Chapter One: Dreams in the Night
A bright light sparked in the deep night sky, streaking across the horizon in front of the tiny airship. The light glowed in the colors of the setting suns, and the closer it came to the sea the more brightly it shone. Blazing with a radiance of orange, yellow, pink, and even a deep red... the ball was beautiful and, yet, also frightening to behold.
At first it went unnoticed, even by those aboard the airship. A sentry patrolled the decks, a stern look of resolution on his face. He scanned the horizon with his dark eyes, looking for anything in the unusual. The redhead was chosen for this position because of his hawk vision and sensibility. He was not a man to be easily swayed by his eyes and was well known for making quick and accurate assessments of a situation.
The airship that he rode and guarded was a spectacular display of mechanical genius for its time. It was powered by the mysterious magic of the suns. The mechanics of this weren't completely understood except perhaps by the engineering masterminds of the ShinRa Empire. After all, it was their initial design and model… until Cid stole it from them that is.
Nevertheless, he questioned his sanity as he looked upon the brilliant light in the sky, just above the Highwind. The redhead stared at it in wonder and amazement, having always heard of aliens and creatures from other worlds. Was he seeing one now?
Suddenly, the ball of light stopped, and hovered before the airship. He was frozen in place for just a moment. He had thought it was a meteor, but what meteor moved in such a way? His legs regained their movement and he found his voice. He ran to the door of the deck, calling down to the other sentry standing at the bottom of the stairs. The other man saluted quickly before dashing into the inner cabins, intent on notifying the one in charge. It was not long before the captain was on deck.
The captain, an attractive young man with spiky brown hair and ocean blue eyes, took one look at the brilliant light that hovered in the sky and knew that there was something magical afoot. He recognized his opinion and own magical expertise would not be enough and so he sought the aid of his companions. Some of whom were much better versed in the world than he.
The brunette captain sent the sentry back into the airship for his friends, after commending the man on his great fortitude. Stammering a thanks and saluting quickly, the sentry happily rushed into the common area of the inner cabins, where the companions were known to spend their time.
The light stayed suspended in the air, neither moving nor changing in its intensity or coloration. It seemed to be waiting for something, perhaps a signal or sign, as if it were a living and sentient creature. The captain briefly wondered on the oddity of it, as he watched the shining ball with interested blue eyes. There was an omen in the situation that he was not sure if he wanted to discover or not.
The companions arrived in one large group, looking upon the spectacle. Some had shocked, surprised faces, others were more amused and interested. One silver-haired man even had a look of vague understanding and recognition. But it passed quickly out of his face, becoming again an impassive mask.
The mysterious round radiant light gleamed in an almost blinding multitude of color. It seemed that it had finally received the proper sign. Before anyone had a chance to investigate further, the illumination abruptly shattered, forcing the companions on the deck to shield their eyes from the brightness of the explosion, lest they be blinded and useless in upcoming battles. After several heartbeats, once they felt it was safe to look; six pairs of eyes beheld another wonder.
A rather beautiful woman was suspended in the air. She had hair that was a beautiful pale blond. It was midlength and curling close to her body. She was dressed most strangely in clothes that the passengers could not even begin to describe. No one recognized her clothing from any of the places that had visited before. She was pale and a reasonably small build. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to not even breathe.
Gasps of amazement were heard all around. Never before had anything such as this happened to the group of friends. The mysterious apparition hung for only another moment before she abruptly dropped, falling straight into the dark depths of the churning ocean below. Such a fall would kill any normal person and it seemed that she was doomed.
After a split second of hesitation, one of the passengers dove in after her. With a loud splash, both hit the surface of the water, one mere seconds behind the other. High above, the others waited anxiously for the two to surface. Five pairs of eyes darted back and forth over the ocean's surface, looking for any signs of survival.
For a few minutes all was still. One of the passengers, a young woman, in fact the only female, held her breath with trepidation. Then a spurt of water launched in the air announcing the surfacing of both fallen humans. The youthful man was holding the woman in his strong arm having successfully saved her. With a relieved sigh, the captain tossed a braided thick rope down to him and the young man grasped it tightly with a thin long-fingered pale hand. The other passengers leant their strength to the captain, helping heave the rescuer and his burden to the top.
The silver-haired hero handed the limp body of the woman over to the group as he himself climbed over the rail and collapsed on the deck, shivering with chills and exhaustion. The ocean was rather cold as no warm currents circulated in this particular area.
The strange woman was unconscious but breathing. The rather surprised captain ordered she be taken to the infirmary while the others were to meet in the conference room. He knew that an event such as this was something to be discussed by all. It wasn't everyday that a mysterious luminous ball suddenly morphs into a beautiful young woman. A blond man chewing on a toothpick scooped up the young woman and took her to the infirmary. The deck quickly cleared as everyone returned to their tasks, all except for one.
The youthful man with hair a silver glream and eyes that made one think of glittering aquamarine treasure, rose from the floor of the deck where he had collapsed tiredly. His clothes made tiny puddles on the wooden floor of the observation deck, a testament to his recent dive into the ocean below. He gave one last pensive glance towards the sky, as if in that one look he could understand everything. He searched the heavens as he prepared to enter the main cabin, taking the ends of his cloaks in his hands and wringing most of the excess water out.
The water splashed onto the dark cherry-wood of the decks, making it glisten in the fading light of the suns. He shook his hair out and moved towards the door. There seemed to be a question on his face as if the answer he was looking for had just arrived. There was a slight shrug to his shoulders, like he had decided something, before he vanished into the shadowy doorway that led into the inner recesses of the airship Highwind.
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The crew met in the conference room, a space that was nothing more than the only room on the airship that would hold all six of them plus a few guests. It consisted of an elongated table made of a finely polished wood and twelve rather elegant chairs that lined the sides of it. The captain's chair was the most highly decorated as two animal horns graced the back of it. The walls themselves were carpeted in an elegant soft cream color. Each person took their respective seat and the meeting was called to order.
The captain spoke first. "I called this meeting because an odd incident has occurred as you all well know. We need to decide what to do about the woman in the infirmary," he stated, placing both hands flat on the table as a gesture of his dominance. His gaze traveled over each one of his men and women.
"I think it would be wise to discover her identity first," a man said quietly. He was the very same one that had carried the strange girl to the infirmary.
"Good idea, Cid, if only she were carrying some sort of identification, kupo," retorted an odd looking creature. It was short and stubby, covered in white fur. Atop it's head was a pompom colored red and its was voice was squeaky, an occasional kupo! emerging.
"Are ya tryin' to imply that I'm fuckin' stupid, Mog?" questioned Cid with a hint of anger. He was a man with blond hair and blue eyes. He was older than many of the others and he was constantly chomping on a toothpick, a poor cigarette substitute.
"I don't need to imply, kupo. You've already proven it," replied Mog calmly. Cid rose furiously to his feet, pointing his fist at Mog.
"Stop this immediately! We do not have time for idiocy," shouted a young lady, rising swiftly to her feet. She was beautiful, her cobalt eyes showing her intelligence and strength though her body seemed frail. She had glittering red hair and her look brooked no argument. She stomped her feet to enunciate her point. Muttering, both Cid and Mog sat down.
"Thank you Kairi," stated the captain loudly. "The both of you," he indicated Mog and Cid, "are right. She has no identification but we cannot just leave her somewhere. Don'tt worry. I have already decided what to do." The captain was a young boy who smiled a lot with cheerful and large blue eyes, spiky brown hair and an energetic personality.
"Then why bother asking in the first place," muttered Cid as he sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. He looked away almost childishly, mumbling to himself. Though he was the eldest of the group, even he looked to the younger man for guidance and leadership.
"I must warn you, Sora, I sense a peculiar but strong power in this girl. I could feel it coursing through her life force," commented the young man sitting in the shadows of the far corner. He was recognized by his damp clothes as the young woman's rescuer.
"What kind of power?" another boy questioned, a bright look in his blue eyes, his longish blond hair tied in the back with a blue bow. The first boy glared at him and the blue-eyed one did not speak again.
"Your warning is acknowledged, Riku, but I do not believe we have anything to fear," Sora replied. He turned to the other boy continuing, "Zidane, no matter what kind of power she contains it is not for us. I have decided to take her to my villa in Alexandria until she regains consciousness. I intend to leave her there with two volunteers, while the rest of us continue searching for more information about Ahriman. We cannot let this incident interfere with our most immediate and important quest." He finished.
"I will stay, Sora," Kairi spoke quickly.
"And I," Riku added softly.
The crew looked at him with a question on each of their lips, but his sneer silenced them before they spoke. It seemed unusual for Riku to not go on a dangerous journey and the crew was puzzled. For him to volunteer for such a mundane mission was even more baffling.
"So it is decided then. I shall tell Roxas to set a course for Alexandria. This meeting is adjourned," Sora pronounced.
Relieved, the friends pushed back their chairs and stood from the table, beginning to file out as quickly as possible. As Riku was heading out the door, he was pulled aside by Sora. He waited rather impatiently for Sora to make his point. The rest of the companions quickly emptied into the hallway and the two were alone.
"What is it that you want?" hissed Riku coldly. He looked away from his captain as if searching the easiest escape route. His black cloak settled about his figure, shielding his form from any peering eyes, despite the grip that his Captain had on it.
Sora stared at Riku. "You are not the type to care for someone, why would you stay? And why would you even dive into the sea after her?" He inquired. Sora released his grip on Riku's cloak, allowing the soft, silky cloth to swish against the floor as it rested back in its proper place.
"Are you implying that my intentions are anything but good?" Riku's voice was hardly above a whisper, so deep that he sounded almost hoarse.
"No, but I would like to understand."
"My motives are far beyond your simple comprehension, but I assure you that no harm will come to her as long as she is under my ever watching eye," responded Riku gruffly. He glared at Sora before quickly stalking off.
The captain simply stood there and stared after him, now more confused than before. Of all his crew, Riku was the one that most often surprised him.
----
Riku slammed into his room, pushing the door shut behind him, and collapsed in a chair. The moment he sat his body jerked with pain. The salty water was not very good for his wounds… wounds that would never heal. There was a scar emblazoned into his chest, a strange symbol of some sort that he had yet to identify. It had never healed and constantly burned. A pain he had endured for as long as he could remember, not that his memory was the best thing, there was simply too much of it missing. A large chunk of his past was non-existent, an enormous set of blank spots on his mind. He could not even remember his own childhood. No matter his efforts, he could not bring the memories back.
He leaned back his head and waited for the pain to cease as he knew it eventually would. His mind wandered to thoughts and old shards of memories of a girl he once loved … and the man who took her from him. As always, with the remembrances, came more pain, though not as physical as his scar, and not quite as easy to deal with.
To the rest of his friends, he seemed aloof and uncaring, but that was not so. The pain he felt was so strong, so lasting that in order to protect himself; he refused to commit himself to anything. He wanted so much to trust his friends and be as they were, seemingly happy, able to show their feelings, able to love… but he was afraid.
And that girl! She looked so much like Quistis that it almost shocked him into immobility. He dove after her only because he thought she was the blonde-haired beauty that he had loved long ago. When he finally rescued her he saw that his initial reaction had been wrong. Not that Namine wasn't beautiful in her own rights, to be honest, she was probably more so than Quistis, with a kind of ethereal beauty that men could only dream about.
Still, he knew that he had to protect her. Why he felt that way he still did not understand. What few memories he did have were prevailed by his memories of Quistis. He had loved her with all of his being. He gave her all he had, although it was not much. It ripped his heart to shreds when she left him for Seifer. He would never forgive Seifer; he had vowed that long ago. Nor would he ever permit himself to love again; he found it hurt far too much. His scar pulsed with pain again and he grimaced. It seemed every time he thought of his emotional ache, his body responded as well. He hunched over in his chair attempting to allay the pain… not that it ever worked.
Suddenly, the ship beneath him gave a great heave and almost succeeded in knocking him from his chair. He put out his hands to catch himself before he fell completely over, hands slapping down on the desk top. After his room stopped shaking he rose and looked out the window.
Riku sighed.
The great dragon Bahamut was attacking them again. Roxas must have foolishly steered into his territory once more. Riku stepped away from the window and grabbed his keyblade from where he had laid it. Buckling the weapon around his waist, he left his room and headed for the control deck. He knew that soon Sora would be calling them to the bridge.
When he arrived, the bridge was in chaos. The deckhands were running around trying to keep the ship away from the currently circling dragon. It was surrounding the airship, breathing its disastrous breath upon them and attempting to claw their ship apart. Sora was screaming orders this way and that attempting to regain control of the crew and not really getting much done. Roxas was apologizing profusely as he attempted to steer them away from the furious monster.
"Darnit Roxas! This is the third time you have done this!" spluttered Sora fiercely.
"Again, I am sorry, but the bastard keeps changing his territory. Either that or he is just out to get us. I swear, I thought I was steering around him," Roxas, the captain's cousin, apologized quickly.
Riku would have almost found this funny if his life was not at stake. He simply looked on the entire scene with an incredulous and, albeit, very bemused air.
"Riku, for god's sake, don't just stand there gawking, do something! Cid and Mog are on the deck attempting to ward off Bahamut. Go help them!" shouted Sora when he finally noticed Riku standing there. Without saying a word, the silver-haired man turned and walked out of the bridge, heading to the deck.
Sora was such an idiot sometimes.
The deck was a mess. It was scarred and charred from where the dragon had succeeded in attacking the ship. There were deep gouge marks and a section of the railing was missing from where Bahamut had clutched at the ship with his massive claws. Mog was attempting to hit the beast with one of the dozens of daggers he kept on hand. Cid's weapons were useless, so he was attempting to waylay the dragon by throwing debris and such at him. By the rate at which they were crossing the rugged ground below them, Riku assumed that Roxas had them going full speed. Yet still, Bahamut was staying right on their flank, though he did appear to be tiring. Riku knew his keyblade would be useless since he didn't know magic and did not know how Sora expected him to be a help.
Being on the deck gave Riku the rare opportunity to study the dragon a little bit closer. If he looked beyond the fact that Bahamut was pure evil, he was surely a sight to behold. Over a thousand years old and the dragon was still as blessed as the day he was newly hatched. He had the scaly armor of all dragons, but the colors were what mattered. With every play of the light on his scales, they changed color from blue to purple to green and back again. Yet, his eyes were the most fear inspiring part of him. The slitted look of a dragon combined with the brilliance of the ocean that the airship was fast approaching. His wingspan was twice as long as his body, which was by no means small. He had to be more than thirty feet long. The dragon's fangs were curved and stained with the blood of those he had killed before, and there were even some rumors that he could expel a breath of poison.
Riku came up beside Mog. "How can I help?" he asked quickly.
"Just throw things at him, kupo. I really cannot say. My daggers are useless and all Cid is doing is blinding him temporarily," the creature stated with a shrug. Then a bit more slyly, he added, "I suppose that's what happens when you throw garbage at the enemy."
"He is tiring though. Not much longer and he should give up. He usually does," Cid informed them, ignoring Mog's teasing.
"We need magic," Riku commented quietly, aquamarine eyes taking in the sight of the circling dragon.
Not but a few seconds after he spoke, Bahamut gave a great roar and veered off. He left the airship alone and returned to his lair. Apparently he had grown bored of chasing after them.
Cid and Mog wearily went into the ship, ready to finally get some rest. However, Riku remained on the deck; he had no desire to return to his room and his thoughts. Instead, he enjoyed the breathtaking view of the ground roaring by and the fast approaching ocean.
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Valentine