I'm so sorry this is late by more than two weeks! >m< And this is the first time I've written so long. A bit of Jikook feels here and a bit of Namjin? Well, anyways, enjoy! 

WARNING: SLIGHT MENTIONS OF BLOOD AND GORE

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(7) "O, Robeya's stuck inside." 

Jimin sees a congregation of used treasure chests--most likely thrown here by the Al Bhed. Al Bhed especially like to use treasure chests to store items. Maybe a Cactuar Gatekeeper is hiding amongst the treasure chests? 

"Here!" Jimin gets off his buggy, parking it in the middle of nowhere as he continues on foot. There are dozens of treasure chests here--it'll take forever to search through all of them...Jimin scans the area. Or not, he thinks to himself, smirking as he catches sight of a thorn-filled chest. He walks over to the chest and opens it. 

What Jimin isn't expecting is a needle that flies past his face, slicing a cut on his cheek.

Jimin leaps back, a glyph appearing underneath his feet. Colored lights shoot to the skies as a bird flies down towards Jimin, screeching. It lands beside its Summoner, and Jimin leaps onto its back. The bird flies up into the sky, away from the Cactuar threat. Or so Jimin thought. He isn't prepared for the shower of needles coming at him from the ground.

Valefor swerves left and right, but the needles manage to puncture some of its feathers, causing a mess of feathers to fly into the air. Valefore gathers energy in its mouth, raining down an Energy Ray on the Cactuar. The series of explosions along the ground blinds Jimin, and he shields his eyes from the light of the explosions. When it's over, Valefor lands. 

Jimin gets off his Aeon, looking around for any sort of green, and even when the dust clears, he sees nothing.

"Funny, where did it go?" Jimin continues to survey the area cautiously, in case the Cactuar jumps out or something. 

"Oh, please don't tell me this is a repeat of the Klikk in the ruins. Not up," He looks at the sky. "Not left, right, front, back or anywhere in between..." A sudden realization hits Jimin as he runs back towards Valefor. "Seagull! Up, now!" 

Valefor, sensing the urgency in its Summoner's voice, beats its magnificent wings once and it soars into the air, just as a shower of needles shoot up from the ground. If Jimin had been on the ground one second too late, he'd have been jabbed to death. The needles fly into the air, hitting off a few more of Valefor's feathers before the bird daringly dived into the storm of needles, catching something in its talons before flying back up into the air.

"Did you get it, Sea?" Jimn taps Valefor's shoulders and Valefor nods. "Attaboy!" When Valefor lands, it's right beside Jimin's buggy, and Jimin dismisses the Aeon. Valefor drops the Cactuar onto the sand beside Jimin, and the Cactuar looks weak enough for Jimin to take on. He pounces on the thing, laughing as the Cactuar tries to escape, but has no more needles to do so. It's practically like a furry stuffed toy.

"You're so cute!" Jimin snuggles the Cactuar under his neck and he can feel the Cactuar squirm a little, before relaxing. He puts the Cactuar into the front seat and closes the door, before heading towards the other side and opening the door, climbing into it and begin driving off into the sand dunes.

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(8) "A fiery description--the lord of the hole is gone, Issra thinks."

"Namjoon!" 

Namjoon whirls around at the call of his name, and recognizes the two people running towards them. Him and a bleeding, dying Seokjin, he means. 

"W-What the h*ll happened?" Jungkook looks down at Seokjin, barely breathing, eyes closed and blood oozing out from the puncture in his neck. It wasn't straight in the middle of his neck. Just at the side, just missing his arteries by a nick. 

"Is Jimin here?" Namjoon asks, eyes darting around for a sight of Jimin.

Jungkook shakes his head. "Just us. Is there anything we can do?" 

"Get something to staunch the blood, or if there's anything you can use to close the wound?" 

"We have to get him back to the Al Bhed Home," says Taehyung. He hears a gunshot overhead and sand springing into the air like a fountain. He covers his ears and looks over at Seokjin. "I'm going to wrap a piece of cloth around his neck soaked in X-Potion, then we either look for Jimin or we go back to Home." 

Namjoon nods, as Taehyung gets to work. Jungkook looks down worriedly at the eldest member of their gang. "You go find more Cactuars, Namjoon. We need to deposit some Cactuars back in Home too." 

Namjoon hums in agreement, before heading back to his own buggy and heading off into the sand dunes, sneaking back glances towards the two youngest members and Seokjin until they are out of sight.

And of course, that means that Namjoon wasn't looking where he was going. Before he knew it, his head slammed with the roof of the buggy. Grunting, Namjoon swears that there's going to be a bump there later, if not sooner. He rubs his sore head before looking around, wondering what's happened, before he realizes, when he steps on the accelerator, that the buggy isn't moving.

Namjoon pokes his head out of the window, and immediately brings it back in the moment something yellow darts for his head. He's obviously stuck in some kind of quicksand or something, and in a very dangerous position. If he wasn't in the buggy, he'd already probably be dead. Namjoon decides the best thing to do now is to cut a hole in the roof or something and climb out, which is what Namjoon did, or is attempting to do. 

"Come on, come on..." Namjoon mutters to himself, as his sword pokes through the roof into a hole. He grins as he manages to cut a hole somehow big enough for him to fit through, and crawls through it, sword still in hand. He is now sitting on what's left of the roof of the buggy, looking down at the fiend that has his buggy captured with its...vines? A plant? A plant fiend?

The plant (which looks very much like a Ragora), crushes the buggy entwined in its vines, forcing Namjoon to do a backflip, landing on the sand. The plant hurls the metal wreck far away into the wide expanse of the sand, the thing bursting into flames the moment it makes contact with the ground.

Namjoon grits his teeth. Well, this is going to be an easy job for him. This plant is immovable, and that means it's a sitting duck. Dashing forward with his sword, Namjoon swings it over his head and slashes it down on the plant, splitting the thing in two. The plant screeches and withers away, turning into pyreflies that drift off into Bikanel air.

Namjoon wipes all the ick off his body. That was easy. A little too easy.

That's when he tries to lift his foot and realizes something. He can't. Namjoon looks down and gets the shock of his life. He's stepped into quicksand. Of all things--quicksand?! 

"Holy Yevon!" Namjoon stabs his sword into the sand (that is not quicksand) and tries to pull himself out, but the quicksand doesn't seem like any ordinary quicksand. Namjoon has to say that he's never dealt with quicksand in his life, so this is a first, but quicksand can't be so strong, can it? 

Unless there's magic on this thing?

Namjoon plucks his sword out of the sand. He's got a few seconds before the ground swallows him whole and he'll probably die from suffocation. Namjoon plunges his sword into the middle of the quicksand, and hears a loud scream. Something green pops out of the sand and onto normal ground. As soon as it does, the sand stops Namjoon in, but he finds himself chest-deep in sand.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Namjoon curses under his breath. Now he's got to fight the thing while buried in sand. Ooh, boy. Either he tries to find a way out here fast, or brave the wrath of the Cactuar he's just gotten out of its hiding spot.

One thing about Cactuars that you don't want to mess with is their needles. It's no joke--they can release one thousand at a time, completely overwhelming the enemy, before stabbing them in the neck or heart with one fatal needle.

Namjoon looks at his situation. Either he gets out of the sand..

Or learn some ing magic for once so he can actually defend himself. He brandishes his sword, "Bring it on!" 

And of course, the Cactuar brought it on. The Cactuar shoots needles after needles, almost neverending as the needles pop out from the Cactuar's body so naturally. Namjoon shields his face and neck from the attacks, but the needles were sharp and many, and they embed into his skin, drawing so much blood that his coat was stained red.

When the onslaught was over, Namjoon puts down his sword, but the Cactuar was gone.

Gone as in, really gone. Nowhere in sight. Well, not that Namjoon can turn a three-sixty anyway, what with being stuck in the sand and all. 

"Look out, Joonie!" 

Namjoon turns at the sound of the voice and comes face to face with the Cactuar, a needle clutched in one of its tiny hand-like things. Namjoon closes his eyes, bracing for the impact that never comes.

When he opens his eyes again, he feels nothing. No pain, no nothing. Has he died? 

Nah, he's still chest-deep in sand.

But the Cactuar is lying on the ground, looking exhausted. That's when Namjoon sees the barrier around him. A Protect barrier. That can only mean...

"Lord Jimin!" Namjoon sees the boy running up to him, and scooping up the exhausted Cactuar into his arms.

Is he crazy? Namjoon watches as Jimin dumps the Cactuar into the front seat of his own buggy, before running back to Namjoon and helping him out of the quicksand with Float. 

"Thanks," Namjoon nods, as he slides his sword back into his sheath.

"That's another one down," Jimin smiles as he looks towards the two Cactuars poking their heads out of the window of the front seat.

"They're in the front seat?" Namjoon looks appalled.

"Yeah, so?" Jimin grins. "I couldn't find Tae and Kookie though. Neither can I find Jinnie and Hobi." 

"I know where Seokjin is," says Namjoon, voice stressed. "And we need your help."

Jimin nods, a little serious. "Okay."

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(9) "Much curious Elio has left on a journey."

"It's not working!" Taehyung says. The blood is still flowing out of the wound, and if Jimin doesn't get here quick...It's about time they learnt some magic and stop relying on Jimin.

"How can it not work? I thought it was supposed to!" Jungkook says. "Isn't Chocobo Feather the best for--" 

"Yeah, but does it look like I know what's happening right now?" Taehyung fumes, trying his best to stop the blood flow. He looks exasperated as it doesn't work, and contemplates just throwing the cloth to the side. 

But this is Jin, and they can't just let him die like that. Although their meeting wasn't one of sugar and spice and everything nice, he kind of owes his life to the elder, on more occasions than one. As an Al Bhed, Taehyung isn't one not to repay somebody else for their kindness, especially someone who saved his life.

Al Bhed are loyal like that. It's in their blood.

"Guys!" 

Jungkook lifts his head, and he sees a buggy! And he recognizes that voice instantly. Jimin.

"Jimin!" Jungkook yells, waving his arms, as the buggy approaches. When it stops, Jimin runs over, followed closely by Namjoon. Jimin, without even taking one look at the situation, says the spell name and focuses his mana into the healing process. A white ball appears, and Jungkook can see the effects. Seokjin's skin is slowly knitting back together, and the blood disappears, almost as if time is moving in reverse.

When the healing's done, it takes a little while before Seokjin opens his eyes, one at a time.

"What in the name of Yevon...?" Seokjin mumbles, attempting to sit up and doing so perfectly fine.

"You nearly died, but thankfully, Joonie was able to find Jiminnie and he saved you just in time," Taehyung explains in one breath. "You were literally gonna die, Jin." 

"That stupid Cactuar..." Seokjin curses, before turning towards his buggy. "Who knew Cactuars could be so vicious?" 

"That's what they are," Jimin says, shaking his head. "Have any of you seen Hoseok?" 

"Nope," Jungkook replies instantly, and he can tell Jimin is worried. The rest of them respond in resounding "no"s. 

"We need to go find him," Jimin says. "You wanna split up?" 

"I'll ride with Jin," says Namjoon. "My buggy got destroyed thanks to that plant thing. Besides, after coming back from a near-death experience, I don't think Jinnie's fit enough to drive." 

"Hey!" Seokjin slaps Namjoon's shoulder, and the younger gives him a grin.

"Then I'll head on off with Kookie and Tae," says Jimin. "It's a little dangerous to go alone, so..." 

"Yeah, we get it," says Namjoon. "Hey, have any of you seen Yoongi yet?" 

"Nope," Jimin shakes his head. Just then, the intercom crackles to life.

"Guys, I found a Cactuar in the airship hold," Yoongi's voice comes through the intercom. "You might want to come back for now. It's really causing a lot of havoc here!" 

"I'll go look for Hoseok," Jungkook says. "You guys can head back to the base first." 

"It's dangerous, Kookie," Jimin says. "How about I go? I have Aeons on my side. I can fly back with Valefor even if I lose my buggy." 

Jungkook gives Jimin a look, "You're the Summoner here, Jimin. What if we lose you? You need a Guardian by your side!" 

"Why don't the two of you go together? The three of us will head back to the base, seeing as Yoongi doesn't need saving anymore," Namjoon says.

Taehyung looks over at Jimin, "You sure you're gonna be okay?" 

Jimin nods, "Yeah. We'll see you back at Home." 

Jungkook waves and watches Taehyung leave with Namjoon and Seokjin. 

It's never a goodbye. It was always just a "see you later". 

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"For Yevon's sake..." Yoongi lands heavily on the floor, the metal thing tumbling from the shelf above hitting his arm. He groans in pain as he looks around for the accursed Cactuar. It was here just a while ago. Cid had spotted it hiding underneat the control panel before it almost punctured his artery with a needle. The Cactuar then got smacked in the head by Cid before running off into the hold, and from there, Yoongi had been dispatched (seeing as he came back first for a refill of petrol) to look for the missing Cactuar.

His search had been futile, and thus, resorted to calling Jimin back to help him. Besides, Jimin had a knack of finding things and befriending even fiends, so maybe it'll be helpful here.

Yoongi turns his head just in time to see a flash of green running out from the door that is ajar. Yoongi, without another word, runs out of the room after the Cactuar. 

"Yoongi!" 

Yoongi turns behind to find Namjoon, Seokjin and Taehyung running up to him.

"I thought I called for Jimin..." Yoongi mumbles, and realization dawns on him. "Oh, you were near him at the time?" 

"Yeah," Namjoon says. "We were. Jimin and Jungkook went off to find Hoseok. We have no idea where he is." 

"Can't you contact his buggy or something?" Yoongi asks.

"We tried," says Seokjin. "But there was no signal coming from his buggy. It must have been destroyed, or..." 

Hoseok might be dead...again. 

"He's been dead for like three times so it doesn't really matter anymore," Yoongi mumbles. "I'm going to say he's fine. You?" 

"Yeah," Taehyung laughs. A real laugh. Not a forced one. 

"Come on, let's go," Namjoon says. "We'll spread up." 

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Yoongi was chosen to take the path down to the infirmary. Why oh why is there a bad tingling in his spine? 

"Come on, Yoongi, you're better than this!" Yoongi mutters, a little angry at himself for being so superstitious. There's suddenly a crashing sound as the wall right in front of him bursts open in a shower of metal and glass. Yoongi has to hold up his arms to shield them, but the metal ends up cutting his skin anyways. Thank Yevon it's not rusty.

But then again, Yoongi's skin has been hardened over the years training with the spiked blitzball, and he doesn't even feel a thing anymore.

Yoongi has to close his eyes and cough as the dust settles around them. When he manages to open them again, Yoongi sees one of those giant Al Bhed fighter ships right in front of him, its wing torn off and sparks are flying from the wiring that's been pulled out through the back. The pilot is beyond saving. His whole face has been bashed in, mutilated, the bits of flesh splattered in the driver's seat, blood everywhere.

Yoongi nearly gags when he sees it, but he forces himself to turn away, and to climb over the airship, before managing to come face-to-face with the door of the infirmary. The door's ajar, but it shouldn't be this way. The infirmary's doors were supposed to be closed all the time (to prevent germs and bacteria from escaping the sterile room, of course!). 

The infirmary is completely empty, the injured and sick Al Bhed and the nurses have already boarded the safe airship. 

"And that leaves you!" Yoongi turns around, his blitzball flying out of his hand and hitting something behind him that screams. The blitzball, by Yoongi's instruction, falls heavily to the ground, almost as if gravitational force magnifies and pushes the ball and the screaming thing to the ground, effectively trapping it.

"I've lived in the Bikanel desert for fifteen years of my life," Yoongi walks over to the squirming Cactuar on the ground, strugging to get up from the spikes stabbing into its body. 

Yoongi grabs the Cactuar's leg as he releases the ball. The Cactuar tries to jump, but not before he realizes that he's been caught by Yoongi's fingers around its leg.

"Lucky for you, I don't have plans with you, but Cid does," Yoongi tells the Cactuar sternly, before walking out of the room and climbing over that airship again, making a note to shield his eyes.

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(10) "Flaile is always behind." 

"Hey, Jimin, you okay?" 

"Yeah," Jimin nods, taking a swig from his canteen that's apparently running out of water, and magic water isn't something they can drink anyway.

"Hey, what's that?" Jimin squints as he catches sight of something in the distance. Well, something that isn't Angra Mainyu, that's for sure. That big monstrosity is still roaming near home. As Jimin gets closer to it, he notices a large, powerful sandstorm cutting off half his vision. But right in front of it is a Cactuar-shaped stone, with ten slots in it. Almost like one of those pedestals in the temple, just that it's in the shape of a Cactuar.

"Let's check that out," Jimin gets out of his buggy and approaches the stone, the sandstorm right behind it. He stares at it, "Here lies the Village of the Cactuars. Best the ten Guardians and the reward will be yours."

"Reward?" Jungkook walks up to Jimin.

"Yeah," Jimin says. He looks towards the two Cactuars staring at him from inside his buggy. "I don't know what it means, but reward means something good, right?" 

"Uh-huh," Jungkook nods. What's the good thing, though? And what's the Cactuar Village?

"Is the Cactuar Village a village for Cactuars?" 

"No sh*t, Sherlock," Jungkook laughs. "Maybe--" 

"Yah! Watch out!" Jimin jumps forward, tackling Jungkook to the ground. Jungkook falls, landing ungracefully on the ground. Warm drops of liquid lands on Jungkook's face as his eyes shut, bracing for impact.

When Jungkook opens his eyes again is when he feels a body landing on him, almost choking him with its weight. When Jungkook opens his eyes again, he gets the shock of his life.

"Jimin! Nononono! You're not going to die on me again!" Jungkook cries, snatching a potion from his waistbelt and gently but painfully plucking the needles out. The needles embedded in Jimin's skin. Thanks to Jimin, Jungkook didn't get a single needle in him, and thanks to Jungkook, Jimin has taken the brunt of the attack. Jungkook pours the potion on his hands and rubs them over the wounds, watching the wounds slowly but magically close up.

Right now, he's got to deal with the sneaky Cactuar.

Jungkook holds up his spear, getting ready for the Cactuar, wherever the thing may be. He stands over Jimin, preparing to protect his Summoner from any form of danger.

There's a squeaky noise, alerting Jungkook, and the Ronso turns, before picking up his Summoner and deftly avoiding the needles sprung at him. Jungkook lays Jimin down inside the buggy, before asking the Cactuars inside to protect him. 

"Come and get me, you li'l piece of sh*t," Jungkook hisses, looking around for the Cactuar, but seeing nothing but dunes for miles and miles.

Squeak! 

Jungkook turns and just manages to dodge in time when a sneaky 1000 Needles is launched at him. Jungkook feels a sharp pain in his foot as one of the needles lodge into his skin, and he grits his teeth, bending down to pluck out the sharp thing as he prepares to meet head-on the Cactuar's attacks.

Another squeak! and Jungkook whirls around, but finds nothing. At least ten needles hit him in the back, and Jungkook hisses in pain. He turns around to find the Cactuar standing mockingly over him. Another few squeaks, and another few times of Jungkook not finding his intended target, the Ronso falls to his knee, huffing and panting, spear stuck into the ground and blood staining his clothes.

There's got to be another way other than the sounds...think, Jungkook, think! You've got to concentrate more on the Cactuar's energy! 

That's it! The Cactuar's energy! Jungkook closes eyes, and his ears fold back against his head, as he feels for the Cactuar, sensing the Cactuar's energy instead of relying on his sight and hearing. 

It takes Jungkook a few tries, and a few more tens of needles hitting his back and chest before he finally, when he swings his spear back, he hits the Cactuar, bulls-eye. The Cactuar screeches as it falls backwards. Jungkook runs over to the thing and picks it up, before making his way back to the buggy when...

A shadow engulfs him.

A shadow? So huge? Jungkook looks up, and his jaw drops.

Angra Mainyu. Standing over him. Since when? Wasn't it attacking Home just a while ago?

"Kookie!" 

Something large grabs him just as Angra Mainyu releases a spell, a Firaga spell, much bigger than Hoseok's one, and slams it into the ground. The ground burns, an inferno rising into the sky. Jungkook somehow finds himself hugging the Cactuar, and even the Cactuar is clinging to him for dear life.

"Glad you're alive, Kookie!" Jimin grins, before landing a considerable distance away from Angra Mainyu, and guess what? 

"Ow!" 

Something, or someone, falls backwards into the sand as he walks into Valefor. Valefor simply gives a snort. 

"Oh my! Are you alri--Hoseok?" Jimin looks down at the figure, and Jungkook walks up to the person, sniffing the air, the Cactuar trailing behind him.

"I'm still alive, and I'm alright," Hoseok scratches his head, and Jungkook catches sight of the Cactuar riding on his shoulders. "I'm dying of thirst!" 

"Sorry, we don't have water right now, but we can fly back to Home," Jimin says. "Besides, Jungkook and I discovered the Cactuar Village! I think it has something to do with all the Cactuar Gatekeepers, though." 

"You want to bring them there? Sure thing," Hoseok nods. "Can I ride on...Seagull?" 

Valefor snorts again, and Hoseok climbs atop Valefor, along with Jimin and four Cactuars, while Jungkook hangs onto Valefor's talon. It isn't long before Home comes into view.

"There it is," Jimin breathes, seeing Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi and Taehyung, along with six other Cactuars. His back still hurts from the needles, but whatever.

It is never a "goodbye", but always a "see you later". 

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