I know my profile says that I should be really busy, but school is a lot lighter than I thought this semester. By the start of the new year, I'll disappear for a long while. For now, I'm still hanging out here!
Here's a little fluffy oneshot for y'all… Enjoy!
A Sense of Adventure
This… is really… the end… isn't it…?
The darkness was eternal in the strange world Bartz Klauser found himself trapped in. Not even the glimmer of stars could be seen, just the gradually fluctuating ribbons of existence. The Void was a frightful place indeed. He was too weak after the final battle with Exdeath to return to his world with the others. He was tired, but unable to sleep. Just endless drifting.
"Ooh, what do we have here?"
He craned his neck, looking for the source of the voice. He floated along the endless emptiness, but, there, directly to his left, was a young woman. She walked along the Void as if there was a path, a smile on her face as she approached him. He was sure he was a sight for sore eyes after his battle and was pretty sure he should be dead with all the bleeding he'd suffered.
The girl stopped beside him and bent at the waist, examining his beaten body. He was too weak and tired to care what she did. Her fingers poked and prodded his side and chest, her hands making quick work of learning his body. Any other time, he'd be feeling pretty violated, but he just couldn't care right now.
She smiled bright and held one hand in front of her in a quick pose before a cage of light appeared around him, sending small rays that connected to each of his wounds. Gradually, the flesh began to mend and his strength slowly returned. His vision refocused and he felt himself shift to land on the same invisible path as she. Grinning brightly, she said, "Heya. You looked pretty worse for wear, there. Thought I'd fix you up."
He blinked. He would never be one to deny free help or a generous stranger pausing on their journey to help him, but he was in the Void. How many people came to this place, with a smile on their face, no less? His voice seemed to return as the aftereffects of the spell restored his larynx to its proper state and asked, "Who are you?"
She scoffed and crossed her arms, replying sarcastically, "You're welcome."
He slapped his forehead and shook his head. "Sorry, sorry… Thanks for your help, stranger. I thought I was a goner."
"That's better!" she chirped, her hands flying in front of her to clap together. "I'm Prishe. Who're you?"
"The name's Bartz. Bartz Klauser."
"Cool. How'd you end up here?"
"Fighting off a screwed up megalomaniac. You?"
"I got bored of wandering the material world, so I came here."
Bored? "You… came to the Void because you were bored? Really?"
She nodded, her smile still bright. "Yep!"
"No offense, but you're insane."
"That's what the Doc says. But it's cool." She bent down to a squatting position and crossed one arm over her knee, looking up at him casually. "So, you wanna blow this joint or what?"
He nodded once. "I need to get home. My friends are probably worried about me."
She stood up straight again and touched her chin in deep thought. Then she brightened and pointed a finger straight up as if having an 'aha' moment. "Come on! I'll help you get out."
He grinned. "You will? Great! Thanks, Prishe!"
…
They had been walking together down the endless pathway for quite a while. Bartz had long since lost any accumulation of time, but he figured they had to have been walking for a good couple of hours. Either it wasn't really as long as it seemed, or one didn't get hungry in the Void. He wondered for a moment if he should be concerned.
"So, where are you from?"
He glanced to his side at her and flashed a smile to mirror hers. A girl who loved to wander like he did? He could get used to this. "Lix. Little town in the north. I haven't lived there in years, though. See, my mom died when I was a kid and my dad three years ago. After that, I left home to wander the world aimlessly. Since then, I've been going nowhere with my best buddy, Boko."
She grinned wider at that and said, "You wander, too?"
"Aimlessly."
"Looking for what?"
"Nothing."
"Living on?"
"Whatever I find."
"I like you, Bartz. You know how to have a good time."
He smiled, satisfied. He wasn't sure if it was the Void messing with his head, but he was pretty sure this girl had big, pointy ears. It was probably his imagination or an illusion, but it was fun to watch them flop around as she walked. He sighed as he said, "My friend, Boko?"
She nodded, humming a sound to urge him to continue, "Hm?"
"He's gonna be pretty busy now. See, he met a girl, shacked up, and now he's gonna be a dad. I'm probably gonna end up as the weird uncle who never gets a date."
She burst out laughing at that, stopping in her tracks to double over. Bracing her hands on her knees, she managed to catch her breath and replied, "I can see you as the crazy uncle guy! The kind who sneaks sweets to the kids after dinner and tells scary stories."
He chuckled. "I'm not sure I'd want to go find gysahl or worms just to treat them after dinner, but I can do scary stories!"
She paused. "Gysahl?"
"I thought I mentioned it. Boko's a chocobo."
She shook her head with another laugh. "No, you didn't, but that makes it cuter somehow."
As she turned to face ahead again, he took the opportunity to study her a bit further. She was slim and fit, average in height, and had tanned skin. Her hair was a lavender color—nothing new there. Two of Bartz's best friends had pink and purple hair—and her eyes were bright blue. She wore a funny-styled outfit with ruffles and an ascot, but still bearing a very tomboy-ish look with shorts and rugged boots.
He glanced down at his blue tunic, white shirt, and tan pants, all ripped and worn from his battles. No doubt his hair was a mess, too. But that wasn't a surprise. Even when he had access to an actual shower and a comb, it still looked as wild as the wind he represented.
Shaking his head, he looked away and snorted a small scoff. Since when did he care how he looked when in the presence of a girl? He wasn't that kind of guy who had to be perfect. Either a girl liked him or she didn't. But this one… Prishe… She was different, and not just because of her abnormally large and floppy ears. She was nice, but spunky and fun. She stopped to help him the way he would stop to help strangers—like when he'd met Galuf and Lenna—and was happy to help him back to his home. Not to mention, she loved to wander, even going as far as exploring the Void.
She was pretty amazing in his mind.
Not to mention, she did kind of save his life.
"Hey," he spoke to get her attention. When she glanced at him, he finished, "Want to race?"
She grinned. "You don't want to race against Prishe. You'll only end up in tears!"
He smiled back and started into a short jog. "Oh, yeah? I got the wind on my back!"
He glanced over his shoulder to find her dashing up next to and past him. "Really? 'Cause all I see is my dust in your face!"
Pouring on the speed, he broke into a full run and caught up to her quickly, laughing. It looked like today might turn out to be good, after all.
…
They ran side by side, Bartz just barely inching in front of Prishe before she'd get another burst of speed and pass him. Then he'd fall behind for a few short moments until he'd speed up again and pass her. They went back and forth like this, until she passed him again and he reached out, catching the loose fabric of her jacket. As he skid to a stop, she was trapped in the momentum and almost fell on her face, but his grip on her kept her in a relatively upright position.
She caught her balance and turned to glare at him, snarling, "You cheater!"
He laughed and let go, dropping down to sit on the unseen floor while trying to catch his breath. "Hah… You put up a good race, Prishe. I haven't had a good one in a long time."
She bent down to brace her hands on her knees, panting to get her own breath back. "That wasn't even the fastest I can go."
"I'll bet."
She glanced at him, shocked and mildly disappointed he'd pass her hint at an argument. "Why do you say that?"
He grinned and leaned back on his palms. "You said you came to the Void because you were bored. Must mean you're already seen all there is the world has to offer."
She snorted a laugh of her own and dropped down to sit across from him. "Yeah, you got me there!"
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his crossed legs. "So? Tell me about it! What's it like?"
"The world?" she asked. After he nodded, she answered, "I dunno. It's always changing. You can go to one place as many times as you want, but it's almost always different every time you do. But there's still a touch that makes it kind of boring. I dunno. Maybe I'm just getting cynical."
"I bet all you need is a friend to travel with."
She glanced up at him over her crossed arms. "Are you offering?"
He shrugged. "Well, Boko's a daddy now, so he'll be out of traveling until the chicks are old enough. Koko'd have a cow if he tried leaving the family. He wouldn't do that, anyway."
"So, you're saying you're taking auditions for a new, temporary traveling companion?"
"Maybe not temporary, but at least while Boko's busy being a dad. What d'you say? Wanna roam the world with a buddy?"
She turned away, looking over her shoulder while shifting her hands to rub at her legs for warmth. "But what about when your friend comes back? I know he won't like me."
"What are you talking about? Boko'll love you! Same with Koko!"
Her head shook, dropping her long hair across her shoulders. "No, they won't. Animals have a sixth sense, you know. So far, they've been smart enough to stay away from me."
He stayed silent for a minute, getting a feeling that she was dead serious. Slowly, he moved over to sit down next to her and murmured, "You're not as bad as you think."
She shrugged slightly, still refusing to look him in the eye, and said, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but they still won't come near me."
He reached out gently and set his arm around her shoulders in a friendly way. "Hey, we just met, but you saved me back there. I'd probably be dead if you didn't cure me. I know you're a good person, Prishe. It takes a good kind to stop and help someone like that. So, I dunno, maybe animals are wrong about you, or maybe you are some kind of host to a demon god, or maybe you're just paranoid. Whatever it is, I'll still be around, okay?"
She lifted her chin slightly, but still didn't turn to face him. "Even if your friend Boko hates me?"
He shrugged again. "You're my friend, too. Once Boko realizes that you saved me, he'll understand. He's my best friend, and he'll respect it when I have a debt."
She turned away again. "So, you're only my friend out of debt?"
"No!" he shouted, surprising himself with the volume of his voice. "I-I mean… No. You're still a cool person and I love that you love to wander. I've been doing this for three years and I hadn't ever met anyone—Boko aside—who didn't think I was crazy for it."
A laugh finally came from her lips. "I never said I didn't think you were crazy."
He chuckled and retorted, "No, but you made it pretty clear that you're on the same wavelength."
"Bartz… You're a pretty cool guy, you know."
He grinned from ear to ear. "I know."
She leaned over closer to him, tossing her body weight against him in a playful shove. He pushed back, forcing her to ram him again and starting a little shove war. They burst into a laughing fit, leaning on each other for support.
Bartz grinned, enjoying this girl's company. It had been awhile since he'd had a good laugh with a friend like this. Lenna was too pristine to break down and laugh, Faris had a very different sense of humor, Krile didn't have much of one, and Galuf had passed a good couple of months ago. He missed the kinds of pointless conversations he'd shared with the old man. It was fun. Silly.
But he had no doubt in his mind that the old man was celebrating his victory with Xezat, Kelger, and Bartz's father, Dorgann. The four of them were probably drunk on whatever kind of booze they served in the afterlife. He imagined it was something incredibly strong.
"So…"
He glanced at her, feeling his face heat up when he realized how close they were. "Y-yeah…?"
"Since we're now partners in aimless wandering, want to go, you know, wander?"
A nervous chuckle fell from his lips as he moved away from her to stand. "All right. Where to? I mean, we should probably get back to the world so we can actually wander around some different scenery."
She jumped to her feet next to him and looked around. "Um… Well… Giving directions would require me knowing where I was."
He instinctively slapped his forehead into his palm and sighed. "You mean, you've been leading us this whole time without any clue where you were going?"
"Yup!"
He grinned and met her eyes again, jokingly saying, "I think I love you."
She laughed and reached out, looping her arm around his and marching off in a random direction. "All right, let's try this way!"
"Okay! Sounds good," he replied cheerily. They marched off together, arm-in-arm, with no idea where they were headed.
…
"Marvelous work, Prishe. You've wrangled in quite a fish."
Prishe stood in the shallow water, staring at the young man laying unconscious on the pedestal. She couldn't explain it. She felt… sad. "Thanks, Doc."
The woman in a white gown stepped forward with grace befitting her position as goddess. "Thank you, Prishe. It is not an easy task to bring warriors here."
She grinned bright and flashed a V with her fingers. "No problem! But… you're sure he won't remember anything?"
Shantotto shook her head. "Not a tad, the poor lad."
"I see…"
The Tarutaru turned with a sigh and a throw of her hands. "I'm off to my lab. Child, be sure to tend to him, hm?"
"Yeah… I will."
Cosmos walked forward slowly, keeping her hands folded gently in front of her. "You… detest yourself for bringing him here?"
Prishe sat down on the edge of the marble podium in Order's Sanctuary. "I… I dunno. I mean, I know we gotta beat Chaos and all, but I can't help but think that there's a better way than to bring a bunch of unsuspecting people here and make them fight. Something doesn't smell right about that."
"I understand your plight, Prishe. It is a battle in my heart, as well."
"So…" She looked up to meet eyes with the goddess. "Even the gods feel pain?"
A simple dip of the chin was her response, followed by the words, "Not a day goes by that I don't suffer. The world is in peril, and there is only so much I can do."
"I get it, I think. Damn, I don't ever want to be a god."
"Prishe, this boy… Where did you find him?"
Her voice sounded wistful as she said, "He was wandering in the Void. He would've died if I didn't help him."
"He was injured?"
"Yeah."
"And… you hold him dear to your heart, no?"
"He… He was a good friend to me, for as short as we knew each other."
"Prishe, your friendship does not end here. He will live, and you can restore the bond you shared."
She frowned, shifting to pull his head onto her lap and brushed his messy brown hair out of his face. "I… I suppose…"
His face scrunched slightly and his eyes snapped open, looking around frantically. He jumped to a sitting position and glanced back and forth between the Elvaan girl and the Goddess of Harmony. Slowly, he asked, "Where am I?"
Prishe took the liberty of answering and replied, "The beginning."
Cute bit of Bartz/Prishe fluff. I liked the idea of them as a pairing as soon as I discovered who Prishe was, courtesy of 012. I had fun writing this and I realize this is the first fic for these two on FFnet, but I have to admit, I'm a little surprised by that. I mean, they're the two most carefree characters in the game. I would've thought fans would be all over them :P
Review, please!
-Valk