A/n:Well, guys, I'm back. My Laptop is dead (payed idiots to break it even more), so updates will now be made from downstairs. Problem with that is all my notes and crap is upstairs in my laptop- and it has no Internet! I'm so --annoyed-- right now! Yeah...
Anyways, that really has nothing to do with you all, I just wanted to gripe. So, on with the chapter I had to redo because my laptop died! Yay! Thanks for the comments, please do it again, and sorry for the wait. Thanks for sticking with me, though!
Oh, and I figured out the name of the Airship! It's Fahrenheit. Went to Wikipedia and it told me. Yeah! I are happy! And Albhed's in here. Here's the site: http/albhed(.)netfirms(.)com/. Oh, and I tried to give Wakka more of a Besaid accent. Let me know if that's a 'go', or a 'no'.
Discalimer: FFX is not my property. Which is a good thing, because it's electronic. Therefore, I probably would have killed it, too...
Chapter 14: Defending the Fahrenheit
xxxx
The air was well below freezing level. White powder continually fell from the night say. The clouds were a dark gray, blunty conveying that it was not going to let up anytime soon. Yet instead of being inside the comfortable, warm interior of the airship, four of it's passengers were out on it's deck, fighting of the threat that lurked out in the freezing night air.
"Tidus! Watch out!"
The shout was supplied by a frantic Yuna, who watched on in fear as the animal that had roused them all from their slumber threatened to clobber her fiancé with an overgrown paw. The young man heeded her words in time, however, and swiftly dodged the impending strike, pressing himslef flat to snowy deck. Closing her bi-colored eyes, Yuna forced herself to concentrate as she softly mumbled the words to spell that she hoped would aid the man she loved.
Tidus, oblivious of Yuna's intentions, bolted up from the steel flooring and readied his sword. Though he had been thrown out of bed only a few minutes ago, the cold snow that lightly covered the deck of the Fahrenheit had effectively shocked him into full consciousness. Keenly glancing around, the blond surveyed the snowy skies, hoping to catch a glance at the creature that seemed to blend in so well with the dark, white surrounding.
Suddenly, he saw a flick of movement off to his left. Sword in hand, he whirrled towards the shadow yet connected with only air. Silently berating himself he squinted through the continuous snow, senses on alert. Hearing a loud woosh of air, Tidus whipped around only to be met with a blur of white coming out of the darkness. Raising his hands in effort to block the on-coming blow, he squeezed his cerulean eyes shut reflexively.
But instead of a rush of pain, he heard, "Head's up, Brudda!"
Wakka's compact blitzball went whizzing through the air and nailed the beast in the side of the head. The weapon landed with a soft 'thud' and rolled back to it's owner, who swiftly retrieved it. The creature, momentarily stunned, dropped to the deck of the airship on all four masive feet, causing the flying machine to sway heavily. Stumbling, Tidus fell to his knees. Ignoring the cold powder beneath them, he looked up in awe, finally getting a good view of what was attacking them.
Standing what seemed mere inches before him was what appeared to be a massive feline. Standing on four long, powerful legs, the beast was meant for speed. And by the size of it's feet -equipped with razor sharp claws- it was obviously a carnivore. It surveyed the group through almond-shaped yellow eyes, opening it's large mouth to reveal equally deadly-looking teeth. It's large, pointed ears twitched, picking up even the tiniest trace of sound, and it's long tail switched back and forth mechanically, the small tuff of ebony hair blowing in the wind. It's body was covered in thick white fur, causing it to effortlessly blend it with the climate. But what really caught Tidus' attention was it's back.
Sprouting from the creature's long back were two large wings, each covered it dark, ebony feathers.
"Oh...crap," the blond man eked out, not daring to move with the creature staring at him so intently. "Hey...Wakka. Whack it again."
The red-head stood close to Tidus, also frozen in place, with his blitzball tucked under one arm and foot advandced as though about to run. "I don't think so."
Yuna, forgotten in the background, suddenly opened her eyes and raised her fighting staff above her head. "Protect!" she called out loudly, her spell successfully enveloping her bethrothed in a transperant shield. Hearing her voice, the beast turned it's attention towards the young High Summoner and took a heavy step toward her.
"Hey, Yuna, we might need a lil' more of dem, ya?" Wakka called, hauling back his weapon and propelling it forward. Before it left his hand completely, he deftly pressed a button and a row of deadly spikes sprung from the ball.
As the round object hit its mark, the feline roared in pain and momentarily halted its steps. While the stunned creature tried to shake off the effect of the blitzball, Tidus sprinted up to it and skilllfully sliced into the beast's back leg. Thinking of nothing but ridding it's self of the hurt the duo was causing it, the fiend unfurled it's black wings and rouse to the sky, once again causing the Fahrenheit to shudder violently.
"Wakka, get it back down here!" Running over to the blitzer, Tidus swiped up a handful of snow and formed his own mini-version of the weapon. "You injure it, and I'll just make it angry so it'll stay on the ground."
"Guys!" Yuna shouted, having just cast a barrier around Wakka, as well, "Watch out!"
Taking advantage of the flightless duo's position, the airbourne fiend swooped down, dragging a massive paw arcoss the pair's back as they flung theirselves to the deck.
Laying belly-down in the freezing snow, Wakka turned towards the blond with a look of discredit. "Gee, I think it's already mad, ya?"
"Stay down, boys!"
Recognizing his fiancée's voice immediately, Wakka turned his woried hazel-gaze to where she stood beside Yuna, watching as she closed her eyes and masterfully concentrated her energy into a deadly spell. He knew spell-casting took a toll on one's body, and he knew that without the aide of a magical item that toll would double- something Lulu did not currently have.
"Lu, don't!" he shouted, but it was futile. Her own cry of "Lightening!" had already left her lips. The bolts of electricity sprang from the sky and onto her target, forcing it back to the airship. Tidus stole a hurried glance at the women, assuring himself that they were all right, and immediately sprang to his feet and raced over to fallen beast. Wakka, however, turned anxious eyes to the older mage.
"What was dat, Lu! Don't do dat! It's dangerous!"
Though he stood a good yard ahead of her and the snow continued to fall lightly and the wind had picked up, Lulu could clearly hear the reprimand in his rich voice. "This whole situation is dangerous, Wakka!" she snapped back, affronted at his tone despite the fact she knew it originated from worry. "Now, stop standing around and go help Tidus!"
Ignoring her words, Wakka continued on, wanting to make her understand that she couldn't do that again unless it was absolutely necessary; wanting her to realize that if he lost her, that fiend might as well gobble him up. "Don't you remember wha' happened at Bikanel Desert? You nearly exhausted all of your energy! You can't do dat again, Lulu!"
Exhaling an exasperated breath, Lulu shook her head in irratation. "Wakka, I'm a big girl. I know my limits. Now, help us dispose of these crea-"
Lulu's sentence abrubtly stopped and her crimson eyes widened in alarm. The thoroughly-fuming feline was now no longer lying injured on the deck- it was suddenly on it's feet and swatting Tidus away as though he were a pesky insect. The blond quickly recovered from the half-hearted blow, however, and stumbled to his feet, sword prepared to strike once more. But the threat had already advanced towards a distracted Wakka and had a cumbersome paw raised back, prepared to swipe.
Suddenly, Lulu's words were no longer hard; they were raw with fear. "Wakka! Move!"
Turning, the blitzer saw the towering paw before him and realized he had no time to doge the impending blow. So, instead he quickly ejected the spikes on his weapon and held the ball before him. Unlike with Tidus, the feline put some force into the blow and the impact sent Wakka skidding at least a yard across the deck.
The power also lodged his blitzball into the beast's tender foot.
With a harsh yowl, the creature shook it's paw furiously, trying to dislodge the stubborn ball. The effort was to to no avail, because the weapon stayed embedded in it's large foot. It's attention on removing the painful blitzball, the feline had forgotton all about Tidus until the blond swiftly struck it's side with a powerful thrust, the effort full of malice.
"You better hope he's okay," the blond blitzer muttered through clenched teeth, rotating the weapon as he drove it in deeper.
Yuna watched Tidus with apprehensive eyes, debating on rather or not she should cast Holy on the beast. Looking past the battle before her, she saw Lulu rush over to the edge of the airship to a collapsed Wakka. The mage gingerly stroked the side of his face, and he responded by struggling to his elbows. Knowing that Lulu had some restorative items, Yuna decided to use the devastating white magic spell, hoping the injure the beast considerably.
A few moments ticked by before she cried out the word, "Holy!" and the blinding white light surrounded the creature. Roaring in pain as the spell seemed to rack every inch of it's body with hurt, the massive feline once again spread it's raven-colored feathered wings and took to the sky, crimson dripping onto the Fahrenheit from it's numerous wounds.
"Great job, Yuna," Tidus commened as he reached her side, his blade streaked with red, "Now I think it's really hurting."
The couple stared up at the hovering fiend through the falling snow, and all thw while Yuna couldn't help but think that something just wasn't right. It seemed much too calm. Moments ago it had been trying desperately to get Tidus away from it, and now the feline just lounged about in the air, not even bothering to lick it's wounds.
"Tidus," Yuna began, pressing herself closer to blond and tightening her grip on her staff.
"Yeah?" he replied shakily, hearing a deep rumble begin in the beast's stomach.
"I think it's really mad."
The rumbling grew louder as the beast opened it's wide mouth. Yellow eyes locked onto the blizter and the Summoner, who in turned stared up at the beast in awe. Without so much as blinking, the feline suddenly spewed forth an icy mixture, aiming right at the couple.
"Nulfrost!" Yuna cried quickly, the ice shield springing up around the pair. The frozen water that should have engulfed the pair was quickly absorbed because of the barrier.
Lulu, still kneeling before fiancé, watched the frozen exchange with distress. "It's weak against fire," she murmured, knowing that she was a valuable asset in this battle. A few well-timed fire spells would have the fiend down for the count.
"No, Lu. Don't even think about about it." Pulling himself into a sitting position, Wakka staggered to his feet, his back and abdomen crying out in protest. Immediately Lulu was on her feet.
"Wakka, don't-"
The blitzer raised a weak hand, silencing her with a stern look. "You 'don't'. Me an' Tidus can take care of dis. You and Yuna just take of us. When it's weak, you cast the finishin' blow, ya?"
Trying to mask her fear, the mage replied in a snippy tone, "You don't even have weapon."
Despite the pain, Wakka grinned. "Eh, I'll get it back. Don't you worry 'bout that." He took a step forward, but was forced to pause as the deck began to spin. Stumbling back, he felt the grasp of a supportive arm.
"Wakka, please." No longer able to hide her concern, Lulu placed another hand on his shoulder. "You can't go out there. This fiend is powerful. You are injured." Fishing in the pocket of her overgrown night shirt -they hadn't been able to even change- the mage produced a small vile of liquid. Handing the red-head the tonic, which he eagerly downed, she continued, "We need help! You and Tidus cannot do this on your own."
Staring down at at her pale face full of concern simply made the injured red-head more determined. "We can do dis, Lulu. I'm goin' to protect you." Without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way over to Tidus and Yuna, who were still trying to lure the fiend to the airship's deck.
Watching him walk away from her, Lulu shook her dead, black locks falling over her shoulders. "And I'm going to protect you, Wakka."
xxxx
Pain. That was the only thing Rikku could think of as she slowly opened her swirling eyes. The artifical lightning of Fahrenheit's hallway greeted her, and she quickly snapped them closed once more as her head pounded heavily.
"Ow..." Groaning, she slowly raised herself to her elbows. "What happened...?" Remembering the sudden lurch that had brought her to the floor, Rikku fully bolted up, ignoring the pain in her head. "We're under attack!"
Hearing a grunt to her left the Al Bhed swiftly turned in the direction. "Auron!" she cried, rolling to her side. "Auron," she placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, " Auron, get up. We're needed." Judging by the sound- or lack thereof- her friends were already outside. "Auron, honey, move!" Shaking him harder caused him to rouse with a moan.
"My shoulder..." he muttered through clenched teeth.
Immediately removing her hand, Rikku stared up at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, Auron. I didn't know-" Remembering that they had been knocked down rather roughly, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, praying that she hadn't further injured the man she loved. "You okay?"
Nodding, Auron slid into a sitting position. "Yes." Rotating his right shoulder, he gave a discreet grimace that he hoped Rikku didn't notice. "I'm fine." Abruptly jumping to his feet, the Warrior Monk galnced around the empty hallway. Offering Rikku a hand, he declared, "We're late."
Hauling herself to her feet, Rikku tried her best to ignore the ache in her head. "Shall we, then?"
"Grab your weapon and what supplies you can find. Don't bother with changing. Something tells me we don't have the time to."
Nodding, Rikku ran into her room, her head throbbing the entire time. Shaking off the pain, she rummaged through her bedside drawer, producing only one potion- which had been left over from her journey two years ago. With the modernized Spira, she had found use for such things nonexistent. Sighing, she shoved to bottle into her pocket and strapped on her Godhand, securing the straps tightly. As she headed for the door, her head continued to thump and she momentarily thought about drinking the tonic in her pocket.
"No, that's for Auron," she told herself, recalling the pain she had seen in his hazel eyes. Ignoring her own hurt, she moved out of her room and spotted Auron standing beside her door, Masamune propped by his side. "Ready, then?" she queried, coming to stop before him and placing a small smile on her lips, trying to hide her own pain from him.
"Almost." Removing his hand from the hilt of his sword, he offered her a vile. "Here. Take this." Dropping the small bottle into her outstretched hand, he gently ordered, "Drink it."
"Wha- A potion?" She lifted a curious blond brow. "Bu-"
"I can see through you fake little smile, Rikku. You're injured. Drink it, but make it last. It's the last one of my stock."
Glacing at the bottle in her hand, Rikku couldn't help but to genuinely smile. Removing the glass object from her pocket, she handed it to Auron. "I brought you my last potion," she told him, uncorking the one in her hand. "Cheers?"
Auron stared at the small object as though it were foreign to him. "This is unnecessary. I am fi-"
Rikku rolled her jade eyes and swigged down her small drink. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she interrupted, "And I can see through your little façade, Auron. Drink the thing so we can get going. We're needed, you know."
Unable to contain his smirk, Auron lifted the bottle to his lips. Instantly he could feel the muscles loosen in his injured shoulder.
"Great. Now, let's get going!" Her headache evaporated, Rikku sprinted to the stairs that would lead her to the exterior of the ship. Taking them two-by-two, she quickly reached the ladder-like steps that would lead her to deck. Placing a hand on the third rung, Rikku started to climb up but stopped as she felt a hand on shoulder.
"Rikku."
Pausing, she turned to the man that had placed the gentle hand on her skin. "Yeah, Auron?"
"Thank you."
Moving her own hand to his unshaven cheek, she brushed her thumb across the morning stubble. Smiling, she muttered softly, "I'll always give up my last potion for you."
xxxx
Dodging a large foot, Wakka hit the snowy deck with a heavy 'oof'. Struggling to maintain an even flow of breathing, he rolled- with much effort- to his feet. Having retrieved his blitzball, with the help of Tidus' sword, he heaved the weapon back and threw at the feline.
"Stop tryin' to crush me, ya overgrown cat!"
"Really!" Tidus agreed, charging up and attacking the beast's legs, which were bleeding heavily from the earlier attacks the blond had inflicted. Easily evading the paw-swipe the fiend threw at him, Tidus raised his sword once more, but before he could thrust it into the creature, a patch of blue fur rushed past him.
"Kimahri?" Both he and Wakka echoed, though Tidus' statement was more of a question and Wakka's a shout of joy.
"Sorry Kimahri be late," the Ronso declared, adding more wounds to the creature's leg with his large spear. "Kimahri was knocked unconscious."
The fiend cried out as both the man and the Ronso mercilessly attacked it's legs, causing it extremely difficult to remain standing. In an attempt to rid it's self of the pair, it once again began to build up an icy breath.
"Yuna!" Tidus shouted. "Nulfrost Kimahri!" As the blond shouted the command, a barrier formed about the Ronso and then disappeared as quickly as it had developed.
"Done!"
"Yuna fast."
Tidus chuckled dispite the circumstances. He could feel the beast tremble beneath his sword, and he knew that it was growing weak. Perhaps a fire spell would end this battle.
Unleashing the frozen water from it's mouth, the fiend grew distressed when it realized the attack had done nothing. With an angry growl it weakly unfurled it's uninjured feathers and lifted its self to the night sky, a steady trickle of blood spilling from it's lacerations.
Dropping his sword to the deack, Tidus leaned on it heavily, the battle slowly taking a toll on his body. "Lulu, do you think you can cast Firaga on it?"
Nodding her head, Lulu concentrated every ounce of energy she had on forming the most powerful fire-based spell on Spira. Moving her lips, she silenty repeated the name of the spell continuously. She could feel Wakka's anxious gaze upon her, but she forced herself to brush it off; she was the only one the could end this battle. After what felt like an eternity but in reality was only seconds, Lulu threw one arm up in the air and the other out before her.
"Firaga!"
The cry seemed to shatter the night air, as did the unhuman scream that came after the mage's words. The white feline, now a charred black and bloody crimson, dropped from the sky and landed on the deck with a shudder. The ship rocked and swayed with the added weight, yet remained airbourne. The entire deck was on their knees and silent.
"...We did it." Tidus declared, heaving himself to his feet and glancing back at Yuna. "We won."
"Ya." Wakka was at Lulu's side, still on his knees, as was the mage. "We won." Lulu moved her head to her betrothed's shoulder, placing a supportive arm around his mid-section as he wrapped her in an embrace.
"It's over," Yuna agreed, staring over the remains of the fiend which had threatened their lives, her expression solemn.
"Did we miss the whole thing?"
The entire party turned at the sound of the familiar voice, watching as Auron and Rikku stepped out onto the snowy deck. Nodding her head, the Summoner answered her cousin's question.
"Yes, Rikku, you did."
Surveying the scene before her, the blond Al Bhed scowled as her gaze laid to rest on the unrecognizable fallen fiend. "Are you guys all right?"
Once again Yuna nodded. "We're all in one piece, yes."
"What happ-"
Before Rikku could finish, the Fahrenheit gave a sudden lurch. Thrown to their feet once more, the group let out a startled yelp as the ship groaned and dipped once again.
"What's going on!" Rikku shouted, fumbling for a foot hold as the airship shuddered again.
"It can't hold the weight of the fiend!" Auron shouted, the Fahrenheit swaying once again. Decending for a fifth time, the group fumbled for something to hold onto as the ship went lower. "Hang on!"
Again, the Fahrenheit dropped.
But this time, it didn't recover.
xxxx
A/n: Haha! Oh, that was fun! Not how I intended the chapter to come out at all, but I like it! Oh, joy. Now, I'm no longer so upset about my stupid laptop! But, it doesn't really matter what I think, it's what you all think. ...So, what do you think? Aren't you just shocked? They're falling from the sky. Oh noes! Hehe. Let me know how you feel about all this!
Oh, the poll results from the last chapter are: 5 votes for Good, 2 votes fof Bad, and 5 for Kill. Now, that's tie between Good and Kill but if I add Bad to Kill we get 7 for Kill and 5 for Good. Bad/Kill go hand in hand, right? Anyhoo, I thank you guys for the vote because they helped me decide what to do. You will find out the result of your votes in the ending chapter!
Now, major thanks to: Jackie, BlackDeath6, Chibi-Sorrow, Kitsu-Kurasei, Anime-Cat123, AllPowerfulDaisy, Bluemoon Fairy, Forensicgirl20, Crazycutie2, Gining, rr1963, and last but not least, Mandyfanforevr! You guys are so awesome! Your support keeps this fic going!