Chapter 12.

"What hit me?" Locke said rubbing his head groaning. "I don't understand what could have happened?" Setzer was saying to himself looking at his fully broken watch. "I'll tell you what happened," Sabin was saying getting to his feet. "you're an idiot!" "I beg your pardon?!" Setzer said standing and getting in Sabin's face. "I mean who has an attack like that?!" He continued not the least bit afraid. "It was the jokers doom. Knocks out everyone and everything, kills them infact, we're lucky. Had it not been broken we'd of surely died, but it only blew up the machanical things, fixable surely, we'll be fine." He explained. "Yeah, no thanks to you..." Sabin sat himself down on the ocean shore they landed by and looked out at the water. 'This looks like that island that Cid and I were on, but it can't be there's a cave instead of a house.' She looked down the beach at Locke who was brushing sand around as though he were looking for something. 'I have to keep trying.' She thought walking over to him. "Hi Locke," She crouched next to him. "what are you doing?" He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "You sure are acting weird, if there's something you wanna say, just say it?" He said waiting to hear the explaination. "I....uh....um." She stammedered out. "Hey Locke? Come on, we're gonna get something to eat for tonight, wanna help us?!" Edgar shouted across the beach to him. "Yeah!" Locke stood up brushing the sand from his pants. "See you later, Celes." He ran down the sand towards the guys. 'Thanks alot Edgar.' She grumbled to herself crossing her arms. "I wish that old saying of mine still went....what happened to the soldier that wouldn't dream of becoming some love starved twit?...." She said out loud than finished her thoughts 'Ha, she never dreamed she'd meet him.' The men were at the other side of the beach tossing out pieces of string attached to food little bits of food or bugs off the ground, which Cyan and Edgar were not about to touch. "Now, I shall show thee the perfect cast." He exampled tossing his home made line out into the water. The others whistled lowly in awe. "I can do that." Sabin said exampling his awesome skills as well. "Learned that when I was a boy who left home, I did alot alot of fishing." He bragged Setzer and Locke perfectly executed their lines as well while, Edgar was having some trouble though. "Who throws the line anyway?" He asked pulling the string from his hair and walking it to the water. "You have to do it with patients and instincts...." He placed it down and turned to the others. "You see, all in placement." They shook their heads stifling laughter that the mighty ladies man couldn't fish.  "Fine, fine you laugh now, but, when we're eating fish fit from a king tonight, rather than a tiny kipper from a loud mouth muscle bound, gambling, sword swinging, theif." He said jokingly they didn't look the least bit offended they even joined in the joke. "I'd say that treasure hunter, is a pretty handsome and interesting guy." Locke said. "Yeah" Setzer,Sabin, and Cyan agreed. They had stayed out there catching dinner half the day the girls had wondered away on the beach to watch the sun set. "Terra...? Can I talk to you?" Celes asked moving a shell around under her foot. "Sure, Celes, anything." When she began Terra cut her off pointing to the guys. "Look at all the fish Edgars catching!" She ran over to get a closer look and Celes stared at the setting sun one last moment,

then, half heartedly, joined them. "What was that you said about not being and expert?" He said with a huge smile. The others stood back watching with sour faces at their life less lines drifting on the water. Terra laughed as she looked at his haul. "Good job, Edgar..." She congratulated him with a pat on the shoulder. "Thank you my lady," he blushed slightly. "Whose hungry?"

* * *

They had set up camp in a cave that night because no one would get any sleep on the air ship with Setzer in the engine room fixing it and Edgar fixing his weapons. "What's that smell?" Locke asked scooting closer to the food. "It's fish Locke-..." Terra had said stating the obvious. "I know that Terr', I meant that other smell," He looked down at the pan of fish seeing what he already knew was there. Yup, just as he thought. Mushrooms. "Eeeuw, Why'd you guys put that on there?" He asked disatisfied. "Locke Alexander Cole, for heavens sake, it's just a few mushrooms. you can pick them o-..." Terra was cut off by Locke making fake sick noises. They laughed at his display in behavior. "What am I supposed to eat now?" "Really Locke it's not that hard to pick them off." Celes said. "They already tainted it, it's too late." "Fine than, yee won't eat with us." Cyan chuckled under his mustache bitting into his fish and a very large mushroom. "Noo. Here, you can mine." Terra said, "I haven't cooked it yet, see?" She held it out to him. "No taint yet." Locke flashed her a great smile of a thanks and Celes looked annoyed. "Thanks, I mean if you don't mind the wrath of mushrooms, I guess I could take it." He thanked her again and she waved it off. "I'm gonna get the others." Celes said standing and leaving the cave, but, no one noticed. She walked onto the ship and into the engine room. "Guys, dinner is ready if you're hungry and don't like cold food." "Thanks, Celes. We'll be right there." They started to whipe their hands on an old rag that was in a bucket of water they got from the ocean. "Can I ask you something?" She said nervously. They looked at her to show her that she had their atention. "You like me right?" She finally said after a long pause. "Sure," they said instantly. "You're like one of the guys," Setzer said. "You're fun." Edgar replied with a shrug. "One of the guys, thanks...uh, lets get going don't want our share gone." She smiled sweetly and turned away then looked back at them. "And, thank you." They smiled a response and joined her on the way out to the cave.

Chapter 13.

That night. Everyone was alseep except for the girls, they had stayed up talking to each other quietly until they could fall alseep. "Do you really think we can stop this war from starting?" Celes asked. "I'm not sure," Terra was saying. "to me it feels like there is no war intended, like they're just trying to- lore us out of hiding and kill us anyway they can." They thought about that comment a moment. "Hey, I don't wanna talk war anymore, I wanna talk about something else." Celes said with an un-seen smile from the darkness. "Like what?" Terra leaned up on her elbows looking at where Celes's voice was coming from. "Like, girl things," She replied with a shrug. "Really? I always thought you hated that sort of thing?" Celes shook her head. In the back of the cave the guys had been awake listening to them talk and were very fascinated by what they had to say. "Well, uh..." Terra said uneasily "How do you start one of these things?" "Hmm? Of the guys now....who do you think is the cutest?" Celes asked. The guys stifled laughter but were blushing at the same time and tried to silently calm one another. "Well," Terra began. "I think they all have really good qualities but the cutest...I think is...." the words hung in her throat nervous that Celes would laugh. "Well?" She pushed her for the answer. "It's Setzer." Celes busrt into laughter and Terra blushed hushing her so she wouldn't wake the boys. "I'm sorry, Terr', but why him?" She asked. "Well.....he's brave, and sweet, and he tried to save me when the ship was breaking up.....and besides that his white hair is adorible..." She said hiding her face. "I think it makes him look funny, he's too young for it. Plus he has all those awful scars on his face." Terra shook her head disagreeing. "I think it gives character. So, what about you?" She asked. "Well, he's handsome, dashing, sweet, and is a great conversationalist." Edgar smiled proudly waiting for his name, but instead she said. "Locke." They laughed at him but Locke was surprised to hear that. ".....I kinda guessed you did." Terra said simply. "What gave it away?" She asked curiously. "Well, it's how you talk to him, you know? Like you can barely look at him." Celes made a sound that meant 'Oh.' 'She likes me?' Locke thought to himself. 'Who knew.' "Okay, now that we know that, who do you think has the best smile aside from the guy you like?" Terra had thought for moment than answered. "Sabin, it's really sweet." "I think Cyan, he has sucess behind his smile." Terra agreed with her. "And who can forget about Edgar?" Celes was saying. "Everything about him is really cute, his face is nicely detailed." "Yeah...." Terra said with a slight sigh. Edgar raised his head in pride again to the sound of that. The girls had talked until they began to yawn. "It was really nice talking to you Cel', but we need to get some rest for what might be ahead tomorrow." Terra was saying snuggling in under her sleeping bag. "You're right, good night, Terra." She settled in as well. "Good night." The girls fell soundly to sleep and the guys laughed quietly. "Who would have guessed, huh?" Sabin was saying in a low whisper. "Yeah, I honetly didn't think they thought much of any of us." Setzer said. "Well, I knew all along, ladies can't resist my charm." Edgar said still full in the head. "What does this mean, sirs?" Cyan asked. "I think it means we shouldn't have heard that conversation and should go to sleep." Locke said turning in his sleeping bag ready for a rest. "What's wrong with you?" Sabin was asking. "Nothing, I just think it was kinda wrong for us to spy like that." They felt there was something more there, but, didn't bother with it and took his advice going into a deep sleep. A dark figure appeared in the light at the mouth of the cave. "Now the fun begins." it said sinisterly, its shadow hovering over Terra.

.......To Be Continued