Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a nice Independence Day (Americans anyway...). Mine's been quite relaxing.
So, before you all kill me... I'm sorry. I've been way lazy for the past few months... For the epilogue of Fire and Ice, well, after the rather disastrous end of the 15th chapter, I am determined to write a good epilogue. Except all inspiration has fled me besides a beginning and a middle scene. There isn't an ending yet! So...
OUT CAME THIS!!! :D :D :D I love Dark Cloud, even if its graphics are not as great as Kingdom Hearts II. But all the guides tell you to rely most upon the genie. I prefer the cat... it might have to do with the fact I adore cats. But anyway, Xiao is my favorite and here's a fanfic about her. It might have a little Xiao/Toan, but it's not meant to be read that way.
Xiao knew, for a fact, that she was spoiled.
It was in the tone of Toan's voice, the fact she got a hefty amount of the prettier jewels for her slingshots, and she felt a lot better than her comrades most of the time. Never mind that she got to face the stronger monsters on her own while they plowed down the weaker ones. She knew that her weapon was stronger than theirs when Toan relied on her to beat the larger monsters from a distance instead of Ruby, or even those really annoying flying ones. It was true, maybe, that she had spent a very long time fighting on her own to better herself in her master's eyes, but she didn't realize the effects until her beloved master told her to take care of those horrid dragons or the lumbering steel giants.
Xiao heard the mumbled complaints from Goro, who hardly ever had a chance to fight because of his slow hammer, and Ungaga, who thought it unseemly for a warrior to let a half-cat half-human fight for him. I think I can forgive him, she thought. He was, after all, trained to fight and wasn't supposed to watch the monsters be beaten before he even had a chance to raise his spear. But she couldn't forgive Ruby, who was downright nasty to her. They were both long-distance fighters, and Ruby being the genie she was, didn't like that Xiao's slingshot could do anything better than her rings and armlets could.
But it wasn't her fault. She was the one that Toan had first gained as an ally on this quest anyway. Her weapon would always be more experienced than Ruby's, plain and simple. So that stupid genie had better stop complaining. Or better yet, get some serious training done.
Xiao was moving through the Sun and Moon Temple, her fellows fighting monsters in the nearby chambers (she had to let them fight sometime, didn't she?) while she searched for treasure chests, maybe a mimic or two, and water. They needed water so badly in this wretched desert temple that they seemed to naturally get thirstier here than the Divine Beast Cave or Wise Owl's Forest. Obviously the shipwreck hadn't been this bad, since it'd been underwater. So, while she was picking off the stronger monsters and the flying things, she searched for water and treasure to add to their stores.
To her delight, she found a larger chest and flung it open (with a little difficulty; her arms were scrawny), to find a Goddess Ring, which unfortunately she couldn't use. But Ruby can, she thought glumly, about to pocket it when suddenly the chest toppled on top of her and she was trapped underneath by the heavy stone. Xiao mewed in fear and tried to knock the thing off of her, but it wouldn't budge. If it had been hard enough to open it, of course it'd be hard to get it off! Xiao thought. It wasn't very comforting.
Then she noticed Toan's excited yells and Ruby's dignified cries of battle. They were battling on top of her, weren't they?! She wondered what they were fighting, but before she could come to any conclusion, the sounds stopped. Obviously, the pair had defeated their enemy (or enemies).
"Feeling all right, Ruby?" Toan's voice came, to the right of the chest.
"Fine, Toan, but thank you." Xiao was willing to bet money that Ruby was smiling prettily at him, and had possibly bat her eyes a couple of times.
"Hey, anyone notice that Xiao's gone?" Goro's low voice interrupted, from the left of her chest. Ungaga gave some softer comment that Xiao couldn't hear, but she was certain he was saying the same thing. At least, she hoped he was.
"Maybe she's looking for water or got lost," Ruby suggested. Of course she'd think that Xiao would get lost.
"No, she's too smart to get lost." Xiao's ears pricked upward, happy to hear that Toan was defending her.
"Of course, defend the cat," Ruby said sarcastically and somewhat bitterly.
"You're just jealous," Goro retorted. "Now let's find her before something bad happens that even she can't handle." There was a smirk in his voice, but was he really smirking? If only she wasn't in this stupid chest.
Ruby gave a huff of annoyance, and began to argue. That was it. Xiao had heard enough. She wriggled the chest, in order to get their attention. Please, please please PLEASE get this thing off of me! she thought desperately. It was starting to get stuffy…
Ruby gave a scream of fear and cried, "The chest moved!"
"It must be a mimic!" Toan exclaimed, and began to whack at the chest.
No! I'm not a mimic! Xiao thought. Then she fell through a disorienting tumble, as the chest was heaved to an upright position and the top slammed shut with the motion. She began to bang hard on the lid, growing increasingly frustrated.
"Maybe it's your cat-thing girlfriend," Ruby said snidely. Xiao blushed, but she could only ponder on Toan's reaction.
"Mimic's don't usually make banging noises," Ungaga pointed out, ignoring Ruby's comment. She heard the lock being undone and the lid thrown open.
"Thank you!" she gasped, breathing in fresher air. Xiao climbed out of the chest, still clutching the Goddess Ring. "I'd opened the chest and found this ring when it fell on top of me," she explained, and then handed it to Ruby.
"Uh, thanks Xiao," she said sweetly. "But you see I already have one of these." Ruby pulled a copy out of her pocket and held the twin rings up for the rest to see.
Xiao groaned and looked at Toan, silently asking for help. He shrugged and stroked the cat girl's hair to soothe her. A smile grew on her face, liking the motion. "You might as well keep it anyway," Toan suggested, still stroking her hair but looking at Ruby. "We might sell it or you could upgrade both of them."
Ruby pocketed the ring and stormed over to the water pool at the far end of the room. The group followed her, but keeping a safe distance. They'd all get their turn when she was done. One thing she was always specific about was that she be alone when they reached the magical pools. Xiao figured that Ruby didn't want her cleaning space to be cramped, which she respected. A little.
"Toan?" she asked, having finally started calling him by his name. "Why is Ruby so nasty to me?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "It might have to do with that you're practically plastered to my side." He grinned and scratched her ear. "But I happen to like having you there."
She purred, and gave a smile. Xiao knew he was spoiling her when he pulled out from his pocket a sapphire, which would up her magic on her Divine Beast Title slingshot like she needed. The cat-girl knew that he was spoiling her when he gave her a chicken ("You look really weak," he said). But she didn't care.
She rather liked being spoiled by her beloved master.
So how'd it go? Good? Bad? You need to play the game first? Yeahh... review though! :3