"I'm booooooored!" Hoseok complains as he runs in front of Yoongi. He begins poking at a Cactus and it shies away in response.

"Stop scaring the poor thing, Hobi," Yoongi sighs. "Why'd you choose to follow me anyway? You know I'm a boring person." 

"I don't know," Hoseok ponders it. "Seriously, why did I follow you?"

"Hmm..." Yoongi hums to himself. 

"And besides, we need to give our little Summoner and his friend some time and space, don'tcha think?" Hoseok grins devillishly. 

"Oh," Yoongi answers flatly. "Right." It was more fun talking about someone else's...love life than about Min Yoongi's practically non-existent one. Except Deenia. It seems a little...old, already. A case of lost love from a few years ago.

"Hell yea---hell NO!" Hoseok grabs Yoongi's hand, and the elder only has time to look up to realize that the Farenheit's directly above them and is going to crush them should they...

"Jump!" Hoseok pushes the both of them out of the way, before the airship flattens them like pancakes. They tumble on the ground, rolling and rolling until they come to a complete stop...

And Hoseok is directly above Yoongi, faces inches from each other.

It takes five whole seconds for the both of them to break their gaze into each other's eyes and recover from the shock. Hoseok is the first to get up, breathing ragged and spewing out apologies here and there while Yoongi has thrown an arm over his eyes, trying to hide the flush of his cheeks and the hotness of his neck that is definitely not caused by the desert sun. 

"Hey, you two alright? Sorry! Didn't see you there!" Buddy calls from the top of the Farenheit. 

" you!" Yoongi shouts back up.

"No thank you!" Buddy shouts back, and Hoseok doubles over in guffaws.

" this, that, everything in this entire universe," Yoongi mumbles as Hoseok swings an arm around it and agrees to lead Buddy to the rest.

***************************************************************************

"Thanks for saving my *ss back there," Seokjin nods over to Namjoon. 

"Well, thank you for coming after me," Namjoon says. "When I almost went crazy." 

"Haha," Seokjin chuckles bitterly. "You know, I used to think that I'd be living my entire life as a Warrior Monk, serving the very Grand Maester who is the medium for Yevon to speak to us..." 

"But that's not true anymore," Namjoon says. "I bet you most of whatever they're feeding us Yevonites were lies." 

"Yeah," Seokjin nods. "Never had I thought I'd end up in a plane, fighting for my life for...Al Bhed." 

"We saved lives. It was a good cause," Namjoon says. "Besides, Al Bhed don't seem all that bad. It's just that the Maesters have been reflecting them badly because of the fact they use machina." 

"Hey, remember that first day when I found you half-dead?" Seokjin laughs, a genuine one this time. 

"Hey, I was half-dead. Don't be mean," Namjoon pouts. 

"Well, we certainly were a team," Seokjin's eyes look dreamily into the distance. 

"We are a team," Namjoon then grins. "We sound like old men talking about our days of our past." He looks back at Seokjin, who's still staring into the distance.

"Namjoon. Do you think we'll ever remain like this? Together?" 

At this, Namjoon doesn't know what to say. Because he doesn't know what Seokjin means. He only lets out a breathy sigh. "I don't know," he replies. They had shared countless adventures and close calls, many joyous times and sorrowful moments, each being able to sense whenever something is wrong with the other.

They were more than friends. They were a team.

But still, are they really just a team? Or more than that? Namjoon doesn't know. He has never known, especially since Saera's death has been plaguing him since the day she died, and incidentally, was the same day he met Seokjin. But now, looking back at the elder...

"GUYS!" 

Namjoon and Seokjin's heads snaps towards the sound, both equally annoyed at the voice belonging to none other than Jung Hoseok.

"The Farenheit's here!" 

"Oh," Seokjin proceeds to stand up, and he throws Namjoon a glance before heading towards the airship. When he hears no footsteps behind him, he asks, without turning back, "Are you coming?" 

There is silence for a while, before Seokjin hears the thudding of light footsteps against the soft Bikanel sand, the color as golden as the sun, Namjoon, with his green cloak and blue shirt, is a direct contrast in the sea of yellow and gold.

"Coming," Namjoon walks side-by-side with Seokjin as Hoseok stares at them funny.

"Something's definitely up here," Hoseok mutters to himself, humming some old Guado tune as he follows the duo back to the airship.

********************************************************

"OwOWOWOWOW!" 

"Don't scream! It's just a little scratch!" Taehyung hisses as he tries to bandage up Jungkook's arm, which has multiple scratches all over it.

"But it's a painful scratch!" Jungkook retorts, and Jimin has to hold a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"Right, we're all set. Unfortunately, half our fighter jet people didn't make it," Cid mutters. He looks over at the recovering group of people. Jimin has been a giant help. Despite being one of the most tired, he was one of the most uninjured, and he helps around here and there with the medics department, delivering medicine, and using his Cure, Cura and Curaga spells more often than not. However, just when it's his turn to tend to Jungkook, he runs out of mana and they had to call Taehyung in with the bandages.

"You need me to do a Sending?" Jimin asks, but Cid can tell from his eyes that he's about to fall asleep any time now.

"That can wait till morning. Fiends don't form until one day after their death date. Besides, it's getting late. You guys should go sleep soon," Cid says. "For the uninjured people, basically you, you, you and you"--Cid jabs his index finger at Jimin, Taehyung, Yoongi and Hoseok--"Are staying in the other rooms. Let other people get some rest, ya hear?" 

"Yessir!" Jimin nods, stretching like a cat, before turning back towards Taehyung and Jungkook, now continuing their bickering after Cid has finished giving out his instructions.

"Tae, I'm sharing a room with you, right?" Jimin looks over at his best friend.

"H*ll yeah. Yoongi-hyung's lazy and will make me do everything," Taehyung pouts.

"I'm not lazy!" Yoongi shouts back, and Hoseok bops his head. 

"Everyone knows you are. You only get excited if it's about blitzball." 

"Come on, let's take a rest here," Namjoon lies against his infirmary bed beside Seokjin, and Jungkook watches as Taehyung finishes cutting off the bandage and holding it together with a safety pin before heading off with Jimin, Hoseok and Yoongi.

"I'll be in the next room, I suppose," Jimin gives Jungkook a thumbs-up. "Holler if you need anything." 

"Thanks!" Jungkook calls after four as they leave the room.

And despite Namjoon and Seokjin engaging in some meaningful conversation, he can't help but feel the essence of silence in the room.

*********************************************************

"Jimin-ah." 

"Yeah?" Jimin turns around, at Taehyung who's sitting on the bed, spread out against its sheets. They have two single beds, and they look like some kid's bed made out of a trash can cut in half. H*ll, it may even really be trash cans cut in half with a mattress thrown onto it, but the quilt looks really comfy though.

"I...need to talk with you about something." 

Jimin stops whatever he is doing and walks over to his own bed, separated from Taehyung's by only a bedside table with a pyrefly lamp on it. It's like a lava lamp, with the colors of the pyreflies floating in the confines.

"What is it?" Jimin has never seen his friend looking so troubled before. His expression is blank, as if he isn't even acknowledging Jimin's presence.

"I guess this is goodbye, Jimin-ah." 

"Huh?" Jimin is bewildered now. What does Taehyung mean "goodbye"? They haven't gotten to Zanarkand yet! 

"I...I've decided to stay," Taehyung says. "I can feel it, Jimin. This is where I belong. With all these machines and people." He turns to look at Jimin, eyes serious and focused on him. "This is my home."

Jimin had known it was coming. All along, but he has never expected his heart to sink so deeply when Taehyung tells it straight to his face. He can't stop the tears welling up in his eyes. This may be the very last day he is going to be with Taehyung.

Before Jimin knows it, he's full-on sobbing into his pillow, and it even startled Taehyung enough to rush over to him and hug him from behind, whispering apologies again and again, in that strange Besaid accent of his. 

"I-It's not your f-f-fault," Jimin hiccups. He wipes away another stray tear. "Y-You have the right to c-c-c-choose." Jimin hiccups again, and shakes against Taehyung's hold. It's not long before Jimin can feel wetness on his shoulder, where Taehyung has buried his face into.

"I'm sorry, Jimin." 

Jimin has no idea how long they lay there, but after a while, he manages to shoo Taehyung back to his bed, and Taehyung can't help but watch Jimin from his bed, despite Jimin asking Taehyung to go to sleep so that he'd have more energy in the morning. 

Only one question runs through Taehyung's mind for the entire night, even after Jimin has long fallen asleep, and even after he has sunk into slumber and started dreaming.

Did I make the right choice?

**************************************************************

It's in the morning when Cid decides to send off Jimin and the rest. Yoongi, still branded the traitor that he is, has been spared the death sentence, with only one condition: that he doesn't stay withe Al Bhed anymore and that he'd better cut all connections with them. Yoongi agreed without a second thought.

Jungkook watches as Jimin hugs Taehyung again, and Cid shouts at the rest of the team to take the group to Calm Lands.

"Actually, we're sending you guys there to find out something," Cid says, as they're hovering over their destination, a green field, almost untouched by fiends, except for the few, wandering Hornets around here.

Jimin looks intrigued.

"With the level you guys are fighting at right now, you stand no chance against the fiends and monsters in Mount Gagazet and Zanarkand. We're going to ask you to help us check things out, and in return, you get to keep the stuff we want you to find and we get to train you."

Jimin brightens up, "Sure!" But Jungkook knows that Jimin just doesn't want to be separated from Taehyung, and a somewhat angry fire burns in the pit of his stomach. If he was Taehyung, and he was leaving, will Jimin feel this way too?

"Right, here's the thing. There are seven weapons, called the Celestial Weapons. We're going to need your help to find them 'cos we want to do research on it. They're rumoured to exist, and they've been used by various High Summoners over the years, supposedly buried in their graves, the weapons retrieved by their Guardians. But unfortunately, there are such people called 'grave robbers', and now the Celestial Weapons are scattered across Spira." 

"Uh-huh," Jimin nods.

"Buddy picked up something on the radar. That the thing you need to use to power up the Celestial Weapons is the Celestial Mirror, somewhere in Calm Lands, more to the east. We're going to need your help to find it," says Cid. "If you don't power the weapons up, they're just going to be useless hunks of metal." 

"Sure thing!" Jimin nods.

"There's something called a Remiem Temple around here. That's where Buddy is picking up the signal. Care to go take a look?" Cid looks at Jimin expectantly, in which Jimin grins. "H*ll yeah!" 

"It's settled then," Cid says. "Myht dra creb, Brother!" 

"Oui!" Brother calls back, and Jimin can feel the pressure ringing in his ears as the altitude falls.

When the airship lands completely, Jimin plants his feet on the cooling, fresh grass of the Calm Lands.

*************************************************

"See you later," Taehyung gives Jimin a small smile, still on the airship. 

"You're not coming?" 

"Can't. I've got a schedule," Taehyung says, offering Jimin a worried look. "You sure you're going to be okay out there? I mean, the monsters here are stronger than you'd imagine..." 

"I'll be fine, and I don't want to be a burden to you. You should be free to make your own choices, Tae," Jimin smiles as he shakes his head. "I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah," Taehyung nods. "See you later." 

To Jimin, those three words in itself has a deep and special meaning.

It's never a goodbye. It's always a see you later.

**************************************************

(After the Farenheit takes off...)

"What the h*ck?" Yoongi looks at the cliff. "How're we going to get up there?" 

"I don't think Float's going to work this time," Jimin rubs his chin. 

"Hey, what's this?" Hoseok picks up something from the ground, inspecting it. Jimin recognizes it instantly. 

"It's a Chocobo Feather," Jimin takes the feather from Hoseok. "That means there must be Chocobo's nearby!" 

"And I'd bet that's how they got up the cliff," says Namjoon. "Chocobos have superhuman jumping abilities. We'd most likely need a Chocobo if we're ever going to get up there." 

"But where--?" 

"YAAAAAAH WATCH OUT!" 

Jungkook grabs Jimin's wrist and pushes him to the floor as something yellow leaps above their heads, and cries of "STOP! STOP!" rings out through the plains. Hoseok conjures up a Fire spell and hurls the tiny flame at the chocobo, bursting into a giant fireball when it hits the fresh grass, scaring the poor creature. It jumps once in fright, and it gives the boy on the yellow bird enough time to grab the reins and pull harshly on them. The Chocobo squawks, but stops and ruffles its feathers, after realizing there's no danger around.

"Whoa, I'm sorry! Are you okay?!" The boy calls from the ledge, before he instructs his Chocobo to come down. 

"Yeah, we're alright!" Jimin calls.

The Chocobo approaches Jimin, towering over him, before it nuzzles its beak into Jimin's neck.

"Wait a minute...hold up, are you...Choco?!" Jimin grins as he recognizes the Chocobo right in front of him. "You've grown so big!" 

"He was originally this big," Jungkook mumbles. Jimin's just so cute...no, he's just so stupid at times.

"Ah, you and Choco know each other?" the boy hops off. He can't be older than...what? Twelve? "Sorry I'm rude! I'm Braska, and you're Lord...?" 

"Jimin," Jimin grins, bowing. "You can drop the 'Lord' though." 

"Oh no, I can't," Braska shakes his head. "A gentleman has to be polite at all times, especially to the Ladies and Lords." 

"Speaking of which, what are you doing here, kid?" Seokjin asks. "Those clothes...you're a Bevelle kid." 

"Uh-huh," Braska nods, not the least bit bristled by being called a 'kid'. "I came all this way to learn how to ride Chocobos. The lady said she'd teach me, but she's not here yet, and then I found Choco; I always ride her when I'm training; and I decided to practice a bit before she comes, you know, but then again, not everything turns out well. Some Hornet decided it was a fun idea to chase Choco around, so she's got a sting at the back now." 

Jimin walks over to the yellow bird's rear end, and Yoongi sighs. Just how much more of this can he take before he breaks into frustration? They didn't come for this! They came to find some legendary mirror thing that was supposed to be of some help to their cause.

Yoongi is only shaken out of his thoughts by Hoseok waving a hand in front of him.

"Don't space out, my friend," Hoseok grins when he sees Yoongi's eyes blinking back into focus. "Besides, Jimin was talking." 

"Huh?" Yoongi rubs his eyes, pretending to be tired, but Hoseok knows better.

"I said, I'm going to go up there alone," Jimin says. "I hope you don't mind." 

"H*ll yes I mind," Yoongi mutters. "You're going to die up there." 

"W-What? What kind of encouragement was that?" Jimin splutters.

"There, there," Hoseok pats Yoongi's shoulders, laughing. "He's saying you'd be alright. Plus, Jimin's got friends. Friends you don't want to mess with." 

"He looked like he was going to pass out after three Summonings!" Yoongi retorts. 

"Oh please, it's a temple. It's holy ground," Hoseok reassures him. 

"Well, Choco can take two people, if you're worried," Braska says. "One of you can follow him up." 

"I'll go," Jungkook volunteers almost immediately, causing Yoongi and Hoseok to raise his eyebrows.

"Sure, Kookie," Jimin gets onto Choco, and Jungkook shakes his head, smiling as Jimin takes the reins and he climbs on top of Chobo, with nothing to hold onto except Jimin.

It is a little awkward for the both of them, when Jungkook had to wrap his arms around Jimin's slim waist, and Jimin is just praying that Jungkook doesn't see his neck redden, or anyone for that matter. It feels strong and secure...Jungkook's arms...

"Yah, what are you staring into space for?" Namjoon teases, seeing what's going on. "Get on already!" 

"R-Right!" Jimin nods. "Ready, Kookie?" 

"Yeah," Jungkook nods, his heart beating faster than normal. 

The Chocobo leaps upwards into the sky, onto the ledge and towards Remiem Temple, as if it's gone this way a thousand times.

"Hey, you want me to tell you about Remiem Temple?" Braska asks, as he plops himself onto the ground. "I've got at least an hour until my instructor comes."

"Sure," Hoseok nods, settling himself down on the ground. Remiem Temple was already abandoned even before he was born, and that's saying something.

*************************************************************

"So this is...Remiem Temple!" Jimin looks at the majestic temple in front of him. It's not in as bad a condition as Baaj Temple, but it's still old nonetheless. Ancient, as Jimin'd like to call it.

"Come on," Jimin guides Choco further into the area, across a rope bridge held firmly by nylon ropes. Although it's swaying a little under Choco's weight, it still manages to hold, and Jungkook visibly lets out a sigh of relief as Choco crosses safely to the other side, and before him, he sees another Chocobo, a golden one, chained by its beak to a fence.

It looks ghostly even, as if it's been dead for a thousand years.

Waiting for one challenger. It jabs its beak towards the ground, as if beckoning Jimin to read some writing engraved onto the stone ground.

Approaching with hesitant footsteps, Choco bends down so that Jimin can read. 

"Here lies the Champion Chocobo, for no one has ever won and gained the prize. It is still waiting for a winner." 

"Prize? Is this is the Celestial Mirror that Cid was talking about?"

"I don't know," Jimin shrugs. "But let's beat this thing!" 

The golden ghost Chocobo screeches, its eyes a fiery blue fireball in the middle of black nothingness, as it readies itself at the starting point. Choco heads on to the other side of the temple, where there is another starting point. So their goal is to beat this Chocobo in...what? Racing?

"Jungkook, I'm sorry, but you'll have to get off," Jimin says, eyes trained on the road before the doors open. 

"Huh, why?"

"For Choco to be lighter," Jimin reasons. He faces the road as Jungkook slides reluctantly off the Chocobo's back. He watches Jimin's back with a worried look in his eyes.

The doors open and there is a squawk from the two Chocobos as they dash forward, sprinting as fast as their feet can take them on the rough, rocky path. 

The race has began.

************************************************************