PRELIMINARIES: None of this belongs to me. Final Fantasy VI, and all worlds, characters, etc. associated with it, are the property of Square-Enix. Square-Enix is not affiliated in any way, shape, or form with the creation of this story (a fact for which, I suspect, they would be profoundly grateful). I have made liberal usage of their characters and settings in this story; this was done without their knowledge or permission, and is technically an infringement of Square-Enix's copyright. As this story is, at the most pragmatic level, free promotion of the Final Fantasy franchise, it is hoped that they will regard this story (if at all) with a benign ignorance.

If you paid a wooden nickel for this story, not only have you been drastically overcharged, but whoever charged you has done so illegally, and I disavow any association with said individual(s).

All feedback is welcome, up to and including line-by-line critiques (provided they fit in my mailbox).

Do not copy this story onto your own archive. In the first place, if you want to it probably means that you were high on something when you read it; in the second place, it's an "in-progress" work; in the third place, I have a vested interest in keeping a tight leash on its distribution. E-mail me if you simply must have this story, and I will in all likelihood prepare a copy for your own archive. Please do not anticipate my response and post a different copy before I get back to you.

My prereaders, Shack and Kami, once again did yeoman's work in making this chapter fit for public consumption (albeit barely). If I deserve wooden nickels, they deserve wooden 10s and 20s.

Now, sit back and either enjoy the ride, or (more likely) enjoy thinking of what you'll do to me at the end of it...

The Author

"Shadow?"

I didn't look over as Celes entered the room.

The midmorning sun shone through the window, striking my face from where I sat on the bed--but I paid that no mind, either.

It had been a long, uncomfortable night. I couldn't sleep. I had no energy to move.

And so, I sat. And thought.

And tried to remember.

An assassin.

A few moments kept playing over in my head. The shopkeeper at World's End, staring at the Striker in horror. The owner of that restaurant, staring at me in hatred.

A blackened, putrid corpse, staring at the sky.

I had killed that man. It had been reflexive, natural--like I had done it a hundred, a thousand times before.

And I felt nothing.

The doctor had come in at one point, just after dawn. I didn't say anything, and neither did he; he just stared at me for a few moments, then pressed a spot on my chest and went back out the window.

And after that, until now, I'd had no other visitors.

Celes gripped my shoulder. I looked up at her, and she gave me a sympathetic nod. "We're ready to go," she said, and held out her hand.

I took it after a moment, and she pulled me to my feet, then turned and walked out the door, not hesitating or looking back--as if she had every confidence in the world that I would obediently follow.

She was right.

I realized after a few minutes that we'd left the inn and were moving through Albrook, but beyond that, I neither knew nor cared to know any details. I paid no attention to my surroundings; my attention was focused wholly on Celes' back, and my feet trailed behind her as my mind continued to drift.

"Took you long enough."

My head jerked up at the voice, and I managed to stop myself just before I plowed into Celes from behind. Setzer stood before us, and just behind him was what had to be the Falcon.

It's big.

That was my first thought. The body of the airship settled gently on the ground, and looked to be a small building in and of itself; big as that was, though, it was dwarfed by the massive cream-colored blimp tethered overhead. Looking around, I realized we were outside the city limits, and further that this was probably as close as the Falcon could get--the blimp was twice as wide as any street in Albrook.

My second thought: It looks fast. The Falcon was imposing, but it was also...sleek. Large as the blimp was, it was narrow, almost streamlined; two orange fins leaned back from the rear, making it look like it was screaming along even sitting on the ground. A mass of propellers crowded the rear, framing something dark protruding from the...was that a booster engine?

Celes drew in a sharp breath, and my attention returned to the ground. Setzer crossed his arms and grinned--had he said something else while I was gawking?--and when Celes spoke next, it was just short of a growl. "Setzer. You do not want to push me today."

"Hmph. Well, get on, then." Setzer turned away and strode for the ship, not hesitating or looking back--as if he couldn't care less whether he left us on the ground. "I've already spent more time in this hellhole than I care to think about."

Celes and I hurried after him.

I stopped as we entered the Falcon. It was darker belowdecks than it was outside--though not as dark as I would have expected--and I wanted to give my eyes a chance to get adjusted.

The floor in front of me was shaped in a slight cross-shaped depression, with black and gray tiles arrayed like a checkerboard. The floor around it appeared to be a metal of some sort, laid out in a jagged, interlocking pattern.

Opposite the doorway, just beyond the depression, a large couch nestled into a crook in the wall. The couch looked comfortable...I thought...comfortable to sit in, anyway.

After all--when you were sitting in it, you couldn't really look at it.

Just standing in front of it was making my eyes hurt. The cushions were a hideous deep purple, with glaring pink highlights; I could feel a headache building, but at the same time couldn't look away from the monstrosity.

"Shadow?"

Celes' voice mercifully tore my gaze away to the right. She watched me at the base of a flight of steps. Setzer had stopped halfway up, and now scowled down at me.

I chanced glancing at the couch once more, rubbed my eyes, then followed them.

The stairs led to an upper level, though still belowdecks. Here, the floor was mostly deep-stained wood planks, with metal ringing the edges against the wall; a steel railing stood as protection against falling back to the lower level.

Setzer and Celes crossed the floor to a ladder against the far wall. Setzer reached out and grabbed a rung, hesitated, then turned back to us and sneered. "Women and cripples first."

Celes muttered something under her breath, but only gave Setzer another look before climbing the ladder.

I didn't bother looking at Setzer. At the moment, I was simply too drained to care.

"Shadow!"

Terra's voice drew my eyes as I reached the deck, and I looked over to see her standing by Locke, Strago, Relm, and Interceptor. She tried to say something more, but Locke put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

He looked up at me and grinned. "Good to see you up and about!" Interceptor barked what I took to be his agreement, while Strago crossed his arms and snorted.

Only Relm did not speak. She just glared at me, barely moving a muscle. I looked back in puzzlement for a moment, then shook my head. Who knew what she was thinking?

Setzer spoke up behind me. "All right, everyone's here? No one's...forgotten anything?"

I turned and gave him a flat look, but he just chuckled, while the others responded in a wave of negatives. "Excellent!" He clapped his hands, and strode over to a wheel near the bow. "Let's be off, then! We should hit Figaro in about five hours."

I couldn't see what, precisely, Setzer did--but I knew the moment he'd started the airship. It began with a low hum, almost imperceptible; then slowly, it grew louder and louder, and the Falcon began to vibrate in harmony. I grit my teeth as I felt my headache begin to resurge--and then the ship lurched upward, knocking me off balance and down to the deck.

"Shadow, are you all right?"

I looked up. Everyone else had stayed on their feet...and everyone was looking at me.

I shook my head, and slowly pushed myself to my feet as the vibrations settled in. "I'm--"

Then I felt it.

It was as if the bottom had dropped out beneath me. I knew I wasn't moving, I could feel my feet on the deck--but the rest of my body was insisting that I was in freefall.

My buttocks clenched on instinct. I felt weightless; I felt lightheaded; I felt my pelvis try to slide away from me, and my stomach--I suddenly recognized the sensation and lunged for the railing.

I reached it just in time, and disgorged everything I hadn't eaten yesterday onto the fields below while Setzer's mocking laughter washed over me.

"Shadow?"

I slumped against the railing. The dry heaves had finally subsided; now, if only I could convince my body that it could move without...

"Shadow, are you all r--"

I turned my head and looked at Terra--then clenched my jaw, as the movement caused my stomach to do a cartwheel.

She stiffened. "Sorry to have bothered you," she said, then turned and walked away.

I looked after her for a moment, then turned back to look over the railing.

It was a clear sky today, with a cool breeze blowing over the deck. As long as I didn't move, my body seemed content to leave me in peace, and with the Falcon's engines in my ears, I couldn't hear anything else--it was as if I was all alone.

I liked that.

I didn't realize Relm had come up behind me until she hit me over the head.

"OW!" I glared over at her. "What was that for?!"

Relm glared back. "That was for Terra, you misbegotten, insensitive, shiteating--"

A blast of the Falcon's engines drowned out her voice. Her mouth kept moving, though, and from what little I could read of her lips, it was probably just as well I couldn't hear her.

"--son of a bitch!"

I turned to face her fully and stared at her. She scowled--then her leg flashed forward, and my world exploded in pain.

"And that was for the rest of us!"

I doubled over and crumpled to the deck.

"GET UP!"

I crawled to my knees, and looked up at her. "What did I ever do to you?" I croaked.

"Want a list, asshole?"

"It would help!"

She gave me a withering look. "As if you deserve any help, after the crap you pulled yesterday."

"What?"

She glared at me in disbelief as I struggled back to my feet, then heaved an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine. Let's start with you going after Gramps' leg. Twice! He already had a limp before you sicced Interceptor on him!"

"Oh, for--why does everyone think I ordered Interceptor to do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe because he's never bit Gramps while I'm with him?"

I sighed. "Tell you what--I'll stop going after his leg when he stops going after my throat. Deal?"

Relm ignored me. "Then, there's the little matter of you putting a knife to Setzer's throat."

My eyes widened. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"Oh, don't act so surprised. He told us all about how you couldn't handle him getting friendly with Locke's new fuck buddy and threatened to kill him."

I finally got my voice back. "That's..."

"Yes?"

"That's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard!"

Relm snorted. "It's Setzer. Of course it's full of shit!" Her eyes narrowed. "But it's Setzer, and he always covers his bases. No matter how much crap he's shoveling, he's shoveling it onto the basic truth--and that's you, him, and the Striker."

I felt my temper begin to rise. "And him trying to--"

"Who gives a flying fuck what he did?!" Relm slammed her fist down on the rail. "You don't pull a knife on an ally! Ever!"

"Ally? Him?" I laughed scornfully. "What's your idea of an ally, anyway?"

Relm's face darkened. She stepped back, and closed her eyes. "I swear, I'd pitch you off this ship right now if you weren't my..." She looked up and shook her head.

"Your what?"

"What do you care? I'm just some little girl you fought with for a year. You know--an ally."

My eyes narrowed, and my voice flattened. "An ally who turned her back on me at a restaurant yesterday."

"Oh, yes," she said calmly. Too calmly. "Thank you for reminding me."

I really should have seen it coming.

She stepped forward and kicked me in the groin again--then, when I doubled over, kicked me in the face, sending me crashing back against the railing. As the spots cleared from my eyes, I found myself nose-to-nose with Relm, purple with rage. "That," she spat, "was for that hateful pile of bullshit you tried to push over on Terra last night!"

Frantic barking filled my ears, and I realized that Interceptor was trying to get in between us.

"Interceptor, SIT THE FUCK DOWN!"

Interceptor sat.

Relm turned back to me. "Let me explain the facts of life, since you're apparently TOO FUCKING STUPID TO KNOW WHAT COLOR THE SKY IS!"

I looked at her, wide-eyed, then glanced over at Interceptor. The dog was doing the same thing.

"Ahem: Ug."

I blinked. "Ug?"

"Yeah, Ug. You might recall him--about two heads taller than you, and just as wide? Rock body with a brain to match?" She looked gave me a close look, then sighed. "Was holding a knife to your throat yesterday?"

"Oh. Him."

"Well, how about that? He can be taught!" She laughed derisively. "All right, now assuming you pulled your head out of your ass long enough to notice--were any of us armed, besides you?"

I frowned. Didn't Terra have a sword--no, not yesterday. Celes hadn't been armed either. Nor was Locke.

I shook my head, and Relm's eyes narrowed. "So, genius, why don't you tell me--WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO TO GET PAST UG TO YOU? BLOW HIM?"

I gaped at her.

"WELL?"

"He...he wasn't letting you out?"

"You're only NOW figuring that out?" Relm let out an inarticulate scream. "NO, he wasn't letting us out! He wouldn't move until that walking prune told him to--and she wouldn't tell him to until she saw you walk away!"

I felt my stomach drop. "I--I didn't--"

"Relm! Get away from him!"

We looked over, and Relm groaned. Strago was storming towards us with murder in his eyes.

"Of all the lousy fucking--" Relm cut herself off and glared at me. "Look, just apologize to Terra the next time you see her, or I'll kick your ass so hard, you'll be breathing leather for your next three lives! Got it?"

"RELM!"

"I'm going, I'm going! Sheesh--don't shit an artery!" She walked past Strago, taking care to stamp on his foot as she did so; after a moment, Interceptor got up and trotted after her.

Strago glared down at his foot for a moment, then limped over to me.

"I don't suppose it would help to say none of that was my idea."

"Stay away from her." Strago's voice was low, even, and all the more menacing for it. "I don't care if you have to jump overboard to do it, you stay away from her."

"Look, if this is about me being an assassin, I would never--"

"Assassin? Hah!"

I blinked. "Isn't that why everyone's had so much trouble with me? Because I'm..."

He spat. "Let them think whatever they want of Shadow the assassin. To me, you will always be Clyde, the unspeakable bastard."

He glared at me a moment longer, then turned and limped away.

"Clyde...?"

I was still pondering the name when my stomach took the liberty of reminding me just who was in charge here.

"How goes it?"

I turned my head and gave Locke a flat look.

He chuckled. "Sorry. It's an unexpected role reversal, that's all."

I blinked. "What do you--"

-flicker-

"Not a word of this to anyone else, o shrouded one."

-flicker-

"--That's right, you get seasick."

"You remembered?"

"It came to me just now." I looked him over. His color was fine, as was his balance. "You don't get airsick?"

He shook his head. "Doesn't look like it. Can't say why that is, but..." He paused. "I don't recall you ever being sick on the Blackjack or Falcon before--or on a boat, for that matter. Were you just faking it, or...?"

-flicker-

"I can't say for sure about the airships, but I don't get seasick."

Locke frowned. "You're remembering a lot, all of a sudden."

"Bits and pieces seem to be coming back to me since I woke up yesterday." I made a face. "I just wish they'd give me some advance warning once in a while."

He laughed. "Yes, I can see where that would be--hey, what happened to your face?"

"My face?" I touched my nose, and grimaced. "Relm."

Locke winced. "Ah."

"She does this often?"

"Physically attack people? No. But you're a sore subject for her as it is, and when you throw in what you said to Terra last night..."

Now it was my turn to wince. "Yeah, I need to apologize to her for that."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry I brought everyone there. If I'd had any idea granny knew you--"

I waved him off. "You couldn't have known." Then, what he'd said earlier caught my attention. "Why am I such a sore subject for Relm?"

"That's..." He trailed off uneasily.

I frowned. "Locke..."

"I'm sorry, but it isn't my secret to tell." He shook his head. "Relm's not supposed to know it either, but..."

"Strago, then."

He nodded.

"Terrific."

"I don't think you realized about Relm before you lost your memory, either. If it makes you feel any better."

"Not particularly."

He gave me a wry grin. "Didn't think it would."

I sighed. Back to--wait, didn't Strago call me... "Does the name 'Clyde' mean anything to you?"

Locke nodded. "From what Strago told us, you went by that name when you lived in Thamasa. Whether it was your real name..." He shrugged.

"I see. Did he tell you why he hates me so much?"

"He thinks you killed his goddaughter."

"When I was living there?"

He nodded.

I rested my forehead on the railing and groaned. "An assassin with a mask, a murderer without it. Wonderful."

"I have my doubts about the matter. Strago's story doesn't--"

I looked over. "Do you really believe that will make a difference?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head. "No. Not really."

I turned back to the railing.

"How are you holding up, anyway? Now that you know about your past, I mean."

"It's tough to say, really. I know about it up here"--I pointed to my head--"but here?" I tapped my chest, then shook my head. "I don't think it's fully sunk in yet. It probably won't, until I get more of my memories back."

"How do you mean?"

"How does it feel to kill someone in cold blood? To deliberately snuff out someone's life, to--" I stopped when I saw the look he was giving me, and sighed. "The only person I can remember killing is that man who tried to kill me in Albrook, and I did that before I really knew what was happening."

I sighed again. "You can tell me I was an assassin, and I can worry about having been an assassin, but I don't feel like an assassin. I'm not looking forward to that." I paused. "Does that make any sense?"

Locke frowned. "That makes a little too much sense, actually. God knows, Terra never..." He shook his head. "You're worried?"

I nodded. "About that, and beyond that--how many places are there like Thamasa or that restaurant? I don't know I'm walking into a death trap until it's too late, and then..."

"I wish I knew what to tell you, my friend." He glanced out at the horizon for a moment, then looked back at me. "But we'll be here to help you, whatever you do."

"I appreciate that."

Locke clapped me on the shoulder. "No matter what happens, Shadow--you're one of us, and you always will be. Nothing will change that. Ever."

He tightened his grip for a moment, then turned and left me to my stomach.

"Shadow?"

I looked up at Celes' greeting. "Yes?"

"Are you hungry? Terra threw together a little..." She trailed off as my stomach squealed unhappily at the thought of food. "I guess not."

I chuckled a little, then glanced down. We were approaching another city--a large one, this time, with buildings stretched out in both directions as far as I could see. "What city is that?"

She looked over the railing. "That's Nikeah. It's the world's largest port."

I blinked. "That's...that's a port? Where's the water?!"

She chuckled. "That's at the north end of the city. We won't see it for a little while, yet."

I whistled. "And I thought Albrook was big."

"Albrook rivaled Nikeah once, but after..." Her face darkened.

"After what?"

"Let's just say its location failed it." She paused, started to say something more, then shook her head.

I looked back down at Nikeah. "I wonder if they know about me down there..."

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean you built up a reputation, Shadow, and it was a damn impressive one. Hell, even we knew about you, and--" She cut off suddenly. Her face turned green, and she leaned over the rail just in time.

Setzer called over from the wheel. "Don't strain yourself, Celes!" She flipped him off without looking back, and he laughed.

"Are you all right?"

Celes shook her head. "I will be once this damned medicine kicks in. Don't worry about it."

I nodded, and for a few minutes, we stood by the railing in silence.

"...What did you mean, 'we' knew about me?"

Celes started, then grimaced. "I keep forgetting you don't know anything. It's not an insult," she added, holding up one hand, "just reality." She paused, then looked out over the horizon. "Before Kefka got his hands on those damned statues, Terra and Locke were part of an organization called the Returners."

"The Returners?"

"An underground resistance movement opposed to the Empire of Vector." She glanced over at me. "The Empire doesn't exist anymore, if you were going to ask."

I closed my mouth again.

She chuckled, then grew somber. "I say 'we' because, until very late in that conflict, I was one of the Empire's generals." She frowned. "I can't speak for the Returners, but the Empire always made sure we knew where you were when we made our battle plans."

My eyes widened. "I was that--"

Celes nodded.

"I mean, I'm just one man! I made that much of a difference to an army? What kind of reputation did I have, anyway?!"

Celes turned away again, and took a deep breath. "Anyone could garrote someone, or stab them in the back," she said quietly. "Not just anyone could do that and get away cleanly, though. And you--half the time, they never even knew you were there."

I watched her in silence. Something about Celes' voice had changed.

"And you were good at it," she continued, almost dreamily. "Leo--he was another of the Empire's generals--he would hire you to assassinate an enemy general, and I don't think you failed him once.

"I once hired you to go after an elite enemy unit--forty of Maranda's finest cavalry. I thought you'd take out a third of them, maybe half--but you killed them all. Every single last one of them, in less than half an hour! No one else even came close to that until Kefka and Gestahl unveiled--" She cut herself off and frowned.

"Celes?"

"Never mind." She shook her head, back to her usual, brusque self. "But what really set you apart was your...your honor, I guess you'd call it."

I blinked. "Honor? In an assassin?"

"I know, it sounds strange, but it's true. You would do anything, for anyone, for enough gold--but once you accepted a job, you saw it through to the end. You couldn't be bought off, you never asked for more money--you were absolutely dependable. You never betrayed a client. Never. Do you have any idea how valuable that made you?"

I gripped the rail. I felt very lightheaded, all of a sudden. "I'm getting an idea."

"There were battles where I hired you just to sit out, so that the other side couldn't use you. Money well spent, in my opinion."

"..."

"What kind of a reputation did--do you have, Shadow? You were the ideal mercenary. The best ally a soldier could ask for--and the worst enemy."

"And a civilian's worst nightmare."

She hesitated, then nodded. "Pretty much."

I rested my forehead on the railing and groaned.

"...What do you know of Maranda?"

I looked over at her. "You just told me you hired me once to attack some of their cavalry. Beyond that..." I shrugged.

Celes regarded me for a moment, then turned back to the railing. As she did, I noticed the ocean had come into sight below.

"Before Vector turned conquistador, there were three other city-states on the continent with us: Tzen, Albrook, and Maranda. We conquered Tzen before I was born, and just after I became a general, Leo conquered Albrook."

"Which left Maranda."

She nodded. "And they saw the writing on the wall. While Leo was consolidating our claims over Albrook, Maranda mustered its entire force and sent it straight at Vector." She growled softly. "Straight at me."

"How did you stop them?" The words were out of my mouth before I realized I was saying them--but once they were out, they didn't surprise me at all. It seemed so natural--how could this woman not have won?

Celes blinked, then chuckled. "Not easily, I'll tell you that. I lost over half my command, my entire heavily cavalry, three-fourths of--" She shook her head. "And that's not even counting the civilian casualties. It was a close thing." Her face darkened. "A very close thing.

"We did it, though. We repelled the invasion...and then, Emperor Gestahl ordered us to pursue Maranda's retreating army and wipe it out."

Celes turned away and gripped the rail. "If there's one thing Gestahl wasn't, it was a tactician. The only reason Maranda's assault failed was because of Vector's fortifications--there was no way we could have even held our own on an open field. Wipe them out?" She barked a derisive laugh. "But the Emperor ordered--so I had to make it happen, somehow."

"What did you do?"

"What I had to." Celes suddenly looked very tired. "I hired every mercenary I could get my hands on--every assassin, every specialist--and sent them ahead to weaken Maranda's strongest remaining units." She looked over. "This is where I hired you, too."

She turned back to the sky. "I followed with my main force. We whittled away at them from the edges--harassed them every night. By the time they got back to Maranda, their nerves were frayed, and they were completely exhausted." She squeezed the railing, and her knuckles turned white. "That was what I'd been waiting for."

I said nothing. There was nothing I could say.

Celes bowed her head. "That night, we raided Maranda. We killed all the guards, and set the barracks and storehouses on fire." She looked up with a face that might as well have been carved from stone. "Maranda's army was burned alive."

"Celes..."

"It was the only way I could fulfill my orders." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Of course, the fires didn't stop there, and we couldn't stick around to put them out. Without the guards to warn the townspeople, most of them didn't realize what was happening until their houses were burning--and by then, it was too late. The whole city was ablaze."

She sighed heavily. "Maranda was once known as the most beautiful city in the world. In one night, I burned it to the ground. I killed over half its people. Vector formally conquered the city-state within a month--and I became known as the woman who torched Maranda."

I blinked.

"It's not something I'm proud of, and it's caused me a lot of problems over the years--especially after I switched sides. The Returners didn't exactly welcome me with open arms at first, and even now, every so often someone will attack me or throw me out, just like what happened to you. Not so much lately--especially after what Kefka did--but there it is."

I frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Two reasons. First, you need to understand that your reputation will never entirely go away. As long as you're Shadow, you're going to be dealing with this. And second..."

She gestured to herself. "Look at me. I'm here. I'm happy. I have Locke--a Returner--and I wouldn't trade him for the world. It's not easy to overcome your past, but it can be done--I'm proof of that. All you need is persistence, and a goal worth striving for."

She rested her hand on my shoulder. "That's what you need to figure out. Is there something worth it for you?"

Something worth striving for...

I sighed heavily as I stared down at the ocean. Celes was right, but...

"Shadow?"

I stiffened, and turned. Terra stood a few feet away from me.

We stared at each other for a moment in silence--

"I'm sorry." "I'm sorry."

I blinked.

Terra blinked.

Silence.

Then, we began to laugh.

There was nothing funny, and neither of us were smiling; but I was laughing, and Terra was laughing, and neither of us could stop as long as we had breath.

Finally, the laughter died down. The tension between us was gone and released, and I took a deep breath before turning back to Terra. "I had no business saying any of that to you. It was..."

Terra shook her head. "It's all right. God knows you've had enough to deal with as it is--I shouldn't be adding to it."

There was nothing I could say to that, and I turned back to the horizon. I could see land in the distance.

"Almost there," Terra said, stepping up to the railing beside me. "That's South Figaro coming up now. From there, it's just across the desert and the mountains to the castle."

"What's Figaro like?"

"It's...different." Terra paused. "It's in the middle of a desert, so it lacks some things--they have to import all their food, for one thing, and you wouldn't believe some of the ways they've come up with to get water."

"It's not by an oasis?"

She chuckled. "No, that would be too easy. Besides, it's one of the things that keeps Edgar busy--and anything that keeps Edgar busy is a good thing."

"How so?"

Terra shifted uneasily. "Well, how can I put this...in a lot of ways, Figaro is a reflection of Edgar. His personality is...stamped, I guess you'd say, on the castle."

"Stamped?"

"For one thing, Edgar is an engineer first, and a king second. Figaro has some of the most advanced technology in the world, and it's pretty much all his design. And then..." She trailed off and mumbled something unintelligible.

"Pardon?"

She sighed. "And then, there are the women."

"Women?"

"The thing about Edgar is, he likes women. Lots of women. A lot."

I blinked. "You've told me about how he flirts, but--"

"Flirting doesn't even begin to cover it, but we'll leave that for the moment." She shook her head. "The point is, since he likes women so much, he goes out of his way to make Figaro as attractive a location for them as he can."

"How so?"

"Better wages, better quarters, legal privileges...anything," she said acidly, "that Edgar and his Chancellor can dream up to offset a king who'll hit on anyone breathing and female."

I winced. "That bad?"

"From the lowliest scullery maid, right on up to the high priestesses themselves--more often than not, at the same time."

"Wow, that's--" Wait a sec. "High priestesses, plural?"

Terra nodded. "There are two right now, and they're both rather young." She scowled. "Edgar's very happy about that. But when I first met him, there was only one. She was pushing 100--and he went after her, too."

"Are these the high priestesses just of Figaro, or...?"

"The whole following--but that's pretty much just Figaro and its immediate surroundings."

"The religion's different?" I didn't know why that should surprise me, but it did.

"Very different. Figaro subscribes to...a kind of pantheism, I guess you'd call it."

"Pantheism?"

"Kind of. Edgar and Sabin tried to explain it to me once, but..." Terra shook her head. "It may make sense to them, but I can't make heads or tails of it."

"What do you follow, then?"

"Me?" Terra blinked. "I don't really follow anything--but I grew up in Vector, so technically, I guess you'd call me a Manite."

"Manite?"

She nodded. "Manism teaches that the world was designed and set into motion by God for some purpose that only He knows." She hesitated, then shook her head. "There's a lot more to it than that, but that's about as much as I know of it."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, it's hard not to know that much--it's the predominant religion in the world. There are Manites almost everywhere."

I shook my head. "That's not it--I was wondering why you called yourself a Manite, then."

"I said I'm technically a Manite." She sighed. "Manism originated in Vector--a long time ago, before there was an Empire. It was the state religion; anyone from Vector is pretty much a Manite by default."

"So the others are Manites?"

"Only some. Celes is from Vector, same as me, and Locke used to be a follower--I think he renounced Manism when he began opposing the Empire. The others aren't, though."

"What are they?"

"You know about Edgar and Sabin. Mog and Umaro, your guess is as good as mine."

I started to say that I had no idea who Mog and Umaro were, but stopped when Terra closed her eyes. "Strago and Relm are from Thamasa. They worship the three Goddesses, the source of all magic. Setzer...actually, I'm not sure about Setzer. I don't think I've ever heard him say he believed in anything other than his own luck."

"I've heard him mention goddesses a couple of times. Could those be Thamasa's Goddesses?"

Her eyes snapped open. "Thamasa? That would be a surprise. They're not big on converts...or outsiders."

"...Outsiders like me."

"Yeah." She gave me a sympathetic look, then went on. "Anyway--Gau's been up in the air." Terra frowned. "Sabin and Cyan have both been trying to get him to follow their faiths, and I really hope that Sabin comes out on top."

"Why?"

"Because Cyan comes from Doma--and before Doma was destroyed, its religion was a death cult."

"A death cult?"

"Doma was infamous for it." Terra scowled. "If it weren't for the way Kefka went about it...there wouldn't have been many tears shed when the Empire conquered them."

"How did Kefka go about it?"

"Poison," she spat. "He poisoned their water, and wiped out the entire Doman population--man, woman, and child. Cyan was one of the few to escape."

I frowned. Wiped out...

"What's wrong?"

"Hm?" I looked up. "Oh, it's nothing. Just, hearing about Doma...I'm not sure what it is I'm feeling. I know I should be feeling something, but..."

"Strago did say that you'd had some problems with them."

"As Shadow?"

Terra shook her head. "This was before you became Shadow, I think."

Before I became Shadow...

As long as you're Shadow...

I stiffened.

"Shadow?"

My eyes widened. It just might work...

"Shadow, what are you thinking?"

I turned to Terra. "What kind of reputation do I have in Figaro?"

"In Figaro?" She blinked. "I don't know, really. I first met you in South Figaro. Edgar seemed to be the only one who recognized you, but..."

-flicker-

"The dog eats strangers."

-flicker-

I shook my head. "But?"

"Was that because you weren't well-known there...or because no one knew who you were?"

"I see. It's probably not that people didn't know my na--wait a minute." How could I have forgotten THAT? "I wore a mask then, didn't I?"

She nodded. "You were always dressed in black, with Interceptor at your side."

"Dressed in black, wearing a mask, a huge dog with me, and the King of Figaro was the only one who realized who I was?"

She nodded, and I smiled grimly. It would work!

"Shadow?"

"From the sound of it, there isn't anyone like that old woman in Figaro. They didn't recognize me with a mask on, so they won't recognize me without it--which just leaves..."

Terra's eyes widened. "...your name."

I looked down at the desert. "I don't know what I want to do about my past, yet. Until I do, though, the fewer people who know who I am, the better."

She frowned. "You're taking a false name, then?"

I bit back a chuckle. "Not necessarily a false one." Like "Shadow" is any more real. "I had a name before Shadow. Strago called me--Clyde, wasn't it? For now, I'll use that."

Terra peered closely at me. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure."

She sighed. "All right. If that's what you want, Shadow..."

The desert dropped away beneath us, giving way to the mountains.

I nodded. "Please...call me Clyde."

And beyond the mountains...Figaro.

"All right...Clyde."