’t know, you didn’t tell me what they looked like.” He grinned, Fariel glared at him and a string of curses ran through his head, he was in for it now.

Larek smiled at Jacen’s horrified expression as Fariel burst into laughter, “That’s a good point!” Fariel sat down wiping a tear from her eye, “Ah well, I guess we are back to waiting.

"mmm, Beelzebub!" Penance called out

"Yes my lord," a deep voice replied from the shadows

"It appears, our friend Gaget has fallen,"

"Impossible, by who?"

"A human, well Al'bed to be precise,"

"Gaget killed by an Al'bed? shall I exterminate him my lord,"

"No, I want you to watch over him, there are creatures of this island who would have him dead, ensure he has safe passage to me,"

"But why my lord, he is but an Al'bed,"

"An Al'bed who killed one of my best men, and now I need a replacement,"

Beelzebub stepped out of the shadows to reveal his massive figure, he stood 8 foot tall and a body made of muscle, and red skin, stange markings covered his body, he had two great bull like horns, his head and face was clean cut and his eyes gleamed a sinister yellow. Strapped to his bare back was heavy looking double edged axe, he wore only dark mail leggins and a metal bronze plate. He bowed down to one knee, "Yes my master," and with that, he took his leave.

"Now then, Xipetotec!" he called and Xipetotec, slipped into sight.

"I want that girl and our little nusicence Keiji, and make sure you don't lose her this time,"

"Yes sir!"

"Kiba!"

"Yes,"

"As you know Neji has come back, I know all to well about you're history and thats why I shall grant you the plessure of killing him yourself,"

"Sir!"

"And don't fail me, or I shall feed you to the shadows, that goes for all of you!"

As night fell the young angels all rested there tired heads in the comfortable Stead mansion except Tsunami, who could not seem to drift off, slowly she got up from her bed and approached the balcony sliding open the great door, she leaned on the edge staring up at the stars, it was a cool night, the breeze gently brushed through her hair, she was at ease, which she found hard to beleive due to all that she had been through and witnessed over these past few days, yet aside from that she got to meet many new interesting people and taken a liking to all of them, she got to see the beautiful Ellessar woods and meet the graceful elves, and learned the storys of the avenging angels and the true battle against Sin and Yevon, and all this started with her having the fortune of Keiji being near when she was in need, Keiji not only saved her life a number of times, he had opened her eyes to the truth, she had seen things that the normal people of Spira can not.

"Hello Tsunami," a mysterious angelic voice said from behind her. Tsunami spun round, behind her stood a mysterious spectal form of a beatiful women, two shining angelic wings curled in to rest, her hair was long and white with great pointed ears poking out of them. Tsunami stepped back.

"You're not one of Penances troops are you?"

"No, do not be alarmed child, I am the half elf half Atellian faith, Eden,"

"Eden? Melina's summoning,"

"Yes I bring a message from Melina, all the way from the farplain," Tsunami looked on confused but relaxed since it wasn't one of Penances troops. "Melina want's you to look out for her son, he can be rash some times, which often leads to him getting beaten, he say's he'll protect you with his life and since he's just like his father he will, but you need to be there to protect him also again just like his father he can often take on a much larger load than he can handle,"

"but how could I protect him, I'm weak,"

"Child you not weak, you are also a full blooded Atellian, you have great potential and hidden strength, and don't worry I'll be there to assit you,"

"I'm no summoner lady Eden,"

"I don't mean summon dear," Eden spread her wings and took to the nights sky, she began to shine in a celestrail white colour, Tsunami shielded her eyes until the light faded, she looked up and drifting down to her came a golden shining staff, shaped as a cross, the staff floated before Tsunami, held up by a faint white light, Tsunami slowly grapped the staff and held it in both hands, she felt a strange energy surge through her, the staff was light and easily swung despite it being far longer than.

Edens faint voice echoed from the staff "From this point on, my power is you're power, this staff my appear blint but can cut through evil like any sword, can you feel the magic flow through you? it is white magic, not destructive to those of kind hearts capable of healing wounds to however you choose, use this power wisely," and with that Eden's voice drifted away leaving Tsunami in the silentness of night.