As the ship cruised across the deep blue sea, those on board could hardly contain their excitement and some misgivings about their voyage. They had just gone through hell and high water to rescue one of their people, make a second one whole again, and keep a third one from going absolutely insane and nuking somebody. On top of that they added one to their ranks from this world and one from another world, and they had proved to be key in helping to keep Balamb Garden from being destroyed by a missile attack.
     “This is going to be so much fun,” Selphie Tilmitt said as she bounced hyperactively across the deck, going from one person to another and hugging them. “We’ll get to see Jessica again and I hear that they have planned a formal ball in our honor.”
     “Come again,” Alex West said, arching an eyebrow from where he sat with his head leaning on Adderson Martin’s shoulder, “a formal ball... in our honor.... when they called us in on a mission?”
     “That’s right,” Selphie said as she bounded across the deck to where the two sat, “a formal ball, with dancing, music, food, lights, food, people, and more food.”
     “I’m there,” Rajin said as he took a seat next to Adderson and Alex, “and I’m pretty sure Fujin would enjoy it, wouldn’t you Fujin?”
     “Sounds like fun,” Fujin replied as she took a seat next to Rajin and laid her head against his shoulder, “however, I would be more interested in getting some sleep first. We’ve had a long few days, and I’m exhausted beyond belief.”
     “Ditto,” Karna said as he turned and leaned against the railing so that he was facing them, “and I’m sure the rest of us are the same way. Selphie, how can you have so much energy?”
     “It’s a gift,” Selphie replied as she bounded off to annoy Zell and Irvine with her perkiness. “Get some sleep ‘cause when we arrive we’re gonna party.”
     “Can I fireball her?” Alex asked as he watched her bound off. Four voices said, in unison, “Not now.”
     “Awwww.... damn. And I wanted to make Selphie flambe.”
     Karna sighed and went back to staring off into space. Fujin and Rajin leaned back against the railing, closed their eyes, and were asleep more or less instantly. Adderson ran his fingers through Alex’s hair before saying, “We should see about finding a bunk to catch some shut eye in.”
     “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Alex said through a yawn, “then tomorrow we can concentrate on that formal ball thing. And I can invite the others to this!” A sweat drop formed on Adderson’s head.

     In a pocket dimension off of a corner of hell, where one takes a left past gluttony and lust and a right before wrath, one can find the dimension of despair. In this small world a being was beginning to take shape once more after having been defeated a few months past by a group of children with digital monster partners.
     “They will pay for what they have done to me,” a voice said as several bytes and bits of data came together to form a mouth with horrible purple lips and fangs. A mask formed above the lips, a sharp and pointy nose forming between them. “I cannot feel the digidestined anywhere near, but I can sense one who was with them. Yes, I can feel the one they called Alex, whose digivice was a mix of the old and of the new. His partner was not quite all digimon, yet possessed incredible power. But something about him was familiar and I have yet to know what it is. Oh well, it’s probably nothing. Oikawa is gone, my lovely dark spore is gone, and all I am left with is the energy of despair.”
     As the voice spoke this monologue a body began to take form, a combination of mechanical and biological. The form was not quite solid, but by drawing upon the powers of the dimension he was sealed in he was able to begin the process of reclaiming his body and his power. “I will have my revenge upon those horrible digidestined. Mark my words. I will have my revenge!”
     Maniacal evil laughter echoed throughout hell and all of its pockets, side and regular, sending all of the inhabitants into hysterics about the new neighbors.

     Bright and early the following morning a loud buzzing filled the air in the crew compartments of the sailing vessel. A rather tired half elven form rolled to the edge of his bed before falling three feet to the floor, landing with a rather audible THUMP. Assorted cursing and muttering could be heard as the person regained their feet, blinking in the blinding light which had filled the room suddenly.
     “What in the nine hells?” Alex asked as he looked around, squinting in order to get his bearings, “Why are all the lights on? And what the fuck is up with the alarm?”
     “We’re here, we’re here, we’re here,” Selphie cheered as she bounded into the room. She took one look at the person glaring at her, turned around, and bounded back out, shutting the door behind her. Alex turned towards the bed,  which Adderson was still curled up in.
     “Time to rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” he said as he kicked the bed a few times. When the form within didn’t stir he muttered an arcane incantation, an explosion rocking the person out of their bunk and onto the floor, clutching at bed sheets as a pair of lightly charred boxer shorts drifted to the ground. A sweat drop formed on his head as he said, “You slept in the nude, didn’t you?”
     “Astute observation as usual,” Adderson sighed as he wrapped the sheets around him like a toga, “and what was that spell you just blasted me with?”
     “Just a Dare Brand,” Alex sighed as he went in search of his clothes, “be glad I was awake enough to focus or I would have probably blown half of the boat asunder.”
     “I’ll keep that in mind,” Adderson replied as he grabbed his clothes and made for the shower.
     “We’re here, we’re here, we’re here,” Selphie’s overly perky voice echoed through the bowels of the ship as people rolled out of bed, muttering and grumbling assorted curses, obscenities, and threats of grievous bodily harm if she didn’t calm down. A small group of people, consisting of Adderson, Alex, Rajin, Karna, Seifer, and Squall met in front of one of the four bathrooms in the crew quarters. Selphie’s cries continued on the upper levels, and the group shuddered at the thought of what that energy could be better used for.
     “I cannot believe she gets to play wake up fairy,” Seifer sighed as he rubbed his eyes, “doesn’t she know it’s not polite to wake sleeping people.”
     “Which reminds me,” Alex said as he searched his robe for something. A moment later he pulled his communicator from an inside pocket and opened it, revealing the small screen and the assortment of buttons and whatnot on the main panel. “I have to make a collect call across the reaches of time and space.”
     “Calling Celia and Lina and company?” Squall asked. Alex smiled and nodded as he punched in the access code for the communicators belonging to the Slayers.
     “Let’s see... I wake Lina, Zelgadis, Celia, and Amelia, since Sylphiel and Gourry will have a heck of a time trying to locate theirs.”
     “Why not call Aeris?” Adderson asked, peeking around Alex’s shoulder, “I’m sure she’d like to come to this event.”
     “Sure, why not. And Aeris as well.”
     With the access codes input he pressed the CALL button, awaiting answers from his friends.

     Across the ocean of time and space, in the apartment belonging to Lina Inverse and company (it says so on the door), the peaceful night was rudely interrupted as five people’s communication devices decided to activate in unison. A loud explosion followed the initial ringing, leaving the rest of the house to awaken and wonder what the heck was happening.
     “Miss Lina, Miss Lina, there’s a call from Mister Alex,” Amelia said as she opened the door to the room belonging to the redheaded sorceress supreme.
     “Go away Amelia,” Lina grumbled as she rolled over and pulled the covers back over her head, “it’s too early to talk to people.”
     “But Lina, it’s an invitation to a formal ball to be held in Trabia Garden,” Zelgadis said as he poked his head in Lina’s room.
     “I don’t care. I just want to sleep!”
     “When was the last time we got dressed up for a special occasion?”
     Lina pulled the covers from over her head and sighed. “O.K.. You guys have a point. The last time we dressed up real nice was for our trip to Atlas City a couple of years back, and that turned into a disaster. Halloween wasn’t exactly dress nicely, just dress for adventure and fun. So... it’s been quite a while.”
     “Then you agree that we should attend this formal thing,” Celia said as she poofed in above Lina, clad only in a long white nightshirt, and wound up straddling the sorceress.
     “Celia, you are soooooo dead,” Lina grumbled as a glow began to form around her.
     “Not again,” Zelgadis sighed as he braced for impact.
     “Mega.... BRAND!”
     That morning the unexpected happened - Lina focused and didn’t blow up innocent bystanders. However, she did wind up blowing herself up as well as hitting her intended target. A fresh string of cursing and swearing came from the bed, and Celia, slightly charred, poofed in near Zelgadis and Amelia.
     “Well, since Lina agreed to go, let’s wake the others and get ready,” Celia said as she brushed the ash from herself, “Miss Lina, up and at them.”
     “It promises to be a long day,” Lina grumbled as she crawled out of bed, “a really long and torturous day.”

     In a corner of Trabia Garden, in the section of the pavilion which would soon become the most festive place on the planet, a tall and muscular form clad in tight white garments stood in the shadows, part of his face hidden by a golden mask. His long silver hair was pulled back in a neat braid which hung just below his waist, and his white clothes were trimmed in black and gold, so that he looked like a Las Vegas magician.
     “This looks like fun,” he said as he watched the students and SeeDs work to set up the area, “dancing, music, looks like some live bands will be performing. And I can’t forget the food and the show which they asked me to perform.”
     “Guile, you want to be more powerful, don’t you?” a voice said in his head. He looked around, somewhat startled by the intrusion which had found its way through his well developed mental defenses.
     “Who are you and what do you want?” he asked, a large prismatic wand forming in his hand.
     “I am simply somebody who can offer you limitless power in exchange for a small favor,” the voice said. “You do want more power, don’t you?”
     Guile pondered for a moment. He was one of the most powerful wizards in that part of the world, yet tales of a certain sorceress supreme and sorcerer extraordinaire had reached his ears and he was impressed by, if not jealous of, their powers and abilities. With a little extra boost he too could reach the rank of wizard unmatched. “I’ll take you up on that offer,” he replied, not quite sure of what to make of his business partner, who simply spoke in his mind. “But what is the favor which you require of me?”
     “I simply need a host body, since my own was destroyed,” the voice said. Guile felt something entering his ear, something wet, yet not solid, but gaseous. A moment later his eyes glowed red as his new best friend found a place to stay. “Excellent,” the voice said through Guile, “this body is young and strong... and quite handsome if I do say so myself. The untapped resources are immense and unbelievable. This will be fun to say the least.”

     By this time the SeeDs from Balamb had been off loaded from the schooner, which sat tethered to the dock in Trabia. The Slayers had also made their trip through time and space, leaving Celia to belch up small bubbles containing various forms of wildlife, such as butterflies, from the power packed shakes she had ingested before they left. After a quick snack for most and an industrial sized meal for Lina and Celia in town they mounted chocobos and road the distance of ten miles to Trabia Garden. Technically the SeeDs and those without flight mounted chocobos; Lina, Alex, Amelia, Sylphiel, Zelgadis, Celia, and Adderson took to the air with Ray Wings, acting as forward scouts for those on the ground.
     “You guys see anything up there?” Squall asked, glancing skyward as he spoke into an ear mounted microphone.
     “Nothing yet,” Alex replied, “everything’s 5 by 5 up ahead. Smooth sailing as far as the eye can see.”
     “You guys sure have a lot of luggage,” Squall heard Amelia say. He glanced up towards the princess, who was lugging a bag of immense proportions. “What did you guys pack, your bowling ball collections?”
     “Not exactly,” he heard Lina reply, “Simply the necessities that we need for this party. Dresses for us girls, a suit for yogurt brain, some clothes for Zel, make up, shoes, extra weapons...”
     “Miss Lina, how could you?!”
     “Well, you know the motto.... Be prepared.”
     “Are you planning on tackling a large army of ogres?” Zelgadis asked.
     “Hey, whose side are you on anyway? I want to be prepared just in case we encounter something too horrible to describe. Besides, my talismans aren’t that heavy.”
     “No, but that beam cannon you packed is,” Aeris said over Squall’s radio. A large sweat drop formed in midair where Lina was.
     “Aeris, that was supposed to be a surprise.”
     “Oy vey,” Alex and Adderson sighed, “typical Lina for you.”
     “We have company,” Amelia said as the group descended. The SeeDs pulled to a stop behind them, drawing weapons without dismounting. From around a corner came a small rank of chocobo riding SeeDs wearing Trabia insignias. On the lead chocobo sat Jessica St. Josephine, dressed in SeeD uniform, her hair pulled back in a long ponytail by a piece of green ribbon.
     “At least they’re friendly,” Zell commented. Selphie, Rinoa, and Quistis shot him the evil eye. “What? What did I say?”
     Jessica dismounted and stepped toward the group, who relaxed and sheathed their weapons. “How are you guys doing?” she asked, bowing formally to all of them.
     “Just dandy,” several of them replied, yawning in unison.
     “The weather hasn’t changed all that much here, has it?” Lina said, shivering under her extra heavy cloak. Amelia and Selphie chuckled, evoking a glare from the sorceress. “Well, it hasn’t. It’s still freezing cold.”
     “At least this time you have a heavy cloak to wrap around you,” Celia said, “unlike last time, when you had to steal poor Amelia’s just to stay warm.”
     “Celia, I swear if you keep this up I’m going to feed you a Dragon Slave.”
     “Just calm down you two,” Jessica said, “think about the fun you’re going to have at the ball tonight. I’m sure you all brought something nice to wear. And hopefully we won’t be experiencing any trouble like the last time you visited.”
     “Sylphiel’s here and about as normal as can be,” Lina sighed, wrapping the cloak tighter around her body. Sylphiel arched an eyebrow and sighed.
     “Miss Lina, how could you? How could you say such a mean thing about me?”
     “Well Sylphiel, the last time we were in Trabia you were under the control of Ultimecia and sent a rather corrupt Angemon after us. Technically I wasn’t insulting you.... I was just describing you.”
     “Are we there yet?” Alex sighed, pulling his own cloak tighter around his body.
     “Yeah, we’re almost there,” Jessica said from the front, “we just have to go around another corner and then we’ll be in sight of Trabia.”
     “We’re there, we’re there, we’re there,” Selphie cheered as she spurred her chocobo on ahead of the others, her cries echoing throughout the mountains. A moment later a loud rumbling could be heard all around them, beginning high in the mountain tops. The SeeDs and Slayers looked at one another before all had the same idea: avalanche.
     “Bloody hell,” Zelgadis said as he set his bag down and incanted a spell, a globe of red forming between his palms, “Where’s the main front of the avalanche?”
     “Up there,” Squall said, pointing up and to the right.
     “Exactly what I needed to know. Amelia, ready for a duel attack?”
     “I’m ready Mister Zelgadis,” Amelia said, her hands also glowing.
     “Burst FLARE!!”
     Twin streams of fire combined in mid air before striking at the avalanche, melting the forward front in hopes of creating a wall of ice in front of the rushing snow. The pair ceased casting after a moment, the strain visible after such a short time.
     “We’re not strong enough to stop it on our own,” Amelia said as she prepared for the worst.
     “Blast Bomb!!”
     Several waves of high power flames struck the avalanche, evaporating it instantly. The SeeDs looked around, puzzled as to where their savior was hiding. The Slayers were also puzzled, since the spell used required a great deal of power and magical amplifiers. A young man with long silver white hair appeared from the shadows, twirling a multicolored wand about before making it vanish in thin air. He approached and bowed politely to them, his face hidden by a golden mask.
     “Greetings, and welcome to Trabia Garden,” he said in a gentle tone, “I am Guile, and I shall be the entertainment for the evening.”
     “Umm.... thank you,” Alex said, since nobody else looked like they were going to say anything. ‘This guy radiates power and..... sex appeal.’ he thought as he looked Guile over from head to foot. ‘I think I’m drooling. Stop staring. I can’t help but stare. Oh, this is so embarrassing.’
     “Alex, snap out of it,” Seifer said, nudging him in the ribs, “you’re embarrassing yourself.”
     “He’s loooooong gone,” Adderson sighed, creating a gravity bubble around Alex, who was frozen in place. “Thank you for the assist, and we hope to see you tonight,” he said as he stepped past the wizard with Alex in tow.
     “I have something I wish to discuss with you later,” Lina said, winking at Guile as she and the other Slayers continued towards Trabia. Once she was past Guile she couldn’t help but think, ‘He feels like trouble, and that weird danger sense is going off again.’
     ‘Maybe it’s just that time of the month,’ a voice said in her head.
     ‘And maybe you’re just looking to eat Dragon Slave,’ Lina replied mentally to her esper. A sound that can only be described as an ERP echoed in Lina’s mind before silence followed. ‘Very good. I have you trained well.’ she couldn’t help but add as she and her companions entered Trabia Garden’s main grounds.

     “So, when does the party start?” Lina asked as she tied her hair up in a ponytail, using her bandanna like a scarf. It had been two or three hours since their arrival at Trabia Garden, and everyone was running around in a huff in the traditional dance of chaos called ‘getting all dressed up’. The largest bathroom in Trabia had been converted into the girls’ changing room, with plenty of warning signs set up to keep the men and unauthorized people away.
     “Not for another hour or two,” Rinoa said as she teased her hair. “Do the red streaks show at all?”
     “Do you want them to?” Anassa asked as she applied a topcoat to her aqua blue nail polish.
     “Yes.”
     “Well, they’re not showing.”
     “Bloody hell,” Rinoa huffed, slamming the brush down on the counter.
     “Let me try something,” Celia said as she snagged a comb from the counter and went to work with Rinoa’s hair. After a few flips and teases, plus a little bit of cursing on both their parts, the red streaks in Rinoa’s dark hair shone wonderfully.
     “Wow Miss Rinoa,” Amelia said as she tied a choker on, “your hair is gorgeous.”
     “Thank you Amelia,” Rinoa replied as she clipped on an earring, “your hair is lovely as well. You must not have much stress in your life.”
     Amelia muttered something under her breath before blowing a bubble with her gum, which popped on the end of her nose.
     “Well girls, how do I look?” Fujin asked as she stepped out of one of the stalls. She wore a long silver dress that hugged every curve of her body, with gold and silver trim and shoes. Around each wrist were the bracelets for calling Ithica, but with some smaller bracelets added for balance. A golden armlet was wrapped around her left bicep, the design simple but effectively stunning. Gone was the eye patch, for her hair covered her eye quite well.
     “Fujin?” Rinoa and Selphie gasped. Fujin nodded. “Wow.”
     “You look stunning,” Anassa said as Fujin turned around to model for the others, “Rajin will probably do a triple take when he gets a look at you.”
     Fujin blushed. “You really think I look that good?”
     “Girl, you could be a super model,” Celia said, “but you need something over your shoulders.”
     “Like what?” Fujin asked as Celia stepped past her to a chest of accessories.
     “Let’s see.... silver dress... how about a black feather boa?”
     “Or a fur stole...” Amelia suggested.
     “No, fur’s totally out this season,” Celia replied, her head buried in the chest, “Wait a minute... we have a winner.”
     The vampyress held up a small golden jacket that looked wonderful when put with Fujin’s dress. Fujin pulled it on and looked in a nearby mirror, a smile crossing her face. “This is perfect,” she said, “this is a really nice look, and the jacket is a perfect fit.”
     “Try this lipstick,” Sylphiel said, handing her a tube of a deep red, “since your skin is so pale it’ll add something to your face without going overboard.”
     Fujin puckered up and applied the lip color, kissing at her reflection a few times to make sure the color was right and applied properly. Satisfied, she smiled happily. “Thanks guys.”
     “You’re welcome,” Anassa replied, “but now the rest of us need to prepare. I wonder what Karna is up to...”