Disclaimer : I don't own anything. If I owned Power Rangers, Tori and Blake would've gotten together for sure and had at least ONE kiss! Sadly however, we can only dream. :(
Note : If you remember the concert from the first chapters. this is a chapter dedicated to a different POV of what happened, done with a series of flashbacks. Sorry if I called Cassidy Leblanc at all. I'm having a hard time remembering that the name is different.
Just so you know...
Cassidy - Leblanc Bulk - Ormi Skull - Logos Adam - Buddy Ethan - Shinra
These are the characters from different Ranger series' replacing the Final Fantasy X-2 characters. There's more to come, but I'll name them when they make an appearance.
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(Luca)
As we entered the busy city of Luca, I stopped a moment to let Blake look around. I could tell he wasn't sure if he should be happy or disappointed that nothing really changed here, Turning to me, he grinned and raised his hands to his mouth, blowing out a sharp whistle.
Nodding, I smiled back and reutnred the whistle easily. What he didn't know was, while he was gone, I spent a good six months whistling at the docks of Luca, every day, in hopes he would return, and it really fine tuned it for me.
I giggled as I noticed the impressed look he was giving me
"Lady Tori, your concert was incredible!"
Turning around, I gasped as I noticed the small crowd of people who'd gathered around me. It was a young man who had spoken, and he had clear adoration in his eyes. As much as I was flattered, I took a step back and blindly reached out for Blake's hand. Feeling a warm hand squeeze mine, I turned to see it was Blake and smiled softly.
"Could you sign this, please?" a little boy asked, running up to me with a blitzball.
Nodding a bit, I let go of Blake's hand and knelt down, taking the ball and pen from the boy and signing my name on it. Handing it back, I smiled as he blushed and ran off with a faint 'thank you' left hovering in the air.
Dustin and Cassie walked in front of Blake and I, holding the crowd back so they didn't flatten me.
"Single file, no pushing!" Dustin called with a grin. "The Gullwings, at your service!" he finished in a sing-song tone.
Turning my back to them, I walked to the bridge that looked over the city and sighed.
I couldn't bring myself to tell them it was just an imposter. The whole mess started with the Garment Grid... That's the invention that lets us harness the dresspheres' power.
Flashback
I ran over to the final dock, to see the familiar forms of Bulk and Skull, cornering my friends, and a person behind them who I couldn't make out. Grabbing my guns, I aimed quickly and let lose a torrent of bullets at their feet, causing them to jump around a bit before spinning to see me.
End Flashback
Believe it or not, that was the easy part!
Flashback
Dustin and Cassie were walking up the stairs ahead of me as I struggled to keep up with them. It was hard. This suit made it almost impossible to move, and I felt like I was burning up inside it.
We chased the thieves to Luca, but when we got there...
"Hear that? Lady Tori in concert!" a man cried as he rushed past me, not even shooting me a second glance.
A second man joined him. "All right! Think there's any tickets left?"
"Looks like your imposter's pretty popular." Dustin put in with a grin as he stared at me.
Cassie shook her head with a smirk. "I doubt anyone would believe our's in the real Tori."
Laughing, Dustin shook his head. "Not dressed like that!" he cried, pointing at me and laughing some more.
I felt my face heating up even more and glared at them through the heavy mask. "I didn't ask to wear this!" I snapped and whined at the same time.
Stumbling up the stairs, I sighed and groaned as I staggered back and almost fell back down them. I was dressed in what Ethan liked to call the 'Gullwings' Prized Garment'. Honestly, I wanted to change into my Gunner and chuck this thing as far as I could into the ocean.
Just who's idea was it to make a Mascot dressphere anyway?
No, Cassie was right. No one would know it was me, because no one could see me. All anyone saw, was a giant moogle hobbling down the path.
In case you're wondering, a moogle looks really similar to a white stuffed bear, only with a bright red pompom on the top of their head.
To say I was embarrassed and unimpressed would be an understatement. I finally made it to the top of the stairs and let my shoulders sag as I panted for breath. "Phew, it's hot in here!" I whined.
Cassie smirked and turned to Dustin. "Shall we finish this before Tori faints?" she put in, in an amused tone.
Dustin grinned and laughed. Turning to me, he pointed his finger in my face and shook it. "We'll be back in two shakes, so you be a good moogle, you hear?"
Once they left, I sighed and went back down the stairs to wander in town. I didn't know what to do, so I decided to stay nearby, just in case.
The plan was to sneak into the imposter's concert and recover the Garment Grid. If I went in our cover would be blown, so it was up to Dustin and Cassie, which left me with nothing to do but lie low and wait.
A strong breeze came along and almost knocked my mask off and I hurriedly and awkwardly fixed it back in place with a hidden frown.
And that's how I got stuck with the Gullwings' prized...Garment.
End Flashback
We were now on the first large platform upon entering the city, at the bottom on the large stairwell. I could tell from the smirks on Cassie and Dustin's faces that they too were remembering our mission and frowned as I felt my face heating up.
Dustin turned back to look at me and tilted his head a bit. "So what did you do while we were gone?"
Clasping my hands behind my back, I turned so my back was facing him and twisted at the waist to look back at him, grinning secretively. "Top secret!" I teased.
I noticed Blake staring at us in confusion and thanked God he didn't know about me being in that moogle suit. That was the only time we were allowed to wear it, and now Ethan held onto it, not wanting to part with his favorite toy. To be honest, I was more than happy to let him keep it. That was one sphere I could do without, thank-you-very-much!
A little girl nearby saw me and came running up, and I knelt down beside her. In her excitement, she let go of her balloon and it floated away into the sky, much to the chagrin of the girl. "Mommy, mommy! My balloon!" she cried as she jumped, trying to catch it.
Flashback
Entering the main plaza area for Luca, I looked around as I fixed the mask of the Mascot Dressphere again. Letting my head fall a bit, I sighed in frustration. "Oh hurry up!" I whined quietly, seriously getting tired of waiting for them.
I walked a bit farther into the plaza area, and a man came running up to me. "You! Get over here!" he called in a hurry before running back to a balloon stand.
"Huh?" Raising an eyebrow, I warily approached the guy, already getting a rough idea of what he wanted, and dreading it.
"You're here to promote the concert, right?"
I felt my eyes widen and raised my costume covered hands in an attempt to wave him off. I shook my head quickly and took a single step back. "Me? No, there must be some mistake!" I insisted.
He smiled and nodded before turning and beginning to walk off. "Thanks! And hey, don't screw up!" he called as he took off and ran down the street.
Did I do it because I couldn't turn him down, or because the conversation was over before I had the chance?
I passed out ten balloons before I seriously got fed up and quit. Luckily, just as I handed off the tenth one, I got a transmition from Dustin.
"T...D...C...In position. It's showtime."
"It's starting!" I cried in worrry, not knowing what I was supposed to do at that point.
End Flashback
"The place was packed with people dancing!" Dustin cried as he bounced around.
Tilting my head, I walked a bit further and lost myself in thought. "Think Cassidy was enjoying herself?" I mused out loud, wondering just why she decided to pretend to be me and throw a concert.
Cassie snorted and shook her head. "Until she got hurt." she put in a tiny hint of amusement hiding in her eyes.
Flashback
"Does she look that much like me?" I wondered out loud as I wobbled up to the main gate, hoping to get in and see what was going on.
A guard at the gate saw me approaching and raised his hand, stopping me with a frown. "Hold it! The concert's sold out. You can't go in." he stated firmly.
Pouting behind the mask, I let my shoulders sag. "I can't?"
"Definitely not! Go on, get ot of here!" he ordered.
Just as I was about to leave, a second guard showed up. "Hey, we got some gate crashers!" he called.
The guard that had ordered me off, turned around with a glare. "Must be those sphere hunters!" he snarled.
Both guards transformed from guards to the green glad goons that Cassidy used in her attacks and stared at each other a moment. I was shocked, but I guess, I shouldn't have been. If Cassidy was there, then it only made sense that she'd post her own 'guards' at the entrances.
"Let's move!" The goon that was formerly the guard who brushed me off, yelled.
"Yes sir!" his comapnion cried as they ran up the stairs.
Shaking my head, I raised my hand to my mouth. I hadn't heard from Cassie or Dustin, so I didn't know what to do. "Oh no." I muttered as I ran off to a different path. I ran towards the docks and began walking, hoping they'd send me a signal soon.
It looks like I got my signal in a different way than I was expecting.
"Hold still!"
Turning back, I noticed an eerily familiar figure running in my direction with Dustin and Cassie chasing after her. It looked like Dustin had been the one to cry out, but my focus was on the closest figure. "It's me!" I cried quietly as I turned and ran down the docks. Running into a random one, I knelt down and huddled into a ball.
I didn't know what I was doing...
Dustin ran over and touched me, and when I looked up at him, I just raised my hand, healing him without a second thought. I figured it was suspicious, the way he had this weird, triumphant grin and a sneaky gleam in his eyes, but didn't think to question it just yet.
It didn't het me until just a little while after seeing Blake, that Dustin was waiting for the perfect moment to tell me he was back.
Dustin sure seemed to be having fun!
He ran back off again with a grin and a yell to the imposter me, and I took a deep breath. When I lifted my head again, they were out of sight and I stood up, freezing cold when I saw Skull walk by. He looked at me suspiciously for a moment with his guns in his hands, before he walked on by and I felt my eyes widen.
"Looks like trouble." I whispered to myself. Once he was out of sight, I lifted the moogle mask off my sweaty face and shook out my hair as I tossed it into the air. I quickly hit a button on my Garment Grid and changed back into my Gunner. As I felt the cool breeze hitting my skin, I let out a sigh of relief. "Finally!" I sighed.
I ran up behind Bulk and Skull and aimed my guns. "Here comes the real Tori!" I stated firmly to myself as I began firing the shots.
End Flashback
We were standing on the docks now as we remininced and Dustin was playfully glaring at me.
"I was just about to finish 'em off, but then you showed up and stole all the fun!" he whined with a mock pout, before busting out in a huge grin.
Giggling, I felt myself blush and clasped my hands behind my back as I scuffed my foot in the ground like a scolded child. "I guess I was so glad to get out of that thing, I went a little nuts." I said, trying to explain.
"That explains the dancing." Cassie put in, in her usual monotone as she crossed her arms over her chest. A hint of amusement hid in her eyes though, and I knew she was only teasing.
Blake walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist as he kissed the side of my head. "I think it was cute." he whispered in my ear, and I blushed as I looked at the ground.
The coms suddenly crackled to life, and Brother's overly excited voice was heard. "Tori? Dancing? Where? I am there!"
"Listening close enough?" Dustin shot back in a disgusted tone of voice.
I growled silently under my breath and felt Blake's arm tighten around me in protectiveness. Placing my hand over his, I heard the airship behind us. Closing my eyes, I heard Spiran Tori's thoughts bubble up in my head, and sighed.
So this is my life now. We travel from place to place, and the days just seem to fly by. But sometimes...I find myself stopping, and wishing I could hear Zach's voice.
Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I frowned a bit, glad no one was paying attention to me. Since when did I want to hear his voice? I think...I knew, it was Spiran Tori. We were so integrated now, that sometimes I thought her thoughts. It was kind of scarey. I love Blake, and I don't want to lose him, but at the same time, I feel torn because of Spira's version of me.
I just hoped, everything would work out for the best.
(Mi'ihen Highroad)
Instead of boarding the airship, we decided to head back through Luca and go to the Mi'ihen Highroad.
Walking up the long staircase, I sighed as we came to the vast plain. It was the same as it was two years ago, but for the new additions to it. Machina, tame machina, now roamed the Highroad, guarding against fiends, and instead of chocobo's people had begun using machina hovercrafts to travel the length of Mi'ihen in a matter of minutes.
The Mi'ihen Highroad. Where Crusaders once marched toward battle with Sin, while travellers fled from it's shadow.
Turning my attention to Blake who had his eyes closed and was enjoying the sun, I let out a silent sigh as i remembered the last time I travelled this road.
I walked this road too, on my pilgrimage to Zanarkand, and you walked by my side. It was a journey filled with laugher.
Taking a hover to the other side, I noticed Blake's disappointed expression amd knew he wanted to walk it. Part of me agreed with him. Now that Spira was safe from harm, I wanted to go to the Travel Agency and stay the night, allowing us to enjoy the sunset again, without the knowledge that I was travelling to my supposed death.
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Ok. Another chapter done:)
I think, I like this chapter best so far, from all the chapters I've done.
I hope you like it.
R+R please.
Thank you everyone.
Tenshi
