Author's Note: As usual, I do not own the characters or ideas to either Vampire Miyu or the Final Fantasies (but sometimes I wish I did). My friend Kurakura has helped me a lot on this one; thanks a lot, babes! Keep in mind, this is NOT a crossover; you will be seeing none of the characters from the Final Fantasies here, nor will there be any references to the original Vampire Miyu plot (i.e. Shinma hunting, the Japanese Spirit Realm, Guardian, etc.). This is more what I call a "shade", an overlapping of two or so different anime's but not making it a crossover. I know it sounds confusing, but once you read I'm sure it will be cleared up. This is also an AU, so don't worry about knowing the story line. There are some characters in here, however, that you may or may not recognize from my story When Friends are True, but don't worry, you don't need to know a lot about that either. Uhh…other than that… language and violence are the only warnings I can really think of, maybe some adult jokes every now and then. Miyu's about 18 in this, and everyone else is in their late-teen/early-to-mid twenties. Hopefully this will go over a bit better than my last attempt at writing an AU fic…yeah, the one that was also another try at a failed attempt. Third time's a charm, ne?

Damn, I have long intro notes. Oh, and if anyone can help me think of a good title, I'll give you a cracker.

Now, on with the show! I mean, er, fanfiction!

The Unnamed

Written by Kyheena

Chapter One

…And a Bite Bug Down Your Pants

At last, at long last, he was finally able to shake off the last dreamy-eyed girl and return to their table with a huff, only to meet his friend's grinning faces upon his return. "And that," said Lemures with a triumphant gesture of his ale mug. "Is exactly why I don't care for their type."

"Oh, shut up." Larva snapped at them, dropping into his chair and resting his head on his hands, trying to massage the headache away. "It's not like I asked for any of this." Had anyone been listening to that statement, other than his two closest and only friends, they probably would have dubbed the young man insane. Not everyone was blessed with the face and physique of a god, and it was a well-known fact that some men would kill for his good fortune with women. Even walking across the common room of an inn to pay the over-night bill, which was the errand Larva had just returned from, was a struggle to keep them at bay. Larva, on the other hand, found it exhausting and tiresome. There were sometimes he wished that he could just disappear.

Spartoi took a long drink from his tankard before speaking. "Well, you could always tell them what we are. That'll get them to clear off real fast."

"Oh, that's an excellent plan, Spartoi." Lemures responded in his sassy tone. "Telling them who we are will certainly get them to clear out, as well as start a small riot while we're at it. Great plan, big guy."

Spartoi harrumphed, sitting back in his chair. He may have suggested it, but his friends knew that even he was not dull-witted enough to actually do something that foolish. "It was only a suggestion. I don't see you thinking of anything."

Lemures merely dismissed the subject with a wave of his hand, absently swirling the remaining ale in his mug around. "What time is it, Larva?" Since he was the only one sitting in view of the grand mantel clock sitting on the common room fireplace, Larva had no choice but to look up and look. It was at that time that the serving girl chose to come over to their table to seemingly pick up their mugs, but they were all aware of her pass to Larva. The batting of her eye lashes, slight purse of her lips and thrust of her bosom, the sway of her hips as she tried to get closer to their friend… But he ignored all of them.

"Almost noon." He reported, and let his head drop back into his hands. The serving girl frowned at the rejection and stomped away, dropping the mugs a bit forcefully on the counter before going to the next table in a sour mood.

With a sigh, Lemures pushed back from the table, standing and stretching his arms over his head. "Well then, we should get going. Master Pazusu will throw a fit if we're late."

They exited the inn and stepped out into the blazing spring day, the sunlight pouring down from above, making the city warm and radiant. Everyone who was anyone seemed to take advantage of the first trying nice day after a long and strenuous winter. Men were laughing and singing near the entrances of the local pubs and more common inns with their favorite drinking buddies, women moved along in small groups, happily chatting away as they carried on that day's shopping. All around them children were laughing and playing their innocent games with the dogs yapping at their heels. And on every corner there was at lease one sure-fire sign of winter was gone and spring had come at last; the traveling peddlers and merchants had finally made their grand re-appearance in the city, proudly displaying all the goods that had collected since their last visit. There were dancers dancing to the music performed by small bands and groups of brightly-clad gypsies putting on comical performances. They even passed a young sandy-haired illusionist who was putting on his show, and had obviously drawn the largest crowd of all. The people gasped and applauded in pure amazement as he dropped his head back and swallowed the end of a flaming torch, straightened, and exhaled a magnificent plume of fire into the air for his audience. The sun glinted off of his sea-green eyes as he smiled and bowed, particularly catching the eye of Lemures as they made their way through the throng. It took quite a bit of man power on both Larva and Spartoi's part to finally pull him away.

It was indeed a day worth celebrating. Everyone seemed to be smiling. Except…

"My god, man." Spartoi said, slapping Larva on the shoulder with such force that he nearly sent the young man flying into a group of slack-jawed teenagers gawking at a scantily-clad belly dancer, her many bangles gleaming in the sunlight. "You look as if you have a storm-cloud hanging over your head."

Larva, who had been rather oblivious to anything around him at that time, was brought back to earth with sort of a mental bump, but he did not say anything. He only shook his head and continued to press his way silently through the crowded streets. Spartoi and Lemures stopped their fooling almost immediately; Larva had never been the real up-and-go-get-them type, but he was never this down-cast. The three had, after all, been raised almost as brothers, so they could always tell when something was not right was another.

"It's not those bloody dreams again, is it?" Lemures asked.

To their discomfort, Larva did not deny it. "I haven't been getting much sleepy lately; oh hell with it, I don't want to sleep anymore. It's still the same dream…the same destruction, the same burning city, the screaming…and that blinding light before I wake up. But it's becoming clearer now; everything comes into focus more and more every time. But now…it's beginning to feel…god this is sounds stupid…real. You know how in most dreams everything's hazy, as if moving in slow motion?" His friends nodded. "Well, this isn't like it. It's as if I'm inside someone else's head, and viewing what they're seeing."

"So why does it have you so concerned?" Spartoi inquired.

"Because…because I think that I'm the source of the chaos."

They did not speak again until the reached the city square.

The center of Shigaldi was a complex pattern of light and dark cobblestone spiraling towards a grand marble fountain that had been set up there. It was a beautiful sculpture of a women caught in an elegant dance among tall streams of water that flowed up to the sky before raining down into the large circular basin below. The city square was the height of the social activity. Vender's carts were set up only a few feet from each other and people busied themselves for hours looking that their good or listening to their stories of their journeys from afar while their children played in the fountain to keep cool. Most of the people of Shigaldi had never even been as far as the Capital City, so tales that came from outside the kingdom were as special as a treat as the merchandise from where they came. All this went unnoticed by the three young men. There were more personal issues on hand.

It was Lemures that spoke first, offering words of comfort that he was surprisingly good at. "Well, that's what we're here for in the first place, right?"

"That's right!" Spartoi joined in. Unlike Lemures, he would have never thought of saying that first, but Larva well knew that the big man's heart was in the right place, even if his mind was not. "Master Pazusu said that if anyone could help you, it would be the Keeper of the Pages." This time Larva did crack a small smile. It was the reason why they were here, his friends were right about that; they had not ridden for three days and nights for a mere pleasure trip. Besides, their Master had never led them wrong before.

Now all they had to do was actually wait for their Master to show so they could see the Keeper. After ten minutes, however, all three became restless; Master Pazusu was never late for anything. It was one of his traits that both awed and annoyed the young men alike.

"I'm starting to get worried." Larva said, pausing in his pacing. "The Master's never late."

"It's probably just the traffic. It's horrid today." Lemures responded nonchalantly. He was sitting on a bench before the grand fountain, his head dropped against the back, enjoying the mist given off by the falling water.

No sooner had Lemures spoken, however, when a voice caught their attention above the hundreds of others gathered in the city square, undoubtedly addressing the three of them directly. "Excuse me, but I am looking for the young Lords of Lentereb. Are you they?" They looked to see it was a guard addressing them, the type usually posted at the gates of the city, dressed in light armor that bore the seal of the Shigaldi lord on his light medal breastplate. He himself was looking hot and irritable, no doubt from having the wade through the throngs of townspeople.

"Yes, that's us." Spartoi answered, standing up from where he had been sitting on his heels. "Is there something wrong?"

"I have a message to deliver from Lord Pazusu Lentereb of Kazarin. He is unable to meet you at your designated meeting area; rather, he is in the Observatory with the Lady Keeper of the Pages. You are to instead go there to carry out your business with her."

"But we don't know where the Observatory is." Lemures protested, standing up from the bench and wiping the water from his forehead.

"That is why the Lord and Lady Keeper have sent me." The guard nearly snapped, Lemures' interruption displeasing him even more. "The Lady Keeper has requested you to retrieve someone for her. Apparently her apprentice is supposed to join you today in your meeting, but has not returned yet either. You have been asked to find her; she will take you back to the Observatory once you do."

"How are we supposed to find her?" Larva inquired. "There must be thousands of people in this city."

"She is not in the city." The guard said, a definite tone of "I-was-just-getting-to-that" in his voice. "She is in the fields beyond the north gates. And don't worry, it shouldn't be too hard to track her down from there. She's the only one we know of to go to the fields for fun." With that, the guard turned on his heel and stalked off back into the crowd.

"What a rude fellow." Lemures frowned after the guard, his hands on his hips. On the other hand, the behavior of the guard was not what had Larva frowning.

"'Goes into the fields for fun'?" He repeated, exchanging confused looks with Spartoi. "But isn't the lands outside of Shigaldi famous for it's high concentration of monsters?"

"And we're supposed to go out there and find her?" Lemures asked in disbelief, rounding on Spartoi and Larva. "We left all out weapons in the carriage with Master Pazusu! They except us to go our there completely unharmed?"

Larva resisted the urge to roll his crimson eyes, and just started walking towards the north gate of the city, leaving Spartoi and Lemures with no choice but to follow. "There haven't been any major monster attacks near Shigaldi for nearly fifty years, Lemures. The worse we can run into is a Thrustaevis; maybe a Wendigo, but even then, we may not see anything more than a few Bite Bugs or even a Glacial Eye."

"And that wasn't a reward sign for a T-rexaur that we saw at the inn last night?" Lemures countered, but Larva did not slow.

"The farmer probably just over-reacted. Anything could have killed that cow. We have as much chance as seeing one of those as any other monster of that status. Besides, we have our magic. We can get by without weapons just this once. Besides, you're both Junctioned, right?"

Spartoi nodded confidently; Lemures only harrumphed. "That's something else I need to talk to once we're done with your problem. He's getting to be a problem; won't listen to me half of the time and the other half I can barely control him."

"Well, then maybe we can get more answers from her than anyone else. I mean, someone's got to know something about them, right?" Once again, Spartoi was going off from one of Lemures' earlier comments, but it made them feel a little more confident.

With the steady traffic of people flowing in and out of the city, the gates had been thrown wide open, allowing easy passage for both directions. Once they reached the towering Gates, Larva approached the nearest guard for perhaps a little more information to where they were supposed to find this girl, but the guard immediately jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Out thatta way." He commented in an almost merry tone. "It's not hard to miss her. She draws quite the crowd sometimes."

"Draws a crowd from fighting monsters?" Spartoi commented when they stepped beyond the gates. "Do you think she makes any money from it?"

"Hey, making money for fighting doesn't sound like a bad idea." Lemures chuckled. "I bet we could rake in the doe if we were to do it. I have to admit, we've been in some spots that I would have paid to see! Remember that Malboro Pazusu caught and had us fight?"

This time, Larva did roll his eyes. "Oh yeah, that was great fun; at least it was for him. I'm sure watching three grown men stumbling over themselves and attacking one another due to a Confusion spell it a real riot."

"Hey, lighten up, will you?" Spartoi said, once again hitting Larva on the back in the fashion he did whenever he thought the other man was being too serious. This time, the blow did launch Larva several feet ahead of the rest of them. "I'm sure it wasn't any more embarrassing than when we got plastered at the Midnight Winter Ball last year. It probably looked a lot like when Lemures passed out and landed face-first in that punch bowl."

"Oh yeah, that was a real scream. Mention it again, and I'll feed you to that Ruby Dragon the Earl keeps as a pet." Larva did laugh at that. No matter what mood he was in, the two men he proudly called "brothers" always seemed to know what to say to cheer him up.

The guard was not kidding about the crowds; it perhaps was not as large as some of the audiences watching the performances within the city, but there were quite a few people gathered to watch someone brave enough to face off against the monsters that roamed the open fields. The ones that came to watch were, in a sense, rather brave themselves, as there was always the possibility that the monster could loose interest in its initial victim and attack those less prepared for battle. That was why they were sitting so far away from the show, their entertainer silhouetted against the sky in the distance.

Larva took not that they were on the cliffs that rose out from the beaches that lined the city. Shigaldi was the most important port of the kingdom, but it was also famous for its steep cliffs that gave a spectacular view of the land, as well as its famous stories of tragic deaths from the very same peaks. The sky was clear and blue that day and the ocean below the cliffs sparkling in the sun. And standing on the cliffs was a lone girl or small size and petite frame, her long brown hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. From what Larva could see, she was wearing dark leggings under a shirt that apparently had to be folded over on itself and held in place by a long white sash. Fighting monsters without armor. This girl was brave. In her hand he could clearly see that she was holding a longbow, and it was then he took note of the quiver on her back. Her stance was poised, ready to move in a heartbeat but right now she was holding perfectly still, her eyes focused on her target.

And her target was a Thrustaevis, the four leathery wings rowing the air as it hovered before her, waiting her to move first. The air had a tense feeling to it, even the crowd was sitting on the edge of their seats. The only thing that tore Larva's gaze from her was a sharp nudge to his side. "Might see a Thrustaevis, huh?" Lemures taunted him, but Larva just ignored him, returning his gaze to the girl and her target.

Suddenly, with a cry, the Thrustaevis dove at her, talons outstretched as it missed her by inches. The girl threw herself to the ground just out of harm's way, but with amazing speed she rolled back onto her feet, swinging around on her heels, one arm outstretched. Larva felt a chill run down his spine as a light exploded from the Thrustaevis and traveled towards the girl as she enclosed it in her first, drawing the Blizzarda magic into herself and locking it away. He resisted the urge to whistle as Spartoi did instead. So she was a fighter and she used magic. At least she knew what she was doing.

Outraged at her comeback, the reptilian bird circled and dove back towards her, its scream filling their ears. This time, the girl did not move out of the way. She stood now, picked up her bow and knocked an arrow, drew it to her ear and fired. With a sickening ripping sound, the arrow struck true, flying straight into the Thrustaevis' mouth and tearing it to shreds with the sheer force of its own thrust from the bowstring.

Applause rose around them as the people watching stood and cheered her victory. Larva did not applaud with them, but he had to admit, that was impressive. Even most trained warriors he knew would not face an attacking Thrustaevis as she did with such cool composer and immediate recover time. From off in the distance, he watched her bend down to pick something up, examine it, and up it into her belt pouch before slinging her bow over her shoulder to come join the rest of the spectators.

"That was fairly impressive." Larva commented once they were in hearing distance. The girl, who had been wiping the sweat from her face, lowered the towel she was using and looked at those speaking to her…and Larva felt his heart leap into his throat. The distance he had first seen her from did not tell him that she would be so…so attractive. She could not have been any older than twenty, her face a perfect heart-shaped face that still had the defined high cheekbones of womanhood, and although her hair was disheveled and pulled back, it looked remarkably silky and soft. She was smaller than she appeared – much shorter than any of them were – but she did not have a bad figure either; in fact, she was perfectly proportioned in every way, her curves bold yet somewhat modest at the same time. But what Larva found most astonishing and almost chilling about her were her eyes. She had golden eyes. Not yellow or slightly orange, like he had seen on other people; her eyes were the color of polished gold and the summer sun, of rich honey and rare amber. He had never seen eyes quite like them. Oh hell, he'd never seen anything like them! Larva found himself wanting to know more about this girl who could face-off against a monster without flinching…but at the same time desperately wishing that she did not turn into another stammering idiot like all the other women did.

But to his surprise, as well as the surprise of Lemures and Spartoi, she only shrugged and started back down the hill in the direction of the city. "All in a day's work, I guess." She answered shortly. "The only reason why anyone comes to watch is to assure themselves that that's one less monster to worry about. It's not like I do it for anyone's entertainment. Now, is there something I can help you with?"

Beautiful, strong, brave and intelligent…this is almost too good to be true.

"Actually, we've been sent here by the Keeper of the Pages." Lemures said. "She asked us to find you so that you may escort us back to the Observatory."

"Escort you back?" The young woman repeated, stopped her decent from the hill and looking at his straight in the eyes. This is a bit awkward for Larva to say the least. There were very few women in this world who could look him in the eye and not break down into a fit of giggles, and those eerie golden eyes did not help the situation. "Do you have business with Ranka, or were you just the nearest group of people they could find to draw me back?"

Ranka? Larva was ready to question who she was, but his rational mind quickly told him that she was most likely the Page Keeper. "As a matter of fact, we do. She specifically requested that we find you so we can attend our meeting with her."

She did not respond to that right away, but was instead undoubtedly sizing the three of them up. Larva had the uneasy feeling one got when facing a wolf. As small as she was, he did not doubt that should could take any of them on and give them a run from their money. "I haven't seen any of you before. Where are you from?"

"Kazarin." Lemures answered. Larva was surprised it had taken him this long before he decided to say anything; it was the man's nature to get at least one word into a conversation. He always felt uncomfortable staying silent during a conversation. Larva just hoped that he did not say the wrong thing.

Once again, the young woman did not respond right away; she only cocked her head at this in an inquisitive way, but then suddenly seemed to remember the name. "Oh, yes. You're the ones that arrived in the dead of night, but I don't remember being three of you. Are you with Lord of Shigaldi?"

Spartoi nodded. "We are, but we stayed in the inn last night. Pazusu told us that the Page Keeper likes her privacy."

"That she does." The girl said. "Besides the hired hands, I'm the only one who lives with her. My name's Miyu." She extended her hand, something that they had rarely seen women do.

"Larva." He introduced himself, taking her hand in his. They looked so small and fragile, but she had an iron grip. Almost everything about her was the complete opposite of what he expected. "And these are my friends, Spartoi and Lemures. Lord Pazusu is our Master and foster father."

Miyu released her hand from Larva's grip to in turn shake the other men's. "A pleasure to meet all of you. Oops, hang on…" Her voice trailed off when in a heartbeat she once again had her bow knocked and drawn, and before any could react she released it, the shaft barely missing Lemures' ear. Larva had been around archers before during their practice before, and he had always taken note of the unique whistle they made as they cut through the air. Only Miyu's arrow did not whistle; it screamed as it raced across the field and struck cleanly through the center of the armored body of a Bite Bug. With a final hissing, clicking noise, the large blue insect fell from the air, dead. The men could only stare as Miyu lowered her bow, slinging it across her shoulder as if nothing had happened. "Now, shall we? Ranka doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"That was incredible!" Lemures was saying five minutes later as they walked across the vast open plane, the green grass rippling under their feet in the cool breeze. "That had to be at least two hundred meters away! How did you learn to do that?"

Miyu shrugged. "Practice."

"You go out and do this often?" Larva asked as he looked down at her, his amazement never wavering for a moment.

"Quite a few times every week, but mostly as a way to gather more magic or when I have a break from my studies. These monsters don't prove to be much of a challenge anymore, anyway. Oh sure, you get the occasional Cockatrice or Caterchipiller, but they like to stay near the forests; nothing like that really comes out into the fields anymore, but occasionally I see something that no one's seen in years. A few months ago I did come across a Granaldo… A Granaldo! Can you believe it?"

It was something to be impressed over. Granaldos – which were nasty and very large wasp-like creatures – usually inhabited denser, wetter forest climates. Finding one so close the coast so far up north was something to talk about. "Some would say that's a bad sign." Larva said gravely. Miyu nodded in agreement.

"That's what Ranka told me; it cut me up pretty bad, but only because I never fought anything like it. They're not strong, Granaldos, but it caught me off guard. Do you three ever fight? I don't see any weapons, but your magic levels are very strong. I take it your all magicians, and not bad ones either."

Larva could not help but to give a start, but Lemures spoke first. "Yeah, we are, actually. But how did you…"

Miyu shrugged again. "I could feel it. Magicians have a particular aura around them, and the stronger they are, or the more magic they carry in their soul, the more prominent it is. Can't you feel in on me?"

"Oh no, it's there loud and clear. It's just…" Larva trailed off. It's just thought it was something only the three of us could detect.

"It's just…" Miyu repeated, inciting him to finish.

The blue-haired man only shook his head. "It's nothing. We felt it, but I thought I was just feeling ourselves overlapping, so I didn't want to say anything about it. Some people can get really offended if you call them a magician, for some reason."

"It's no surprise." Miyu said. "They're afraid of us. Some magicians caused a lot of problems in the past, so we're not the most popular people in the neighborhood. There's actually only one group of people who are less popular than we are."

"And what would that be?" Lemures asked.

Miyu glanced over her shoulder, giving him a "you-can't-be-serious" look.

"Summoners, of course."

Spartoi coughed loudly, a sharp elbow in the ribs from Lemures the only thing shutting him up. Even Larva felt the blood drain from his face, but luckily, Miyu did not notice. He decided that a change of conversation was greatly needed. "So…what was the hardest monster you had to fight?"

He nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she took the bait. Apparently that had not been a topic she wanted to continue either. Miyu thought for a moment before answered, biting her tongue lightly. "Not sure. I came across a few Grat that gave me some problems, and maybe the Granaldo. How about the three of you?"

"Malboro." The three men responded at once, with Spartoi snorting in laughter again, only to receive another sharp elbow in the ribs from Lemures.

"So there aren't any real dangerous monsters out here, are there?" Lemures asked. Larva nearly laughed in spite of himself; it was only a matter of time before that question came up. "Well, I mean, any monster can be dangerous if you're not careful, but…"

"You're talking about that reward sign for the T-rexaur, aren't you?" Miyu finished before he could even mention it. "Nah, the old fool just over-reacted when something attacked his livestock. It was probably just a Cockatrice, but it certainly wasn't a T-rexaur though. No one's seen one of those in about a hundred years. The chances of a T-rexaur coming to Shigaldi are a thousand to one."

And as if on cue came the most horrible and spine-tingling noise any of them had ever heard; a huge, gargantuan bellow that exploded from the woods growing not too far from where they stood, echoing and rebounding off the hills all around them. Hundreds of birds burst from the canopy as they took flight and several smaller monsters came fleeing from in between the trunks. The small party stopped in their tracks, and the sound traveled so far that the people traveling on the road and those left over from watching Miyu fight all turned to see what the horrible commotion was.

"And that would be a one."

In the next instant it looked as if the forest had exploded; branches, leaves, and entire trees were even uprooted and thrown to the sides as one of the most dread monsters came charging towards them. It was a full grown T-rexaur, it's molten red and deep purple scales gleaming in the sun, claws flexed and huge jaws open wide as each thundering step it took shook the earth beneath their feet violently. Even through their surprise they were able to dodge out of its way, the massive clawed feet and swinging thick tail missing them by inches as the four of them scattered, diving into the grass. From behind them, they heard a mass of screaming as the people who had been watching panicked, making their way back to the city walls as fast as they could.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Lemures cursed loudly, pushing himself up onto his elbows where he was lying on the ground, watching the T-rexaur to pause and roar at the scattering people. "We have to do something before it eats someone!"

"But what can we do?" Spartoi shouted back from a little ways away. "We don't have our weapons!"

"Ice spells! Blizzards! Blizzardas! They're weak against ice! Anything cold!" Miyu commanded as she sprung up to her feet. "You got ice magic, right?"

"Only a handful." Larva responded as he stood up as well, ignoring the stinging sensation in his shoulder.

"Here then…" Miyu ran over to him and quickly seized his hand, entwining his long fingers in hers. A rush of cold flashed through his body, touching every corner as Blizzarda spells entered his body from hers, strengthening what ice magic he already had. Once the transfer was complete Miyu released his hand, turned, and through a particularly large and powerful Blizzarda spell at the back of the monster's head. The spell struck true, shattering against the back of its scaly skull. The T-rexaur turned and bellowed, forgetting about the weaker townspeople and charging straight for more savory looking snacks. Something in the back of Larva's voice was screaming at him to run, to flee this rampaging monster, but he kept his feet planted firmly on the ground as the four magicians threw flurries of Blizzards and Blizzardas at the thick body. Miyu had been right about the ice spells, however; each attack that hit true made the T-rexaur flinch, stumbling a little as it ran, making it not only weaker, but angrier as well.

"Duck!" Spartoi was just able to yell over the monster's bellowing roar when it finally bared down upon them, snapping Lemures and Spartoi first, who just barely managed to move out of the way as the jaws snapped shut inches away from their boots. They did not let the closeness of the creature discourage them as it was hit with twin well-aimed Blizzard spells, but while the part was concentrating on its head, they failed to see the threat of the tail. A low growl shook them to the bones as the monster glanced behind it after shaking the ice from its eyes, the acid-green orbs locking on Miyu's petite frame. With another earth-shaking bellow it turned with more speed than seemed possible, the long thick tail swinging directly at Miyu's head, taking her by surprise so much that she did not have enough time to move out of the way that was certain destruction.

But it was not the tail that hit her first, knocking the wind out of the lungs and sent her sprawling to the ground. Rather, it was the impact of Larva's body against her own as he threw himself against her, the force of the blow strong enough to carry them out of harm's way with only inches to spare. "Miyu! Larva!" Lemures hollered, but there was no response. It seemed as if Larva's heroic save had not spared them; the impact had knocked them both unconscious, and the T-rexaur had seen this. It had completely forgotten about the other targets, and was lowering its head down to the two defenseless people; Lemures could swear that it was almost smiling.

"Do something!" Spartoi shouted. "The ice spells aren't working, and I'm out! You have to have something stronger!"

"Do something!" Spartoi shouted. "The ice spells aren't working! You have to have something stronger!"

Lemures could not deny it; he had something that was stronger. They all did, something that could defeat the beast easily but…

I can't. Not now, not in front of all these people. If I call him… I would rather face the monster.

There was only one choice he had left; his one and only Holy spell, the only one he was ever able to Draw from one of his fights that he prized greatly and planned to use in a very special occasion. Well, he would not call this special, but it was certainly needed. The young man straightened, closing his eyes, searching the depths of his very soul for that one spell. It had to be here…he hoped that magic did not expire…

There. That one single collection of precious magic, small compared to the vast collection of all other magics he possessed, but surely stronger than any of them put together. Reaching deep inside himself, he called upon it, and the spell jumped to the opportunity. Opening his vibrant green eyes, Lemures rose his hands above his head as the white-hot energy of the spell gathered in his palms, so bright that it made the sunlight seem dull. "Holy!" He commanded, and threw the spell at the T-rexaur. The monster had moved in for the finishing blow, it's jaws opened wide, saliva dripping from its massive pointed fangs, when the Holy spell hit, punching through the tough skin and thick muscles, vaporizing its heart on impact, killing it instantly. The creature did not even make a sound as it fell dead to the ground, landing so hard that anyone standing around would swear that they had just experienced a small earthquake.

"Nice shot!" Spartoi commented. Seeing a Holy spell in action was rare; not too many monsters used it.

"We can celebrate later." Lemures said. "Are they alright?"

It was the impact of the dying beast that awoke Miyu. The back of her head ached and the world around her seemed to be spinning. Groaning, she sat up, or tried to at least. Something was on top of her, preventing her from really going anywhere. Eyes snapping open, she felt herself flush then blush when she realized that it was Larva on top of her, also unconscious, but coming awake as well. So he had saved her from the T-rexaur? It was not that she was not grateful, but the particular way they had ended up…

"That is so like him!" Came a voice from behind her, the teasing drawl that she recognized as Lemures. "Here we are fighting for our lives and he's serenading the ladies!"

"Ah…wha…?" Larva mumbled as he awoke. "What happened?"

"Argh! Get off me!" Miyu exclaimed, pulling away from him, sending the young man sprawling once again face-first to the ground.

Spartoi exchanged a smirking look with Lemures. "Well now there's a first. I think she's the only girl to ever say that to him."

"All three of you are sick!" Miyu grumbled as she stood up, brushing the dirt off her and snatching her bow back up.

"Hey, I just saved your life back there!" Larva retorted back, trying his best to stand up himself, but hissed in pain as a sharp pain cut across his shoulders and back. This was enough to make Miyu turn back around.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Larva said, finally able to get to his feet but wavering where he stood. "I think it got me when I saved you." He reached behind him and touched his shoulder, then redrew his arm and looked down at his hand. There was not any blood, but he would probably have one heck of a bruise. He certainly would be feeling that in the morning. But when he looked up again, he found himself looking right into Miyu's eyes, her hands raised to his face, making him startle a little. "What?"

"Cure spell." Miyu said in an innocent tone. "You were hit back there. Stop moving so I can cast it."

"I can cast my own Cure."

"I insist. And eye for an eye; you save me, I heal you. Stop…stop moving, will ya…"

"I said I'm okay!" Before he could get away, Miyu had slapped him firmly on the forehead with the palm of her hand and cast the spell. The cool, refreshing feeling of the Cure washed over him, dulling the pain in his body to a dim ache. Miyu pulled back, a triumphant sort of smile on her face. "Better?"

Larva moved her arms, testing his once sore muscles. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I'd hate to break up this touching moment…" Lemures interrupted. "But I think we're all being expected. If we are any later, I think I'd want to face that T-rexaur again rather than the Master's wrath."

"I have to agree." Spartoi responded. "Shall we?"

"Do we have much of a choice?" Miyu said, and continued walking in the direction of the Observatory, Larva, Spartoi, and Lemures limping slightly after her.

-----------

To Be Continued

----------

Author's Notes2: So, what did you all think? Yay or nay? Personally, I'm having a blast with this, and it's growing more complex all the time. Basically, if you were to turn the story of Miyu into an RPG, it would be a lot like this. Kinda, sorta. I dunno. So because it would be like an RPG, would you guys be interested in me writing a glossary to keep something straight? Like characters, towns, monsters, etc? I don't think the story will be that complex, but it would be something to keep around. Let me know in your reviews.

Oh, and BTW, the next chapter of When Friends is up in case you are interested (numba 26). For some reason it won't show under the Miyu section, so check that out. You can get to it through my author's profile.

Until later, cya!