Chapter 3: Lost Feathers
by: Vivi's Girl
Vivi whimpered and fell back. Black Waltz No. 4 looked at her stained staff and started to laugh.
"I exist only to kill..."
"N-No y-you d-don't" Vivi stammered, even though it took almost all of his energy he had left.
Black Waltz No. 4 turned her gaze over to the weak and bleeding black mage who had suddenly spoke.
Vivi continued, "Y-you don't w-want t-to do th-this, you're just b-being controlled l-like all of the others..."
Others?
"No! You're wrong!"
Or maybe he's not?
Black Waltz No. 4 stepped away from Vivi. Vivi looked up at her with sad, pleading eyes that burned into her while he grabbed his deep wound trying to stop the blood fron flowing out of him, but the blood still seeped through his hand.
He's never seen anything like her before. Sure, she looked like any other Black Waltz or Mage, but unlike the others, she had light brown hair, short in the back, long in front. And sure, she wasn't a raving beauty, but she was kind of cute and pretty -- as far as black mages go.
There was a slight noise. Black Waltz No. 4 looked over to the other side of the room. Some people who were once sleeping peacefully were now stirring in there bed but not awake...yet. She had almost forgot about them.
Oh no...I have to get out of here...
The female Black Waltz took one more look at Vivi. He was no longer looking at her, but at the floor, sitting now in a puddle of blood, and breathing hard as if he couldn't at all. She took a few more steps back.
Oh my god, what have I done...?
Feeling hot tears forming in her eyes, she turned the other way and ran out of Dr. Tot's house...out of Treno...to where?
It didn't matter.
~*~*~*~
Eiko woke up, sat up in bed and looked around. She stretched out her arms and yawned.
"I guess I'm the first one up."
Eiko looked to the side of her. Something was odd. Wasn't Vivi sleeping in the bed next to her's? Where'd he go?
Eiko got out of bed and started to walk around quietly trying not to wake the others, until she tripped over something.
"Ah! What the-?" Eiko noticed she had landed in something warm and sticky. Through the windows, the color red glistened in the pale moonlight.
"What? Red? Wh...wh...Ahhh!" Eiko screamed as she relized what she had fell in. She got up from her fall and looked reluctantly behind her to see what she tripped on. To her surprize, it was Vivi.
"Vi...Vi...Vivi!" Eiko fell next to him and started to shake him violently.
"Wake up, Vivi! Wake up!"
"What's going on?" A startled voice called in front of her. It was Zidane.
Zidane also looked to the floor and gasped. "Eiko? What the hell happened?!"
"I..I don't know!"
"Is there something wrong?" Freya asked coming down the stairs along with Amarant and Dr. Tot. They all stopped in their tracks when they saw Vivi. Freya knelt beside Vivi by Zidane and checked him.
"My God...he's still alive, he's still breathing...but he's lost a lot of blood. He needs help, now!"
"I knew it. I knew something like this would happen."Amarant leaned against a wall. "We should have never trusted that Waltz."
"Amarant...you-"
"Don't tell me you think it wasn't her...she's the only one missing from this picture. She killed her prey and ran off to kill some more."
Even though they didn't want to admit Amarant was right, they agreed. Dr. Tot walked up to where Vivi was. "Step aside, I will heal him, don't worry he'll be fine, you go try and find that girl."
Zidane was a little confused. He could have sworn she was different from the other Waltzes. Could he have been wrong?
"We need to go look for her now and settle this." Freya told all of them.
Everyone nodded and Zidane led his friends out of Treno.
~*~*~*~
Kuja walked around his room in the Desert Palace. "I can't believe that stupid soldier! How dare he push my most precious weapon off the airship. Now, all I have to do is wait for Zorn and Thorn to return on their search for her."
Just then, Zorn and Thorn ran in, both out of breath as if they ran all the way there.
"Found her, we have!" Thorn told Kuja.
"Yes, we have found Black Waltz No. 4!"
"It took you long enough" Kuja said to the two jesters angrily. "Well? Where is she?"
"We last saw her on a beach near Treno, sir!" Zorn explained with a jump.
"Yes! On a beach, we last saw her!" Thorn repeated.
"And you didn't bring her back?"
Zorn and Thorn fell silent.
"Idiots! Must I do everything myself? You two are useless."
Zorn and Thorn looked at each other.
"We are very sorry, Kuja!"
"Very sorry, are we!"
"Shut up...I will go search for her now."
Kuja walked out of his room shaking his head in disappointment.
"I cannot lose her, she has powerful magic that would be a waste to lose..." Kuja told himself as he got on his silver dragon.
~*~*~*~
Black Waltz No. 4 stood near the ocean on the beach where she had been washed ashore.
What's my purpose for living?
To Kill? I exist only to kill?
What a meaningless life.
To take away innocent lives while I still live...only to take more?
"There she is!" Black Waltz No. 4's thoughts were cut off by a familiar voice. She didn't do anything, she just stood there, starring out at the ocean. It looked endless, like it stretched out forever, but she knew that somewhere out there, it had to end. Was life like that too?
Everyone who went to go search for her, Zidane, Eiko, Freya, and Amarant, ran up to the Black Waltz and surrounded her in case she tryed to escape.
Eiko jumped in anger "How could you do that?! What did Vivi ever do to you?!"
"I'm sorry." Black Waltz No. 4 told the small girl so quietly it was almost impossible to hear.
Amarant spoke up, "You are not sorry. Admit it, you're anything but sorry!"
Black Waltz No. 4 thought about what he had said. Was it true? Was she really not sorry? She didn't want to believe it...no, she couldn't believe it!
"I-I didn't mean it--"
"Liar!"
"Amarant! If you keep yelling we're not going to get anywhere!" Zidane yelled.
Black Waltz No. 4 closed her eyes...blocked out any noises...she just wanted to end it all. No one needed her here in this world. No one cared...She was just a nuisance.
"--Kuja!"
Black Waltz No. 4's eyes snapped opened at that name. Kuja...wasn't that the name of...
Suddenly there was a gust of wind as Kuja landed his dragon not far from the group. Black Waltz No. 4 turned to the man who she had once seen every day...and she remembered everything...
The battles...
The cries...
The hatred...
Her every move...
She remembered everything she had done. All of the people she had killed...murdered. Yet again, she felt tears form in her eyes, but held them back.
She was created as a toy, a servant, to do all of the dirty work for this man...Kuja. Not no more. She didn't want that life. That fall from the ship, she thought, was the best thing that could have happened to her. She understood everything now.
Kuja took a few steps toward them. A smirk formed on his pale face.
"I have found you, my precious waltz."
Black Waltz No. 4 took a step back.
"What's wrong Number 4? Don't you remember me? I'm Kuja, you work for me."
She took another step back. "No..."
Kuja looked amused. "No? No what? Don't tell me you don't want to work for me anymore."
Black Waltz No. 4 didn't say anything. This was making Kuja irritated. He walked up to the girl and grabbed her. "Well? Do you still want to work for me or not?!" He threw her on the sandy ground.
Zidane, Eiko, Freya, and Amarant stepped back, but ready to fight if Kuja tryed anything.
Still on the ground, Black Waltz No. 4 got the nerve to speak, "I don't want to be your slave anymore! I...I don't want..."
Kuja was not pleased, but knew he couldn't change her mind by just looking at her. "Fine...have it your way...but that means you can't have any sign that you have once worked for me."
Black Waltz No. 4 looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Kuja walked up to her once again and picked her up. "I think you do know. What makes you different from other mages?" Kuja smiled.
Then he grabbed her wings and pulled.
Black Waltz No. 4 cried out as she felt her unique appendages being torn from her body. It was bad enough that her wings were being torn, but along with her magnificent blue wings, she could also feel her skin being torn off of her back. Even through the loud screams that somehow came out of her mouth, she could hear the sound of bones breaking as they were being torn apart. The pain was unbearable. How did she ever get caught up in this? After Kuja was done with his removal of an 'employee' he threw the wings down onto the ground, along with Black Waltz No. 4 next to them. She landed on her back, which allowed the sand on the beach to touch where there was no more skin. She whimpered and rolled onto her stomach to stop the stinging.
Kuja looked down at her and pulled his hair off of his face which had fell onto it. He turned and started to walk back to his dragon.
Zidane couldn't bear this. The others looked down at the torn waltz...
"Wait!"
Everyone looked over to where a small voice had called out. It was Vivi.
"Vivi! What are you doing here?!" Freya yelled at the weak and dizzy Black Mage. He didn't have anymore wounds, but he was still recovering.
Kuja looked over at Vivi. He remembered him very well.
"Just because she doesn't want to work for you anymore, doesn't mean you should give her that kind of pain!"
Kuja looked amused again as a slight smile appeared on his face. "And what makes you think this?"
"You had no right to rip off her wings!"
Black Waltz No. 4 looked over to Vivi. Was he sticking up for me?
Why...?
"She might have done things that were not acceptable but..."
Kuja cut him off by laughing. "Fool! You care about others too much! That will be your downfall!"
Kuja laughed again. "Yes, you are weak right now...your downfall is near."
"Kuja! What are you talking about?!" Zidane yelled as he tried to figure what Kuja was getting at.
Kuja didn't hesitate. He ran to Vivi, and struck him.
Everyone yelled in unison "No!"
Black Waltz No. 4 knew that Kuja wanted to kill him. She tried to get to her feet but it hurt to much, every move she did shot a pain all through her body like needles peircing through her.
All of the others started to run to Kuja but it was too late, he hit Vivi again in the head which smashed his head open, causing one more grunt as he fell to the ground lifelessly.
Kuja chuckled. He walked back to his dragon and sat on it.
Black Waltz No. 4 finally got up, ignoring all pain.
NO! He won't get away with that...Vivi was the only one that was nice to me....
She ran over to where Kuja and his dragon was but failed to get there in time. Kuja took off looking down at everyone snickering.
Black Waltz No. 4 pounded the ground. "No...No, No, No....!"
She looked up as Kuja flew into the light of the sun and slowly dissappeared into the blurred light.
Zidane walked over to Vivi and checked for a pulse...anything that would show he was alive.
Everyone looked at Zidane eagerly. Zidane stood up a few minutes later. He was silent as he shook his head sadly as tears rolled down his face.
* * *
:'( Tissue anyone? No? Well I do...*Grabs a tissue and blows my nose noisily* Vivi!!! Ahhhh! I don't like myself right now. Ahem...ok, enough crying...I said enough!!! You! The guy with the blue shirt! Stop with the water works! Uh...well that's it for Chapter 3. Yup, I'll get Chapter 4 up sometime later after I write it. What else will come out of my crazy mind? Well, I'll guess you'll hafta read on later to find out! See ya! Oh yeah, please review! ^_^