Dearest Mengshi,

Thank you so much for your letter. While I have no doubts about what I am doing, I must confess that it does get rather lonely out here. (I do speak with Selphie every day, though.) I was very surprised to see Chu-Chu arriving at the lighthouse and even more delighted and surprised when she brought me a letter from you.

But more than that, I want to thank you for your honesty. I know it's not easy for you and that makes me appreciate all the more what you did. It reassures me to know that I am worth enough to you for you to overcome your worst fears. (I never truly believed otherwise, of course, but it's still comforting to have such wonderful evidence.)

So what is my reply? My answer, my dear, is that I think no less of you than I ever have :). Sorceress or not, I still love you, and I will always stand by you. And, Mengshi, you are not a monster. A monster would not bring such a smile to my face when I think of you. A monster would not take such curiosity and delight in the world around her. A monster would not be such a voracious and passionate reader. A monster would not work so hard to improve SeeD and the lives of the people she cares about. Yes, I cannot help but wish you had been honest with me in the first place, but that's the past and there is nothing we can do about it. And I feel that we have both gained something from this already, and that sometimes good is simply sent to us in mysterious ways :). As the saying goes, that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Oh, dear, I wasn't even thinking. I hope that wasn't too tactless. I think you're smart enough to know what I meant :). (And you're not completely deceased anyway! :) )

I'm having Chu-Chu bring you an Odine Bangle. Wearing it will suppress your sorceress powers, so you needn't worry about being controlled by Ultimecia or being a threat to us. See, help is available; when you let me know what your problems are, I can help you! Don't be afraid to ask for help; none of us are supposed to solve all our problems on our own.

But it's time for a confession of my own. I already knew you were a sorceress; Rinoa told me. (Selphie and Irvine and Zell and even Chu-Chu know too.) In fact, that's why you will be able to escape hell. Hyne's powers are too integral to the world to allow someone with them to fully die. I think you can understand why we had difficulty telling you to your face, though.

We both know all too well what it is like to feel compelled to force ourselves inside the bottle of perfection so that we can present the most attractive package to the outside world. But that the bottle is not shaped to fit any human being, and no matter how hard we struggle to constrict ourselves, we will never make it. And, indeed, the more we try to cram ourselves into that perfect bottle, the more we hurt ourselves, and the more exposed and angry we will feel when the bottle inevitably shatters.

The truth is the only way out. You have nothing to fear from it.

You may not give yourself enough credit to see it, dear, but I can tell you're recovering. The fact that you were able to write me about your problems warms my heart, and I have your letter to read to bolster my hopes whenever I feel them dimming. Keep me your updated progress when you can; I have the feeling you'll be out sooner rather than later and I'll be thrilled to hear about your progress. Do whatever it takes to get yourself out. And do not let what Ultimecia and the other women tell you deter you from the truths you hold in your heart. Consider it an opportunity to test and confirm the strength of your self-confidence. Prove them wrong and convince them that you are the good person that I know you are!

I'm sure you're wondering how I'm doing. Lonely and bored, perhaps, but otherwise doing well. I've picked up needlepoint again, which is a pleasant distraction. What am I making? I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet; hurry back so I can show you :).

I don't want to keep Chu-Chu waiting too long. Write me whenever you have something to say. And always remember yourself that no one is a failure who has friends. You are not perfect, and neither am I, but I love you anyway. And I know that you love me too.

I miss you. And no matter what you do or say, I will always believe in you.

Yours always,

Quistis

In the darkest hour, hope sprung eternal.

Mengshi clutched the letter to her chest as if trying to absorb every last drop of love and comfort from it. It was okay. It was all really okay. Quistis knew everything now and still accepted her, all of her. She could never have even dreamed of a gift of such limitless relief and freedom. It was all okay. She didn't have to be perfect. She was a sorceress and Quistis really loved her. And with this bangle she didn't even have to worry about hurting anyone. She no longer had to feel guilty for existing. When her sobs finally subsided, she wiped her eyes clear and placed the precious letter back into its envelope. "Thank you, Chu-Chu."

"Watch out, boys! Here comes the chu-test mail carrier! Bang, bang!" Chu-Chu had quite gotten into her role into as delivery rodent and was now marching proudly around the room, one hand clutching her purse like it was a messenger bag, as she role-played her job. It took her a few moments to realize Mengshi was talking to her. "Oh, hmm?"

"Thank you for taking my letter to Quistis," Mengshi said. "I... I guess I'm not as bad off as I thought."

Chu-Chu beamed. "You're welcome, Colonel! I brought chu the thing that Quistis asked me chu." She fished a small bracelet out of her purse and handed it to Mengshi. Mengshi quickly slipped it on her wrist. It did not have any overt effect on her, but she felt better anyway from the knowledge that she was protected.

"I brought my Hungry Hungry Shoopufs game too!" Chu-Chu announced proudly. This seemed to be of much greater concern and note to her than the letter or bangle. She opened the door and waved outside. Auron, looking rather embarrased at being shanghaied into service as a pack animal, entered with Chu-Chu's board game in his arms. He set the game down on the floor, and then just stood there, trying to look imposing despite the absurdity of his situation.

"Why don't chu stay and play with us, Mr. Auron?" Chu-Chu offered.

Auron glowered in silence at her for a substantial period of time. "All right," he grunted after a proper period of time had passed.

"Ookya! Yay!" Chu-Chu bounced up and down. "Do we get chu play strip Hungry Hungry Shoopufs?"

"No," Mengshi and Auron both said.

"Well, no harm in asking, right?"

* * *

"THAT'S how it done," Auron proclaimed as, after numerous losses to Chu-Chu, he finally eked out a victory.

"Congratchulations! Chu win, Mr. Auron!" Chu-Chu took the Burger King crown off her own head and placed it on Auron's head. It fit him slightly better than it did her - at least it didn't hang down to her nose - but he still looked utterly ridiculous in it. Auron glowered.

"I still haven't won yet," Mengshi sighed.

"Don't worry, Colonel; chu're still better than Yuffie." The invocation of her missing friend's name no longer upset her - between Mengshi's death and the adventure to hell, the crusade to free Yuffie seemed a much more distant concern.

Auron attempted to remove the Burger King crown, but Chu-Chu caught him and pushed his arm back. "No, no, chu won, so chu have to wear the victory hat. And if chu win again, chu get a kiss from Chu-Chu!"

He glowered. "This ends NOW." He rose and threw the Burger King crown down on the floor in disgust.

Chu-Chu frowned. "Wait, don't go, Mr. Auron! We were chu-ust getting started!"

Auron glowered without turning around. "I have no time to waste," he growled.

Chu-Chu pouted and put the Burger King crown back on her head.

"You seem like such a nice man," Mengshi said, causing him to stop just outside the door. "What are you doing in hell?"

Auron glowered. "I'd rather not say," he grunted, then closed the door behind him.

"Statutory rape," Chu-Chu whispered to Mengshi.

"Oh dear."

Chu-Chu started collecting the pieces of her game and packing them back into the box. "Are chu feeling better, Colonel?" she asked.

"Yes, definitely." The words came out easily now, and she had to admit surprise at how comfortable she felt talking to Chu-Chu. She had not meant for anyone, least of all a perverted pink rat, to see her like this; she had wanted them to know as little of her as possible. But they had found their way into her soul anyway. She could not to regale them with some grand unveiling of her true self as she had hoped; what they found in her was more akin to a run-down old building, a pile of construction supplies, and an "Under Construction" sign. But somehow that was amenable enough. "I'm ready to go home now."

Something wasn't quite right here, and Chu-Chu frowned. "Instructor Trepe said chu just need to find hope chu get out, right?" Mengshi nodded. "But it seems like chu already do..."

"Well, I..." Did she have hope? Things were looking up, that was for sure, and she no longer felt herself in all-consuming pain. But did she really believe she could change her situation? Miang and Ultimecia's words still haunted her. She did not necessarily believe them all, but they still presented a terrifying possibility. How could she universal hope in the face of Ultimecia's limitless suffering? And Miang had lived for ten thousand years. It was hard to convince herself that she could really know more than Miang. "I'm still worried. I don't know if my hope would be really grounded in anything. I ... I still can't prove I'm not just a leech, that I'm not doing enough for everyone else."

"Well, maybe chu should do what Instructor Trepe said, then? Find something positive to create?"

"Yeah, but ..." Why did this not sound as appealing as it should? She studied her thoughts and feelings, trying to decide what exactly the source of her reservations was. Was she scared of hurting Quistis? No, she trusted her assurances. So why couldn't she - oh, that was it. "I'm scared I might be proven wrong. What if I go talk to Miang and they shoot down all my ideas? What if they prove to me this is all for nothing after all?" She sighed. "I feel like I should just do nothing so I can at least keep my vain hopes alive. Better to keep my mouth shut and only suspect that I'm worthless than open it and have it confirmed."

Chu-Chu frowned. "Well, the Mambo Veda has a saying about that. ’When chu give into fear, the darkness comes.' Shevites 8:15. It means that a lot of the things chu are afraid of are only there because you are afraid of them! That sounds like chu-ur problem, Colonel. When chu start doubting yourself, you start seeing problems that aren't really there! Chu lose the ability to do good things." She stopped, unsure of what to make of Mengshi's silence. Was she mouthing off too much to the Colonel? Or was she just not doing a good job of getting across to a human something a Chu-chu would take for granted? She tried to articulate herself a little more. "Chu-Chu's been trying for years now to get some human loving and she hasn't scored yet, but if I just gave up now, I wouldn't get laid for sure! I have to keep trying and not worry about what they say about me. Because I know the Wondrous Mambo God is watchuing over me and as long as Chu-Chu does her best, everything will be for the best!" She frowned, knowing that her wisdom could not apply to Xu the way it did to her. "I know chu don't believe in the Wondrous Mambo God, but ... chu can find faith in something, right? Like Instructor Trepe?"

Mengshi reflected on these words. Odd as it was to think that Chu-Chu had something to say other than numerous thinly-veiled sexual euphemisms, Mengshi could not help but feel that her grass-roots wisdom had some relevancy here. She tried to put herself in Chu-Chu's shoes -- or paws, as it were -- and actually go through her thought process. Chu-Chu's belief in the Wondrous Mambo God was something they all took for granted. But she saw now that Chu-Chu's unwavering faith that the Wondrous Mambo God would make everything turn out okay was no mere trifle. When there was no else at Garden to echo her faith - and, indeed, when some of them openly mocked it - it must be hard to never doubt in her heart that everything would turn out all right. Did she believe in Quisty like that? Believe in anything like that?

"Chu know, don't sweat the small stuff," Chu-Chu piped up again. "And it's all small stuff, except for Franzy-poo's throbbing 12-inch dolphin cock. Woobaby."

"Um, yes..." They were just getting somewhere when things had derailed into perversion again. The insatiable edginess of fear started to crawl back over her, taking the ground ceded to it by her receding certainties. What if she didn't confront Miang and prove her wrong? She would never muster up the unshakeable hope needed to escape hell. But if she did expose everything, then she ran the risk of having it all shot down. And then she would not even have a chance at salvation. On the other hand, what good besides fleeting comfort was an opportunity she didn't use?

Chu-Chu was droning on about her sexual escapades when Mengshi interrupted her. "Chu-Chu, how do you know so strongly that everything will be okay? I mean ... I'm trying to not doubt you, I just don't know how to find that strength."

"Well, the Wondrous Mambo God watches over all the Chu-chu Tribe from the stars. He won't let anything really bad happen to us! So, it's like I said -- if we do our best, whatever happens will be for the best."

And that was faith. "I want to believe that." Her tone indicated that this was no easy task for her. She had no Wondrous Mambo God to believe in...

Chu-Chu nodded sagely. "Well, it's hard sometimes for me too, Colonel. I know the Wondrous Mambo God is real, but sometimes when someone like Rinoa keeps blaspheming Him, it gets hard chu stand up and defend Him just as firmly eachu time. And Chu-Chu doesn't know if she should keep her mouth shut or not. That's why I pray every night, 'Wondrous Mambo God, please grant me the serenity chu accept the things I cannot change, the courage chu change the things I can, and the wisdom chu know the diffchurence.'" She frowned again, realizing for a second time that since Xu was not a follower of Mambo, her advice was not so appropriate. "Ummmm... and even if chu don't believe in Mambo, chu can try to have those things?"

"That sounds like a good philosophy," Mengshi said.

Chu-Chu nodded. "Do you want chu look at my copy of the Mambo Veda?"

"No thanks. I appreciate your advice -"

"It's got some really hot parts!"

"Uh, I'll definitely pass on it, then."

"Okay." Chu-Chu paced the room, wondering what more she could say to Xu. Xu was a human; she didn't believe in the Wondrous Mambo God, so how could Chu-Chu convince her that everything would be okay?

Mengshi looked at the letter again, and then at the yang symbol dangling from her neck. Hyne, what was her problem. She was still worried about what her hopes were based on? She had all the evidence she needed right here. Quistis loved her, had told her that over and over. The two of them had formed something greater than either of them, something that Mengshi was foolish to deny. It was like Chu-Chu had said -- as long as she did her best, whatever happened would be for the best. Or at least she could try to believe that long enough to -- no pun intended -- get the hell out of here. "I think I'm going to see if I convince Miang and the others to do something with me. I'll be all right. Thank you ever so much."

Chu-Chu winked at her. "If you're looking for a way to pay me back, Chu-Chu has a few ideas."

"Look, no offense, but I really prefer to keep to the company of my own species, thanks."

"Someday..." Chu-Chu sighed and flopped onto her back to pray.

Mengshi gathered up her meager stash of possessions -- rapier, letter, diary, and cards -- and let her cell. As she marched towards the big tree, she realized she was leaving no trail back to her own place of confinement. But that did not seem to be too great of a concern. Miang seemed to know everything about this place; she would surely be able to guide Mengshi back.

She had a plan now. The idea had been in the back of her mind since Quistis visited but only now could she sincerely consider putting it into action. She would enlist Miang and the others and start her own Card Club. The more she thought about it, the more fitting it seemed. It would help her feel like she was contributing something. She wouldn't just be helping herself; she would be making things more tolerable for the other souls. And the light the Card Club would bring to the other women would convince them that the world was more than just endless suffering, killing two fastitoctalons with one stone. It was just as Quistis had said - she had to create something positive and meaningful where there had previously been nothing.

Mengshi had planning to ring the bell to summon her associates. But when she arrived inside the big tree, she found the trio already waiting for her.

"You're not going anywhere, Mengshi," Miang said flatly while Mengshi was still recoiling in shock. She wanted to demand of Miang how she knew, but to do so would reveal how clueless and helpless she was. Miang had not explained how she knew what Mengshi was thinking; it was like she was already supposed to know how, and she felt so weak for not knowing. And she could hardly admit that weakness by asking.

"I'm disappointed in you, Mengshi," Miang continued. "I thought you could be trusted to keep the knowledge of your suffering to yourself. But you failed to contain the darkness. And now you have forced the woman you claim to love to bear your burdens."

This time, however, Mengshi was only beaming, blissfully impervious to Miang's charges. Things had changed since their last meeting. "She loves me anyway. Look, she wrote me a letter." She offered the folded letter to Miang in hopes that it would compel her to see things from more than one perspective.

But Miang only waved her hand away. "I already know what you think. And while such foolish desires infect all of us, we must struggle to overcome our failings. Quistis may claim to love you, Mengshi, but it cannot last - not when you are a monster. You will hurt her, she will have to suffer for you, and she will come to resent you for it as we resent the world for making us suffer. And you would not want that to happen to someone you love, would you? You must be strong, Mengshi. Please. You are not perfect, but you must strive to contain your problems - not share them - to minimze the damage you cause."

"You're wrong." Mengshi's pride and delight in having Quistis' love invested in her had given way to aggravation. Why was Miang so insistent on meddling in her life? How dare she make such accusations about her beloved Quisty, cast aspersions on her capabilities, her motives, her love? "It's sharing the problems that fixes them. The problem isn't that I'm not self-contained enough, it's that I'm too self-contained. But I'm fixing that." Feeling that this discussion was concluded and no longer necessary, she bounced the packs of cards in her hands. "Come on, how about I teach you all how to play Triple Triad? It's a card game. You'll like it; we'll all have fun. We can start a club. It'll be better than just sitting in cells forever, right?"

"You kling to hope," Ultimecia surmised with an obvious tone of disdain and concern. "You seek to break out of hell."

Mengshi nodded. "Yes. I want to go home. How about we try to escape together?"

The long silence indicated that the offer was not only rejected but held as evidence against her.

"Hope is an ugly, ugly thing, Mengshi," Miang began. "It compels us to fight for a better tomorrow, and fighting only bring suffering. Strive to kill your hopes, my dear. When you have eliminated all your desires, all your dreams, all your hope, you will be able to live in perfect acceptance of the way the world is. And thus you will not hurt anything by pushing to increase your position. The universe is like quicksand, Mengshi. The more you fight your place in the universe, the worse it gets."

"Remember, hope is nothing but greed," Yunalesca echoed. "A selfish desire for a better future when you have no right to expect one. You must learn to accept your position and suffer in silence."

"Even continuing life would be self-centered," Miang said. "You could kill yourself again and let your possessions go to the poor and your organs to the sick. Can you really look in the face of someone waiting for a heart transplant and tell her that, sorry, you're going to keep your heart and she's just going to have to die? You must give yourself as much of you can, Mengshi, so that you can bring miracles to others. Or do you not love them?"

Mengshi tried to restrain her growing anger. They just had a different opinion, that was all. She shouldn't let them get under her skin. But she had given them a fair chance, hadn't she? She had tried to do something fun with them, had offered to take them out of hell with her, and still they insisted she was hurting the world and hurting Quistis. Their whole dogma was completely full of it. "No, you don't love people!" she accused. "You may claim to love them, you may care about them, but you don't believe in them. You think they all need your help, that they need to be saved. You elitist bitch!"

"Resorting to name-calling now, are we, Mengshi?" Miang remained as implacable as ever. "Oh, I know. Wouldn't it be great if I were crazy? Then the world would be okay. But I'm not crazy, Mengshi. I have walked the world for ten thousand years, or about nine thousand and nine hundred more than anyone else. I have seen civilizations rise and fall, generations upon generations of humans live without meaning to their lives. And I know that what I speak is the awful truth. People do need someone to suffer for them. There is no shame in being an elitist when the average human is a drooling, ignorant fool who would destroy himself if given half a chance. They do not deserve to be believed in. Putting your faith in them simply because you wish humanity to be worthy of trust is irrational. Your ego is your weakness, Mengshi; remember that."

"The stick up your ass is yours." She shouldn't be arguing with them - she needed them to help her get out of hell - but, dammit, their relentless attacks on the goodness of the universe could not go unanswered. She wanted to prove them wrong. A small part of her was still swayed by Miang's eloquence, and the only way to squelch it completely was to counter everything Miang threw at her. "Have you even considered that you might be wrong? Your opnion is just as subjective as mine!"

"Is it? If you claimed that the world was flat and everyone lived five hundred years, would those happen in your reality? Believe not the comforting but empty platitudes of those who claim that all our opinions are valid. There are absolute truths in this existence, Mengshi, and one of them is no gain can come without a loss."

"That's wrong!" Mengshi shouted with such sudden fury that she surprised even herself. This was a challenge to her now. She would escape. She would laugh in their faces as she climbed back to the mortal plane. "Life isn't a zero-sum game! If I'm alive, I can do things to help other people, and we can all gain! We can make a bigger pie for everybody instead of just bickering of who gets which piece. 'There is no vice that does not bear some mark of virtue on its outward parts.' Just because you claim to be doing good doesn't mean you are. Mankind ill needs a savior such as you! You've never lived like a normal person; even you admit that! What place do you have to be making decisions for people who are not like you? You have no experience, let alone any actual authority!" She was really riled up now, gesturing with broad sweeps of arms to emphasize each verbal blow.

This was the first attack that Miang did not have an easy answer to. She had had plenty of people tell her she was wrong before, but none had thought to tell her that she could not be sure she was right. Mengshi did mental flips and victory dances at the first sign of frustration and panic on Miang's face. She wasn't invulnerable! She was subject to an incomplete understanding of the world just like her, just like anyone else! She didn't know everything.

But Yunalesca jumped in. "Sorrow cannot be abolished," she murmured. "It is meaningless to try."

"No, it's not," Mengshi insisted. "It's not meaningless!"

"Mengshi." Miang still managed to muster up relative patience, though it was obviously being strained by this point. "There is something worse than a life of endless pain, and that a life of endless nothing. You seek to deprive yourself of your only chance to do the world good and bring a purpose to your life. Pray tell me, what other meaning do you plan to find in your life beyond suffering so that others do not?"

"Love," Mengshi declared with the sort of fervent honesty born only when life itself hinged on every word. She was on a roll now, and impassioned responses were leaping to lips without her even having to think about them. She considered this answer for a moment, though, and added, "And peace. So that someday no one will have to suffer, and we can all be happy. Because life was made to be enjoyed by everybody. Can't you see that? It's not the net result of one's life that's important. It's the day-to-day concerns, the personal victories, and the celebration of life ... and love! It's enough if people are able to experience the joy that each day can bring!"

"And you would risk your Garden, risk the life and happiness of the woman you hold dearest, risk everything you know and care about for that?"

"Yes." She jumped on the table. "It's not just for me. It's for Quistis, and my parents, and the Kramers, and Selphie, and Chu-Chu, and everyone else. They want me back. The world wants me back. I don't have to prove my virtue to anyone." She clutched her pendant again, this time pulling it forward to present it to her detractors and defy them with what it meant. "I promised Quisty I'd come back to her, and I'm going to. Now please tell me how to get out of here. I know you don't agree with me, but I've made up my mind. I'm going home."

Miang's eyes narrowed. This had gone beyond the realm of philosophical debate and into an immediate threat. "You aren't going anywhere," she said sternly. "I won't allow these foolish, selfish desires to get the better of you; not when I know you can be more than this. Calm yourself, Mengshi. Think of the morals you hold in your heart. You can strive to conquer your human failings. You can restrain your Self better than this."

Mengshi shook her head fervently. "No. You can't convince me that they're better off without me. I'm leaving. I'll find a way. I'll make a way," she declared. "Somehow."

While Mengshi was speaking, Miang had climbed up on to the table. Mengshi now hesitated, watching Miang with some fear, wondering what she'd do. Miang lunged forward and, seized the collar of Mengshi's dress and twisted it in her fist. "No," she repeated, "you will not."

Mengshi socked her in the face as hard as she could. Yunalesca and Ultimecia immediately sprung from their seats to restrain her. Mengshi drew her rapier, terribly relieved that she had it with her. The odds were against her, yes, but could not submit to this any more. She would escape! Besides, she was dead - what could they do to her?

Auron and Chu-Chu rushed into the room, the former with his sword slung over his back, the latter curled up into a bouncing ball. Chu-Chu launched herself straight from the door into Ultimecia's chest. Ultimecia kept her balance, but Chu-Chu set on her with tooth and nail.

"Now! This is it!" Auron bellowed. "Now is the time to choose! Surrender and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

Miang held out her hand. A scythe materialized in it; she leaped at Miang and slashed. Mengshi's rapier flashed to parry the strikes. But Miang's weapon was heavier, and Mengshi found her hand being deflected at odd, painful angles. She leapt back off the table; Miang pursued her onto the ground.

Mengshi was too occupied to see what her allies were doing, but Auron had joined the battle. One slash of his great sword hacked off Yunalesca's head. Chu-Chu was still clawing viciously at Ultimecia's chest. The sorceress hit her with a Pain spell and she fell over on her back, squeaking painfully. Auron sliced Ultimecia in two and bent to lift Chu-Chu up by her paw. "Get out," he commanded. "Wait outside and do not endanger yourself further. You are still living." Chu-Chu nodded and obeyed.

Mengshi found herself backed up against the wall by Miang's assault. A successful slash of Miang's scythe took off Mengshi's left hand. Mengshi expected to be crippled in pain - she'd just lost her hand! - but she felt nothing at all. Of course. She was dead; her bodies would regenerate shortly.

Auron's sword came slashing through Miang's chest, cutting her in two. He stepped over her temporarily disabled body and stood facing Mengshi. His good eye fixed sternly on her. "You know what you are," he growled. "And you will never escape until you embrace it."

A sorceress. There was no doubt what he was referring to, as much as it still revolted her to think of herself that way. But if everyone at Garden knew, if she was here with people who already knew, then she was not really accomplishing anything by concealing her identity. She was only running away from it, refusing to acknowledge the truth. But she had nothing to fear from the truth ... nothing to fear from the truth ... and she had the bangle, she could always slap it back on if she started losing control.

She yanked off the Odine Bangle.

Mengshi felt herself being lifted off the ground as a pair of majestic angel wings, as pearly white as her rapier, unfurled from her back. They beat instinctively. She shivered as air rushed against nerves she had not previously owned. It felt strange, almost ticklishly uncomfortable, at first, but in a few seconds it felt almost like a normal part of her body. She was hovering in the air, though, and that was immensely odd.

Meanwhile, Yunalesca's severed head faded out of existence and reappeared on her body. She quickly got to her feet; Auron ran to slay her again. This time, Yunalesca hit him with a invisible magic blast before he reached her and sent him sprawling onto the ground.

Mengshi had been watching them, and her attention suddenly manifested itself in a cage of flames that sprung up around Yunalesca. She blinked, scarcely believing that she could have done such a thing without even trying. This was far more than para-magic. Mengshi tried focusing her thoughts on her rapier. Flames burst from all along its blade.

Miang reformed and rose to strike Mengshi. Mengshi hurled her rapier at her; whirling in a circle of fire, it slashed through the hilt of Miang's scythe and then returned to Mengshi's hand.

Miang hurled the broken remnant of her weapon at Mengshi's head. Before she even realized what she was doing, Mengshi's wing had flapped over her body to shield her. Auron raced up behind Miang and ran her through his sword. "GO!" he thundered.

Mengshi dropped to solid ground and ran for the exit as Auron attacked Ultimecia again. Chu-Chu was waiting for Mengshi outside the tree; together they ran on, realizing that Auron needed to stay behind.

Never looking back, Mengshi pounded through the forest, her feet on autopilot. She could not even think of how she had not expected that, it was too horribly real for her to think of anything but the fight. But as the adrenaline rush from the battle faded and the immediate threat disappeared, she began to tire. Where in hell was she going, anyway? She had to find the Phantom Train, but ... this forest was huge, and she could barely see where she was going. Her flight slowed to crawl. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath as she leaned against a tree to rest. "We're lost. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

Chu-Chu frowned and reached into her purse.

"I shouldn't have done this," Mengshi despaired. "I should have stayed in my little tree ... at least I had a safe place to stay there. Now I don't know where to go and I'm not going to escape and I'm even worse off..." She stopped when she realized that Chu-Chu was holding something up for her to examine. It was the compass, still with its needle jammed skyward.

"Nowhere to go but up," Chu-Chu said.

The ground was starting to shake, but Mengshi paid little attention to that. "Up?" she repeated. "Oh! " She quickly gathered Chu-Chu - compass and all - into her arms and started running forward. She took a slight hop into the air and lifted off, her wings beating. Flying seemed to come naturally to her once she resolved to really give it a try.

Mengshi broke through the canopy of the forest and continued to fly higher. The forest billowed out below her, and in the distance she caught sight of its edges. She closed in on it, flying gradually uphill. It seemed they were on the side of a valley. And she found her environments getting gradually lighter as she rose, so she must be moving out of the depths of hell. Good. She was on the right track.

At last the forest beneath her gave way to rocky valleysides. Mengshi touched down there and set Chu-Chu down so she could rest. "We made it out of the forest!" she cheered. "I still don't know where we are, though... or how we're going to get out."

The ground shook again, and again, as if buffeted by massive footsteps. Then, something smashed its way out of the forest, and Mengshi realized it was massive footsteps. A giant doll, almost as tall as the trees, was marching towards them. Its body and limbs were comprised of segmented metal plates which had been painted an eerie pink-purple -- not quite a flesh tone, but just similar enough to provoke a comparison that revealed how unearthly this creation was. Its face was featureless; it was nothing more than automation serving the one who rode atop it. Miang's face was fixed in stern, implacable loathing directed at Mengshi and Chu-Chu. Clearly she had come for them -- as if there had been any doubt of that in the first place. "There is no escape!" she thundered from her perch.

Mengshi stared at the Calcobrina as it lumbered towards her, her mind raging in feeble protest against her futility. I'll find one. I'll make one, she repeated. But her body remained paralyzed with fear and shock. There was no way she could fight this. She had been wrong when she thought she had nothing to lose. Miang could find a thousand ways to compound Mengshi's torment with this contraption. There was no escape.

Chu-Chu, however, knew without thinking what she had to do. She bowed her head and clasped her hands in a brief prayer, then stepped forward, returning Miang's gaze with equally implacable determination. Chu-Chu's body grew until she was equal in stature to the Calcobrina.

Mengshi could still only stand watching as Chu-Chu stomped directly into the Calcobrina's path. The two met in a clash of the pink titans. Chu-Chu struck first; her fist smashed into the chest of Miang's infernal contraption. It barely dented the Calcobrina's metal chest, though, and the doll retaliated with a breath of fire from its mouth. Chu-Chu leapt ferociously at the machine and tackled it, pulling them both to the ground.

"Fly, chu fool!" Chu-Chu shouted.

She had so few alternatives that she did not even consider them. It was automatic. She launched herself into the air again and flew upwards, past valleys and rivers, past walls of stone and cities, past all of hell's tortures with only the faint glow from above as her guide. She flew up and up, up out of the valley, up a long vertical shaft, up until the light enveloped her.

Next chapter: Crash and Burn