Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or the characters in it. I am responsible for the horrible OCness, though I tried to keep it to a minimum. Honestly, how do you think they'd act after about ten years, huh? -.-;
The raiders had arrived in the middle of the night. They attacked the peaceful village and set fire to the huts of the frightened mages. Unwilling to hurt even their enemies, the innocent beings instead used their magic to put out the many fires and to keep the livestock safe. It would be a terrible thing if the chocobos were injured in the raid, they reasoned. They had no thought for themselves, only for the animals and, God help them, their enemies.
The mages were not the only ones in the village that night, however, and the travelers who had been seeking comfort and shelter in the village instead took up arms to defend it and the mages who had been so kind to them. They managed to cause the raiders to retreat back into the forest, but at a great loss to the village. Two mages had been slain and one brave visitor lay bleeding before the entrance to the chocobo barn. He was in critical condition, and even the mages powerful healing spells could do little for him. The mages rebuilt as best they could, but they were defenseless without their leader.
"Pray for our leader to return," was on everyone's lips the next day. Surely he could save them.
The anxious teen waited in the shadows of the throne room. He hated it when the king and queen of Lindblum made such a scene, but they did it every time he visited. They were trying so hard to push him into a relationship with their daughter that even he could tell.
Of course, he didn't really mind. He had cared for the young princess for years, but sadly the feelings were not returned. She liked him as a friend, of course, but nothing more.
He sighed wearily and clenched his black leather-clad hand into a fist. No on seemed to notice his tension; his hands were hidden in his billowy blue robes, and his hat and high collar hid his face from prying eyes. Even the princess, his childhood friend, had never seen his face.
As if summoned, the object of his musings appeared. She fluttered into the room, long purple hair tied back with a bright yellow bow that matched the silk gown that she wore. Her eyes twinkled with joy at the sight of her friend. She grinned and walked straight towards him, blatantly ignoring everyone else in the room.
"Vivi," she cried happily. "It's about time you came and visited me! Why, I was just telling Papa that if you didn't show up, I was going to-"
"Princess Eiko," Vivi murmured softly, "You are ignoring your other guests."
Eiko stopped before him and swatted his arm playfully. "You shouldn't interrupt a lady when she's speaking, Vivi!" She leaned forward and Vivi held his breath. "Besides," she whispered, "you know that they aren't as important as you are." She winked at him and straightened. Vivi let out the breath he'd been holding. He couldn't breathe when she got that close to him, but she never seemed to realize that she had such an effect on him. He was, after all, just her childhood friend.
"And what's up with this 'Princess Eiko' stuff? How many times do I have to tell you to call me Eiko?" She pinched his arm playfully, but Vivi didn't feel it through the many layers of cloth. He might be able to hide how he felt from most people by hiding behind billowy robes and heavy hats, but Eiko knew…she could tell. It was his eyes. His glowing yellow eyes that crinkled when he was happy, winced when he was in pain or sad, and narrowed dangerously when he was angry. Of course, Eiko rarely ever saw him angry. He was always glad when she was around.
"Eiko," he conceded. "You shouldn't ignore everyone else. They've been waiting to see you. I can wait a little longer."
She pouted, but turned swiftly on her heel and returned to the group of nobles waiting for her. After polite introductions, a couple of nobles presented their son to the princess. Vivi watched her smile prettily at him and take his arm. As they walked away, Eiko flashed Vivi a teasing grin while he tried to appear apathetic. The worst part about being Eiko's friend was just that: he would always be her friend.
Vivi sighed and excused himself. If Eiko wanted him, she would be able to find him.
Eiko hid a yawn behind her fan. She had originally agreed to walk with the young noble because she was a little put off by Vivi's indifference. However, as they walked through the heavily scented rose gardens, she found that the dolt could make no intelligent conversation whatsoever! He could only complain about the local peasants and whine about the new laws and how they gave the poor more power and freedom than they needed. Eiko rolled her eyes and turned her head away from him.
There was a flutter above her, and the princess raised her eyes to the top of the castle wall. A dark figure lurked somewhere up there, and she smiled, knowing who it was.
"If you will excuse me, I'm feeling a bit of a headache coming on…I believe I would like to retire early tonight," she murmured, fluttering her lashes for effect.
"Of course! I'm sorry, your majesty. I should have realized that the heat would make you faint. Let us return to the castle."
Eiko allowed him to walk with her to the main hall, but then she left him. She couldn't honestly stand another minute of the dolt's company anyway. Instead, she hurried for the roof and her sanctuary.
Vivi was waiting for her when she arrived, panting from her run. She threw a grin his way and made her way to his side. Collapsing on the iron bench next to him, Eiko groaned.
"Man, you're lucky that you don't have to worry about wearing heels! These things are terrible! If I were queen, I'd get rid of them! I'd ban them! Yeah, that's what I'd-"
"Someday you will be queen," Vivi interrupted softly. Eiko could go on for hours if you didn't interrupt her.
Eiko nodded thoughtfully. "So I will. I must admit that I try not to think about it too much. I'm grateful to Mother and Papa for adopting me, but I don't really feel like a princess…I mean...I guess I'd rather be going on a journey with you and Dagger and…" She fell silent. They both knew who she was thinking of.
Vivi huffed in silent anger. He had liked Zidane as much as everyone else, but he could not quell the feelings of jealousy that Eiko could provoke in him at the mere mention of the man's name. It was obvious that she had been thoroughly infatuated with him when she was younger. Why, if the incident with the Lifa Tree hadn't happened…
"Vivi," Eiko whispered. "What's wrong? You're really quiet today."
"I'm always quiet," Vivi replied, alarmed that she had seen through his façade of indifference.
"Yeah, but today you've been really really quiet." She leaned closer with a mock serious look on her face. "Really really really quiet." Vivi blinked at her. What was she doing?
Suddenly, without any warning, Eiko jumped and reached for his hat. She managed to brush it with her fingers before Vivi firebolted her butt. Well, okay…maybe he just singed her hand a bit…but he honestly thought about firebolting her butt.
"Owowowowowow!!" she cried, bringing the injured hand to her mouth and sucking on the wound. She pouted and turned her back to him. Vivi barely held in the chuckle as he adjusted the large hat. He did not regret that one bit. He hadn't really hurt her, and she deserved that little burn.
"They're right, you are a little brat. I don't know why I come visit you so much," Vivi teased.
"Heeey now," Eiko cried, turning back to him. "You don't honestly feel that way, now do you?"
Vivi nodded, his hat bobbing along with his head. "Of course I do. You fit the description perfectly: you're spoiled, ill-tempered, and whiney. You, my dear, are a brat."
Eiko's mouth hung open. Then she threw back her head and laughed. Vivi laughed softly with her and was caught completely off guard when she decided to launch her next attack on his hat. And she literally launched, leaping for it with such force that she knocked the pair to the ground.
As they fell, Vivi had three options:
1: Forget his hat and catch himself and Eiko.
2: Forget Eiko and catch himself and keep his hat.
3: Sacrifice himself, keep his hat, and catch Eiko.
The stone ground was very painful, but his hat remained where it was and Eiko was safely in his arms instead of lying on the ground…where he now was.
"Ooowww," Vivi hissed, moving his hand from his hat to the back of his head. There was a bump there! "That hurt, Eiko!"
Eiko grumbled a reply, squirming as she did. Vivi froze as she tried to sit up. She was sitting practically on his lap, her hand on his chest as she sought to steady herself. A few strands of her hair had escaped the yellow ribbon, and she was pouting at him. Vivi could not help laughing at the picture that the pampered princess of Lindblum presented. Eiko laughed with him, and they stayed there, in their sanctuary, until the sun set and the stars appeared.
"We must send word to our leader," the mage said to the traveler. They nodded. The situation at the village was getting desperate; they needed their leader to return and set things right. Another raid could be expected at any time...the band of criminals could not have gone far. They were probably hiding in the forest, waiting for the opportunity to attack again. The traveler speculated on methods of communication before replying thoughtfully.
"It's too bad that you don't have a moogle here. They have this unique system of communication called-"
"Mognet, kupo?" a voice asked.
"Yes, actually," the traveler replied, turning to the newcomer. "They can-hey…where'd he go?"
"Down here, kupopo!" The moogle tugged on the traveler's sleeve.
"Well, I'll be damned!"
"I'd be happy to get a message to master Vivi, kupo!"
Bleeeeh! I guess I shouldn't be starting on a new story while I'm still writing on Amber Eyes, but I couldn't help it! I mean, I started writing about Vivi and Eiko, and I couldn't help starting a little story about them too! SIGH Oh well, I'm hopeless. T-T Maybe this story will get more reviews though! If it gets more reviews than Amber Eyes then I'll write a few more chapters on it. I try to stay even with the reviews, so I write a new chapter for every review. Wink
Oh! And in case you guys were wondering: YES, this story IS meant to go along with Amber Eyes…just about ten years later. So if you're reading that fic, some of these later chapters might reveal some stuff that I might not have written yet for Amber Eyes. Whistles innocently
See you guys next time!!
Reviews, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.
The more reviews this story gets, the more motivated I'll be to finish it. Muwahaha!!