September has proven to be a month of rediscovery. I've rediscovered my love of Final Fantasy IX, rediscovered that I can indeed grow after being beaten down, and rediscovered that my writing was not very good when I was sixteen.
So, here we are, nearly six years later! As stated in the summery, this is indeed a rewritten version of the same story I wrote back in high school, just with a few minor (who am I kidding, major) fix 'ems and detail changes. I've decided to write this story in third person instead of first, break up the extremely long chapters, and add details where I should have before.
If you were a fan of the old story, I can only hope you'll enjoy the remake a thousand times more! As always, the story has been and will always be inspired by the song Welcome Home by Radical Face and my unconditional love for Blank, who does not get enough credit for being the badass that he is.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story as much as I'm enjoying living it again!
"Ow! Okay! I'm fine, for shit's sake! Knock it off!"
"You're still bleeding! Obviously you're not fine!"
"Its just a cut!"
With a voice like thunder, Baku's words sent chills down their spines. "Blank and Sori, quit arguin' and get ready!" he ordered just as the redhead in the girl's tight grasp narrowly shifted out of the path of a flying, crumpled piece of paper. With Blank distracted, Sori hurried to finish tying a frayed cloth around his arm, hopefully stopping the blood from trickling from the gash their boss had given him only a few minutes before.
Just as Sori opened her mouth to tell Blank that she was finished, the Prima Vista shifted violently – a random occurrence that she should've been used to by now – and knocked her off her feet and onto her backside. Stifling a laugh, Blank held a scarred hand toward the grimacing brunette.
"Looks like you need medical attention more than I do," he commented, pulling her onto her feet with the utmost ease.
"Shut it, stupid," Sori snapped as she waved his hand away as if it were some annoying fly.
Although she couldn't see the humor in his eyes, that familiar boastful smirk remained planted on Blank's face as he patted her head twice, being sure to run his fingers through her hair to make a mess of it, and strolled past her to the room behind to run through his lines a few more times. Blank knew it just as well as everyone else in Tantalus that he had a photographic memory, so why did he need to spend so much time going over his performance again and again and again?
Baku, a tall and stout man who carried his stress in his shoulders, turned to the girl he often thought of as the odd one out. "Sori," he grumbled as he bent down to pick up a chair that had fallen over during turbulence. "You remember what your job is, right?"
Sori let out a long, exasperated sigh and closed her baby blue pools tightly. "Yes, sir," she muttered in annoyance. How many times was he going to ask her this? "Play the part of a noble, make sure I'm sitting in the front row, jump if anyone tries to interfere. I got it." Opening her eyes once more, she flashed him a crooked smile. "Don't worry, okay? I won't screw this one up."
The chair groaned as Baku settled himself in it. "Good. Keep it that way." And with that, his nose was buried back into a tarnished book that had seen much damage since its publication. Although Sori had never read I Want To Be Your Canary by Lord Avon herself, she felt as if she could recite the dialogue in her sleep.
Glancing out the tiny circular window to her right, Sori peered down over the kingdom of Alexandria as it slid underneath the airship. Bodies that reminded of her ants filled the streets and she couldn't help but strum her delicate fingers anxiously on the discolored wood near her head. There weren't nearly this many people in Lindblum.
"What're you waitin' for, girl?" Baku barked without lifting his gaze from the book. "Go get ready. Its almost show time."
Detaching herself from the window, Sori gave him a curt nod as she walked past him. "Yes, sir."
Sori wasted no time jogging through the ship, trying her best to ignore the chatter around her. The other members of Tantalus were readying themselves in their own manners; Zidane and Blank spouted random lines of dialogue to see if the other could remember their joining part, Benero and Zenero cast small bouts of stage magic at each other, and Cinna inspected his prized hammer as he mumbled to himself. Everyone had been waiting for this day for months. After all, this was going to be their biggest job yet.
Just as Sori reached the door to the bedroom that they all shared, it swung open and her face nearly collided with a tanned chest. Animosity immediately rose inside her. "Marcus," she greeted the man through a tight jaw.
"Sori," he deep voice replied with just as much disdain, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.
Since the second Sori's quivering and pathetic body had been brought to Tantalus, the two had never gotten along. Constant name calling, hair pulling, and bruises were nothing new to them. For the most part, Sori blamed Marcus for almost being rejected and tossed aside by Baku nearly eight and a half years ago and for the most part, Marcus didn't deny it. Through the maturing that came along with aging, the two had become at least somewhat civil toward each other. However, the awkward air always settled over the them when they were forced into a room with each other.
"Break a leg out there," Sori hissed, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing into a fierce glare. Without so much of a word of gratitude, Marcus continued past her as if she wasn't there. "Or both your legs," she added loud enough for his ears to catch as she pushed the bedroom door open once again.
Untidy beds haphazardly placed about and articles of clothing filled the room. Shuffling her way through it all, Sori finally reached the one thing she could almost call her own: a small vanity tucked away in the corner of the room that she shared with Ruby. The mirror, cracked and worn from time and drunken nights, flashed her reflection back at her as she settled herself on the padded chair.
Exhaustion from the day made itself apparent on Sori's face. She knew that staying up the entire night before didn't help her case, but she had just been so excited that sleep couldn't visit her. No matter, she figured. Make-up worked wonders on girls who lacked sleep.
Just as Sori lifted the pink tipped brush to her cheeks, the bedroom door flung open. Blank maneuvered his way in, paying absolutely no attention to her, and threw himself on the nearest bed. Laying on his back, his lips silently moved. Sori watched him through the mirror, listening to his voice in her head as it matched the movement on his tongue.
"We shall back thee, kinsman!" the imaginary voice shouted.
Underneath the cloth, Blank's eyes must've been shut because the second Sori spoke, his body jolted in surprise. "You don't have the entire play running through your veins yet? Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
Rubbing his face, Blank slipped the belt from his head. Piercing emerald eyes locked on Sori's body, sending a small tremble through her. Something about the way he stared at her had always set something off. What that something was, she never knew. What she did know, though, was that she'd never seen him give anyone else the same look.
"Your lips still look pale," Blank informed her, pointing to his own lips. "Maybe some more red? What do they call it out there? 'Blood of the poor and unfortunate'?"
A giggle broke through Sori's barely parted, rose stained mouth. "Something along those lines," she replied before turning in her chair and holding the colored stick out toward him. "Since you obviously know more than I do about fashion, would you like to come do this for me?"
Blank let out a snorting chuckle as he fastened the belt back over his eyes. "Not unless you want to look like Cinna," he murmured sharply. The mention of his fellow actor brought a sense of dread to the pit of his stomach. He knew he should've been long over his fleeting fear of standing out in front of thousands of people, but it still caught him off-guard at the worst moments.
Picking up on his sudden change in tone and the way his slightly scarred mouth pressed into a thin line, Sori placed her chipped pencil onto the vanity counter and lifted herself from the chair. "Hey," she muttered as she stepped over the pieces of clothing strewn on the floor between them. "Don't stress yourself out, okay? You'll do fine."
"Who said I was stressing myself out?" Blank retorted, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
Like two perfect pieces of a puzzle, they came together. Spreading his legs only just enough for her small frame to fit between, Blank wrapped his arms around Sori's waist. In return, she snaked her own arms around his head, pressing her face into the fiery mess of hair and inhaling his musk.
"I just know you all too well," Sori replied, her voice like velvet in his ears.
Almost like magic, every ounce of anxiety and fear that had been building inside Blank disappeared. "Unfortunately," he teased as he tilted his head to glance at her unfinished face. "I know I've told you a million times before, but-"
"I know, I know," Sori grumbled with a heavy eye roll. "Only move when you do the hand sign. I swear, sometimes I think you and Baku are the same person, repeating yourselves all the time."
(!)(!)(!)
Face caked with make-up, hair pulled up into a tight bun, and dressed in the most eloquent garment she'll ever had the fortune to borrow (actually, it had been stolen a week before), Sori found herself seated in the very front row of the amphitheater, completely unnoticeable next to a large woman dressed much like herself. Sori tried her hardest to ignore the blabbing that seemed to continue on forever. Who cared if the woman's child was educated? And who cared that she had more money than Sori ever realized could exist?
In all honesty, Sori found it hard to be impressed by this. Instead, she had to restrain herself from pick pocketing while she had the chance.
A wave of hushes and whistles settled over the audience as the lights slammed off around them. The woman beside Sori let out some strange gurgle of excitement. Only then did the young girl take notice of the pearl necklace around the woman's rather elephantine neck. It seemed almost too tight for her. Sori figured it would've looked much better on her own skin.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Baku's voice echoed from the only area on the stage that had any light shining down on it. Looking up at him, Sori's mouth ran dry. She'd never seen him dressed in costume before. Long, elegant robes hung from Baku's shoulders, giving off the impression that he was even bulkier than he truly was. Shining jewelry hung from his earlobes, wrists, and neck. Through his make-up, Sori could see droplets of sweat building on his face. "Tonight's performance is one that takes place long, long ago..."
Unlike during any other performance before, Sori's stomach flipped in nervous anticipation. Blank's previous bout of anxiety suddenly became valid as her foot bounced up and down, up and down, up and down underneath her seat. With a scoff of annoyance, the woman next to her smacked Sori's thigh with the backside of her hand.
"And now," Baku continued, raising his arms high over his head to address the proper party, "Your Royal Highness, Queen Brahne; Your Highness, Princess Garnet; noble ladies and lords" – his eyes locked with Sori's for a quick moment and, realizing she was sitting with a slight hunch to her back, she lifted her chest – "and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents I Want To Be Your Canary!"
With a dramatic clang, every single light died. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Sori tried her hardest to ignore the shushing noises echoing around her. She'd always hated that sound and it became her least favorite part of every performance. Luckily, as soon as three familiar voices echoed around her, the audience quieted themselves.
"Bereft of father!" Blank's voice boomed out over the band playing the background music, seemingly surrounding the entire stage. "Bereft of mother! Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!" He sounded so confident and relaxed; Sori wondered if this was the same man who had been pacing the floors, chewing nervously at his fingernails, and taking deep breaths to calm himself only the day before.
"Fortune hath escap'd thee!" Cinna cried out, his voice just as at ease as Blank's. "For what end shalt thou live?"
"For the sake of our friend, let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!" Zidane roared.
"Aye!" Cinna and Blank finished simultaneously. The lights flickered on once more, revealing Baku, Benero, and Zenero pointing their weapons toward Marcus. Sori curled her nose in distaste at the way he puffed out his chest to make himself seem bigger and quite frankly, more important.
As the three ran onstage to stand alongside Marcus, Sori caught Zidane's gaze for just a split second. She knew he was just making sure she was in the right spot. After all, she was just as crucial as everyone else, even if she wasn't playing a part. She was, for lack of a better word, their alarm. If anything were to go wrong, Sori would be the first to know.
"My word," the woman next to Sori exclaimed in a hushed tone. "That hair. Do you see that beautiful tint? Such a rare sight, if I do say so myself."
Seeing that the woman's eyes were locked on Blank, Sori followed her gaze's trail. It wasn't very often that Blank's hair caught positive attention; redheads were scarce during these times and when one was seen, they weren't welcomed with quite a tone of amazement. They were usually seen as strange and foreign – like another kind of being altogether. These sorts of things never phased Blank, though. Even through the surly whispers and glares of revulsion, he continued to walk on by with his head held high.
"What ho?" Baku shouted from the stage, Benero and Zenero raising their arms in anger at his sides. "Out, vermin! Away! Thou darest bare thy sword before the king?! All who stand in my way will be crush'd!"
A few more, almost unintelligible threats flew from Zidane's mouth and the swords began to fly. They'd rehearsed this fight so many times before; Sori shouldn't have been as nervous as she was, but she had to stop herself from biting at her fingernails a few times. From the sideways glance of confusion from the woman beside her, Sori gathered that nobles didn't often put their hands anywhere near their mouths. So instead, she resorted to clasping her hands together tightly in her lap and digging her jagged nails into her own skin instead.
As Baku's henchmen, Benero and Zenero threw themselves at the trio to protect their boss, casting all sorts of stage magic and waving their swords about wildly. Smiling to herself, Sori wordlessly admitted with a small nod that it was definitely a convincing harmless fight. That is, until Benero stumbled on his own feet and pressed the tip of his sword against Blank's arm.
With a heavy gasp of horror, Sori watched as the cloth she had tied on earlier fell from Blank's previous injury, allowing another gush of blood to appear on his scarred skin. Obviously flustered, the redhead took a step back, dropping his sword to grab at the sticky liquid only momentarily before gathering his senses. He bowed his head, grabbed his sword once more, and delivered his boot into Benero's chest.
"Away with thee!" Blank hollered, pursing his lips into a thin line.
Sori's gut swirled uncomfortably at the sight of his blood. It had always left an unsettling feeling inside her on the rare occurrences that she did see it. Sweat collected in her palms, her chest suddenly felt compressed, and her knees began to tremble. Instead of keeping her eyes, now filling with tears, locked on the actors, Sori tilted her head downward, staring at her hands as if they would wash away the blood that she was sure would forever remain stained on the wood in front of her.
"This group is simply amazing," the woman beside she whispered, her eyes as wide as a pair of moons. "How in the world could they find makeup that looks just like real blood? And to have it pour from that man's arm like that – I just can't fathom the amount of gil they've spent on it!"
With a harmonized groan of pain, Benero and Zenero crumpled to the ground, seemingly defeated. Sori lifted her gaze back to her friends just as Baku shoved his way past Zidane and Marcus, holding his chest as if he'd been stabbed. "Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!" he declared as he stumbled his way up the fake spiral stairs the group had constructed a week before, which had ultimately led to a paint war and yet another beating from Baku. Sori could still feel the bruise on her hip from his massive fist.
Just as Zidane made his move to chase after their boss, Blank hurried to stand in his way, dramatically dodging a sword swing from the blond. "Out of the way, Blank!" he ordered in annoyance.
"Consider this, Zidane!" Blank retorted, holding his sword toward his friend. Sori could see the pain written on his face; his jaw remained tight, he was obviously sweating, and his lips trembled ever so slightly. "If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!"
Surprisingly, Sori's mouth lifted into a tiny smile. During their moments of secret practice, Blank would intentionally say that line wrong to make her laugh. Like a mirror, his mouth did the same, though it was quickly pressed back into a tight frown. Had he been watching her this entire time? Without even thinking about the answer, Sori allowed her heart to flutter inside her chest at the thought of it.
Blank's expression fell darker than it had in years as he held his sword at Zidane's throat. Sori's smile faltered as she stared at him, her heart slowing to its normal pace in almost an instant. Then, like some sort of magic, the scar on her left leg felt as if it had been set aflame. With a sharp inhale, she reached down and rubbed it furiously with her palm.
As if they were a hound chasing a rabbit, Zidane and Blank ran up the stairs Baku had used earlier and performed a small fight scene at the top balcony. With every clang of the metal and scuffle of their feet on the wood, the woman next to Sori let out some sort of distressed squeal, as if she was scared they'd harm each other. Sori could see why she was acting such a way; the scene the two were putting on were so believable that Sori herself began to wonder if one had made the other angry just before they came onstage together.
It was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Blank held his blade in front of his face, blocking a swing from Zidane, and pushed him backward. "We shall finish this later!" he cried out before running off the way Baku had gone.
"Come back here!" Zidane roared, chasing after the redhead.
With a sigh of relief, Sori leaned back on her seat. Now, she thought, she could enjoy the play without hanging on the edge of her chair.
(!)(!)(!)
Unfortunately, enjoying the play never happened. Sori found herself painfully bored, nearly to the point of tears. She slouched in her chair, giving up her proper appearance long ago, and let out a long sigh. When was this going to be over? She'd seen this acted out so many times, she should've known when the ending was coming. The play was only an hour long, and yet Sori felt as if she'd been sitting there for three hours.
"Quiet yourself, young lady," the woman next to her scolded, once more smacking Sori's leg with her hand. "King Leo is just about to announce Marcus' execution."
With an irritated roll of her eyes, Sori donned on the dagger strapped to her thigh. One more smack, and it would be driven right through this woman's chest. "If only," she murmured under her breath.
Up on the stage, Marcus struggled against more of Baku's henchmen. Sword swinging proudly in the air, Baku let out a roaring laughter and puffed his chest out. "When yon bell strikes three, under the axe thou shall be!"
With the first strike of a church bell that someone had hit underneath the stage, the crowd began to stir uncomfortably. As much as Sori disposed Marcus, she had to admit that he was a great actor; the audience had fallen in love with his character within the first two minutes of the play. At the second strike of the bell, the woman beside Sori began whispering that they couldn't actually kill an actor on stage, no matter how real that blood looked. She seemed to be trying to convince herself, and failing miserably; her eyes had become cloudy long ago.
The third strike never came, because much to Sori's surprise, the trap door opened and three bodies lifted into sight. Zidane's panicked gaze locked onto Sori, wordlessly letting her know that things have gone wrong, while an armor-clad Alexandrian knight stared out into the sea of audience.
"Ho? What is all this?" the knight questioned, lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the stage lights.
Beside him, a petite figure in a hooded cloak made her way over to the actors just as Marcus and Baku shared a knowing glance. Marcus broke free from the henchmen and allowed the woman to fall into his arms. "Cornelia!" he cried out, a wide grin spreading across his tanned face.
The gut-wrenching feeling inside Sori disappeared for only a moment. At least Ruby had made it to her place without anything going wrong. So what if they picked up an extra person along the way? If anything, the knight made this all more believable.
"Oh, Marcus!" the girl cried out, and every single ounce of hope inside Sori dropped. Where was the accent? Sori shifted forward in her seat, getting a better look at this girl. She was definitely a lot shorter than Ruby. Who the hell was she?
With her breathing becoming more and more heavy and painful, Sori twisted about in her seat, looking for any sign of the mess of fiery hair, for the hand sign, for anything. Instead, she was only greeted with the confused expressions of the onlookers and another slap to the leg. She grit her teeth, remembering on a past threat that Baku had given her about fighting with anyone who wasn't trying to stop the play.
"...and for my love, Cornelia!" Marcus cried out as Sori apprehensively brought her attention back to the stage. "I shall cut thee down!"
Holding his sword over his head, Marcus thrust the blade toward Baku. Whoever the hooded girl was, though, nearly sprinted to Baku's aide, lifting her arm only slightly to give the impression that the weapon pierced her instead. With a pained grunt, she fell to her knees then finally to her stomach, being sure to keep her face hidden from the audience.
Marcus fell to his knees at her side. Something flashed across his face for only a split second as he lowered himself to her level. That confirmed Sori's doubts that there was something wrong with whoever was lying on the stage, but Marcus continued anyway. Forcing dampness into his eyes, he let out a dramatic choking sob.
"What have I done!" he hollered, his voice thick was tears. "Am I never to hear her loving voice again! Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch! O, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all I treasure!" As a final decision, Marcus lifted his sword once more and "stabbed" it through himself. He fell next to the hooded girl, but his eyes remained open and wide as he stared at her face. Sori could've sworn she saw a tiny smirk playing on his lips.
Causing a jolt of surprise to flood over Sori's body, the woman next to her erupted into terrible, screeching cries. Urgently, she began to fish around in her purse and pulled out a series of tissues that looked as though they had already been used.
Meanwhile, the knight who had been watching the entire play, fell to his knees as well. "Princess!" he shouted in horror. Pieces started to come together in Sori's head. If the knight thought the hooded girl was truly dead, and honestly believed her to be a princess, then that only meant...
"Leave me alone!"
In the corner of the stage, a small Black Mage stumbled his way into view. Behind him were two Alexandrian knights, both suffering with heaving breaths. Sori's fingers latched onto the side of her seat once more. She'd never fought a Black Mage, but from what she'd heard of them in stories and talk around cities, they were extremely dangerous and unstable.
As much as Sori wanted to jump onstage with everyone, she remained where she was. After all, Blank hadn't given the hand sign yet. Where the hell was he, anyway?
Circling around Marcus and the hooded girl, the Black Mage used them as a barrier between himself and the knights. He lifted his gloved hands toward them, obviously trembling. "D-Don't come any closer!" he shouted, his voice giving away that he couldn't have been any older than ten. "I'm warning you!"
The knights, apparently not giving this warning a second thought, each took a step toward him. Letting out a shriek of panic, the mage gathered flames in his palms and sent them flying out at his pursuers. Instead of landing on their armor, the embers settled onto the hooded girl. Without any hesitation, she jumped to her feet and flung the robe from her back.
"Ow! Ow!" she cried out, dancing about in place. "That's hot!"
The flaming robe landed somewhere in the audience, but only a few moved away from what was left of the smoking piece of clothing. The others were too transfixed on the one who had thrown it, Sori included. She'd never seen Princess Garnet up close. Sure, she had seen paintings and heard about her beauty, but this was something Sori hadn't expected.
Even though Princess Garnet was obviously alarmed, her giant brown eyes still shone through with nothing but the utmost kindness. Hair the shade of midnight and so much longer then Sori's framed her heart-shaped face and tumbled down her back flawlessly. Her skin looked so clear and fragile that it seemed as if she'd shatter at the most softest of touches.
"...Sori!" Baku's deep growl brought Sori's attention away from the woman gazing down at her in confusion. "Get the hell up here and get in the ship!"
"B-But Blank didn't give the-"
"Listen to me, girl, or get left behind!"
She had no time to think. Grabbing onto Baku's hand, she allowed him to pull her toward the stage. Unfortunately, the sobbing woman had pulled herself together long enough to grab onto Sori's ankle. "Thief!" she cried out, looking about frantically for any knights who weren't occupied with the roar of the crowd. "They're kidnapping the princess! Guards, get her!"
Having no time to consider her options, Sori latched onto to Baku's giant arm. With her free foot, she reared her leg back and shoved her knee into the woman's face. In an instant, blood began to squirt from the woman's nose, sending her tumbling backwards into the rest of the audience, who clumsily caught her.
"Nicely done, girl," Baku grumbled into Sori's ear as she stumbled onto the wooden stage.
Engines roared to life deep inside the ship. Sori twisted her head about nervously. "Blank, where's Blank?!" she shouted over the cries of the audience. People were already starting to try to save the princess by crawling onto the stage, but Benero, Zenero, and Zidane were standing ready to push them away.
"He'll find his way!" Baku replied, his plump face crimson with anger. "He always does!"
Sori knew Baku was right. When speaking about his boys, he usually was, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave without knowing if Blank was on the ship or not. A chorus of a gasp rose from the audience as the stage began to lift from the ground. Not giving her a choice in the matter anymore, Baku lifted the small girl over his shoulder and hurried toward the control room, trying to ignore her shouts of protest the entire way.
Inside the ship, chaos mirrored the exterior. Random members of the unlucky band that had been playing called for each other over the noise of the engine and the hollering orders of the Tantalus members. Tables and chairs were shifting haphazardly, creating blockades for anyone trying to run to safety. In the rush of starting, the ceilings began to crack and chip, much to Baku's dismay. This would cost more gil in repairs than he had the energy or patience to think about.
"Put me down!" Sori shrieked as he pounded his back with her fists. "Put me down!"
What happened next seemed much like a whirlwind of movement to her. She was placed on her feet and a beefy palm collided with her cheek. Just as she stumbled back a few paces, Baku grabbed onto her shoulders and lowered himself to her height. "Pull yourself together, girl!" he shouted, spittle landing on her red face. "Keep actin' like this and you're gonna die! Do you understand me?!"
Honestly, over the noise and the shock of what just happened, it was hard to understand him. Eventually, Sori nodded, eyes filled with tears and body trembling, and muttered a pathetic, "Yes, sir."
"Now get somewhere safe and stay there until we come get you!"
"You found her!"
In a flash, Sori whipped her body around and attached herself to Blank's. Burying her face into his skin so that her tears of embarrassment weren't obvious, she repeated over and over again, "Where were you? Where were you? Where were you?"
Blank didn't have time to answer her question; the ship gave a great and painful sounding groan before shifting to the left. Wrapping an arm around Sori's waist, Blank used a nearby door frame to steady himself so that the both of them wouldn't topple over.
"They're retaliating," he hissed in her ear, grabbing for her hand once the ship became somewhat steady. "C'mon – don't fall behind!"
Sori had only seen Blank move so quickly once before in her life. His rapid, sharp movements did nothing to calm her growing fear that they may not make it out of this alive. Being sure to dodge the staggering bodies around them, Blank led her to the bedroom, where most of the beds had shifted to the east wall. Gathering all the blankets and pillows he could, he pressed his palm onto Sori's back, pushing her as gently as possible onto one of the beds.
"Stay here, okay?" he ordered, his lips moving so quickly that Sori barely caught word of what he said. Then, without any warning, he began piling the blankets and pillows around and on top of her. "Don't move until I come and get you. Stay as compact as you can."
Ignoring Blank's demands, Sori reached out and grabbed onto his wrist. "Blank," she mumbled, the tears finally spilling over her eyes. "I'm scared. I'm so scared."
Chest heaving with his breaths, Blank took a moment to detach himself from making a comfort mountain on her body. With his pointer finger, he smoothed the hair from her eyes and cupped her cheek in his palm. "You're going to be okay. We all are. We'll get the princess out of here, get back to Lindblum, and I'm take you out to dinner. How does that sound?"
Before Sori had a chance to answer, an explosion sounded from somewhere on the ship, nearly knocking Blank off his feet. Hissing a string of curses under his breath, he placed a pillow onto her head and vanished from the room, slamming the door behind him. Another explosion, a series of screams, and the smell of smoke finally drew a blood-curdling scream from Sori's mouth.
Through her fort of pillows, she could hear Baku shouting orders to the other boys of Tantalus to find Ruby and to get on the stage to help Zidane. Most everyone argued against him, though, saying that they didn't want to die. At some point, the scent of burning flesh found its way into Sori's nose. She pressed her face deeper into the blankets, trying to cover it with the smell of Marcus' musk. It didn't do much; bile threatened to force its way up her throat.
All remaining hope Sori had was destroyed when she heard Cinna somewhere out in the madness yell, "We're going to crash! Grab anyone you can!"
Suddenly, something heavy and solid collided with her side. The blanket lifted and her face was pressed into Blank's chest once more. "Its all going to be okay," he whispered in her ear, obviously trying to fake a tone of calmness. "Everything is going to be fine."
"We're going to die!" Sori shouted against him, her tears smearing onto his skin. "We're not going to make it!"
"Shh, Sori."
She felt his hand trail up her back to her neck. For a moment, she thought he was going to stroke her hair.
"Everything is going to be fine."
A pop, and the world fell dark.