Even after Corina had explained what had happened while he and Eric were unconscious, Mani wasn't afraid to admit that he was still a little lost. The trio had been walking for a good hour or so since the encounter, hoping to put as much distance between them and the place they were attacked as possible. The nighttime darkness was now absolute, forcing the group to stop for the night.
   They sat among a small clearing of trees around a fire, Mani and Eric listening closely to Corina relay the tale. When she was done, the three sat in a somewhat awkward silence, the sounds of the surrounding forest serving as background.

   "You think they're dead?," Mani wondered, finally breaking the silence.

   Corina slowly shook her head. "I'd like to think so, but I doubt it seriously. Seeing as you two survived it and all..."

   "Hey, we're hardier than we look!," Eric quickly remarked, grinning broadly. Mani was surprised to see Corina smile at the comment. In the short time he had known them, he had never seen Corina laugh at something Eric did, unless of course it was at his own expense. Eric was a good kid, albeit a slightly dinky one. At least his heart was in the right place. The same could be said for Corina, he reasoned. Sure, she's seems pretty hard on the outside, and Mani was willing to admit that Corina could probably beat the nonsense out of someone if they tried to do anything to her. But deep down inside, he could sense a very emotional and caring young lady... heck, he owed her his life. His thoughts were interrupted as she lightly slapped him on his leg.

   "Huh?"

   Corina shook her head some. "You know, for a ninja, you're not very observant..."

   Mani shook his head some to clear his mind a little. "Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff. What did you say?"

   Corina smiled. "What I said was that we really don't know much about each other," she began. "Seeing as we'll probably be spending a lot of time together, I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea if we knew a little about each other."

   Mani slyly raised one of his brows. "You still haven't told us how you pulled that big black kitty of yours out of thin air, Ms. Corina..."

   She smiled and shook her head. "Corina, Corina...my step-parents, teachers, and people I barely knew called me that back home...I've always preferred the nickname 'Cori;' that's what my actual friends called me. Oh, and about the 'big, black kitty,' well, at home, I was raised as and taught the ways of a Caller," she clarified. "I can summon them if I am ever in need."

   "Then why didn't you summon about ten of those things and have them shred those goons back there?" Mani inquired, as he raised his brow a bit higher.

   "Ah, if only it was that simple...you see, a Caller must first meet a willing creature and form a spiritual bond with it. This means the Caller can summon that particular creature, and any others he/she might have bonded with previously, from that point on, but it will always be that specific creature, not ten or so like it. I know what you're thinking; why not bond with a hundred creatures and have yourself an army? Why, because the bond has one bad, very bad side effect: If the summoned creature is killed while the Caller's summon spell is active, the Caller will perish too. So, to successfully kill one creature in the army will effectively defeat the whole army itself."

   Mani did a quick glance at Eric and realized that his friend was watching 'Cori' quite closely, taking in every word that was being said. Egad, he was infatuated with her. Mani laughed inwardly and chose not to comment and embarrass him.

   "So how 'bout you, Mani?," she finally asked. "What's your story?"

   Mani shrugged and grinned. "I'm just your average run-of-the-mill demon-hunting sword-swinging B-Class Shadow Ninja, nothing special 'bout that..."

   "Come again?," Eric wondered, totally lost. Mani merely shook his head.

   "It's a long story, I'll explain later." He glanced up at the star-filled sky and nodded to himself. "Hmm, it's getting late, you two get some sleep. I'll stand watch for now, just in case the freakshow back there decides to show up again."

   "Sounds good to me," the tired girl yawned and quickly curled up by the fire, using that stuffed... creature... as a pillow. "Night!" Eric quickly followed suit, lying down on his bag at the opposite end of the fire. Moments later, the two were out like lights. Mani smiled to himself as he began to reach into his pockets. Seeing as he'd be up for a while, he figured that he'd spend the time taking a quick inventory of what weapons he had left.

   Ten shuriken, four throwing blades, two knives and a Katana later, Mani decided that it would probably be a good idea to stop by a Weapons' shop in the near future. Instruments of death aside, he was thinking more about the what he currently held in his hand.

   Mani's head quickly darted up as he detected some movement. He calmed down some when he realized that it was Eric. Eric apparently had woken up, and was walking towards him. He sat down beside his ninja friend.

   "Hey Mani, can I talk to you about something?," he wondered.

   "Sure. What's up?"

   Eric quickly glanced over to make sure Corina was sleeping before he continued. "I need some advice," he stated.

   "Regarding..." Mani then glanced in the Caller's direction, not saying her name. Eric nodded. Mani cracked a slight grin.

   "You know, I'm probably the last person you should be asking for advice about love," he remarked. Eric glanced down at what Mani was holding in his hand.

   "Then what's the story behind that?"

   Mani glanced down and realized that he was still holding a delicately pressed purple flower in his hand, the flower he had rediscovered when going through his pockets earlier. "You're assuming that a special lady gave this to me, I take it?"

   Eric nodded. "You've been staring at it and sighing for the past ten minutes," he said. "Call it an educated guess."

   Mani couldn't help but smile. Eric was pretty observant.

   "So what's her name?," Eric wondered, knowing that Mani realized that he had a point.

   "Lily," he answered. "Lily Albrook."

   "So tell me about her," Eric encouraged. "Is she pretty?"

   Mani raised a brow. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he commented. "But if you want an honest answer, yes." He smiled. "But enough about me, you said you needed some advice...?"

   Eric nodded. "What can I do to make her notice me?," he wondered.

   "The three of us have been running for our lives from a pack of crazed bounty hunters for the past couple of hours, Eric. Trust me, she's noticed you."

   "You know what I mean."

   Mani slapped Eric on the shoulder. "Aw lighten up, I'm just messing with 'ya." He began to think. "Well, as I recall, basically all the advice about love I've been given can be broken up into three rules."

   "Number one- be yourself. I know it sounds like something you'd hear your mother tell you after someone's broken your heart, but it's true. Most women can sense when you're being fake, and they don't like it. If you act like someone you're not, you constantly have to lie to keep up the facade. If she doesn't accept you for who you are, then it wasn't meant to be. Move on."

   "Number two- let your good qualities shine. If you're a gentleman, act accordingly. If you're romantic, be romantic..."

   "Where do you fit into this little spectrum?," Eric casually wondered. Mani raised his brows in mock anger and pointed semi-menacingly at his companion.

   "Do you want my advice or NOT?!," he joked. "Interrupt me again, and I'll tell you all the things you SHOULDN'T do, got it?!"

   Eric laughed and managed an awkward bow. "Forgive me master, it shan't happen again."

   Mani smiled. "Good."

   "Now, as I was saying... letting your good qualities shine. I've seen too many people that have bad habits and such and insist on showing them off- biting their nails in the middle of the date, flirting with other women, chugging freakishly large amounts of booze and insisting on showing how loud you can belch afterwards, etc. Most will take that 'Well if you can't accept me for who I am...' type of attitude, and will get upset when she ditches you. I mean, c'mon here, you just made a pass at her best friend, what the hell did you expect her to do?"

   "Number three- under any circumstances, never forget the rule of The Three B's..."

   Eric tilted his head slightly at the mention of this. "The Three B's? You know, technically, that would be six rules total..." He suddenly stopped as he realized that Mani was glaring at him slightly.

   "Interrupt me again, and I'll tell a certain someone that you tried to look down her shirt while she was sleeping," he threatened, still joking however.

   "Now, the premise of the rule of The Three B's is simple- these are three things that you never call a woman, under any circumstances."

   "Number one- babe. Referring to a woman as 'babe' usually gives her the impression that you have an IQ of about 5. 'Hey babe', 'What's up, babe' and 'How's it goin', babe' are all greetings you should never use. Now- some women I've talked to can tolerate 'baby', but that's pushing it and I wouldn't advise doing it." 

   "Number two- broad. It's crude, vulgar, disgusting and vile, and if I ever hear you say that to anyone, I will personally beat the hell out of you. Use of this word will usually result in a slap to the face, and in the worse possible scenario, her large, sword-slinging boyfriend will show up and decide to teach you some manners."

   "Number three- never ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER, under ANY circumstances, call her a bitch. EVER."

   "Isn't that what you called Elana?," Eric wondered.

   Mani sat silent for a brief moment. "Once a woman tries to kill you, then all rules are null and void," he clarified, shaking his head. "You realize that it STILL hurts where she punched me?..." He took a moment to rub his stomach as he reflected on the pain his large blonde adversary had caused him. He wasn't sure who he disliked more, Elana, or that prick Maxis.

   "Thanks Mani, I appreciate it," Eric finally said as he stood back up. "Well, I guess I'll head back to bed now. 'night Mani."

   "'night Eric."

   Moments later, Eric was back at his area of the makeshift camp, curling up some beside the fire before heading back into the land of dreams. Mani was about to return to his weapons and guard duty, but was distracted as he heard one of his companions stir. It was Corina. After a quick glance, he realized that she was smiling in her sleep.

   A closer examination told him that she wasn't asleep.

   She glanced at him and grinned mischievously before closing her eyes again. Mani slowly brought his hand up to his face and silently began to laugh.

   She had heard the whole conversation.

   "Stupid birds! Can't you sleep in like the rest of the animal kingdom for gods' sakes!?" Cori rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around in an attempt to locate a nearby perpetrator. In a nearby tree, her eyes happened across a big, black crow that insisted on squawking louder than a dying animal. The black bird flapped its wings in protest as a small bolt of lightning arced toward it, silencing it forever.

   "Now, was that really necessary?" Mani began to sit up, eyeing her with a puzzled expression on his tired face.

   "Ummm...I was just thinking of, um, something to eat and... ah...." She didn't think her shouting was loud enough to wake others up. <Ooooops>

   "Crow?" Mani grimaced. "Um, I think I'll pass on that today..."

   <Crud,> she grumbled to herself. <He didn't buy it.>

   Eric yawned in the background, clumsily rising to his feet. Once he was seated next to the two, Mani spoke. "Well, should we go searching for that mystic stone thing?"

   "Yes, definitely," Cori replied. "It'll probably be only a matter of time before those pukes come looking for us again, and if we get a relic like that, we can surely crush them for good. I say we start traveling today, as soon as possible."

   "Agreed." added Eric. "Judging from this map, though, it could take us a week to walk that far. Oh well, we might as well start hiking."

   "If you guys really want to walk, you can," Cori closed her eyes for a moment. "but you'd both be better off catching a ride with me." She opened her eyes upon completion of the spell. A large, dark-purplish bird materialized before them, which hopped over to her instinctively. She rose and awaited it, proceeding to stroke its feathers when it reached her. The girl hopped on moments later, and beckoned at her friends to follow suit.

   "Wow, a real live black chocobo!" Eric was stunned. "Black chocobos can fly, can't they?"

   "Yes," the Caller responded, trying not to let the confusion of how one like Eric would know about such a thing show. "But not with more than one person on his back. Okay, Stryck....take us that way!" The big chocobo turned in the direction his mistress had pointed and broke into a trot, which slowly increased to a steady running pace.

   "We should be at our destination by nightfall at this rate." Mani was impressed that a bird this big could run so fast, even though it bounced a little more than he found comfortable.

   Mani's prediction turned out to be fairly accurate, for dusk had begun to settle in when the woods finally broke into a clearing, with a small temple hewn entirely of a shiny greyish material, much like that of marble, in the very center. Closer investigation revealed many intricate carvings, anything from symbols of nature to writings in some long-forgotten language. Above the main entrance was a large carving, depicting a human body with rays emanating from it in every direction. The group, including the chocobo, was simply awestruck at the sight before them, for the entire construct appeared to be without flaw; the stones were cut in such a precise way that could not have possibly been executed by human hands, not even a single scratch was visible along the entire length of the walls. The trio hopped off the big bird, which couldn't help but stare at the magnificent sight that lay before it before vanishing with a good-bye chirp.

   "We're here..." Eric spoke in a mesmerized tone as he continued to examine the ancient construct. The three friends approached the temple, only to be stopped at the entrance by Mani.

   "Shh." The ninja brought his finger to his lips to stop his companions from saying anything. "I heard something moving nearby," he whispered. "Somewhere behind the shrine. Eric, you and Cori check out the right side. I'll take the left and meet you both behind this shrine. If you run into trouble, shout for me." Mani almost flinched at the frigid look his female companion gave him, then crept around corner of the shrine and disappeared. Like a shadow in the night, Mani slipped silently past the bushes along the building's walls, his trained eyes scanning the forest beyond for the unknown prowler. <I thought I heard something...but...> His thoughts were interrupted by something moving in the bushes behind him. Without a second thought, the ninja unsheathed his katana and whirled around, ready for whatever might be lurking within the bushes. He heard the movement again, a human form was coming out of the bushes. With a catlike grace, Mani leapt at the form, tackled it to the ground, and brought his katana to the person's throat. The person, a young, blonde woman who couldn't have been any older than he, started shaking with fear.

   <Man, do I sure feel like an ass...>

   He got up and sheathed his sword, gently helping the girl to her feet afterward.

   "Look, um, miss," he began. "I'm terribly sorry...I thought..."

   "You mean you're *not* trying to kill me?" The girl looked up at him, somewhat relieved. She then embraced the puzzled ninja and completely broke out in a fit of sobbing. "For about three months, I've been stuck in this piece-of-crap world with a bunch of crazed psychos who for some reason wanna rip me apart! And before I ended up here...oh, it's just one hideous nightmare after another. Please, help me...before I lose my mind..."

   <Crazed psychos...naw, couldn't be...yeah, I doubt it.> Mani frowned inwardly as he took note that this extremely beautiful, yet odd girl had completely soaked his tunic. "Yeah, don't you worry, I swear on my life, I'll help you," he comforted her. "I'm Mani."

   "I'm..."

   "Hey, Mani!" The voice belonged to Eric. "Sorry, we didn't find...whoa! Who's your friend there!?"

   "Well," Mani glared sarcastically. "She *was* about to introduce herself when you took it upon yourself to interrupt her." He grinned at Eric, then turned to the strange girl. "Sorry, what was your name, miss?" The blonde said nothing. "Miss?" He looked at her and watched her face turn almost completely white as she stared at the red-haired woman who emerged from the shadows behind Eric...