Okay now, I can breathe a bit easier. Got most of my work done and I'm ready to rock and roll! Thank you to Matei-San and Skykhanhunter for the great reviews!
More in game dialogue, but there is a little plot manipulation, not much but a little.
I don't own FFVI, but if Square Enix is looking to sell the rights, I'd sure as heck be interested! I also make no money from this fanfic, if you paid for it then congratulations; you just spent money for absolutely no reason.
Gau pointed a finger at the cave happily, "See, see! Men say treasure in cave! We go find?" The cave on the Veldt looked dark and forbidding, just the sort of place a person would find all kinds of good stuff.
Who the heck hides all this treasure in caves anyway? Relm wondered. She walked behind Cyan, who was looking even more depressed than he had back before Kefka destroyed the world, if that was even possible. It was still incredible to her that they had found her, after all this time, after all that had happened.
Relm remembered being thrown out of the Blackjack after the initial explosion. After that it was all blank, until she had woken up four days later in a cot on a small fishing vessel. The vessel had picked her out of the ocean three days earlier. The father and son who owned the ship were very kind, and when the seas calmed down enough for them to be able to make land, they had sailed her as close to Thamasa as they could. Relm figured that if anyone survived, it was possible that they might head there. But after two weeks of waiting (Relm was never a patient girl) she decided that it would be faster if she went out and looked for them.
After leaving Thamasa, Relm survived by selling her paintings and battling the occasional monster for gil. She managed to sneak aboard a ship heading west and eventually ended up in Jidoor. It didn't take long for an old rich man, Owser she thought his name was, to notice her talent and commission a painting from her. This was a year after the end of the world.
It had taken her months to finish the painting to the man's satisfaction. And just as she was about to add the finishing touches, a stupid demon decided to possess the painting. The nerve of the thing! This was when Celes, Edgar, Sabin, Setzer, and Cyan found her, stubbornly trying to drive the demon out of her painting. With their aid, she got the demon out, not that she really needed their help; it just made things go a little faster (so she liked to believe). It had been a no brainer to travel with them after that. They didn't even argue when she brought it up, in fact, Sabin and Cyan practically insisted on it!
Now here they were, two weeks later, exploring the Veldt with another of their old friends. Gau had almost given the lot of them heart attacks when he popped up out of the grass yelling happily when he first saw them. From his garbled explanation, Relm took it that she wasn't the only one who had doubted meeting the others again.
"Sure looks like a place there'd be treasure. What do you say Celes, shall we take a look?" Edgar asked their leader by default.
Celes looked hard at the mouth of the cave, "Why not, we can always use some stronger weapons. The training will do us good too, if I'm not mistaken the monsters in here will be pretty rough."
Inside the cave they found another band of men, treasure hunters, had set up camp. They were nice enough, even offering to let them share the camp for a while. Celes politely refused, telling them of their intention to explore the cave. The men wished them luck, and confirmed Gau's story about there being treasures further ahead.
"If the monsters weren't so nasty we'da got the loot already," one of the men told them, "But if yer game to try, I'll wish ya luck!" Bidding the men farewell, the party advanced into the second chamber of the cave.
Relm found herself walking near Gau at the head of the group. Slowpoke grown-ups! They acted like there might be something to be afraid of. Ha! Didn't they know they were traveling with the one and only Relm Arrowny, greatest artist and greatest survivor the world had ever known! There was nothing she couldn't handle!
Gau's curious voice pulled Relm's attention back to the real world, "You hear that, Relm?" Relm stopped and listened. An odd scuffling noise came from one of the smaller holes in the cave wall.
"Sound like dog in there," Gau remarked. For the life of her, Relm couldn't figure out how someone could tell the difference between a dog scuffling and a small monster scuffling, but then again, this was the boy who'd been raised by beasts. Crouching down on his haunches, Gau peered into the hole and voiced a series of whimpers and yelps. The rest of the party had caught up and was looking at them curiously.
"Gau says there's a dog in there," Relm explained. A sharp woof from the hole affirmed Gau's statement. Suddenly a pair of eyes could be seen in the shadows of the hole. As the eyes got closer, they began to be able to make out the body they belonged to. The huge, black dog made his way into the relative light of the main cavern. He was skinny, covered in blood, and dragging an injured hind leg, but there was no mistaking him.
"Interceptor!" Relm yelled. Everyone else was too stunned to speak. Interceptor wagged his tail once, but instead of greeting Relm, limped back in the direction he had come. After a few yards, he turned, and barked. There was a sense of urgency in his actions.
"Are you trying to tell me to follow you?" Relm asked. Interceptor barked again and limped off into the darkness as fast as he could. Without a thought, Relm followed.
"Relm, get back here! That hole-"
"Is too small for us! We can't fit!"
"Interceptor say big monster ahead, Relm got to be careful!"
"A monster?! Relm, I beg thee to return, we shall find another path to thy dog's destination!"
"You know girl, if you get lost in here, I have no trouble flying on without you."
"Setzer be quiet! Relm, come back! What would your grandfather say?!"
But her friend's entreaties were in vain. Relm had already ventured beyond earshot. She followed Interceptor through the winding tunnel, occasionally hearing snaps of conversation from her friends, who must have been on a parallel path in the main cave. Interceptor moved as fast as his injured limb would allow, even so, Relm had to trot to keep up with him. They exited the small tunnel into another area of the main cave. Interceptor headed for a raised portion of the floor, dragging himself up a small incline. When Relm crested the incline, she saw Interceptor collapse beside what might have been a raised shadow.
That is, if shadows could breathe. It can't be! Relm thought as she raced over the rocky ground. She dropped to her knees beside the barely breathing assassin.
"Shadow," she whispered, "Shadow . . ." The one person she was utterly convinced she would never see again. She had seen many of the others get flung out of the Blackjack and fall towards the sea with her, but Shadow had not been one of them. Utterly convinced that he had died in the explosion, she had cried for him, as she would have cried for any of the others if she believed them dead. Well, maybe a little more than if say, Setzer or Locke had died. Even though she had spent much less time with Shadow than most of the others, she really, really liked him.
The pool of blood under the assassin was spreading; Relm could already feel the sticky liquid soaking through the knees of her pants. Rolling the unconscious assassin onto his stomach, Relm got a better look at his injuries. She gasped when she saw the extent of the damage, "These wounds are awful . . ."
Shadow's entire back was laid wide open. The light armor he wore had been no match for whatever beast inflicted these wounds. Blood continued to flow rapidly out of the five deep slash marks crossing Shadow's shoulders and upper back. Relm hurriedly took off her cloak, bundling it up and pressing it to Shadow's back in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Her magic was not strong enough for her to even attempt to use it on these kinds of wounds. The only thing she could do, she reasoned, was try to stop the bleeding and wait for the others to arrive.
The sudden pressure on his back caused Shadow to open his eyes. Where was he? The cave, he was still in the cave. Why was he on his stomach, he remembered passing out on his back . . . Speaking of his back, what was pressing on it and aggravating the previously numb nerves? He turned his head slightly to the side, trying to ignore the screaming pain the movement caused. Someone dressed in yellows and greens was leaning over him, putting pressure on his wounds.
He tried to say, What are you doing, but all that he managed to croak was, ". . . y-u. . ."
Whoever it was flinched in surprise, "It's okay Shadow." He knew that voice. But no, that voice was dead.
"Interceptor brought me, the others will be here soon. Then we can get you fixed up." Interceptor brought her. But Interceptor can't bring back the dead. It couldn't be her, he must be mistaken.
". . . Re-?" he wheezed.
She seemed to understand him, "Yeah it's me, Relm! And Cyan and Sabin and Edgar and Gau and Celes and Setzer are almost here, I'm sure of it. So just hang on, okay."
Relm!? Relm! No. Oh gods, no, no, no, no, no! "Run . . ." he rasped, "Run . . . now!"
What kind of gratitude was that? She was only trying to save his life and he told her to go away, just like everyone else! Well, there was no chance of her leaving him, not with him injured like this. She heard shouts from a nearby chamber and recognized her companion's voices.
"Over here!" she yelled, "Hurry up!"
Shadow groaned. Why couldn't everyone leave him alone! Especially her. Especially now. He heard a deep growl start in Interceptor's chest. Black was creeping in around the edges of his vision; soon the blood loss would send him back into unconsciousness.
"Rel- . . . go!" He had no idea if she listened to him or not. The blackness took him again, making him blissfully oblivious to what would soon transpire.
Relm got time to ask, "What is it Interceptor?" before a deeper, fiercer growl sounded from behind her. As she moved to turn around, a massive paw slammed into her back, its claws ripping five deep gauges and sending her flying.
The first thing the party saw when they entered the chamber, was the King Behemoth swatting Relm against a wall, where she crumpled and lay still . . .
*********
Sabin and Edgar sat facing the two occupied beds in the upstairs of Strago's old house in Thamasa. It was their turn to watch the occupants of the bed, to 'Make sure they're breathing and not wandering off to do anything stupid' as Celes put it.
They had only just gotten Shadow and Relm back to Thamasa in time. At first it seemed like Shadow wouldn't make it, but somehow he had pulled through. Now all that the others needed to do was wait until they woke up.
Shadow stirred in his sleep and mumbled incoherently. He jerked his arm and mumbled something again.
"Must be having a nightmare . . ." Edgar mused.
Woof, woof! He heard the familiar bark behind him, but refused to turn around. If he caught sight of her face one more time, his resolve might crack.
"You came to try and stop me . . ."
The dog barked again. He ran to his master's side and looked up with pleading eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I can't turn back boy. . ." He always wondered how much the dog understood of human speech. The animal was looking at him with questioning eyes, just like hers, before she asked 'why?' But he couldn't think about her. If he did he might change his mind.
"Stay here with my daughter. . ." And keep her safe, he added in his thoughts. Where he was going, no one could follow. He wanted no one to follow. Alone, there was no one to fear for, no one to care about, no one to heal your tortured soul only to rip it out again and leave you empty, in agony, dying inside, wishing, praying to die.
"You both deserve to live in peace. . ." Peace he could not have. Peace he would not accept. Peace was not for him, not with what he had done. Not with what he had to do. . .
He walked out of town. Leaving behind everything, every memory, every touch, every word, every feeling, every laugh, every tear, every fiber of who he once was. Even his name.
Everything but the dog. The dog followed him.
Sabin and Edgar watched as Shadow returned to deep, uneventful sleep. Sabin sighed, "All we can do now is wait . . ."
Edgar nodded, "Rest will help."
Cyan came up to take his watch, but the brothers, loath to leave their comfortable spots, decided to stay to keep him company. The sun was high in the sky when Shadow stirred again, this time into wakefulness.
Sabin noticed it first, "Hey, how are you feeling?" Shadow grumbled when the others added their own questions.
"It's only a scratch. I've had worse," he growled. A big black and brown head appeared over the side of the bed, snaking forward to lick at the exposed skin through his mask. Shadow grinned under the mask and reached out a hand to ruffle Interceptor's ears. "And I've got this guy watching over me."
"Feel like eating something?" Sabin enquired. Shadow took a moment to consider the empty feeling in his gut before nodding.
"Alright then! Be right back!" Edgar joined his brother in rushing down the stairs, leaving Shadow alone with Cyan and Interceptor.
Cyan's lips twisted into one of his smiles that were getting rarer by the day, "Thou art stronger than thou lookst, Shadow. A lesser man would have died." Shadow snorted. By the look on the Doman's face, Cyan considered himself to be one of those lesser men. Cyan's face was paler than Shadow remembered, and thinner too. Even though there was a slight smile on his lips, it did not reach his tired eyes. Shadow had a feeling that Cyan had slid into the depression that had hovered on the edge of his mind ever since the massacre at Doma Castle.
Cyan gave a humorless chuckle. "Thy young friend is also stronger than she looks."
Shadow's forehead wrinkled in confusion. Despite Cyan's protest, he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked over at the other bed and its occupant. Relm.
"What happened?" Shadow hissed.
Sabin and Edgar returned, bearing a bowl of steaming soup. While Shadow ate, Cyan and the Figaro brothers recounted what had gone on in the cave, what they had seen anyway. When Edgar started to describe some of Relm's injuries, Shadow's stomach almost rejected what little soup he had managed to get down.
"We got you both back here, and the town docs stitched you up," Sabin finished.
"Setzer thought it would be the perfect time to see what you kept under that mask, but Celes told him to bug off and respect your privacy," Edgar added, "Although not in those exact words. . ." Good, so they hadn't seen his face. Shadow was grateful for that small comfort.
Feigning exhaustion, Shadow grumbled, "Would you mind leaving me alone for a bit, I'd like to get some sleep." They hastily agreed and filed out.
When he was sure they were gone, Shadow rolled out of bed. He took a few ginger steps, it hurt like hell, but the pain was manageable. Interceptor woofed. Shadow turned his head to look at his partner. The dog was glaring at him!
"What do you care, boy?"
Interceptor continued to glare as Shadow rooted through some of the drawers in the room. He found a dark grey shirt of Strago's and put it on to hide the bandages covering his torso. A bit loose fitting for his tastes, but it would do. He'd replace it with a proper garment at the next armory. Interceptor woofed again.
"Quiet dog!" Shadow whisper-yelled. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to notice him leaving. Interceptor lifted his lip, exposing the tip of a white fang. Padding over to Relm's bedside, he sat down with a thump. The look he shot Shadow spoke clearer than any words could.
"Stay if you want," Shadow mumbled into the fabric of his mask, "But I have to go."
Interceptor cocked his head to the side and lifted an eyebrow curiously.
"I can't stay, not with them," Shadow growled, "Can't you tell I'm just a danger to her? That I'm . . . starting to feel . . . concern . . . And we both know how that always turns out. How it almost turned out this time. . ." His voice faded as he looked at the little girl, who had almost been mortally wounded, because of him. How would he have felt if she had died? Would it have hurt? No, the question wasn't if it would hurt anymore, it was how much it would hurt. And that was why he had to leave.
"I won't hold it against you if you stay here," Shadow told his partner, "just keep her safe, alright?"
Interceptor continued to look at him.
"I'm not staying dog! You can but I'm not! You don't deserve to have to live my life. I do. Don't make yourself suffer for my choices Interceptor. Stay here. Stay with her."
Why am I arguing with a dog?! I don't think he even understands what I'm telling him. What the hell am I doing? The answer came to him in a flash. Stalling. He was stalling because he didn't want to leave. That was all he needed to give him the incentive to cross the floor of the room and open the window. He stepped carefully onto the roof, then dropped to the ground. Wincing as pain ripped through his body, Shadow forced himself to keep going, sticking to the shadows until he was out sight of the town.
All that was left was him, the clothes on his back, and the blades on his belt. This was the way it should be, him, alone, going to do the one thing that had never hurt him. Fight. And now that he had left everything behind, that was exactly what he would do. Nothing to worry about, everything, everyone, was left in that house on the edge of Thamasa.
Except for Interceptor. Interceptor had followed him.
What do you all think? I wanted to include both Relm and Shadow's dreams after the Behemoth's cave, but since you can only get one, depending on whether you save Shadow on the Floating Continent I decided to do a little plot manipulation. Where is Relm's dream you ask? Well, it's in the next chapter! As well as Shadow in the Coliseum. If you have any opinion to express about this story, please review! Even if the opinion is, it sucks.
A question for readers, I have non-plot specific incidents in mind for later chapters. They will most likely be short bits that have little to do with the actual plot, but are just things I thought that might happen between Relm and Shadow. Should I put them in a different fic and keep this one for plot related instances or include them in this fic? Thanks!
