What is Love, Anyway?
(Part 4)
By Alria
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF 9 peepsI only own the "tall cloaked stranger"
Author's Note: I thank you for the wonderful reviews, you know I love them. I just want to say that the amount of reviews I get, and what the reviews say directly influence the speed at which these chapters come out. So don't be shy! I won't bite!
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"So, there you are, mage! I must say you've given me quite a lot of trouble trying to find you." The sickeningly familiar voice rang through Vivi's ears like a curse. His amber eyes widened in terror as they searched for the tall, dark figure he knew was standing somewhere close by. His pale skin turned even whiter, making him look almost like a ghost. It wasn't possiblehe couldn't be here. Not now. Not after he had been running for so long.
Suddenly, Vivi's attention turned to Eiko. Her beautiful emerald eyes were wide with fright, and her small hand had a firm grip on his dark cloak. She looked up at him with a worried look on her face.
"Viviwho is it?" she asked softly, her voice quivering. Vivi's fist clenched. He couldn't let that monster get his hands on Eikohe couldn't bear to see her face the madman. For years he had avoided contact with his dearest friends to keep them from harm. Was his sacrifice worth nothing? Surely the gods had a wry sense of humor. He had already endured the pain oncehad he doomed not only himself but Eiko as well to a life of it? No, it wouldn't be that wayit couldn't
Vivi took a step towards the pale stranger, eyes filled with anger and fear.
"How did you find me?" he asked with a shaky voice. The tall man chuckled, seemingly amused by Vivi's "ignorance."
"How did I find you? It wasn't that hard. Just about everyone in Gaia knows about the bloodthirsty black mage who turned himself into a human. Of course, I immediately knew it was my handy work, for who else could be a black mage gone human other than you? I hurried to Lindblum, and now I'm here. What, aren't you grateful to see me, after all I've down for you?" he asked, a hint of mocking in his voice. Vivi shook his head and slowly backed up. He had finally found him.
Eiko, shaking slightly from the fear in Vivi's eyes, gently tugged at his shirtsleeve.
"ViviVivi what's wrong? Who is that?" she asked once more. This time, the cloaked man heard the young princess, and he took a short, almost mocking bow.
"Forgive me, your highness. I didn't realize you were there. I am Ravendor," he said, a coy smile on his lips. "And I am a master in the art of black magic."
Eiko's eyes widened in surprise. Black magic!? Only black mages could do that, and this man was clearly human. He didn't even have a golden sheen to his eyes. How could one such as he possess the powers of black magic? Eiko must have looked visibly bewildered, for Ravendor's grin only broadened.
"My dear, you look confused," he shot a coy glance at Vivi. "I'm surprised you haven't explained it to her, mage. I'm sure you remember," he snickered. A cold, icy shudder shot down Vivi's back. Oh, he remembered all right. It had been the only thing on his mind for the past years. The pain
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(Enter flashback)
Vivi sat on the cold, wooden floor, his whole body shaking like a leaf in the wind. His big, round, golden eyes were the only thing that could be seen under his tall black mage hat, and he absent-mindedly wrung his large, gloved hands. A dark, numbing terror enveloped his mind as the young mage shook. He had never felt such pure horror.
Vivi was in a small, rectangular room. The only light was from a small burning candle and the shining moon outside. The young mage huddled in a dark corner. Everything had happened so fast. One minute, he had been walking down the streets of Alexandria, and the next a large, canvas bag had been thrown over his head. After that, he remembered nothing until he had opened his eyes in the dark room. And now here he was, cold, alone, confused, and scared. He had no idea where he wasand he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Vivi yelped when a large, oak door burst open sending a sea of light into the dark room. In the doorway stood a tall man with blond hair and a black cloak draped over his shoulders. He sneered at the little mage, a devilish grin on his lips. Vivi lowered his head and tried to push himself farther into the wall to get away from the stranger. A cold laughter echoed through the air.
"Oh, don't worry, little one. It'll only hurt for a few minutes," the cloaked man snickered. Vivi let out a quick whimper. He had never felt so terrified in his life. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he did know that he couldn't let this man get a hold of him. Doing the only thing he could think of, Vivi lifted his two hands towards him.
"FLARE!" he cried, and a burst of power shot force. But instead of destroying the cloaked man, the spell simply disappeared when it hit him. Vivi's eyes widened. How could a human do such a thing? The stranger shook his head and wagged his finger as if he were reprimanding a small child.
"Nice try. But I'm afraid there's no way to fight me. Now, come here and be a good little mage. I assure you, it will cause you less pain to cooperate," he said. When Vivi remained crouched in the corner, unmoving, the cloaked man sighed and lifted his hand. A small, black stream of magic shot out of his fingers and soared towards Vivi. Upon contact, the black strands roughly picked little mage and lifted him off the ground. As the magic coursed through his body, it felt as if needles pricked at him from every which way. Vivi whimpered with pain as he slowly floated to the man. He would have cried out, but he didn't want to give this monster the satisfactory of knowing his pain. All at once, the magic dropped Vivi down on the ground in front of the man. The black magic slowly floated out of his body as he lie panting on his the ground. He would have liked to rest for a good half-hour, but the tall stranger gripped his blue coat and jerked him to his feet. As Vivi stood, his stomach queasy from the black magic, it was all he could do to keep from falling over. The stranger crossed his arms and looked down at him.
"I told you it would be easier to cooperate. You mages are so thickheaded. Now, come on," he ordered, turned around, and began to walk away. This time, Vivi was so shaken he couldn't help but follow at his heels like an obedient dog. The man led the small mage into a larger room, this one rimmed with glowing candles. There were no windows in this room though, and the only door was the one they had just walked threw. Vivi shuddered when he heard the click of a key locking that only door. There was no way out. He was trapped.
Suddenly, rough hands grabbed Vivi by the shoulders and spun him around. With a jerk he was stopped, facing the tall man. He scowled down at the young mage.
"You're a lot smaller then the other mages," he muttered. Vivi's heart pounded in his chest.
"Other m...mages?" he murmured. The stranger laughed, cold eyes dancing.
"Of course! How else did you think I could have black magic?" he chuckled. Vivi's eyes widened.
"But" he stammered. The blond man sneered wickedly.
"How? It's quite easy, actually. I simply sucked the power from the mages and absorbed it into me," he explained. Vivi shook his head, shocked.
"ItIt's impossible to draw the power out a black mage. Everyone knows that," he gasped. The man's dark eyes shimmered.
"I didn't draw the power from mages. I drew it from humans," he snickered. Vivi let out a quick yelp and stepped backwards. It couldn't be!
"You turned them into humans!?" he cried. Suddenly, his foot landed on something behind him. Glancing down to see what it was, he felt his breathing quicken in terror. There, lying crumpled under his foot, as the remains of an old, tattered black mage's hat.
That was all the confirmation he needed. He was going to be turned into a human, and then drained of his power. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"As I said before, mage, if you cooperate, it will be less painful. And once I have all your power, I promise to give you a quick, painless death," he said. Before Vivi could say another word, the man's hand was up in the air. This time, however, instead thin black spirals, one, gigantic beam shot out at Vivi. In a spilt second, it slammed into Vivi's chest.
Nothing could have prepared the little mage for this. It felt as if a thousand bolts of lightning were coursing through his body, ripping him apart. Dark power stretched him every which way, pulling at his fingertips and toes. Before he had forced himself not to cry out. Now, his ear-piercing screams sliced through the silent room. This was unlike any pain he had ever endured. It cut at him from inside and out. Oh, just to make it stop. That monster could have his power, if he only stopped the pain! But it continued, the gut-wrenching agony.
For what seemed like hours Vivi stood there, screaming at the top of his lungs. Ever so gradually, the pain began to subside. Slowly, it dwindled and dwindled until finally, it was completely gone. For a few seconds, Vivi stood, his mind numb and his limbs quivering. And then, like a silent falling star, the young mage collapsed to the ground.
His eyes closed, his chest heaved to try and get enough air. He was only barely conscious, almost every part of his body enveloped by a cold numbness. Everything that wasn't numb was in agonizing pain. And as Vivi lay, gasping on the floor, a small, glistening drop trickled down from his eye.
What was that? It felt like a raindropbut it wasn't raining. Why were his eyes blurry? Using what little strength he had, Vivi slowly lifted his frail hand to his cheek. His eyes widened when he saw his hand. It not longer wore a glove, and it was much smaller. His hand was now a strange pink color. The color of skinhuman skin
Still not quite believing the reality of what was going on, Vivi lifted his hand to his eyes and gently drew the small droplet of water on his finger. He slowly moved his finger before his eyes which were still blurred. There, on the tip of his finger, was a small, clear drop. It looked like a shimmering crystal as it caught the candle's light. Vivi bit his lower lip. He had seen similar drops on Zidane and Dagger's faces. He was truly human now.
The sorrow that filled him was overwhelming. As a black mage, emotions were dull, simple things. They could induce fear, sadness, and happiness, but on small scales. But this sorrow, completely untamed and tremendous, took over his entire mind. No wonder humans acted so passionately.
Suddenly, Vivi felt the firm hands of the stranger grip his shoulders and lift him to his feet. His large mage's hat fell off his head and onto the dusty floor, the only thing covering the poor quivering boy was his blue cloak. A strand of jet-black hair rolled down in front of Vivi's face. Hairanother human quality.
As the wicked man lifted his left hand, preparing to drain the young mage of his powers, something in Vivi's mind screamed at him to do something. He couldn't die herealone and hurt. He had things to live for. Zidane, Dagger, Steinerand Eiko. Eiko, his dear, dear friend. He had to get out for her!
The man placed his pale hand on Vivi's chest, preparing to suck the power out of him. But, before he had a chance, the young boy weakly lifted his own hand and placed it on top of the monster's. And then, using the last bit of strength he could muster, Vivi called forth his power.
"FFlare!" he cried. A tremendous surge of power erupted form Vivi's hand, being absorbed straight into the man's hand. The monster let out a blood-curdling scream as he flew back. Without the man's support, Vivi collapsed to the ground, this time a smug grin on his face. There was a loud thump as the man's head slammed against the nearest walland then there was silence. Vivi closed his eyes. The sound of the monster's faint breathing could still be heard, but he was clearly not getting up anytime soon. Vivi sighed. Good. He needed the rest, for he had a long journey ahead of him
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That was a long onewow. I know most of that was a flashback, but I actually liked this chapter a lot. So, now the secrets out, and you know what happened to poor little Vivi. What will happen next time? Will Ravendor finally get his chance to drain away Vivi's magic? And what will Eiko have to say about it? Oh, one more thing. Since I had to delete my original story, my reviews are all gone. I would love you forever if you would review this story. It would mean the world to me! Thank you!!!!!!!