The Four Elements
by Chris S. Horn (Mr. Saturn)

mr_saturn@geocities.com
http://come.to/mrsaturn/

If you have not read my other FanFic, The Game, I highly suggest that you do, so that you’ll understand some of the things that go on here.

1.

Edgar Roni Figaro was tossing and turning all night. It had been a rough night, what with the loudest storm of the century going on. Even worse, Sabin was coming in every two or three minutes because he was afraid of the rain. This didn’t bother Edgar too much, seeing as how it happened every time there was a storm. He looked at the small clock next to his bed. 3:00 AM. This isn’t the time that he usually goes to sleep. He looked back at the clock to make sure he had gotten the right time. 3:01. He was rather tired, and wished he could sleep. The storm had died down a little in the last twenty minutes or so, but now he had Sabin’s snoring to keep him up. He decided to do what anybody would do when they can’t sleep. Go wake somebody up. As the king of Figaro, Edgar had a theory. If he can’t sleep, no one else should be able to.

Edgar looked up and down the hall for a room that looked inviting. He could remember Locke saying that he was going to stay at Figaro for the night when the storm started. Not only would he and Celes get wet, he had reasoned, but also the Chocobos would be afraid of the thunder and lightning. Edgar had no option but to let them stay until the storm died down.

Edgar decided that since it was his castle that Locke was staying in, he would have control of whether or not he would get to sleep. It was settled then. He would wake up Locke and talk to him. The problem was, not waking up Celes.

Edgar sneaked into Locke and Celes’ Quarters without a sound. Good. Locke was closer to the door. He attempted to grab Locke by the collar and drag him out of the room. No good. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He then decided that a free wrist would work just as well. He grabbed for his wrist, the one that was hanging off of the bed, and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Celes awoke at Locke’s shriek.

"Wha… Locke? What’s going on?" said Celes, still groggy and partially asleep. If she had been awake enough to know what was going on, she probably would have flogged Edgar.

"Nothing, Cel." Said Edgar. "Go back to sleep."

The half-awake Celes followed the command and went back to sleep blissfully. As Celes peacefully snored silently, Edgar turned on the coffeepot in the West Tower Lounge to give Locke something to toss his anger into.

Locke looked up at Edgar with the anger that Edgar hoped would soon be going into a cup of coffee. "Why the hell did you wake me up?" Locke asked, rubbing his eyes. "I was sleeping in there!"

"I know." Replied Edgar. "That’s why I woke you up. You were sleeping. I wasn’t. Besides, I couldn’t really wake you up if you weren’t sleeping. I need somebody to put me to sleep. Between the thunder and cry-baby Sabin, I’ve been up all night."

At that moment, the storm decided to make its biggest crash of thunder of the entire night. Moments later, Sabin came down stairs.

"Umm… hi." Said Sabin. "Did the thunder wake you guys up too?"

"No, Edgar woke me up, the bloody bastard." Said Locke, some of his anger dripping into the coffee cup, just as Edgar had planned.

"I can’t sleep." Said Edgar. "I need something to do. The more people in here, the more suggestions of how to put me to sleep. So send ‘em here. A suggestion."

"How about lying down?" suggested Celes, coming into the room wearing her bathrobe. "Not only will you have a higher chance of sleeping, but you’ll also have a higher chance of not waking people up."

"Sorry, Celes." Said Edgar, hanging his head in shame. "I was only trying to wake up Locke. I didn’t mean to disturb you."

"Oh, so it’s okay to wake me up, huh?" asked Locke sarcastically, with less anger than before. "Why don’t you go back to bed, Cel. Everything’s all right in here."

"I can’t." replied Celes. "I seem to have trouble sleeping without you by my side."

As Celes and Locke started looking at each other passionately, Sabin and Edgar chanted in unison, "Awwwwwwwww," which prompted Locke to give the two an evil glare. Celes merely giggled.

"I suppose I’m in on your little late night meeting." Said Celes. "So, you need some thing to make you sleep, right?"

"You got it." Replied Edgar. "And I don’t think that the coffee is going to help."

The four sat and talked until 7:00 AM. They then decided to give sleep another shot. The storm had cleared, and the sun was up. It was a beautiful day. Even for sleep. Locke and Celes had gone back to their room, and so had Sabin. Edgar went back to his room and started to lie down when there was a knock at the door. "Oh, bloody hell." Edgar moaned as he got up to answer his door. It was one of the castle guards bringing news of a visitor.

"Your majesty, King Cecil Harvey of Baron to see you." Said the guard, bowing to his king. Ever since the incident with Warlock a few months ago, the young inventor girl, Lucca, had found a way to recreate the ‘warps’ and keep them stable. She had opened a passageway between the dimensions of the people who had encountered Warlock, and found coordinates to a few others. There was a wide inter-dimensional network set up at key cities in each dimension. There was a ‘warp-hut’, as they had been lovingly named by the citizens who lived near them, in South Figaro, the Gold Saucer, Baron, Tycoon, Saturn Valley, Truce, Igros, Coneria, Parcelyte, Aliahan, Tantegel, Endor, Alekia, and Dallas, just to name a few.

"I’ll be in the throne room in a moment." Said Edgar, dismissing the guard. He groggily got dressed in his royal garb, and proceeded to the throne room.

The throne room guards all rose to attention when King Edgar approached the throne. The front four guards raised their royal horns and played for the king. Edgar didn’t really appreciate it, because his lack of sleep was developing quite a headache. Edgar sat down despite the bugle players drilling iron rods through his head. He breathed a mental sigh of relief when they finished and asked that his visitor enter the room. A guard came into the room and shouted, "All rise for King Cecil Harvey of Baron!"

Edgar rose, as was the custom when a foreign leader came to visit. The trumpeteers then played the royal theme of Baron as Cecil walked into the room. Edgar started envisioning ways that he could impale the horn players on his collection of Lances, leaving little left for the goblins to devour. The playing stopped just as Edgar had started to think about his fine collection of Tridents. Everyone who had a chair (Edgar) then sat again. Cecil walked up to the throne and, in his most proper voice, said "Your majesty."

"Cut the formalities, Cecil." Said Edgar. "We’re both kings here. We don’t need all of this ‘highness’ mumbo-jumbo. We can actually be ourselves."

"Okay, then." Said Cecil. "If we don’t have to be formal with each other, let me first say this. You look like hell."

There was a small burst of laughter from one region of the nights, but after a vicious glare from the chief guard, who was almost always at Edgar or Sabin’s side, they all quieted down immediately.

"It’s okay." Replied Edgar. "I feel like hell. I haven’t slept a wink since yesterday at about this time. Between last nights storm and Sabin, I barely touched the pillow."

"Neither have I." Said Cecil. "I haven’t slept in days. But wait until you hear why. You’re gonna love this…"

2.

Edgar had gathered everyone at the Returners hideout, the place where they always gathered when there was an important announcement that everybody needed to know about. After an election between everybody, Edgar was voted as a sort of Leader of the group. They needed someone to call order to these meetings, and he got the most votes. This really made Mog mad, because he thought it was race discrimination, but Terra persuaded him against filing charges. All of the people who had been acquainted after the first inter-dimensional incident fit well into the newly redecorated Returners cave. There was enough room for all to sit; though Vincent, Umaro, Cyan, and Barret usually preferred to stand. As opposed to the original design of the Returners cave, it was now well lit, with enough light for all to see, and to make Vincent uncomfortable. The large table where everyone sat at was crafted of powerful metal, with cheap imitation wood stickers to give it that ‘rustic feel.’ The alternate paths that previously led to Banon’s quarters, a store and inn, and guest quarters were now turned into the main room. The entrance was no longer just another cave, but a grand doorway, such as the one to the coliseum. The only reason that they remained in a cave was for sentimental purposes. Edgar sat at the front of the table with Cloud and Cecil, who had tied for second place in the vote, at his immediate left and right.

"I brought you all here today because of a shocking announcement that Cecil had brought to me this morning." Said Edgar, trying to create some order. "I believe Cecil will be able to explain it much better than I could." He then gestured for Cecil to rise and address the group. "Cecil."

Merely a few years ago, when he was nothing more than a dark night, Cecil would have been terrified to speak in front of this many people. After experience as both an adventurer and a king, Cecil was accustomed to speaking in front of large crowds.

"Everybody," Cecil started. "There has been a major catastrophe due to the inter-linking of the dimensions. It appears that the four Elementals, Milon, Kainazzo, Valvalis, and Rubicant have reappeared and have fled to another dimension. We are not sure which dimension they have gone to, but I’m sure that, with your help, we can find them. Rosa will now be handing out packets to everyone that shows what they look like, and what they can do. I don’t want anyone to sleep until they are found." Nobody heard the groan from Edgar as Cecil continued. "The last time we fought them, they were sticking together, thinking that they could overcome more as a single force. We do not know whether or not they will follow the same game plan now. However, they are forces to be reckoned with, individually, or as a group. I want everyone to keep an eye out, and watch your backs."

"All right, everyone." Said Edgar, standing as Cecil sat down. "Dismissed."

After their dismissal, the group usually stayed and took the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with each other socially. Many of the girls would get into a single group, most with their husbands following at arm length. The unmarried men would usually roam slowly in small circles, occasionally striking short conversations with one another. King Gilbert would sometimes entertain the group with his fine musician ship. Reeve would sometimes make his Cait Sith doll perform tricks. They generally had a good time. The socialization period of the ‘meeting’ had barely begun when a knight of Figaro rushed through the door.

"King Edgar!" the knight screamed. "There’s an emergency! South Figaro has been torched!"

All of the casual conversations ended as everyone rushed to grab their respective weapons. They seemed to travel in clumps similar to the ones that they converse in. Most of the girls, with their husbands, in one group, and most of the guys, with a few girls, in the other. The party left the Returners cave and hopped on their Chocobos. They headed through the newly created Kolts-Sabil pass, which connected the Returners cavern and South Figaro without any mountains in between. As they neared the pass few could imagine how they couldn’t have smelled the smoke before. The terrain was starting to get heavy with smoke even back at the mountain range. Few people could see, and the Chocobos heads started getting closer to the ground. The guard took the Chocobos back to the Returners cave, where there was less smoke, when their riders disbanded.

Many buildings in South Figaro were still on fire when the group attempted to enter the city. Children were screaming in the streets, horrified of the fiery onslaught. Grown people were running in circles, as if their speed could simmer the blazing flames. The groups looked for the cause of this mass hysteria, and weren’t too surprised when they found it. In front of his three teammates stood Rubicant, master of fire. Behind him was the wind goddess, Valvalis, and on her right was Milon, the Earth Demon, and her left, Kainazzo, the Water Fiend.

"You don’t stand a chance against us, now!" Screeched Rubicant, over the howl of the flames of his own creation. "Those years of confinement did nothing but strengthen us, you fools! Now, you will feel the wrath of the elements! Beware where ever you go, for we will find you all!" And with that, Valvalis disappeared into the air, Milon turned into a sort of mud-slide and melted into the ground, Kainazzo reverted to a water form, and evaporated swiftly, and Rubicant’s skin melted off as he turned into pure flames and disappeared. When he left, he took his other flames with him.

3.

King Edge of Eblan paced back and forth worriedly. He knew he should be out searching for the Elementals, but he was royalty. He had people to do that for him. Besides, the Chancellor had strictly forbidden anything that could put the King in danger. So he paced. He worried about the safety of the kingdom, he worried about the safety of the world, and, most importantly, he worried about Rydia. Rydia had never really taken a liking to the King of Eblan, at least, like the one he had for her. As far as he knew, she already had a boyfriend down there, in the Land of Summoned Monsters. She had better things on her mind anyway, what with the big controversy about the materia, and then the fact that they were mistaken for Espers. It’s just been a big problem after another down there. She had no time to think about a lonely ninja king. But he thought about her none the less. She was on his every thought. Earlier today at the meeting, he had drowned out most of what Cecil had said just to look at her. Cecil said something about it later, too. He had noticed. Everybody had noticed the ninja staring at Rydia. Except Rydia. Sometimes he thought she was avoiding him, as if she didn’t like him. But that couldn’t be true. She just… didn’t notice. What could he do to get her to notice him? That’s it! He would go visit her! What with all of the mess in the land of summoned monsters, and the escaping of the elements, a small girl like Rydia must need someone to protect her! Then it was settled. Edge would go to the Underground, and see Rydia.

"Chancellor." Edge said. "I’m going to the cave of summoned monsters. I’ll be back in a day of so. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine."

"The cave of summoned monsters?" asked the Chancellor. "Why would you go there? It’s awfully dark and ugly down there, and you’re not a summoner… Is it that girl again?"

"Umm… of course not. I umm…" Edge rubbed his head, as if the answer he was searching for would immediately appear in Braille. He couldn’t read Braille anyway. Apparently it did appear, because he found his answer. "I think that the Elementals are down there! Yes, that’s why I must go now. I must take care of them."

"But, your majesty! It’s dangerous down there, even without the Elementals! You can’t hunt them alone! You must take assistance! I’ll send for some ninjas."

"NO!" Edge shouted, as he felt his face turn red. "Umm… I, uh…" He thought of a reason why he should go alone. "I’m not going to fight them, I’m just going to see if they’re there! If they are there, they would definitely notice a small group, but not one trained ninja. It’s settled. I’ll go alone."

After passing through the Spanish Inquisition, which nobody expected, Edge finally made it out of the castle. He immediately hopped into the airship provided for Eblan by Cid. The airship started without a problem, and Edge headed for the underworld.

Edge quickly remembered his way around the underworld, having been there many times before. The path through the cavern of the Summoned Monsters also went fast. The evil monsters in the cave weren’t tough for a ninja of his expertice. He found himself thinking that he was going to have no problem getting to Rydia. Until he entered the city. In front of the library was a line extending almost past the edge of the city. Edge had nothing better to do, so he stood in line.

"So, you were mistaken for an Esper, too?" said a goblin that had just gotten in line behind Edge.

"Huh?" replied a startled Edge. "Umm.. yeah, that’s it. I suppose you were too?"

"Yeah," started the goblin, who bared a remarkable resemblance to Groucho Marx. "It’s been one thing after another down here lately. Yesterday, a small girl asked if she could have my materia. Materia! I’m no materia summon! I’m a full bred monster summon! And the Esper Board has been mistaking us all for one of theirs. It’s been hideous down here. Leviathan says he can clean it up, but I’m not so sure."

"Umm… Yeah." Replied the ninja, trying to calculate how long it would take him to get to the front of the line.

"NEXT!" shouted a familiar voice. Edge looked forward just in time to see Rydia move back into the Library.

"Excuse me…" Edge mumbled as he started moving toward the front of the line. He was nearing the door. He knew she would talk to him. She had to. Just then a lumbering giant of a monster stepped in front of Edge.

"I’m sorry," said the monster Edge recognized as Titan, "but we don’t cut in line around here! I think you need to move to the end, whelp!" Just before conflict started, the door opened again.

"NEX-- Edge? What are you doing down here?" asked a startled Rydia, while monsters got mad at the sudden hold up. "Titan, let him pass. He’s my friend."

"Oh, I’m sorry, mister." Said Titan, more sincerely this time. He began to dust off Edge’s clothes, that he hadn’t even touched yet. "Rydia, I didn’t know he was your friend. I’m really sorry."

"It’s okay, Titan. No harm done." Said Rydia, pulling Edge forward by the scruff of his neck after letting the next three monsters into the library to see Leviathan. "I’m sorry, Edge. It’s just so hectic around here lately. Ever since the interdimensional passageways were open to monsters, there have been all kinds of confusion. What was it that you came down here for, Edge?"

Edge started to say, ‘I came here to be with you,’ but quickly corrected himself. "My chancellor has brought me word of the problems down here. I came to make sure that the Elementals wouldn’t take advantage of the situation."

"That’s so sweet, Edge. Come with me. I’ll get you some food, and set you up a room at my house to stay at tonight." Rydia said, as Edge threw a little party in his mind. Edge followed Rydia back to her house. It was a small place next door to the weapons shop. The inside was much like Rydia herself. Small, yet powerful. And Green. Most everything was decorated in green. It would normally disturb Edge, but somehow it all seemed to fit.

"Let me make you some tea." Rydia said, and Edge sat down and started to relax.

4.

"Let me make you some tea." Lufia said, and Sabin sat down and started to relax. This was the first time Sabin had ever been to Alekia, although Maxim had offered the free stay to him many times before. The only reason he had come this time was that the D-Warp was showing an abnormality coming from this dimension. That meant that someone was warping too much. Sabin had heard rumors of Lufia’s special talent for cooking. He had also heard rumors that she used to be known as Erim, the Sinistral. He liked the first one better. Maxim had begun living with Lufia after he found her a year after the crash of Doom Island. For months she didn’t remember a thing, until Aguro and Jerin came to visit. Then, everything just came pouring back into her. She was completely neurotic for months until everybody forgave her for being Erim. Then she slowly turned back into herself. A year or so after, her and Maxim were married. About a year after that, they were startled by a young girl named Lucca magically appearing in their front yard. After a short explanation, they helped create the D-Warp outlet in Parcelyte. Since then, they had explained the whole story of their dimension to the Returners, and had even joined.

"Sabin, you know you can put down your weapons here." Said Maxim. "We are friends." Sabin looked at his hands and noticed a brass knuckle in each palm.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot I had ‘em." Sabin said, and pushed them into his pockets. He was still a little groggy from Edgar keeping him up all night. Lufia took the moment to bring them their tea and cinnamon pie.

"I’ll be outside if you need me, Max," said Lufia, heading out the door.

"Okay!" returned Maxim.

"You know Maxim, you’ve got it pretty sweet." Said Sabin. "A nice house, a lovely wife, a dog… It’s all the stuff I wanna get. Say… Is your wife a goer? Does she like sport? I bet she does, I bet she does."

"What?" asked Maxim, thoroughly confused. Then it hit him. "Oh, oh. No, I’ve seen that one."

"Crap." Said Sabin. "Well, there goes all of my casual jokes." They stared at the ground for a while, and fiddled thumbs. They didn’t know what to do. They were both fighters, now thrust into a casual/social situation. The silence was deafening. Then came the scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" screamed Lufia, from the garden. Both of the guys immediately jumped up and ran to the door. They saw Lufia leaning over in the garden, behind her stood Milon, the elemental.

"Milon!" shouted Sabin.

"No! My priphea! They’re all dead!" said Lufia, almost crying. Had she looked up at all, she would have seen that the world had gotten much darker, standing in Milon’s shadow.

"HAHAHA!" laughed Milon. It was a dirty laugh, literally. It sounded like he was talking through a gallon of sand. In essence, he was. "You will all pay at the hands of the Elementals! HAHAHA!"

Lufia looked up. "Who are you?" asked Lufia, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I’m Milon! The Elemental of the Earth, and rotter of the soil!" screamed Milon, still cackling wildly.

"Did… Did you destroy this soil?" Lufia asked starting to regain sanity.

"Well… of course. I destroy all soil. I can’t help it. I couldn’t really make an exception, could I? Then I wouldn’t be the Earth Fiend."

"YOU KILLED MY PRIPHEA!" screamed Lufia in utter Rage. From her fingertips flowed the flames of hell, all aimed at Milon’s face. He noticed a moment too late. After about half of his body had burned off, he turned into dirt and melted away.

"I want her on my team!" shouted Sabin. With the danger thwarted (except for the danger of a woman scorn), the trio returned to the house for some cinnamon tea.

5.

Kain Highwind quickly got in to the old Ford that he had borrowed from the company. He had been in a hurry to get out of the office ever since his pager started to vibrate in the middle of a meeting. The woman sitting next to him, Kaeli he thought her name was, asked who was calling him. She then noticed the golden emblem of the Kingdom Baron on the pager. Never having heard of Baron, she asked him what the symbol was. He waived her off; saying it was a present from an old friend. He knew that whenever the pager went off that there was trouble. Of course, he couldn’t exactly leave the office in the middle of the day. What would he say? ‘Oh, I’ve got to go off and help save the universe.’ Not only would they laugh him out of the office, but he’d also never finish his assignment to learn about the dimension. This dimension was relatively unheard of. It had no heroes, no villains (except for some Saddam Hussein guy that everyone seemed to hate) and no transportation, except for cars. Everyone seemed to have a car.

The first thing Kain learned about the dimension was that money was power. Following this motto, he had learned that the most powerful man in this universe was a man named Gates. He had thought that maybe he was called this because he found time gates or dimension gates or something. No, actually, he made windows. Kain learned that you couldn’t just kill for money, you had to work for it. So he got a job. It was the only job he could get in downtown LA where he decided to make residence. Kain was approaching the street with his apartment complex.

Kain rushed home and turned on the Vis-A-Phone that Lucca had made for him while he was on this strange Earth. In came a holographic image of Cecil.

"We missed you at the conference this morning, Kain." Cecil said, as he looked over some papers and notes.

"I was caught up in a meeting. I couldn’t have just left. You understand." Kain said, getting out of that strange business suit and into something more comfortable, like his armor.

"Ah, yes. Your job. Where is it that you work? Cubeware?"

"Square Soft. It's some no-name company. That’s why I’m working there. No one will ever find me there. It’s sad, actually. Not only do these people not know of other dimensions, but they don’t know of creatures in outer space! Or the underground! There’s probably some dwarven population that’s all but died from loneliness."

"Sad. Well, Kain, do you know what happened this morning?"

"What?"

"Rubicant and his friends appeared. They torched South Figaro."

"What?!?" Kain said, jumping up from his seat. "I’ll be right there!" Kain barely hit the power button on the Vis-A-Phone before he ran from his apartment. He didn’t stop to think that he was running through Los Angeles in the dark blue armor that he preferred to wear. He still didn’t notice when four or five people stared at him from the building. He raced out into the street (without his car) and ran toward the airport. As he ran down the street, he bumped into a small girl managing a gift cart. He didn’t think much of it, either. He noticed she was oriental, but that was about it. Until she spoke.

"Dragoon of Baron!" she cried as he ran past. He slowly turned, half focused onto nothing.

"Wha… What? You know what this uniform means?" He suddenly realized that he was wearing his armor. "How do you know of Baron?"

"You must come inside. You can’t go around Los Angeles wearing that. Come quickly before the police arrive." She closed her stand and beckoned him into the small building behind her.

"Too late." Came a voice from behind Kain. Kain had come to recognize that voice rather well over the last few months. The thick New-Yorkers voice of Officer Brady had come to be a regular thing in his life. "Highwind, you just keep coming up with new ways to embarrass me and the squad, don’t you? What the hell are you wearing, anyway?"

"It’s none of your business, Brady. Just turn around and leave me alone and we will all be better off. I’m leaving now, anyway. I won’t be your problem anymore."

"No, Highwind. I’m afraid I can’t allow that. You’re gonna have to come into the station."

"I can’t allow that!" shouted the girl from behind Kain. "BLITZ!" she screamed, and a lightening bolt struck Officer Brady straight in the forehead. He was out cold.

"Wha… How’d you do that?" started Kain, walking into the house.

"I’ll explain on the way to… Where are we going?" The girl turned around with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Dallas. There’s a portal there. The fastest way would be the airport."

"But you can’t go to the airport dressed like that. You’d be arrested. Come." She said, beckoning him once again into her house. "I’ll explain everything."

Kain looked around her living room. The objects didn’t look familiar to him at all. He observed a picture of what he assumed to be her family as she was rummaging through her trunk, trying to find something he could wear.

"That’s my family. They’re Laotian." She said, noticing his staring at the picture.

"Laotian? What does that mean?" He hadn’t been in the dimension for long. He didn’t know all of the countries names. There were too many of them, anyway. It seemed someone controlled every speck of land. No empty forests between cities.

"It means they are from Laos. It’s a country in Asia." She replied, still looking through her trunk.

"Are you from Laos, too?" asked Kain, putting down the picture.

"No, I was adopted. I tried to tell them my story while I was still young, but they didn’t believe me. Lately, I haven’t been believing myself. But your appearance proves my story. I was right!" she said, looking up with a sort of glimmer in her eye.

"What story?" asked Kain.

"Well, when I was young, I was the daughter of Lord Eblan."

"Eblan? You’re from Eblan!"

"Yes. When Rubicant attacked our city, the mad scientist that worked for Rubicant abducted my parents. Edge, my brother, ran off in a furious rage. Rubicant looked at me and said, I won’t forget these words for my entire life, ‘Young girl, I’m sorry, but I must take care of you too.’ I then saw a glowing blue light and I woke up in a forest outside of San Francisco. That’s where my parents live." She wiped a single tear off of her face and looked up. "I must sound rather silly, mustn’t I?" she made a short laugh that was blocked by a longer cry.

"No, you don’t sound silly at all. I’ve been to Eblan. In fact, I’m rather good friends with Edge."

She looked up and a sense of hope sprang to her face. "Really? Is he alive?"

"Yes, he’s alive. He’s rather annoying at times, but he’s still around."

"And my parents?"

"I’m… I’m sorry." Kain looked down, trying to avoid eye contact.

She suppressed a sob and looked down herself. "It’s not your fault. I mean, I thought they were dead this entire time, anyway. I never really should have gotten my hopes up." The room fell into a deadly silence for many long moments. Kain continued to notice new rust spots in his armor. He didn’t take care of it as well as he used to.

"We really must be going." Said Kain, breaking the silence.

"Oh, yes. Let’s go." She said, seemingly forgetting all of her pain.

"Wait… I don’t even know your name."

"Oh. I am Tai-Chin, princess of Eblan."

"A pleasure to meet you." Said Kain.

"Here," she started. "I’ve found something you can wear. Hurry, and change." Tai-Chin held up an old sports coat. "It’s my brothers. He always leaves clothes over here every time he visits."

"Thank you." Kain said, as he made his way to the bathroom. In less than two minutes he came out dressed in a brown and orange business suit, holding his armor over his left arm.

"Let’s go." Said Tai-Chin, and she led him to her garage. The garage had many collectibles similar to the ones in the house. In the center sat a 1952 Buick. Tai-Chin got into the driver’s seat and leaned over to unlock Kain’s door. He got in, and Tai-Chin used her remote to open the garage door. The car sped out of the garage and into the street. Within moments, they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, after a silent car trip. There were few seats available for the immediate trip to DFW, but found two that were right next to each other. They told each other a little more about themselves on the way to Dallas. Tai-Chin had started her own business selling assorted knickknacks on the streets of Los Angeles. She had no family, except for her stepfather and stepbrother in San Francisco. And Edge. She had gotten the house out of the money that her rich old grandmother had left her in her will. She had gotten to know many people from her community, and was known as a kind soul. Kain told her of his assignment to study the people of this dimension, to see if it was possible to pledge some of them into the Returners. They conversed until the plane neared Fort Worth, and then watched, as the plane approached the ground. Upon arrival in Dallas, the rented a car, that they probably wouldn’t return, and took off on State Highway 114, toward Reunion Tower, where Kain had informed her that the portal was located.

They parked the car in the garage under Reunion Tower. The elevator was out of order, so they walked down to the bottom basement level. Kain walked to the handicap spot in the far-left corner where he knew the gate was located. He grabbed his armor out of their bag and produced a key out of one of the pockets. He held the key up to the air, and a bolt of lightening struck the ground. A small blue pit appeared in the middle of the air. Tai-Chin looked nervous, so Kain grabbed her hand and led her into the portal. The journey was quick, as it always was, and they arrived promptly in Truce Village, as they always did. The D-Warp HQ, as it was referred to, was located next to Lucca’s house, so that she’d always be handy in case it needed to be fixed. Kain set the machine so that it would warp them to Baron, and turned it on. He leaped in, shortly followed by Tai-Chin. They arrived moments later in Baron.

6.

Reeve walked down the roads of Saturn Valley casually, close behind was the Cait Sith doll, mimicking his every action. He looked around himself. This would have to be the strangest place he had ever seen. At least the Mr. Saturns were friendly. The D-Warp machine had indicated that there was some kind of unbalance in ‘the force,’ and Reeve was sent out to investigate. Alone. He was constantly reminding himself, ‘at least the Mr. Saturns are friendly.’ He noticed a strange jumping figure passing the Saturn Valley Hot Springs. It barely caught his attention, but it was worth checking out. He walked up the confusing maze that was Saturn Valley and toward the pink water of the Hot Springs. A Mr. Saturn next to the water said, ‘Happy jumping man wear bright colors. He jump all the way into the cave. B@iNg!’ Reeve carefully entered the cave, expecting anything. He moved slowly, the Cait Sith doll right behind him. He heard a sinister horselaugh that he could only associate with Heidegger, but the shadow of the figure making the hideous noise proved otherwise. Several shorter giggles came from the man, before he jumped out in front of Reeve.

"Boo!" he shouted, and immediately started to emit the horselaugh once again. The man was dressed in bright red, green, and yellow. The horrible sound of his voice was something to give you nightmares for years. "Don’t you know who I am?" he asked. "Of course you don’t. If you did, you’d be wetting your pants right now!" This resulted in another array of the laugh. "I’m Kefka!" shouted the man, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Reeve jumped quite a bit at both the sudden disappearance, and the name. His jumping caused the Cait Sith doll to jump, which made the small cat hit its head on the ceiling. The sudden attack on the cat caused an auto counter system to activate and the giant moogle’s arms came down on anything that happened to be in front of it. The only thing in front of it was Reeve, who was knocked out cold.

Roughly two-and-a-half-hours later, Reeve woke up at Saturn Valley Hospital. Dr. Saturn ran a rather smooth operation. In fact, he had already notified some of Reeve’s friends about the injury. Tifa and Vincent stood over him in his bed.

"There! You allllllllllllllllll fixed up!" said Dr. Saturn from above Reeve’s bed. Reeve noticed the Cait Sith doll in the corner. It had apparently been deactivated.

"Well, good morning, sunshine." Said Tifa, in a monotone voice, noticing Reeve’s sudden state of awakeness.

"My," said Reeve, "you look rather chipper today."

"Look, Reeve." Said Tifa, not looking chipper at all. "We have better things to do than wait for you to wake up. If you don’t remember, we are searching for the Elementals. If you’re quite done…"

"Wait." Interrupted Reeve. "I found out something rather important. We have to tell everybody."

"What?" asked Vincent.

"Kefka is loose."

7.

The meeting seemed to take forever to come to order. People were in a panic over the new found news. With the Elementals and Kefka loose, there might not be enough people to contain them. The Elementals power had quadrupled since the first time Cecil had encountered them, and Kefka had magically returned from the grave with unforeseen power. After many moments of chaos, Edgar managed to calm things down.

"People," Edgar started, "we have to remain calm. There are many possible choices to the scenario. However, I want your opinion before I make one. Any suggestions?"

"I suggest that we stay here." Commented Cecil. "We’re the ones they want. At least, we’re the ones the Elementals want. They’ll come after us. And, due to his record, I’d imagine that Kefka would eventually come after us just out of boredom."

"What I want to know," started Sabin, "is why all of these dead monsters picked now to reincarnate. They’ve been dead for years, what’s so special about now?"

"They wanted to welcome me back."

All heads turned toward the voice at the door. Standing in the light was a tall man in thick blue armor. On his belt hung a spear, and at his side was a twenty-something oriental girl. Cecil smiled slightly at the sight of his oldest friend. "Kain, how great of you to join us! Please, introduce us to your friend."

"This," said Kain, giving his partner some room, "is Tai-Chin, daughter of Lord Eblan."

Edge dropped his jaw below his ankles. A tear ran down his cheek as a smile appeared on his face. The room fell into a hush, and many, those who knew who edge was, looked at him for his reaction. He stood, dropping his chair to the ground, and ran to his sister. They held each other for many long moments, each crying tears of joy on to the other’s shoulder. When Edge finally felt safe enough to let go of his long lost sister, he looked up at Kain. This face had meant many things to him. At first it was of a strong, but valiant knight. Later, he saw it as a sign of mistrust. Now, all he could see was the man who brought back his sister.

"Brother Edge, it is good to see you." Said Tai-Chin. "Kain has told me much about this world, and your kingdom. He told me of all that has happened since the incident so many years ago."

"But… But I thought you were dead! What happened?" Edge looked at his sister in disbelief. At first, he had not remembered that she had died, because of the sheer joy of seeing her. Now he thought of why Kain would create such an illusion to hurt him, and could come up with no answers. Besides, other than the chancellor of Eblan, no one knew of his sister except for him. She quickly told him, and everyone else, her story.

"…And now, I want to help you. I’m not sure what’s going on, but together, we can stop anything." She looked genuinely at Edge, for acceptance. When they were young, Edge had never let her accompany him on his expeditions, because she was a girl. Now, she had built her skill, and gone to American martial arts classes to build her muscular strength. When she saw the smile on Edge’s face, she knew everything would be all right.

"King Edgar!" screamed a guard rushing into the room. "The radar has picked up Kefka and the Elementals, and they’re in the same place! They’re destroying everything!"

"What!" Screamed Cecil and Edgar, almost in unison.

"Where are they? How are the defenses there?" asked Edgar, immediately thinking of battle strategies.

"They’ve hit the dimension Sir Kain has been studying, and we are unaware of the defenses of the government."

"Governments." Kain corrected. "Do you know where they’re attacking?"

"Yes." Replied the guard. "A city along the western shore of the northwestern continent."

"I need to see a map!" Ordered Kain. Another guard immediately appeared with a map of the exact strike zone. "I think that’s Los Angeles!"

8.

The team arrived in Los Angeles a mere two hours later, not an easy feat with over 20 people. The way they finally got through was by Lucca’s imagination. She had discovered how to put D-Warps in specific places, directing them to the target of the problem. It had used a lot of energy, and the Portable D-Warper was pretty much useless with out the power needed to run. If they wanted to get home, they’d have to go back to Texas. The city seemed quiet. Odd, Kain thought, until he realized that everyone was staring at them. It’s not everyday you see 20+ people magically appear out of thin air. Tai-Chin noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She couldn’t spot it though. It looked fairly normal. Buildings, people, everything seemed to belong in New York. There’s a problem. They were in Los Angeles, not New York. As the Statue of Liberty stared down at them she looked up to the top and saw a laughing man in a green and red suit, accompanied by a laughing, pudgy child, in a business suit.

"There!" Tai-Chin shouted. "Up there! On top of the statue!"

"I’ll go check it out!" screamed Kain, and started to jump.

"No!" interrupted Cecil. "You’re not going up there alone. It’s too dangerous. You don’t know who all is up there."

"But Cecil," argued Kain, "I’m the only one who can! There’s no other skilled Dragoon here who could take that upper ground!"

"I’m a dragoon!" Cid said. It’s a good thing Cid, Cid, and Cid hadn’t come, or there would have been a big mix up.

"Are all of you Highwinds Dragoons?" asked Rydia.

"I’m a dragoon, too! Kupo!" inserted Mog. "Not only that, but I can fly!"

"I’ve been a dragoon before, too." Said Butz. "I know how to jump."

"All right, then." Said Edgar. "You four go up to the torch, and start your way through that tower. Only attack if you have a tactical advantage. Good luck."

"Thanks." Said Kain, and led his troop upward.

"Now, we need to split up." Said Edgar. "Make the best of our situation. I want a few people infiltrating the tower, a few on foot patrolling the town, and a few here, keeping up base. I’ll lead the ground troop. Who’s with me?"

"I’ll lead the offense." Said Cecil. "We’re gonna need a good army to go through their new base, here. I’ll lead. Rosa, I want you to stay here, standing guard. You’re the best White Wizard we have, and I don’t want to lose you. When someone’s hurt, and returns here, they’ll need assistance. You’re it."

"Right." Replied Rosa.

Edgar split up the group fairly evenly. Running the town would be Edgar, Cloud, Sabin, Locke, Celes, Lufia, and Cait Sith. Standing the fort would be Rosa, Tifa, Relm, Gilbert, Terra, and Reeve, operating the Cait Sith robot from a distance. Infiltrating the tower would be Cecil, Edge, Tai-Chin, Cyan, Rydia, Maxim, and Vincent. They were all ready to separate when a loud panting came up behind them. An old, bald, oriental man wearing a robe ran up to them.

"Godzilla, Godzilla!" the man screamed.

"What’s a Go Zhilla?" Rydia asked.

Tai-Chin knew what was going on and immediately took command of the situation. "What’s wrong with Godzilla, what happened?"

"She took him! The tornado woman took Godzilla!"

"What’s Godzilla?" Cecil asked, his voice demanding an answer.

"Godzilla’s my pet iguana. What they would want with a lizard is beyond me, though…"

"Don’t worry about it, we’ll get him back." Assured Edgar. "Who is this old man?"

"Oh, he’s just my housekeeper. He’s known me since I was a little girl. Don’t worry, I’ve told him everything, and he believes me."

"Umm… Yeah." Edgar said, and the groups split, and a new adventure began…

9.

Sabin walked behind Edgar through the streets of New York, which had appeared moments before they arrived in the middle of Los Angeles. Behind him were Cloud, Locke, Celes, Cait Sith, and Lufia. Sabin was rather pleased that Lufia was there, after seeing her performance with Milon. They looked about carefully, for the city was rather darker than usual. Or maybe big cities like this were always dark. They didn’t know. They noticed that they had forgotten to bring someone who knew this dimension. That problem was quickly evaded when they met the likes of a local law enforcement agent who was willing to help them.

"Anything that’ll help us end this whole situation." The Officer said. "By the way. I happened to notice a problem over by Central Park. Hey, uh… I didn’t catch your name."

"Sabin."

"Yeah, uh, Sabin, I’m Edward Brady. You know, I was born in New York, so I know these streets like the back of my hand." Sabin looked at the back of his own hand and suddenly realized that he didn’t know it too well. "It’s just an expression." Brady continued. "It’s a lot harder navigating in this eternal darkness. It’s like… It’s like the sun’s up, but it’s just out of reach."

That answered one question. It’s not naturally dark in cities. One down, one-hundred-forty-eight-million to go.

"I hope everyone else is okay." Lufia said. "Kain and his troop left rather hastily."

"Kain?" asked Brady. "You mean, Kain Highwind?"

"Yeah." Sabin said. "You’ve met him?"

"Yeah, he’s a local trouble-maker around here. I should have known he was involved with all of this…"

"He’s involved, all right." Said Edgar. "He’s helping us solve this. In fact, he’s the one who recognized the area that it was happening in, so that we could get here so fast. If he hadn’t, you might have all been killed without a chance."

"Oh…" Brady said, suddenly feeling as if he had misjudged Kain. A shadow danced in an alleyway to the left, just barely catching Celes’ attention.

"Look at that!" Celes said. "Did you see that!"

"You’re probably just seeing things." Locke said.

"No, I just saw something in that alleyway!" Celes said, and the gang moved onward.

"Yip-ho-ho-ho!" said a voice, coming from the alleyway.

"There, see!" said Celes.

"What is that?" asked Edgar, and a group of dolls moved forward from the alley. Twenty, to be exact. Ten red, ten blue.

"We’re the CalcoBreena!" said the dolls. Brady wasn’t used to dancing dolls. At least, not so much as every one else. He quickly pulled out his gun and shot at the dolls. Good aim, too. He got 8 in the face. The dolls he hit fell dead to the floor. "That’s not fair!" said the remaining dolls. "We were supposed to fight!" They formed into one giant doll as Brady reloaded his gun. Lufia and Celes used magic, Locke, Sabin, Edgar, and the Cait Sith doll fought. Brady raised his gun and shot the creature in the head. Eight times. The creature exploded into a pile of fluff in front of him.

"Are there things like this all over the place where you’re from?" asked Brady.

"Similar to, yes." Edgar replied.

"Man…" Brady started. "Then you must get bored a lot…"

10.

Cecil led his team into the tower in a quick orderly fashion. He was used to the old days, and didn’t like these new strategies that Edgar was devising. Cecil liked just heading in, and ending the conflict. But maybe his day was over, and the newer generation knew more about battle… No, he was the paladin Cecil, and he still knew how to fight. He’d just do it in his own fashion. Close behind Cecil were Edge and his sister Tai-Chin, Cyan, Rydia, Maxim, and Vincent. The group didn’t know each other very well, but that didn’t hinder their battle skills. Cecil, Cyan, Edge, and Maxim were all seasoned fighters, and Rydia, Vincent, and Tai-Chin weren’t completely stupid on the subject. Rydia and Vincent lagged shortly behind the group, to fend off any attackers from behind. Tai-Chin seemed to be guiding Cecil through the odd twists and turns. The whole inside of the statue seemed to be carved out, and an intricate series of hallways lay inside. Tai-Chin said that the halls resembled the Empire State Building, which she had toured on a recent trip to New York.

"Wait!" whispered Rydia. "I hear something over there! In that hallway!" After a moment, there were nods all around as everyone else heard the muffled voices down the passage.

"Right!" said Cecil, taking command. "Rydia, you Maxim and Cyan go explore what it is. The rest of us will continue ahead. Meet up with us as soon as possible."

"Okay." Said Rydia. "Come on, guys. Let’s go." Rydia, Maxim, and Cyan went down the passage, with their hands close to their weapons. The noises got louder, and Cecil was worried about his great friend Rydia, but he also trusted her. He went on as he said he would. The path got more and more narrow, and the group had to form into single file. Cecil in front followed by Edge and Tai-Chin, with Vincent taking up the back. Then the passage was almost too small for them to fit through. Then, suddenly, the passage emptied into a large courtroom. In the center of the courtroom stood Valvalis, in her hand a small lizard.

"Godzilla!" Tai-Chin shouted. "What are you going to do to him?"

"You’ll see!" Shouted Valvalis, and then spun into her tornado form and melted into air, escaping through the air ducts, leaving Godzilla behind. They all looked at the small, frightened iguana in the center of the room. Tai-Chin started to walk toward it, when it started to glow. The lizard multiplied in size, filling up the entire room. It’s front legs shortened, forcing the creature to stay up on its hind-legs. Its teeth grew, becoming sharp and pointy. Its eyes became beady, and the creature started to resemble its namesake. The terrible lizard looked down at the group of four, as if deciding which to devour first.

"Umm…" Cecil started. "I think now would be a great time for retreat." Taking the leaders command, they ran back the way they came, with the lizard tearing up the wall on the way to them.

11.

Rydia, Maxim, and Cyan moved toward the noise cautiously. Rydia was a little worried about her great friend Cecil, but didn’t show it. Instead, she let him go off on his own. As they got closer to the noises, Rydia started to recognize them. One, she immediately recognized as Milon, fiend of the Earth. Another, she recognized as Kain.

"Hurry!" She told everyone. "Kain’s in trouble!"

Maxim and Cyan ran down the hall quickly, just a step behind Rydia. They entered a grand courtroom where they saw Kain facing off toward Milon, who held Butz, Cid, and a not so happy Mog in a small cage. Surprisingly, Mog seemed to be swearing more than Cid was. Though Cid was saying his fair share. He was quite mad, too. Butz seemed much more calm than the other two. And he even started smiling when he saw Rydia.

"Oh, good grief." Rydia said. "Kain, you big pansy. BAHAMUT!" The entire group (including those in the cage) disappeared, only to be replaced by the large dragon that could only be known of as Bahamut. The great blue dragon blew it’s white-hot flames at the Earth Fiend, and then went away, replaced by those that it had replaced only moments before. This seemed to scare Milon quite a great deal, because it caused him to turn into earth, and run away.

"Thanks." Kain said, picking the lock on the cage that held his teammates with his spear. "Of course, I could have done it by myself…"

"Sure you could, Kain." Rydia said. "Have you guys found anything?"

"Only this room. There was a trap on the way in. Cid had stopped to light his cigarette and Butz and Mog went back to see what was taking him so long, when the trap went off, suspending all of them in that cage. Shortly there after, Milon showed up."

"Oh." Rydia replied, sounding a little disappointed. "Well, Cecil thinks he found the correct path, and told us to meet up with him after we investigated those noises. Wanna go help?"

"Sure, why not." Kain answered. The seven of them headed back the way that Rydia had come, with Rydia in the back, as before, and Kain at the front. Cid seemed to have calmed down after he got out of the cage, but Mog still wasn’t happy.

"I can’t believe that I was caught in a cage…" Mog complained. "And it was your fault, fly-boy! If you hadn’t stopped to light your cigarette, we wouldn’t have been captured! But, noooo! The "Captain" needs his nicotine dose!"

"Shut up before I impale ya’." Cid said, very calmly. This shut Mog up for a couple of minutes. But only a couple. He began ranting again when Kain saw figures at the end of the hallway. And they were getting bigger very fast. Shortly, he recognized the figures as Cecil, Edge, Tai-Chin, and Vincent. Behind them were large, green, scaly feet, moving fast.

"Turn around!" Cecil screamed. "Run!" The group started to turn when Rydia stopped them.

"I’ve got a better idea!" Rydia said. "WARP!" The room turned green, and the group spun continuously until they appeared in front of the elevator that had taken them to that floor.

"Want to try a different floor?" offered Tai-Chin. The group of eleven squeezed into the elevator, and pressed the button for the 30^th floor, which was 8 floors above them. The monster was on the 23^rd floor, and, Rydia mentioned, the 24^th, 25^th, and 26^th. The elevator opened on the thirtieth floor. The room they had entered into was small, and consisted of, mainly, a spiral staircase, and a portrait of Zemus. The group walked up the stairs to arrive on a small altar of sorts. Standing atop was Kefka. Behind him were four Elementals. And behind the Elementals were four Sinistrals. This wasn’t going to be Rydia’s day. Then it donned on her.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Rydia exclaimed. "Isn’t Lufia one of the Sinistrals? I mean, if she’s down below with Edgar, than how could there be four Sinistrals here?" Just then, the four Sinistrals disappeared.

"I think you just caught on to something, Rydia…" Cecil started. "If the Sinistrals weren’t real, then maybe the rest of these clowns aren’t either. Come on, everybody, think of a way that these guys couldn’t possibly exist!"

"Well," Mog said, "I helped kill Kefka, is that enough?" They all looked toward Kefka to see if he’d disappear. He didn’t.

"Wait!" Cyan exclaimed. "Before Kefka was defeated, his body had morphed, into a sort of angel-like creature! If he had been revived, he wouldn’t look like that!" Kefka disappeared.

"How come my answer wasn’t good enough, and his was!" Mog shouted! "Mine was good too!"

"Not good enough, apparently." Cecil said. "Now, why couldn’t the Elementals be here?"

They looked around, as if an answer was somewhere in the room. Edge looked next to himself to discover Tai-Chin looking down.

"What is it, sister?" Asked Edge, starting to get a little worried. "Is something the matter?"

"I know why they couldn’t possibly exist." Tai-Chin said. "But… I… I couldn’t possibly tell you."

"Please, sister! It will help save millions of lives!" Edge pleaded. By this point everyone was staring at Tai-Chin, including the Elementals, who were even more curious than the rest of the gang.

"The…" Tai-Chin started. "The… The Elementals couldn’t possibly exist, because they all died! All but one! I know this because I am that one!" Her body started to glow, and her face changed. She began to turn caucasian, her hair turning blonde. "I am Valvalis, fiend of the wind! You could not exist because the other three Elementals died in the Giant of Bab-il! I am the last, and no other survives!"

As the groups gasps got bigger and bigger, the Elementals disappeared. Then, the statue started to crumble.

"We’ve got to get out of here, quick!" Shouted Cecil.

"I can get you out!" said Valvalis, who, moments before, everyone thought was Tai-Chin. "WIND! GRANT ME YOUR STENGTH!" And with that, the winds picked up and took the group outside the Statue of Liberty, which had mysteriously appeared in Los Angeles only an hour before, and dropped them off outside, where they all watched the statue collapse into nothingness.

12.

Edgar’s group had all but died from boredom when Rosa, Tifa, Relm, Gilbert, Terra, and Reeve appeared from behind.

"Edgar!" Tifa shouted. "The statue is collapsing! We think they defeated the Elementals!"

"Well, great." Said Sabin. "And I wanted some action." He turned to Cloud. "Wanna fight?" Cloud looked at him as if he were stupid (which probably wouldn’t be debated at points), and walked toward Tifa with Edgar.

"That’s wonderful news, Tifa." Edgar said.

"Waitaminute, waitaminute…" Officer Brady said. "What statue? In LA?"

"It’s a statue of a lady with a torch." Replied Rosa.

"Oh yeah." Brady said. "We ain’t in LA no more."

"Well, stay on guard." Edgar said. "The problem’s probably not over yet."

"You mean to say there’s even more people with you?" Brady asked.

"Who’s he?" Relm asked.

"Yes, there’s many more, and this is Officer Brady, of the local law enforcement. He’s been helping us navigate the streets. Now, can one of you trace us back to where we started?" They all looked around blank.

"I can!" said Reeve. "Or rather, Cait Sith can. In his program are logs which can show us where were going. Come on!" They all followed the Cait Sith doll back to where the Statue of Liberty once stood in the middle of Los Angeles.

13.

Edgar arrived to see Cecil and Kain’s groups blown off of the statue, and carried down, by the wind only, to the ground. After the wind calmed down, Valvalis of wind appeared next to them.

"Cecil, look out!" Rosa screamed.

"Don’t worry, honey!" Cecil called back. "She’s with us!"

The group all huddled around Valvalis. Many eyes were suspicious, with good reason. From under the rubble of the collapsed statue came a small lizard. Valvalis turned to see it.

"Godzilla!" Valvalis screamed. The lizard completely welcomed the sight of the goddess of wind and walked toward her. She picked it up and held it in her arms.

"Lady, I think you have some explaining to do." Kain said.

"Yes, you’re right." She said. "When the Giant of Bab-il exploded all those years ago, I escaped by gathering the wind and running. Rubicant saw me running, and got mad. He warped me here, the same place he had warped Tai-Chin. I found her a few months later. She was dead. She had died shortly after arriving here. She had appeared in the wilderness, right outside of San Diego. She had died from malnutrition. Royalty can’t be expected to be able to survive in those conditions. I felt ashamed for what Rubicant did, and I thought that, by leading her life, I could repent what I had done before. I absorbed her memories and her personality, and have been using it ever since. When I changed my body to look like her, a family from San Diego who were out camping found me. They asked me if I had a home. I said no, and they took me in as one of their own. I grew up in the last 7 years, and got a job and an apartment in Los Angeles. It’s really only a coincidence that I ran into Kain, who had once been my worst enemy. I saw the emblem of Baron, and almost tried to fight him, when I remembered who I was, and what I had been for the last half of a decade. I’m really sorry that I didn’t speak up earlier, but I wanted to condolence Edge, because of the memories I held. I’m sorry. I’ll return to the life I’ve lived and leave you all alone."

With that, she started to walk away. After a moment, Edge started after her.

"Wait!" Edge shouted. He caught up to her after a brief moment. "I don’t blame you for what you did. It was a wonderful thing. You’ve made me feel better about myself, and that’s a great thing. You’ve brought me the word that my sister didn’t die at the hands of one of those wretched Elementals. …No offense… Most importantly, you brought me a friend when I was at a time of supreme loneliness. For this, I thank you, and I forgive you for your behavior."

"Really?" asked Valvalis, turning around. "You’d forgive me, after all of the pain I’ve caused you?"

"Yes." Edgar said. "I think we’d all forgive you. I tell you what; you can help Kain learn about this dimension. He’ll probably stay here for a while… That is, if the local authorities will let him…"

"Yeah, he can stay, I guess." Said Brady, as Edgar stared at him. Kain suddenly realized Brady’s presence and started to sweat proficiently.

"Good." Edgar continued. "Well then, will you help him, Valvalis?"

"Yes." Valvalis replied. "I will help him from here, since I know the most about this dimension. Thank you all for your forgiveness." Her body then started to morph, and she became the Tai-Chin that they had all first met. "But first, Tai-Chin’s spirit wants to see Eblan again. May I go there?"

"Yes, of course you can." Edge said. "Let me take you."

The group then all got together, and left for Dallas. Los Angeles quickly returned back to normal, and the Returners had solved yet another problem. Except for the chubby kid in the business suit that happened to be crawling out from under the building as they all left. The kid jumped in his UFO, which he had carefully hidden in LA, and beat them to Dallas, and as they all arrived at the portal, the kid blocked their way.

"Who are you?" asked Cecil.

"I’m Pokey. And I’m pretty mad that you defeated all of my holograms. Now, I’m gonna finish you all off!" Pokey got into position to pull off some strange martial arts move.

"Kain, apprehend him." Cecil said, as people walked passed Pokey into the portal. Kain grabbed Pokey by the collar.

"Hey, what a minute, you can’t do this! Were supposed to fight!" Pokey screamed as Kain dragged him toward the portal.

"Yeah, yeah." Kain said. "I’ve heard of you, and you’re going back to Saturn Valley police, where you belong."

And all of the evil was defeated, and the world was safe. For a while.

Epilogue

Edge and his newly rediscovered sister, who just happened to be Valvalis, lived a fairly happy life. They got together for holidays, but she preferred to stay in the odd dimension that Kain was studying most of the time. She said it was the "real dimension", but who’s to say which dimension is real? Edge visited Rydia more often, and she always had a room open for him. Of course, she never did pick up on the idea that Edge thought they would get married one day.

Edgar and Sabin proceeded to get more sleep, more often. They accomplished this by not letting Locke and Celes visit as often. They discovered that it was Locke’s obnoxious snoring that had been keeping them up. Sabin also decided to visit Maxim and Lufia more often. They had a lovely little house, and Lufia made some cinnamon tea that was to die for.

Locke and Celes vowed never to stay at Figaro Castle again. They discovered that it was Sabin’s obnoxious snoring that had kept them up.

Reeve was billed a hefty $75 dollars in medical bills from the Saturn Valley medical board. He couldn’t pay off the money, and worked it off as a nurse in Saturn Valley for exactly 2 months.

Cid Highwind taught Mog how to smoke. Mog did not enjoy it, and charged him for a medical bill, which he couldn’t pay, and Cid ended up working it off as a nurse in Saturn Valley for exactly 2 months.

Cid and Reeve ended up injuring each other badly as a result of "stealing each other’s patients". They were both fired and banished from Saturn Valley for 1 year.

Thus ends our story.

Maintained by:

d Galloway (Insert Image Here)