A/N: Square Enix still owns everything. Including that uber-hot shirtless life-size Sephiroth figure in its store in Japan. Never have I wished to be a Powerball winner more, so that if they ever auction him off at Christie's, I could be the outright winner. Then he would be MINE. thinks evil thoughts> ;)
Chapter Nine
Paine and Rikku gradually rose, feeling the urgency to move from the direct path of the fiend. "Rikku, move! We have to get to Yuna!"
"I'm fine, Pai-- Look out!"
Rikku had thrown a Chocobo Feather, casting Haste, just in time for her and Paine to avoid the fiend's attack.
"What is that thing!"
"Scan it and find out!"
The behemoth stood nearly three times as tall as any of them, not counting the horns curling up on either side of its head. Its body was covered in greenish blue scales. Pale green plate armor covered its shoulders, knees and claws, accented at various points with large golden rings that emulated decoration. Iridescent wing-like objects grew from its back. It stood bipedal, a long tail at its back. Its head had the look of a human, though clearly it was not.
Rikku cast the scanning spell and crinkled her eyes. "I'm trying…all I'm getting is 'Emerald'…my accessory must be broken!" She looked to Paine. "Where's Yuna? We'll have to use hers!"
"I left it outside with our gear!" Yuna yelled as she hurled a psychic blast at the creature from across the room. Strong though it was, it seemed only momentarily phased. "Wait, I think this dressphere has it built-in!" She concentrated her mind on the creature. "Emerald…only weak to gravity…WEAPON class!"
"WEAPON! You mean like those fiends in the Via Infinito in Bevelle?" Rikku covered her head as all three of them hit the ground, ducking from another round of attacks.
"Figure it out later! Focus on staying alive!" Paine rushed the fiend, her sword singing through the air with a Demi spell as she lunged and retreated. The fiend shuddered, but recovered easily.
"You need stronger gravity magic." Paine whirled as a red cloaked form rose from behind her, calmly pointed his gun at the fiend, and fired.
"Hey, where'd you come from!" Rikku exclaimed as she tossed a Shadow Gem at the fiend.
"Explanations later." He fired another few rounds at Emerald, then grabbed both women by the arm and pulled them behind a large pillar. "This is not getting us far. Where is the one you call the Summoner?"
"I'm here!" Yuna called from across the room, taking cover behind a fallen pillar. She had taken considerable damage.
"Yunie, are you all right?"
"Still breathing! We need a new plan!"
"We're coming, Yuna!" Paine looked to the newcomer. "You said we needed stronger gravity magic. If we distract it, can you get to her?"
The stranger nodded, then went about removing something from his gun. "One of you will need this. One hit alone will not be enough to defeat it."
"What is it?"
"Quadra Magic materia. You will be able to cast four times. Which one of you will do it?"
"Materia?"
The stranger blinked. Then, comprehending he added, "I believe you call them 'spheres'. When the time comes, just concentrate and it will do the work for you."
Holding out her hand, Paine accepted. "I'll take it." Paine looked at Rikku, who looked no better off than Yuna. "Rikku, do you still have that Catnip accessory Yuna loaned you?"
"Yeah!"
"Good. Give it to him."
"What? What about me?"
"I need you to change to the Black Mage dressphere. We're going to give Yuna a chance to equip the Catnip and shoot that thing while we're distracting it."
"Shoot?" The newcomer cocked an eyebrow.
Paine nodded once. "Give her this. She'll know what to do." She looked at Rikku. "Ready?"
"Hold on a minute, will ya!" Rikku was fishing for something in her pocket. "Dammit, I'm out of potions!"
"Curaga." All three of them were bathed in healing, multicolored light. Paine looked at the stranger.
"You're handy." The stranger spared her a half-smile. Looking at Rikku, Paine nodded.
The two women stood, engaging their garment grids. The stranger watched as they were suddenly garbed in the robes of Black Mages.
"Not bad."
Rikku spared him a coy smile. "You don't know the half of it."
With that the two women began casting gravity spells at the Weapon. The stranger was a flurry of red as he dashed across the hall to Yuna's position.
Yuna had removed the headband from her head and was huddled over a small plate in her hand. She still wore the blue dress uniform that came with the Psychic dressphere, though the sphere itself seemed to be malfunctioning. The stranger quickly ducked behind the pillar that sheltered her from the Weapon's onslaught.
Yuna looked up, meeting his eyes. He was instantly taken aback, seeing her face clearly for the first time. Yuna saw his crimson eyes bear some kind of distant recognition. When he said nothing, Yuna spoke.
"Are you all right?"
Blinking out of his reverie, he came back to himself. "I would ask you the same."
"I'm hurt, but I'll be okay, as long as I can get my garment grid working! It's stuck!"
"May I?"
She offered him the sphere grid. He examined it carefully while she spoke. "The grid is jammed—I think that fiend cursed us."
"You have only these two spheres?"
"In this particular grid, yes! I have others outside—I was just trying this new sphere out. The other one has my handguns."
The stranger produced a pocket knife and flicked it open, preparing to pry out the broken sphere, when he noticed something in Yuna's hand.
"Where did you get that materia?"
Blinking, Yuna looked to her hand, seemingly remembering the sphere. "Materia? …Oh! He gave it to me…."
"Let me see it." Yuna held out the sphere, but did not let him have it. He examined it a moment and, turning, peered out from behind the pillar. Turning back, he resumed working on the grid.
"Focus and use it on Rikku."
He saw her look at him suspiciously then. Explaining, he said, "She will be able to mimic the actions of the last person who attacked. The other woman has another sphere that will quadruple the power of her gravity spell--"
"—And this will do the same for Rikku!" Without further hesitation, Yuna stood and focused her energy on Rikku.
"What the!" Rikku glowed with a yellow light.
"Just trust it, Rikku!" Yuna waved from across the room. She yelped as she was hauled down by the stranger. Yuna landed in his lap, face to face with him. She noticed he seemed familiar.
"If you wish to make it out of here, I suggest a bit more subtlety." He held up her pistols. Blushing, she took them. "I was unable to repair it further."
"Thank you!" She placed a hand on his shoulder as she leaned forward. Surprised, he thought she was about to kiss him, but she just leaned over his shoulder and peered over the pillar. Relieved, he turned and followed her gaze.
Rikku was indeed duplicating Paine's actions. Paine's spell repeated four times; Rikku's spell repeated four times. When Rikku's casting ended, Paine's began. They were able to keep an unbroken chain of gravity attacks at the Weapon. It appeared to growing weary.
"Looks like we're winning!" Yuna smiled back at the stranger, preparing to join her friends. He held her arm.
"Wait."
Yuna looked at him as he searched for something from a fold in his cloak. "One of two things will now happen. Either you and your friends will defeat Emerald Weapon…."
Yuna stared at him, waiting. Impatient, she gestured for him to continue. "Or?"
He produced a thin bracelet. As Yuna watched, the beast fell down onto all fours, extending its wings—or to be more accurate, fins—in the air.
"Or, it will lean forward, rear its fins back, and cast its final attack." He turned and looked at it. "Looks like the latter is about to happen. We must hurry." He made to cure Yuna but she stopped him.
"Stop—Give me the bracelet!" She grabbed it from him and clipped it to her wrist. She grabbed the pistols he recovered.
"You sure you can handle those?"
Yuna stood up from behind the broken pillar and aimed, crossing her wrists before her. Firing, she let loose a barrage of shots at the Weapon. Surprised, the stranger, noticing they seemed to be enhanced by the accessory she donned, cocked his triple barreled gun at the fiend and fired as well.
The onslaught from this new direction was wholly unexpected by the fiend. It shuddered, its pending attack delayed. Paine and Rikku took the opportunity to cast another round of gravity magic. The combination of magic and physical assault proved too much for it to handle, and it shuddered in a glow of red, its skeleton outlined in the darkness of the hall. Finally, it burst into pyreflies, evaporating from the room in a gust of wind.
"Nice aim."
Smiling, Yuna turned back to the stranger, her pistols held behind her back. She brought one of them to her lips and blew the smoke off the end.
"I don't believe I ever caught your name." She pocketed a pistol in her uniform jacket and extended a hand.
The stranger hesitated, then offered his. "Vincent Valentine."
"I'm Paine." The two turned to the voice, who did not extend her hand. She was regarding Vincent carefully. He inclined his head to her.
"HEY?"
Yuna, Paine and the stranger both looked over to where Rikku was standing. She was examining the floor where the Weapon had stood.
"NO TREASURE! What the hell!" Rikku stumbled on the hem of her robes and fell on her behind. Laughing, Yuna jumped over the pillar and helped her up.
"Well, that's the last of the supplies. You ready to see what's through Curtain Number One?" Rikku had finished packing up what was left of the camp. Both she and Paine had changed back into their normal clothing; Yuna however, seemed to be stuck in the Psychic dressphere uniform.
Paine stood with her arms crossed. "After all this, I hope it's worth it."
"It better be, after not finding any treasure!" She looked up at the massive archway. Its doors were ornately carved. "Then again…"
"Scared?"
"Eh…I just hope there's not another one of those things in there!"
Yuna reached for the hands of both her friends. "Well, if there is, we'll handle it together. No matter what—or who—is waiting for us." She simply smiled, then turned a brief smile to Rikku before looking past them both, at the man who stood, arms crossed, leaning against a column in the shadows.
"Are you coming, Vincent?"
"…"
"Let him sulk." Paine looked from him to Yuna, lowering her voice. "We got through the tower well enough to this point together…on our own."
"But what about—"
"We'll be fine, Rikku." She looked pointedly at her before walking to the archway. Pressing a palm on each door, she walked through.
Yuna looked from her back to Vincent, then hurried and followed Paine. Rikku lingered a bit and looked at the archway.
"There is nothing within that will harm you."
She looked back toward him. He was still leaning against the pillar. He looked at her through half-hidden eyes. They regarded each other for a long moment. Finally, Rikku ventured toward him.
"If that's so, why aren't you going?"
He paused before he gave his answer. "It reminds me of the fallen." Turning his back to her, he assumed the conversation was over.
Rikku looked at him a moment longer, then turned and headed for the door. Pausing at the archway, she turned and called back to him.
"You never answered my question, Vincent. Where did you come from?"
He tilted his head at her question, then turned to regard her, but she had gone.
The three women stood together on the final terrace of Yadonoki Tower. The first lights of dawn illuminated the sight before them: a triad of wide-set arches curving into the air, seemingly meeting together at their zenith, oxidized green from lack of use. Beyond them stretched the wide open sky. Unlike the other patios the three had seen while climbing the tower, this level held little to no ornamentation: no scripts, no ornate carvings. The floor itself was simple cobblestone, with the exception of the area directly under the arches. That part was circular and polished smooth by the elements over time. The terrace proper was covered in vegetation.
Yuna walked up to an arch and knocked on the side with the butt of her pistol. It rewarded her with a dull clang. "Metal," she offered. "Could they be some sort of lightning rods?"
"Perhaps….though I doubt this is what we were meant to find." She pulled out the letter again, and inwardly remembered who must have sent it.
Rikku looked around. "Um…this is it?"
"It would appear so." Paine regarded the structure, lowering the paper. "Whatever was here, it's gone now."
"Maybe not…" Yuna had found a small pillar, about waist height, off to a side of the terrace. It had initially been hidden by one of the arches, and was covered in vegetation.
"How about it, Rikku?"
"Hmm…Leave it to me!" She set about cleaning off the vegetation and uncovering the panel.
Yuna looked at the two women then. "I don't know how I thought the time we spent together was wrong….The times we spent together weren't wrong. After all, nothing could destroy our bond."
Rikku nodded. "Yeah, I guess people can't help but have silly ideas like that sometimes…people do change, but they're still made of all the things that happened to them before…You get it?"
"What you're saying is, the sum of our past experiences equals who we are now." She looked at Vincent, who had quietly followed them up to the top level. He was standing near the edge of the terrace, looking out at what was the ancient city of Zanarkand. "Perhaps. But I like to think that it's how we choose to react to those experiences that makes us who we really are." At her words, he turned his head, knowing Paine was watching him.
"Isn't that what I said?" Rikku stopped her tinkering.
Yuna laughed quietly. "I guess you really can't stop change."
"Well, it wouldn't be quite natural if we didn't. Nothing can change peoples' ways….except the people themselves."
Rikku rose and put her hands on her hips. "Dr. P! Did you know there would be nothing to see once we got up here?"
"Hmm, what? Can't you see it?" She turned and looked out toward the sunrise. "I can see it clearly."
Yuna ventured toward Paine. "What?"
"See it?"
"I can only see…us?...Broken parts."
Rikku stopped her pacing. "Oh…."
"It feels now…like we haven't been apart at all. I remember how it feels to be broken…I know now what it felt like to walk alone. I know now, those times were only lonely because I was by myself. We were all by ourselves, in our own way."
"Why didn't I know it then?" Paine crossed her arms. "Next time we're together, we won't just part. We won't meet by chance and lose each other again...whatever the future holds, we can still look back on these times and hold on to them…our memories."
I…will never be just a memory.
Yuna blinked, thinking she heard a voice on the wind. Shaking her head, she smiled at her friends.
"I hope we have this, for always."
"Argh, why won't this thing work!" Rikku sighed in frustration. "Guess it's fragged."
Paine shook her head, smiling. "Even this has an expiration date."
Yuna nodded, her lips pressed together in an ironic smile. "So you're saying…what we have here is…"
All three spoke at the same time. "…a dud."
"Did you really think it would be otherwise?" All three looked over at Vincent, who still looked off into the distance.
"Well I don't see you helping, mister!" Rikku stuck her tongue out at him. Vincent wasn't phased.
"It's okay, Rikku. It was a lot to expect."
"Damn it, though!" She banged the top of the panel. "We went through all the trouble of climbing this big, tall tower, with fiends all chasing us around in circles! During all that fighting, I was thinking about who wrote that letter! What'd all that stupid junk in it mean? And then there's those two wierdos at the top—" the present one turned his head, glaring, "--What did that other guy mean about sending it to you, Paine, and not us? And adding insult to injury that Weapon that leaves us no treasure when we kill it!" She sighed in frustration. "Don't get me wrong guys—I'm really happy that we're friends again, and we'll have our memories and everything in the future—but I really wanted this thing to work!"
"If ever there was a doubt that Rikku was an Al Bhed, it has just been put to rest."
"What letter?" Vincent finally turned toward them. Yuna and Paine both looked at him, seemingly having forgotten he was there. Paine produced the letter that she had originally received, copied, and sent to Rikku and Yuna. She handed it to Vincent, who read over it quickly. But all were halted at the sound of static coming from Rikku's pack.
"RIKKU! THIS IS BROTHER! YOU ARE GOING TO BE COLD MEAT FOR STEALING MY AIRSHIP!"
"Cold meat?"
"I think he means dead meat."
Vincent stared at them. "You stole an airship?"
"There's no stealing about it! His airship?" She stomped over to the pack and grabbed the walkie-talkie. "The Celsius is half mine, Brother! Pops gave it to both of us! That means, I get to take it out whenever I want!"
"No, not when you want! Not when I'm out running errands! You have much explanation to do, Rikku!" The voice on the walkie talkie changed. "Seriously, Rikku, not cool."
"Buddy. Paine and Yuna and I needed it to come find something! So just get over it and come pick us up!"
There was a pause. The voice on the speaker changed back to Brother. "…Yuna is with you?...Why didn't you say so! I am on my way!"
"Well, it's good to see some things don't change. Looks like you got us a ride, Yuna."
Yuna smiled. "Anything to keep us from having to walk all the way back down again!" She turned to Vincent. "You're coming, right?"
He paused, considering. "There is much to discuss."
Paine nodded. "Agreed."
Rikku walked back over to the back side of the panel. "Rrrr, It's my airship, too!" She kicked the pillar.
It thudded back.
All immediately looked over at the pillar. Rikku looked up at them, then kicked it a second time.
It clanged again. And again.
Rikku crouched at the back side of the panel and, looking at it a moment, began pulling the vines and accumulated debris off of its surface. She was joined by Vincent and Paine, who began pulling at the weeds as well. When it was finally cleared, they saw a metal access panel, rusted shut. Rikku tried pulling on the handle anyway.
"Won't budge!" She picked up the walkie-talkie. "Buddy, it's Rikku. We're going to need some laser equipment to cut through some metal—"
Vincent reared back his left arm. Yuna and Paine grabbed Rikku and dragged her out of the way. He punched through the plating, his claws stuck in the sheet at the top of the seam. With a swift motion he easily pulled—or rather, ripped—the access panel off the pillar.
The women stared, laying in a pile, at a loss for words. Vincent realized they hadn't moved.
"What?"
Rikku raised the walkie-talkie. "Cancel that, Buddy."
The three sat up and joined him. Peering into the darkness of the panel, they pulled away some vines and growth that had worked its way into the metal. As they worked, a pair of eyes opened.
"Yeahhhgh!" All three of the women started, though Paine alone did not cry out. Vincent merely opened his eyes wide in surprise. He backed away to make room in front of the panel.
Slowly, a small, black, furry cat-like creature stepped out of the pillar. It wore a red cape and a small gold crown. Stretching, it finally spoke.
"Wow! I was beginning to think I'd be in there forever!" Not seeing the man to the side of the panel, the creature stuck out its hand to the closest of the three women, which happened to be Rikku.
"Thank you for saving me! And Greetings! My name is--"
"Cait Sith?" The small creature looked up at the announcement of his name. Seeing the man in front of him for the first time, he started jumping for joy.
"VINNIE! I knew you would rescue me!" The little creature rushed up and grabbed Vincent's leg.
Paine looked up at Vincent, who was at a loss. He clearly had not been expecting this.
"It looks like nothing today is as it seems."
Vincent looked to the women, then to the sky above. The cloak he wore began to rustle in the wind. "So it would appear."
What else might have been said was drowned out by the roar of the Celsius, positioning itself overhead. As swirls of dust rushed up and met the party, Yuna thought she heard laughter whispering on the wind. Shaking her head in fatigue, she rose with Rikku and Paine, grateful for the promise of a hot shower and a soft bed in which to dream.
A/N: I have to stop staying up so late on school/work nights to write...but then I think about it all week! If you have time, let me know what you think so far! Also, I'm thinking of upping the story rating for future chapters...methinks it may get gritty. Thanks for reading :)
