Prologue

Disclaimer:I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy X, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, or even the concept of wolves taking on a human appearance (idea from Wolf's Rain, of which I am a big fan). These great and honorable games (and gloriously beautiful anime) belong to their creators, not me. Honest. Don't sue, 'cause I'm broke anyway. I do, however, own the characters Dandella, Gabrielle, Ahmeilo, Nibikii, and Tahana. ;)

Warning: This contains blood and gore—very graphic. Not to mention, the humor that isn't really suitable for kids. This will probably be rated around PG 13 or higher. Thank you.

Printing Warning: Please note that this Prologue is about 13 pages when printed. Just thought I'd warn you before you try to print this. I know one time I ended up printing a fanfiction that was 90 pages long. No Prologue. All story. But very good story!

A/N: In this story, the realms of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X are like countries side-by-side in the same world. May add another realms of FF later.

Since this part is placed in an Al Bhed (Final Fantasy X) village, some of the dialog is in Al Bhed (which is within the quotation marks as italic).

The translation is in parenthesis and italic just outside the quotation marks. "…Blah, blah…," (…Blah, Blah…) said So-N-So for example.

Thoughts are italic without any parenthesis or quotation marks.

Heartless speech is ::Blah, Blah:: while the Heartless thoughts are ::Blah, Blah::

One more thing: I know I messed up in the timeline of the Prologue so far as Rikku going to Lucrecia. I made up something to explain the difference (made it fit) in later chapters. Sorry for the inconvenience!

o.O.o.O

"No!" A blond woman bolted up in bed, sweat dripping from her form. She breathed heavily, trying to calm her speeding heart. She looked around the quaint bedroom with tired, green eyes. "That dream again…it can't just be coincidence for it to keep coming."

Indeed, the woman had been having the same dream several times a week for the past month. Ever since we defeated Sin, I've been having the strangest dreams, only to find out later that it actually happened. I thought that only happened to Summoners…

Her thoughts trailed off as she recognized the sounds of the children playing outside. Her own daughter's giggles seemed to be coming from the front door. Sunlight streamed through the parted curtains, making the shadows on the floor dance. Various birds chirped outside the window.

The relatively young woman sighed as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I wonder if the dreams are supposed to be a message from the Fayth," she mumbled to herself. If it is, she continued mentally, it seems like they're getting more desperate. With that, she clambered out of her bed, and proceeded to find a memory sphere. Still in her sleeping clothes, she began to record.

"Hi, sweetie! It's me, Mommy. I'm recording this 'cause I've got a really bad feeling that if I don't, I won't get another chance. So first off, Dandy, I love you dearly. No matter what happens, I'll always be in your heart, even if I'm gone.

"Now that I've got that part down, here's the big stuff. Dandella, you know I always told you stories about when I was a Guardian to Lady Yuna, my cousin. Well, after we defeated Sin, I had premonition dreams like the Summoners have sometimes. I've been having this really bad one lately, and that's what spurred me to make this. You see, in this dream, I die, and you're crying; in the end I see you walking away, kinda grown up a bit…then you look over your shoulder and smile at me, like you're truly happy. And then I wake up. Creepy, huh?

"There is a lot that I had wanted to wait until you were older before I told you, but I guess that there isn't time now." She took a visibly calming deep breath before continuing. "Dandella, sweetheart, you're, ahh—how to put this?—kinda of mixed heritage, to put it lightly. Umm, well…I used to work with this scientist couple and the woman wanted to help me have a baby. And, ahh," she scratched the back of her head nervously, "it worked. There was this little hitch, though. For some reason, I could carry the baby, my eggs were fertile, but the baby couldn't be conceived in me—probably because of Sin's toxins or something made my spermicide extra potent. So, Lucrecia took one of my eggs, got some, ehhh, genetic material from the, ahh, donors, and basically did the conceiving thing in a test tube-thingy before putting the egg in me to grow. As you may have guessed by now, the baby was you, my little ball of sunshine!

"Erm, well, the reason that I'm telling you this is, eh heh heh, one of the genetic donors kinda had some unstable stuff going on right then that hadn't shown itself before then. Lucrecia said that some of that may have been passed along to you—but don't worry!" At this point she waved her hands frantically, trying to soothe the viewer even though she knew it would be quite a while until someone actually watched the memory sphere. "She said that even if some did, it wouldn't be enough to cause any harm.

"The donors' names were Doctor Hojo and Vincent Valentine…Erm, Hojo was a stick in the mud, pretty much, and not all that great on the eyes." A nervous laugh sounded here. "And Vincent—hoo, boy!—talk about hottie! From what Lucrecia told me about him, he was very kind, easy going, polite, curious, and reserved. Hee hee, Lucrecia said that he was so cute when he was embarrassed, his pale skin turned a dusty rose; and when he's surprised, his red eyes widened as his eyebrows inched up his brow, and his narrow lips parted slightly. She said that she could have sworn that even his black hair went ridged! He was kinda skinny when I last saw him, but not scrawny; you know, a healthy skinny, and not the health-problems scrawny." She winked at the memory sphere playfully.

"Actually, my friend, Lulu, is one of Vincent's nieces. He was in suspended animation when I met him. The two look a lot alike, now that I think about it." Here she had a thoughtful finger lingering on her chin as her eyes were raised toward the ceiling. "Eh, I'm getting seriously sidetracked. Sorry, sweetie. Anyway, I'd prefer if you thought of either of those guys as your father, please let it be Vincent. Hojo isn't really kind; he's actually far too concerned with experimenting, rather than family. Vincent seemed like the kind of guy who would probably be uncomfortable at first, but then do something unexpected to show his acceptance of it all…at least that was the impression Lucrecia gave me—well, her and the various dreams I had with Vincent in them. Every now and again, I'd see him with this guy with spiky blond hair; he was cute, too!

A short pause, then the woman raised both hands to her messy blond locks and shook her head profusely. "Arg! Again with the dreams! It just keeps coming up...!" She lowered her arms and stood straight again. "I'm really making a fool of myself on here, just great."

O.o.O.o.O

While her mother had been inside recording her massage on the memory sphere, a four-year-old child stood at the doorway to their home. Her moss green eyes peered out at the scene before her with a curious gaze. Children played about the small village, kicking leather-hewn balls around in the dirt, or other childish games. The parents went about their work, whether it be beating the dust out of rugs or bringing home the latest bounty from hunting, mindful of the children dashing about the small dusty road.

A light wind picked up, gently blowing the warm breeze through the streets. The flow tousled the little girl's honey blond hair around her rounded face. In the blink of an eye, the wind turned as chilly as a winter breeze. Dandella shivered in her blue and white sundress, raising her tiny, pudgy arms to encircle herself. "Susso?" (Mommy?) she called into the house. No response came, and so she tried again, louder this time. "Susso? Fryd'c kuehk uh?" (Mommy? What's going on?)

Suddenly, a grey blur wizzed by her, getting a startled, "Iiiib!" (Eeeep!) from the child. Staring about wildly, she took in the sight of the neighboring wolf pack latching their mouths onto the townspeople. Most wolves were able to pull along a child by themselves, while many wolves had to team up to lead the adults.

The humans of the village had held a pact with the wolf pack of the nearby forest. The humans would protect the wolves from hunters seeking their pelts, while the wolves would eliminate any threat coming from their direction. When either party was lacking in food, the other would share what they had. It was as if the wolves had adopted the village as an extension of their already large pack.

That's why this sudden "attack" made little to no sense to the people of the village, and even less to the four-year-old standing in the doorway. "Susso!"(Mommy!) she cried in alarm as her best friend, Ahmeilo, was snagged by a young, lean wolf with bark brown fur. The wolf had him by his shirt and was taking great care not to harm him. His parents gasped in shock and chased after the wolf, the boy giggling all the while.

A large female wolf appeared, apparently searching for something frantically. She soon took to human form, shifting her fur into clothes as she changed. White leather adorned her fit form, leaving little to the imagination. Medium length silver hair gleamed in the sunlight as her golden iris scanned the area. Dandella recognized the she-wolf and called out to her, "Nibikii!"

The silver-haired woman/wolf spun on her inch-high heel to face the child. "Dan—" she began, only to be caught off guard by a peculiar squat form, dark in its coloring. The creature leaped at the she-wolf's shoulder, and she deftly punched it in the face without so much as a blink. "Tysh janseh!" (Damn vermin!) She growled, her face twisting into a vicious scowl. "Go back inside, Meddma Uha," (Little One) she commanded, easily slipping between the different languages, as her features softened.

Before the child could reply, a blood curdling scream pierced the morning air, of which the quiet was already broken by the chaos. Nibikii gave the blond a wistful glance before tearing through the madness to aid the screaming woman. Another of the dark creatures sprouted from the ground directly in front of the child, who gave a startled yelp…moments before kicking the tiny beast in the shin with her sandal-clad foot. It hopped on one foot for half a minute before staring at the child in amazement. ::Little Light kicked me…::

Another popped up glances between the two, then whapped the other dark creature upside the head. ::What are you staring at, Dummy?:: it questioned. It crossed its short arms across its chest as if in annoyance.

::Little Light kicked me,:: the other answered (How about we call it 'H 01'?)

::Seriously?:: it inquired, somehow raising an eyebrow which it didn't posses. Dandella noted that its eyes changed shape to show the expression. (This one is 'H 02'.)

::Yep. Brave Little Light…either that, or DUMB Little Light.:: H 01 responded.

"E ys hud TISP!" (I am not DUMB!) she screamed, swiftly kicking H 01 in the shin again…the exact same spot, actually.

H 01 hopped on one foot again, clinging to its knee with a look of anger and pain clearly visible on its funny face. H 02 stared slack-jawed at the four-year-old. ::You can understand us?:: it questioned, tone disbelieving.

o.O.o.O.o

The blond woman was still ranting about this and that, all of which made some kind of sense for her daughter to know—at least it made sense to her. She cut off mid-sentence at sound of her child's voice, "E ys hud TISP!" (I am not DUMB!) Great, she thought sarcastically, someone's gotten Dandy all riled up.

To the woman, it seemed likely that the ones who cause her baby to shrill so loudly were the heathen children on the other side of the village. So, with that in mind, she grabbed the broom. Not just any broom that happened to be in the storage closet, but the broom that she used to dispose of the spider webs. (A/N: I couldn't resist. *smirk*)

Without any further hesitation, she headed out to fend off the brats, not even remembering the memory sphere as it still was recording. What she saw, however, surprised the mess out of her, but it did nothing to stop her from defending her daughter—even if it looked like the fiends had found a way to reproduce, despite the fact that fiends are the angry spirits of the dead. The tiny creatures were black in color, with enormous yellow eyes, antennae that curled above their heads, and had chubby bodies as if they were toddlers. Yep, she thought, definitely not human.

All of this took about three seconds for the former Guardian. Too bad I didn't grab my explosives or anything, she thought as a grim grin settled upon her face.

O.o.O.o.O

Before the child could respond to the shell-shocked creature, the red handle of a broom connected with the head of H 02, then the abdomen of H 01. Dandella peered up into the face of her mother, the child's large green eyes wide and mouth hanging open a tad. "Susso!" The little girl cheered as her mother held the dark creatures at bay, using the straw part of the broom to smack them now. Of course, the woman had to grab the broom that she used to get rid of spider webs with to beat off unwelcome guests, and by now, she really wished that she had grabbed something a little more efficient.

"Tuh'd duilr so pypo!" (Don't touch my baby!) After a few powerful swings from the enraged mother, the two creatures burst into puffs of black smoke. Just as she was catching her breath, more of the tiny creatures appeared, some with bloodied claws. The fiends' offspring (as the woman thought of them) quickly surrounded the mother and child. "Oh, crap," the woman murmured under her breath, while Dandella held onto the hem of her mother's night shirt.

Swiftly coming to a decision, the mother spun around and down to cover her child with her own body. She shifted the little one into a kneeling position with both of the small legs under her slight form. Long legs shifted around the precious bundle as to encircle her from behind, while the woman positioned her torso and arms to completely cover the child. Not a single crack was large enough for the creatures to slip even their tiny claws through.

It was if the things were waiting for her to move first, to see what she would do. And when she did, thus protecting her offspring with her own life, they attacked her prone back. She stifled her cries of pain as they literally tore into her back. She simply hunkered down further over her daughter, gritting her teeth to hold in the screams and tears.

-T_T-

A woman, a man, and a child stepped out of the local inn. The woman was clad in a black leather dress which elegantly sloped off of her milky white shoulders, and part of the skirt was crisscrossing belts to hide her long, slender legs. Tough black boots covered her feet. Her black hair was long with corn rows that collected into a high ponytail, while her bangs fell into her face, covering one red eye. Her husband was dressed in colorful islanders' attire, his waders of bright yellow with dark blue straps; his vestment was also bright yellow and partially opened to reveal a portion of his well muscled tan chest. Brown leather sandals adorned his large feet. His dark red hair was held out his brown eyes by a headband that sculpted the front flick of hair to curl toward the back of his head. Between the two adults, stood their six-year-old daughter. Her hair was of a rich black streaked with dark red, the shades perfectly matching the colors of her parents—the same kind of blend of skin tones. Her eyes, however, were mostly red but with specks of brown. She wore a pair of dark brown shorts, a shirt as green as healthy summer's grass, and hard-soled sandals.

Lady Lulu and Sir Wakka, as they had been officially dubbed as Lady Summoner Yuna's Guardians, and their daughter, Gabrielle, raced out of the town in which they had spent the night. They had received word from their old friend and fellow former Guardian, Rikku, that it was likely that something horrible would occur in her village. Fortunately, the town in which they stayed wasn't more than a thirty minute Chocobo ride away.

What startled them, though, was that dozens of wolves were pulling people behind them—men, women, and children—and they were all coming from the direction of Rikku's village. The people were ragged from the brush they traveled through and exhaustion, while the wolves were panting heavily from their excursion. The wolves dropped off their respective charges as they approached the town.

A young male wolf, dark brown in coloring, pulled a squirming five-year-old by the shirt. The young wolf dropped the boy close to Wakka and collapsed onto the ground with a pathetic huff. Amber eyes rose to the red haired man, before the wolf shifted into a human form. Denim pants covered his lower body, while a beige t-shirt was half hidden by a denim jacket. Grey high-tops adorned his feet. All and all, he looked around sixteen in his human disguise. "Sir Wakka! Thank the stars you have arrived. A dark mass has attacked the Al Bhed village. We tried to fight the creatures in the forest, but they overpowered us; we lost quite a few of our pack mates in the fray." The boy/wolf had risen to a crouched position while his spoke. "We brought as many humans here as we could."

Lulu approached from behind Wakka, their daughter in tow. "Thank you for rescuing the townspeople, young wolf. We shall see to these intruders." The six-year-old little girl, who held onto Lulu's hand, peered from behind her mother's skirt at the boy/wolf as the much smaller Ahmeilo clambered to his feet and stumbled to his parents. "Susso! Tytto!" (Mommy! Daddy!) the little boy called, leaping into their grateful arms. A smile crossed the face of the girl, still concealed behind Lulu's skirt.

Wakka gave a curt nod to the young wolf. "Thanks, Brudda, for helpin' da people. C'mon, Lu, Gabri. We'd best be goinin', yah?" With that, he stalked toward the village at a brisk pace. Lulu followed, matching his pace easily, while Gabrielle jogged to keep up.

Gabrielle glanced over her shoulder to peer at the boy/wolf. Their eyes met, and she gave him a warm smile of parting. The young wolf nodded his head in acknowledgement, then flashed his own smile. Wow, he thought suddenly, she's kinda cute for a human pup…Where the heck did that come from?

-T^T-

The Al Bhed village was torn and burned asunder. The small houses were either partially caved in or slightly smoking. What made Wakka blanch and Lulu cover her child's eyes as her mouth hung open, however, were the bodies that littered the streets. Some were bloody pulps; others were practically cinders, while still quite a few were both. Not all the bodies were human. Just as the young wolf in town had said, a dozen or so of his pack mates had fallen to the invaders. The stench of charred flesh reached the trio's nostrils, causing Wakka to retch and Lulu to cover both her and her daughter's mouths. Gabrielle clung to her mother's leather skirt, her small fist knotting itself amongst the belts. "Momma, why does it smell so bad?"

"You don't want to know, sweetheart." Lulu replied as calmly as she could, her eyes watered and threatened to spill tears as she scanned the still chaos. Peculiar shadows were moving on their own along the ground. The moving dark blotches soon raised themselves from their flat forms, bodies forming upon the dirt as if rising from a pool of water.

Lulu gasped in surprise, then schooled her expression into stern condemnation. "Filthy creatures of the dark," her alto voice rumbled while her husband dry heaved, "thou shalt return from which thoust came!" The dark mage raised her right arm to the sky, then brought it back down, magic coming fourth—"Thunder!"

Numerous bolts of lightning came from the sky, striking many of the creatures. Not a single bolt went astray to strike a building or corpse. The things that were hit burst into black smoke. The remaining creatures actually hesitated before they leaped toward the family.

Wakka shook himself from his puking haze at the sound of Lulu releasing her spell. He saw the weirdest toddler he had ever seen standing before him. He then glanced at its little claws, which were covered in gore. Shrugging nonchalantly, Wakka decided to help the munchkin wash its hands. He heh heh, he chuckled darkly in his mind. Take dis demon kid!

Lulu's eye twitched at the sound of a zipper coming down, then the tell-tale "sssssssssssssss" could be heard. She glanced over to Wakka to see a yellow stream of liquid land on one of the bizarre attackers. The look of indignation on its face—while Wakka himself was looking rather proud—was highly amusing…in a very twisted way. With a shake of her head, she went back to blasting the little things with powerful magic.

Gabrielle loved to watch her mother perform magic, but she was getting bored. Spotting a stick a few feet away, she dashed to it and swung experimentally. Finding her stick to be satisfactory, her grin alone caused some of the black creatures to back away nervously. "Here, little guys…Wanna play?" she asked sweetly, only to suddenly chase after the dark beings as fast as her legs would carry her. Sadly, the little girl's legs were longer and faster than those of the now fleeing creatures. Needless to say, Gabrielle got to destroy her first Heartless that day.

A great roar sounded to the east, and soon half a dozen wolves dashed after the retreating black mass. Said black mass stopped suddenly, as they were cut off by a large silver, female wolf (obviously, she's the Alpha female). She pulled back her jowls to reveal her sharp teeth as she growled low in her throat. Several scrapes could be seen along her flank, but she paid those no mind. Her fur bristled as she stared with golden eyes down at the black toddler-like creatures. The other wolves surrounded the five Heartless and were ready to attack. The alpha female let out a short bark, and the other wolves pounced onto their prey, sharp jaws gnashing and clawed paws tearing.

The silver female raised her head high and sniffed the air, obviously searching for a particular scent. Her ears perked at the sound of a muffled wail. She quickly left her pack mates in favor of finding the owner of that pitiful voice. As she ran through the remnants of the village, she noticed three strangers commencing in battle—a woman, a man, and…a human cub swinging a rather large stick while chasing the dark monsters. After climbing atop an overturned wheel barrel, she tossed her head back to release a howl. Over a dozen more wolves came into view and began to aid the remaining humans.

The she-wolf continued her flight toward the muffled cries and screams. As she approached the tiny voice, she could see five or six Shadow Heartless piled on top of an unmoving form. From the writhing mass of bloody black, a few wisps of blond hair could be seen. Beneath that unmoving form, came the shrill cries of panic and fear.

The Alpha female charged at the pile, leaped over them, snagging one of the black things as she went, and landed on the other side only to viciously tear into with her jaws. Within moments, the creature dissipated into a black cloud of nothingness. One deep breath later, she did it again—leap, snag, kill—until the little Shadows realized that she held a greater threat than their prize.

A younger, honey-colored she-wolf appeared and snatched the leg of the Heartless closest to her. She then decided to shake her head as if tearing into a rag doll—the Heartless was left to have its head beat against the ground repeatedly as its comrades ignored the happenings. The unfortunate Shadow soon burst into black smoke (the swirly eyes remained quite visible in the smoke for a moment), the young female pouted a second before snatching another to repeat the process. This one's eyes went swirly with the first hit, little stars appearing at each contact with the ground. When this one went "pssshhsssh" and disappeared, the wolf didn't even hesitate before claiming another.

The silver female just shook her head at her underling's antics before jumping into the fray. Strong jaws clamped down onto limbs, heads, throats, and abdomens in her fury. The entire Heartless group of five or six was decimated in less than five minutes by the pair of she-wolves. They both stood panting near the kneeling woman and hidden child. The Alpha female approached the humans carefully, taking note of her friend's condition.

The honey-colored wolf tilted her head at the Alpha female, then shifted into her human disguise. Bond hair framed her oval face—the back cropped close to her skull while the front hung to her jaw line. Narrow hazel eyes were framed by sooty lashes. Her cheeks were flushed from her previous effort. Moleskin Capri's and halter top adorned her body. "Nibikii, should I go get the other Human warriors for the injured one?"

The silver she-wolf, too, shifted into her human form. White leather took the place of her fur, and white one inch-heels covered her dainty feet. "Yes, Tahana. Retrieve them. They may be the only ones who can save the woman, if it is not all ready too late for her." She knelt by the woman's side, a hand resting on a trembling shoulder. "Do not fear, my friend. Help is on the way," she attempted to console the woman.

Without another word, Tahana ran as fast as her two human legs would carry her. She maintained her human disguise as not to frighten the human trio. It didn't take her long to find the family. The man was throwing a bizarre ball with spikes at the dark creatures, the woman was casting massive amounts of magic at them, and the child was excitedly chasing the things with a big pointy stick.

"H-hey!" Tahana bounced on the balls of her feet, arms waving to and fro. "There's an injured woman over here! She needs help quick!" The wolf's hazel met the blood red of the woman's eyes. The wolf gulped, "Please, the Alpha female sent me, and if I don't get help quick, I'm in big trouble—but nowhere near as much as the injured human over here!"

Lulu looked to Wakka, who nodded then picked up their squirming child. He dashed toward the she-wolf as Lulu let loose a huge Thunder spell, eliminating the rest of the Heartless in that area. "Oooooooh, prreeeetty," Gabrielle murmured from her perch on her father's shoulder. Wakka just smirked and patted his daughter's knees with a calloused hand affectionately. Lulu hurried to them (or at least as much of a hurry as her dress would allow) and then past them, huffing the way from which the wolf came.

"Erm, right!" Tahana chirped. "This way! You may want to cover your cub's eyes when we get close, though. The damage is pretty disturbing." She led them through the body strewn streets as nimbly as she could. She noticed the woman held her skirts high in the front while the man held it from the ground in the back. I guess she just has her male trained that way, or maybe he has to clean that arrangement of belts. I might ask later.

Moments later, the quartet arrived in front of the only untouched house in all the village. (The Heartless had damaged the other houses trying to get to their occupants. Since this house's occupants were all ready outside, the Heartless had no need to enter.) They saw the silver she-wolf in her human form next to a hunched over human. The human's back seemed to be ripped to ribbons, skin and muscle torn loose from the bone while blood poured from the extensive wound. Even some bone fragments were scattered on the ground. The only sign that this person was even still alive was the ragged gurgling breaths that forced the bloody mess of a back to rise and fall.

Lulu and Wakka instantly recognized the messy blond beeded braids that adorned the woman's head. "Rikku!" they cried out at once. Wakka actually forgot his daughter atop his shoulder in his shock, and she tumbled right off when he sped to his friend's side. Lulu was frozen to the spot in her shock to the point at which she didn't even hear the 'Whump!' of her daughter landing hard onto the dusty roadway, her angry grumble not far behind.

The Alpha female rose to her feet, expression forlorn as she looked over the group of human warriors. "Lyh oui raym Rikku?" (Can you heal Rikku?) she asked quietly. She edged away, allowing the humans closer access to the wounded woman. "E ys Nibikii, Ymbry vasyma uv dra fumv bylg uv dra vunacd." (I am Nibikii, Alpha female of the wolf pack of the forest.) she announced as calmly as she could. "Drana ec y lremt ihtan Rikku." (There is a child under Rikku.)

Wakka collapsed to his knees just behind the blond woman, hands trembling as he reached toward her. His large calloused hands gently gripped her shoulders and began to pull her back toward his chest. "Rikku…Yuh hurt pretty bad. Try to stay wid us, yah? It might hurt to move, but we gotta to check on the little one, 'kay?" An audible groan forced its way out of the blond woman's throat as Wakka slowly pulled her from her position over her child.

"Bmayca, cyja ran vnus dra tynghacc." (Please, save her from the darkness.) Rikku's wary green eyes refused to open more than a centimeter each; at the same time, her head disobeyed the need to rise up. Her mind swam amongst the panic and fear that clouded her reasoning. "Dandella, so pybo." (Dandella, my baby.)

Lulu choked back a sob, then rushed to her friend's side. "Rikku! Hold on, I'll try to heal you! Just hold on!" With a flourish of her hands and gathering of magic, she cast the most powerful Cure spells she knew in progression. "Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! CURAGA!" She screamed the last, giving all the magic she had left to that spell. The result was that Rikku's back had regained some of the lost bone matter and a bit of the shredded flesh, but she still bled freely. Wakka handed Lulu an Ether hoping that it would help. The black haired woman took the Ether gratefully, then set to cast more healing spells.

The wolves watched the happenings from a safe distance away. Tahana looked to her Alpha for any sign of hope for the Al Bhed woman, but Nibikii's face was hard as stone. The proud silver wolf watched the human with a growing sense of loss, knowing that they may not be enough to heal her good human friend. As the Alpha female looked on the sad scene, she noticed both man and woman crying for their fallen comrade; even the dark haired child seemed to sense the low morale. Nibikii watched as the six-year-old approached them cautiously.

"Hey," Gabrielle said simply. "Do you know a way to help the pretty blond lady? And who's the kid she was protecting? Oh, and my Al Bhed isn't very good yet, so please do regular talk, 'kay?" Even as she was speaking, she was sizing up the two she-wolves. I'd better not tick them off…don't wanna become puppy chow.

Nibikii looked over the child with a neutral expression. "Nae, Young One, I do not know of a cure for her. I was hoping that your kind would know of a way. She and I have been friends since she came to this village, and that was some time ago. The youth she shielded is her offspring. Rikku trusted me with her young just I had trusted her with my pups. You are that couple's pup, correct?"

"Yeah, they're my parents," Gabrielle said, looking over her shoulder to her parents and their friend. Lulu was shouting cure spells with as much gusto as she could muster, while Wakka kept handing her Ethers and Elixirs. "I've never met Miss Rikku, but I've sure heard stories about her. She was a Guardian to Lady Summoner Yuna right along with my parents. She's also Lady Yuna's cousin…on her mom's side I think. Mama and Daddy never mentioned her having a kid."

A tiny voice cut through all other conversation. "Susso?" (Mommy?) came out as barely a whisper. The word rang out again, stronger. The four-year-old little girl rose from her crouched position. "Su-Susso?" (Mo-Mommy?) Her large moss green eyes were watery with unshed tears, her cheeks flushed from crying. Her tiny fists bunched her skirt as she gulped several times, trying to hold back her panic.

"Dandella, E's cekrd rana. Tuh'd pa yvnyet," (Dandella, I'm right here. Don't be afraid,) Rikku said as clearly as she could. One small, trembling hand reached out to her daughter in an attempt to calm her. "E mavd y memory sphere eh dra ruica vun oui." (I left a memory sphere in the house for you.)

The tiny blond spun around to stare into her mother's pained eyes. "Susso, oui ribd?" (Mommy, you hurt?) Dandella held her mother's hand in both of her own. "Femm oui kad paddan?" (Will you get better?)

Dandella was answered with a sad smile. "Dandella, E…E tuh'd dhehg E's kuhhy syga ed. Susso'c hud kuhha kad paddan, cfaadraynt."(Dandella, I…I don't think I'm gonna make it. Mommy's not gonna get better, sweetheart.) Rikku brushed her free hand through the child's hair, combing it gently with her fingers. "E muja oui." (I love you.)

Wakka's entire frame shook with his repressed emotion as he held Rikku in place before her daughter. He couldn't peel his eyes away from the hideous wound that covered the entirety of the woman's back. His breath was shallow, afraid that the slight breeze would cause his friend even more pain. Small brown eyes watered at the exchange between mother and child. Rikku, he thought as tears rolled down his cheeks, why didn' you try ta run while yah could? Why did yah stay here ta be ripped apart?

Lulu let out a painful sob. Her thoughts were much like Wakka's, dark and questioning. Oh, Rikku. Please hold on…Just let me gather my strength and wits, and I'll heal you. Please, don't leave us! The Dark Mage placed both hands on Rikku's shoulders, red eyes locked in determination. Her voice was hoarse from all her shouting while spell casting, but she wasn't giving up yet. With the skin-to-skin contact, Lulu hoped with all hope and prayed to the Fayth that this would help. "CURAGA!" Magic flowed right from Lulu's hands into Rikku's body through the contact. "CURAGA! CURAGA! CURAGA!..." She continued until she passed out, all of her magic power having left her and her emergency reserves completely empty as well.

Gabrielle stood wide-eyed at what was before her. Her father-the mighty Wakka—in tears, practically cradling a woman that the little girl had never seen before; her mother—the unmovable Lulu—passed out having overexerted herself after crying like a baby; the woman that she didn't personally know, but knew of well—Lady Guardian Rikku—trembling with her back shredded, possibly a pierced lung, and bleeding to death; and a foreign child who appeared to be Lady Rikku's daughter, crying and confused, no where near old enough to understand what was happening. The six-year-old looked to the wolves (who were still in their human disguises), the silver female nodded to her while the honey-colored one gave the saddest expression imaginable. Without a second thought, Gabrielle jogged to her mother's side and fanned the woman's flushed face. Lulu recovered after Gabrielle carefully poured a Potion down her throat.

Rikku gave another sad smile, finally summoning the strength to look around at her friends. I don't have much time left—that is, if the dreams were right. I better get to the point quickly. Tears swelled in her green eyes even before she spoke. "Tuh'd suinh vun sa, vun E femm ymfyoc pa fedr oui." (Don't mourn for me, for I will always be with you). The tears flowed just as freely as the blood from her back. Black splotches darkened the edges of her vision as she continued, more to Wakka than anyone, "Bmayca, dyga lyna uv…so tynmehk tyikrdan." (Please take care of…my darling daughter.)

Lulu, Gabrielle, the two she-wolves, and the four-year-old child watched as the light faded from the blond woman's eyes, her jaw slacked as her entire face relaxed, and her body ceased its trembling from the pain. One final word sounded with her last breath: "Kuutpoa." (Goodbye.) With that her body slumped, her eyes closed, and her heart beat its last pulse.

The red-haired man locked his arms as the word whispered on the breeze to his ears. As such, Rikku's innate form fell against his chest unhindered. Blood smeared across his vestment as she continued to slouch lifelessly against him. A sharp intake of breath announced his realization half a second later, as his arms fell to encircle his friend. He bowed his head to rest his chin upon the mass of blond locks. Sobs escaped his tight throat as he pulled her closer to himself.

Dandella sat silently as the stranger wept for her mother, a red liquid smearing across his yellow vest-thing. Her eyes were dulled as if in a trance. "Ec Susso cmaabehk?" (Is Mommy sleeping?) she found herself asking in a voice she didn't recognize. It took a moment for her to realize that she had said anything. She leaned forward and placed a tiny hand on her mother's dusty knee. She shook gently, trying to wake the woman. "Susso?" (Mommy?)

Lulu had both of her hands over her mouth, trying her utmost to hold back the enormous grief building steadily inside. At the child's attempt to 'wake' the blond woman, she couldn't hold it in any more. "Oh, dear child!" she cried, suddenly grasping the tiny blond in her arms. She held the little girl close to her breast with surprising strength. A moment later, Gabrielle found herself joining the other girl in the Dark Mage's lap. Lulu cradled both children to her bosom as she wept quietly.

Translation Chart

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