[Besaid] We all start at the beginning, right?

Raven shut down the cloaking ability in his armor and slowly came back into view. He then released the armor itself, as it weighed too much for prolonged use. The armor started to twist and fold off of him and revert back to the backpack. Once there, Raven sent the package back to Task Force 3's headquarters in Bodhum. There, the suit would be looked over for any malfunctions, fixed, and then placed back in the armory for Raven to summon again. The whole process only taking mere minutes. That was the beauty of technology.

Raven stood straight and stretched, systematically testing all appendages for flaw and injuries. The gash on hhis armed stung, but he could still use it. He had three bruised ribs and one broken, atleast he thought. His brother was always the medical genious, not him. Other than those injuries, though, most of the pain was just soreness. Raven pulled two tablets out of his bag and swallowed them. Once in his stomach, the capsules released thousands of tiny nano-machines that races through the body, repairing his injuries. He glanced down at his arm to see the skin pulled back into place and sealed up. He inhaled deeply and he felt his ribs pop back into place and the bruising go away. Though the whole process wasn't pleasant, it did beat using magic. When Emblem turned to heal Raven, he waved him off saying, "No, offense, but I have learned not to trust magic. It's nothing you did, I just have never liked it. Ever since I was a child, I would keep my distance from anyone who would use magic. I got over that fear pretty quick when I had to go to other worlds." Raven gave a smirk.

He looked at Emblem and grimaced, he hadn't meant to go that far, but with Raven there was no halfwayy mark. You either gave it all or didn't even try. It was like his father used to say, "I don't care what you become. You can be a bum for all I care, but youu better be the best damned bum you can be." Raven had lived his life according to that and it hadn't let him down before. He offered Emblem two capsules and said, "It isn't exactly a pleasant feeling, but they work."

He walked over to the child and picked up his bag of food. He pulled out an apple and his knife. He sliced the apple up and gave half to the girl and half for himself. He sat there in silence for a moment, eating his apple and watching the clouds roll by. But as soon as he finished his apple he scooped the girl up on his shoulders and looked at Emblem. "Well Mr. Tour guide, lead the way." Raven smirked at Emblem and followed him out. This was turning out to be a pretty good vacation.

Perhaps it was curiosity, to see two peoples of such different backgrounds do battle. As expected, Saitou came to the conclusion, the one who used the invisibility, and more advanced technologywould be the victor. But the other opponent did not seem to be giving it his all, as if he were trying to cage a beast, and prevent the spar from becoming a battle for survival. Seeing the man with the technology rise the victor made Saitou's heart sank. Soon, the lessons he studied so hard, for so long, would be forgotten by civilization, and appear as nothing more than words in an unread book. The honor of the blade would one day be replaced by the convenience of a trigger, or button. Such ways were not his way, and he would not think less of any one person who used such technology, for it was their way, and therefore their right. Still... It did not make the sorrow in his heart for the matter, lessen at any rate.

Saitou sat quietly and motionless in the forest. He had spent the days here simply enjoying the serenity of what nature had created. Such sights must be experienced, as no book or painting could capture the true beauty of what one's eyes see for themselves. He was pleased with the peace he had found here. So when he saw the two gentlemen beginning their battle, he found himself intrigued and had to watch. Now the battle was over, and the two were healing, each with their own methods. Magic, technology, both had their worth when dealing with wounds, Saitou preferred natural remedies, but the thought was quickly removed from tip of his mind. The hour of day was growing late, and they had with them a girl. He was not normally so curious, and perhaps if the young girl was not with them, he would have paid no attention to the hour of their journey. He assumed from the direction they traveled, that Luca would be their destination. Still a fair walk, but attainable to reach by nightfall, if a proper pace was kept. Still, the forest held many hazards, and the two men, after their battle, could not be at their finest, and a minor mistake could cause injury to the young girl. Something that would bother Saitou until no end if he simply let them be on their way.

They hadn't entered the forrest yet, and Saitou decided that if an introduction must be required, in the open would be the best place. there would be only a minor chance of confusion or chance of unwelcomed attack. It would be hard to confuse the samurai for a beast or random thug out in the open mouth of the forrest, and without any further hesitation, Saitou swiftly made his way to the mouth of the forrest, appearing almost as silent as the wind.

He stood a fair distance from the trio, speaking generally to the two gentleman, each paying them proper respect.

"Good evening, I witnessed your battle. I hope you both recover well.", he said politely with a slight bow to both of the gentleman, and the young lady. "I do not wish to interfere with your on-goings, but after such a fight, I felt inclined to offer my assistance to see the young girl safely reaches her destination. I in no way question your abilities, It is my own personal morale. I would not be pleased with myself if I at the very least did not offer to accompany your entourage.".

Saitou stood quietly, prepared for the barrage of questioning that usually accompanied a strange man appearing from out of nowhere. He saw the oddness of his approach, but it was done, and he would see it though.

Emblem used the spare heal Raven did not want to heal himself once more. The sting got less, and as he got up, Raven offered him some weird looking medicine. It worked wonders for him. Emblem didn't know how they would affect him, or his Aeon.

''I pass. Magic works better for me and that inhabitant of my body. The other me. The one you heard that wanted to continue fighting. Magic does never sting me. I regret to hear you cannot appreciate it's virtues. Alas, let's move shall we? Luca is our goal for the first day.''

Emblem got up, smiled at the tour guide comment, and slowly walked to his bag when yet another surprise came up. As Emblem's wounds slowly but steadily healed themselves, indicating his Aeon did still knew how to, a yet unknown man came up to them. He talked about the girl's destination amongst others...just when Emblem sliced open a rather large orange with his axe. As two pieces turned into four, Emblem watched the individual, who continued talking about morale, and placed an offer upon the table.

Emblem looked at Raven and back again.

''The child's destination is yet unknown. If you consider her place of birth her home, she is already. She hails from Kilika. It is her choice to join up with Raven here, and since I am here to show him the world that is Spira, your offer would last until the end of it...''

Emblem made sure his words were heard before thinking about this offer. It was a generous one, one not made by a bandit by nature. They would not show their face so easily. And if this one was planned to rob them, he'd have attacked already, as both were less then optimally fit currently. Furthermore, Kilika Woods had Ochu's, not bandits. There was too little a space for optimal escape routes. Either to town, with it's guards...or to the temple. With temple guards.

''Wella Raven, up to you really. I personally have no opinion. I'll be better with a stroll, and your tablets are none short of a miracle. However, sheer numbers are always in favor of more.''

The sun had already past it's highest point and Emblem looked around to see how much time they would have left. A good stroll would allow them to traverse the Woods, see the Kilika Temple, then back to town, and on the S.S. Winno. It should not pose a problem, they'd arrive at Luca at the beginning of the evening. It reminded Emblem,...how long had it been since he had partied in the joyous city that is Luca? It would, next to fun, be quite a cultural experience to show Raven. And again, quite fun.

''Whatever you pick, pick fast. We don't got all day, and I don't want to be sleeping in Kilika for the night.''

Emblem's axes emitted a red glare as he was charging up the Flame Axes skill again, ready to combat any Ochu who stood in his way. The rest of the fiends would probably not be much of a hassle. Some bee like fiends, small canine fiends, small stuff.

Raven looked over the man as he approached the field. He wwas quite mad at himself for not spotting him sooner. He grimaced shortly at himself before puting on his mask of a friendly traveler. While Raven hated doing this because it was not himself, he had learned over the years that a smiling friendly man is a lot less likely to cause an uproar from fellow travelers than his usual self. So Raven smiled widely at the offer. The man seemed more than capable of handling himself, if not more capable than himself and his partner.

"If you're ok with keeping pace with us and going wherever it is Emblem has to go, then fine. You can come with us if you want." Raven tossed the half eaten bag of trail rations to the man, assuming he would catch it and said, "Go a head and eat what you want, we don't need you starving out here and we've already eaten our fill."

Raven looked up to the kid siting on his shoulders. She was actually smiling, something he hadn't seen her do the entire time she was with him. That welcomed a swift curve upward in the corner of his mouth. For some reason this girl was making him happy again. She was filling the gap that was left for so long by the absence of his family. He pulled her down from his shoulders and tossed her a few times in the air, making her squeal with joy. After a moment of that, he swung her back up on his shoulders and looked at the other two.

They were probably the most unlikely group ever to appear. One being part berserker, part magic caster. Another appearing to be a prim and proper warrior of the blade. And the last being a tech-crazed soldier of fortune. Not to mention the fact that there was a child there also made them all look ridiculous. Raven smiled at the thought. Damnit why was he smiling so much?

Raven caught himself in the smile and quickly tucked it away. He hated being exposed emotionally. Prefering instead to keep it all bottled up where no one could get to it. That way he could never be hurt again... that way, whenever something bad happened, he could stay detached and quickly make the right decisions. And if he could do that, then no one would get hurt, period. So it was for the better that he stayed this way, even if others didn't like him. Others... since when did he give a flying monkey about what others thought of him? It must be something in the water here. Something that makes everyone nice... I don't like it.

Raven turned to Emblem and said, "Ok, we all seem to be ready. Let's go ahead and roll out. You can lead the way." Raven turned with the child sitting on his shoulders and followed Emblem onwards into the woods. All the time, beating himself over the head for being so damned nice while he was here.

Emblem nodded at Saitou for being allowed into the group and heeded Raven's words.

''We got a temple to visit. Let's go.''

The group slowly embarked to cross the Kilika Forest, on their way to Kilika temple. The Forest itself was a gentle place, with a few main roads to travel, all leading straight into the temple. It was a thick Forest, but the sun was gentle as it carefully shining through some leaves. It was a calm place, however, it had one big threat. Ochu's. While not extremely powerful, Ochu's were quite surprising. They looked like part of the Forest if you were not paying attention, and their tentacles were poison inducing lashes, striking quick and decisive. Emblem's axes lit up, ablaze with fiery magic as he moved through the Forest. The normal road curved around, crossed a few bridges, and was slightly uphill. Nothing compared to the steps at the end, buty still.

''Now a test of luck. How many fiends will we encounter. We got those little wolves, bees, maybe a minor elemental here and there, and the Ochu's. If we're extremely unlucky, we encounter the Lord Ochu, one of the fiends that disappears but comes back over time.''

Emblem did not want to fight one. He severely disliked Ochu's. Well, maybe not so much the Ochu's. Before Yunalesca 'reformed' him, he would gladly cut them down, and it was an easy task. However, after the reform, his powers were set back, and he had to relearn all. He was not as strong as he once was, although, his limits were not much higher then they ever were. Ochu's attack form was, for now, a threat one should not underestimate.

The walk through the Forest was like a breeze. No Ochu's, and any bee that came close was easily dispatched by Raven's rather silent machina weapon. They still had the way back though. Before them were the lengthy steps that lead up to a platform, with the Temple behind that.

''Welcome, to the premise of Kilika Temple. If we climb up these stairs, you will see the first Yevon Temple you've ever seen. Have a look around.''

The party climbed up the stairs steadfast, rising more and more above the Forst ground. Even on the platform itself, the view was quite overwhelming. One would see Kilika Village near the beach, or more literally, on the beach and in the sea, and after that, one would see how big the Forest really was. A calm Forest, no hard sounds, no shouting merchant, nothing. Emblem knew that on the way back, they would be able to take another route, leading them to the highest point near Kilika. A stroll through the woods was never bad, and he was sure that when they would reach Macalania, they'd experience the same, if not moreso.

The group reached the platform, and Emblem pointed Raven to the temple.

''Stay here for a moment of move on and come back here afterward? Your call. I do have to deliver one gift of sorts to the Temple. I am sure some Monks are willing to give a little Tour and axplain the Temple's origins..''

Raven followed Emblem in blissful silence. The quietness of the woods reminded him of his time in the Gaphra Whitewoods. They were a wonderful place to just sit and watch the day go by. At least… they were until PSICOM came in and started to bend the wild life into summoned attack hounds for their soldiers. Since that time, the forest had fought back and now the forest was a dangerous place to be, even inside the PSICOM facilities. So he was glad that he could just walk through a wooded area in peace again. He really didn’t see what Emblem was talking about it being dangerous.

Walking through the woods reminded him of how much he really did need this vacation, even if he took it begrudgingly. He had been working himself to death on Cocoon, trying to work against PSICOM’s every movement. But he was just one man. He couldn’t take on the entire PSICOM military alone, not to mention the Guardian Corps that would assist PSICOM in whatever they did. Even his men took a break every couple of days, but not him. He needed to stay busy to keep the memories away. Every time he stopped to think, he would see Jesse’s face through the small pane of glass that had separated him and her almost a year ago. He could see the terror in her eyes as the train car she was in would separate from the one he was in. It would plummet downward and Raven would be left there with and outstretched hand, trying to catch her. The memory would shock him back to reality each time as the train impacted with the ground and the train car her and his daughter were in would vanish in a plume of fire.

Raven shook those thoughts from his head. They were the whole reason he was even on vacation. He didn’t need them coming back to him now. Right now, he had to focus on having fun and relaxing. And Emblem was doing a wonderful job of showing him around. Raven glanced at the white haired man with the duel axes gleaming red on his back. The man was being so kind to him and all he was doing was just grumble and nod. Raven really wasn’t much for conversation, but even he knew he should be treating his host better than that.

Raven just didn’t know what to do. So instead, he just kept quiet as they climbed the stairs leading up to the temple. The girl was content with playing with his hair as he carried her up the stairs. They reached the top and Emblem turned and spoke to them. Raven glanced up at her just to have her shrug bak at him in response. He looked around a bit, taking in the sights of the amazing view the perch offered before turning around to face Emblem and saying, ”Since you have to make that delivery, how about we just go to the temple now. And if we can get that tour, that’d be great. If not it’s no big deal.”

Emblem smiled and continued to walk up another smaller set of stairs until they faced Kilika Temple. Emblem took a few deep breaths before advancing towards the Temple grounds, sheathing his axes on his back. The closer he got to the temple, the more a silent shroud was cast over him. Nostalgia, good memories, bad memories. Everything, all at once. And he loved every moment of it.

He remembered seeing the Luca Goers here, taunting the Besaid Aurochs. He recalled when Fiends poured out of the Temple, or more precise, the hole in the Temple that went straight to the Farplane. He could probably be able to remember the entire Cloister of Trails in his mind if he wanted. As he came closer, one of the monks walked out to meet them. Without even the slightest thought, one would say out of reflex, Emblem did the customary sign of Yevon and bowed his head. The elder priest smiled faintly, before doing the same, if a tad shorter. This attracted some attention from others, but Emblem would not mind.

''Good day, Father.''
''Good day, Emblem.''
''So I see you recognized me.''
''If I would not reply with how your looks are so very you, I would also say you still visit our Temple faithfully to see if we are well, and pray within the Chamber of the Fayth.''
''So, Father, I suspect all is well?''
''It still is. No fiends come up, nothing. It has been a little quiet lately, I must admit. I guess it's the age catching up. I mostly see Blitzballers praying here for good luck.''
''Times change, unfortunately. But I have a small request.''
''Go ahead.''
''I have brought a man from another world who would like to see the Temple. Is it possible to give a little Tour?''
''I would be honored.''
''Thank you, Father.''

Emblem nodded again before proceeding into the Temple, leaving the Yevon Priest with Raven. The man seemed somewhat older then most, balding, and what had remained of his hairs were silvery grey. He had a gentle appearance, smiling a little as his sky blue eyes twinkled. He adjusted his robe a little as he walked towards Raven.

''..Hello there. You must be the one who requested a Tour? I am High Priest Hans. It is nice to see a new face here.''

It was the last what Emblem heard before he took a few small steps down towards the Temple's inner courtyard. Silently, he walked on, soaking in the environment again, the palms of his hands outward and raised a little. Sacred ground called for a sacred silence. The whisperings of Monks passed him by as the big doors came closer and closer.

And there it was. Big ornamented doors, a small one to the left and right, and the biggest one in the middle, the one leading up the the Cloister of Trails. However, no Cloister had to be solved this time. As the magic of the fayths dissipated, there was no defensive need, nor a need to identify Summoners. The Chamber of the Fayth harbored a big, covered up hole, nothing more that needed to be protected, and no power one should be tested for prior to entering the chamber of the Fayth.

Emblem's footsteps were the only things making sounds. Solemn sounds echoed through the empty, dark halls, bouncing off the walls and back again. The rooms were spacious, yet not well lit. Normally, the spheres would cater to this need, as well as the magic. In the case of Kilika Temple, the fires that would keep a Summoner from the Chamber until the puzzles had been solved. Emblem stepped into the deep brick hole where those fires once raged. It actually was somewhat of a sad display now. Emblem lit up one of his axes again and looked around, only to see a hole in a nearby wall, at one corner of the hole. He remembered and walked towards it. It was a hole you would find if you handled the purple spheres – Destruction spheres – and inserted it in the right place. Emblem found a Red Armlet there, a special trinket that protected one against fire. Bit late that was in those days, as they had finished the Trails by then.

Emblem climbed a short set of stairs and opened the makeshift door in front of the chamber of the Fayth. As he entered, he came into the revised room that once held the Fayth of Ifrit, the Aeon of Fire. The Priests had done well to honor this part as much as possible, putting a few torches in place, lighting the room in a comfortable glow. Emblem placed his bag on the floor and knelt down in front of the place where the Fayth once had stood. He looked around, and the silence swallowed him. Emblem slowly opened his bag and took out some incense, and a package. He placed it on the top of the hole cover, before lighting the incense.

''…''

Emblem bowed his head, performed the customary Yevon greeting, and sat there in silence, praying in his mind, several things passing through it at the same time. He prayed for those that were gone, for those that have passed on. At these holes, he was as close to them as he would probably ever be. Emblem still was afraid to go to the Farplane. He was afraid the parts of him that were in ''Sleeping Death'' would be held there, and he would be stuck. Emblem also prayed for his own future, for it was unclear, as even his own physiology was drastically altered. It was doubt that reigned in his mind.

Emblem prayed for a million things at once, and the ebb and flow of emotions soon took his toll. Emblem, before he knew it, had a tear roll down his cheek. He ignored it, for it was only a personification of all what raged through his head. He had only just begun praying. As his prayers continued, small blue lines would form all over Emblem's body, indicating a rise in strength as emotional unleashed latent possibilities. Yet they stayed, for this tiresome prayer was not to be disturbed.

Emblem's conscience recognized all his errors, tried to decipher all his doubts. Mostly to no avail, but if he did one thing well, it was charades. He had only recently become the Guardian of Spira. He would always smile, he would always lend a hand. He would always be a stalwart protector. Yet he could never protect himself, act against his mind's illogical advances, thoughts, dreams, nightmares. It was his duty to help the citizens of Spira, and all of them. It was foremost that he prayed in silence for the power to move himself along those lines, and the power, not to help himself, but to help others. If it were up to him, none would know. Only a Gullwing or two saw through it as far as he knew, but he also confessed it to Yuna. He couldn't ever lie to her.

As the lengthy prayer ended sometime later, Emblem drew a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. This prayer would always sting in ways unknown to Emblem, but the more he felt the mental stings, the more he could deal with them. His eyes slowly turned to the package in fornt of him..