Dimensional Whiplash
Chapter 17
Stranger in a Strange Place – Sabin is in Danger
Terra's world...
Figaro Castle....
Alie lay back, her eyes closed. She was in her room in Figaro Castle, thinking about the events of the past six months. She thought about home, and the fact that she might never go back. She sighed.
"I wish that Figaro had outlets… I can't work on my laptop without power!" Her laptop's batteries had went dead. She rolled onto her side, and thought about Mackie, her ex-boyfriend. And remembered a phonecall she'd gotten from him about nine months previous.
"But, Mackie, why?"
"Alie, all you care about is your science. You don't care about real life, real people! I'm sorry, I just can't see you anymore!"
"But, Mackie –"CLICK
Alie stared at the receiver in her hand, tears sliding unnoticed down her cheeks. "Mackie, I do care.…"
"I do care…." Alie murmured, again tears of the pain of rejection staining her cheeks. "I DO care…."
A knock on her door startled her out of her painful reverie. She sat up quickly, wiping the trears off of her face.
"Come in!"
The door opened, and Sabin walked in, a wide grin splitting his face. He grabbed Alie by the hand. "There's something you should see," he said. He then hauled her out of her room, and toward the dining hall. She tried to struggle, protesting, but the big man was a bit much.
"Sabin, what are you doing?!" she cried. "Let go, will you? I –"
She was cut off as they entered the dining hall. A huge banner was hanging over the long table that read, "Happy 6-Month Anniversary Alie!" Aleenia's jaw dropped. Her friends were all gathered around the table, setting food and gifts on the hardwood.
Sabin laughed at the expression on Alie's face. "Well, Happy Anniversary, Alie!" He propelled her toward the head of the table, and sat her there. "This is a party especially for you!"
Alie saw all the smiles, and the gifts, and the food, and couldn't help smiling as well.
As the night drove on, Alie received a new katana from ever-practical Celes to replace the old dirk, so Alie didn't have to practice with Cyan's. Edgar gave her a blue off-the-shoulders dress made of a very light material. Sabin gave her a pair of gauntlets and fighting gloves. A deck of rigged cards as a gag gift was Setzer the Wandering Gambler's choice. A painting of a Phoenix Relm had worked on lovingly for a week took everyone's breaths away. A dagger to wear in her boot in case of danger was Shadow's gift. A bracelet Gau and Mog had found while exploring was their present to her. Terra gave her a circlet made of silver. Locke gave her a small obsidian statue of a dragon with red ruby eyes; which Edgar was convinced he stole from the Treasury.
Alie smiled at her friends, and, with tears in her eyes, said the only thing that came to mind.
"Thank you."
Inn in Jidor, Same World, Same Time
A black void opened up in the middle of a room in the Jidor Inn. Out of the void stepped a man. He was handsome, like and angel, and had long, silver hair with bangs that delicately framed his face and glowing, aquamarine eyes. He surveyed the room, and a slow, determined smile lifted his lips and lit up his face. He hefted his large no-dachi, and swung it.
"I'm coming, Mother. I'm coming."
He left the room and went to the lobby. The Innkeeper stared at him, in his strange black clothes and shoulder-guards, and his long sword. He came out from behind the counter, and said something along the lines of "Who the holy hell are you?!" The man with the amazing eyes smiled at the Innkeeper, and the Innkeeper's heart froze.
The Innkeeper's scream pierced the night. The black-capped man left the Inn, and began to set fire to the town, a thrilling sense of déjà vu tingling his senses.
By morning, the rich town of Jidor was nothing but ashes.
Figaro Castle, the Next Morning
Alie was startled awake by screams. She jumped out of her bed, grabbed her katana, and ran out into the Throne Room, following the screams. She pulled a tunic on over her head as she ran, grabbing a skirt from Matron as she ran past.
In the Throne Room, Sabin, Edgar, Terra, and Celes were facing off with a silver-haired man in a black outfit, carrying a MUCH larger version of Cyan's katana. Alie gave a cry when she saw Setzer, slumped against the far wall, bleeding.
She ran over and cast a Cure3 spell on him. She had become rather adept at magic in her six months on this other world. She then turned at a cry of pain from Edgar. The black-caped man had cut his right cheek. Edgar's blue eyes were wide in shock and pain – he was also worried about his good looks being marred.
The man in the black cape turned to Alie. He glared at Setzer, who was healed, but still passed out. "I thought I killed him," he said to himself. Alie growled at the silver-haired man.
"How DARE you hurt my friends! Tsulami opparetta nojimakalera, BOLT3!" she chanted. A blast of lighting streaked at the man, but was reflected back at Alie. She was slammed into the wall.
"ALIE!" Sabin cried. She heard the sound of his Aura Bolt, but couldn't see do to the little Moogles dancing in front of her eyes. Then she heard Sabin scream – not yell, but scream – in pain. She shook her head, and managed to look briefly at Sabin. He was impaled on the intruder's no-dachi, blood dripping from his stomach and mouth. The look on the stranger's face was cold and impassive as he put a foot on Sabin's chest, and kicked him off of the sword. Sabin sprawled backward, staring blankly at the high ceiling.
A cry of pure anger tore itself from Edgar's throat, and he attacked the black-caped man with his Atma Weapon. The stranger easily dodged, and raised a hand. "Sleep."
Edgar, Celes, and Terra all collapsed, asleep. Alie got shakily to her feet, even as the man raised his sword above Terra's chest to finish the green-haired half-Esper off. Alie ran at the man with a yell, holding her katana over her head. The man swung around and deflected her blow with inhuman speed and ease. Alie stared into the man's glowing aquamarine eyes with fear, as her own blade was driven toward her.
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Shadow's eyes opened. He lay in his bed for a few minutes, listening to the screams outside his room. He lay still as he heard the light footsteps of a woman run past his door – Alie. He sat up then, and slid out of bed.
He quickly pulled on his skin-tight black suit and pulled his dark hood over his head, glancing once n the mirror. What he saw was a man with dark brown hair and black eyes, which had a cool and calculated, but haunted look in their dark depths.
Shadow padded to his door, and swung it open. He followed the screams to the Throne Room. He quickened his pace when he heard Sabin's bellow of pain, and entered the Throne Room just as Alie brought her sword down on the intruder. He stood in the shadows for a moment, calculating the distance between himself and the murderous gentleman in black. He drew out a shuriken, and threw.
The man's eyes widened as the little ninja star embedded in his right hand, barely missing Alie's left ear. She gasped and stumbled, leaving herself wide open to an attack. But the man's attention was now on Shadow. "Shadow, no!" she cried, just as the assassin began to move toward the silver-haired man.
"No one will stop me from seeing Mother," the man rasped. He spread his arms wide, and laughed. His glowing eyes fell on where Alie was, scooting on the floor, trying to reach the dying – or, Alie thought, fear's cold hand gripping her heart dead – Sabin without drawing the maniac's attention. He smiled suddenly, a smile that lit his face face, and made his eyes glow brighter, making him look both demonic and angelically handsome. "You will all die first."
The man swung his sword at Alie's head, and she screamed and fell back. There was a growling, and a bark, and Interceptor, Shadow's attack dog, leaped and sunk his teeth into the maniac's arm. The man merely glared at the dog, and flung him against the wall. Interceptor hit with a terrible sound, like a melon hitting the pavement, and a yelp. Interceptor slumped to the floor.
"No! Interceptor!" Relm was standing in the doorway. Her eyes filled with tears as she took in the sight of her Daddy's dog and Sabin. Shadow yelled at her to fun away, but she stayed. Relm removed a paintbrush from the pocket of her robe, concentrated, and whirled it in front of herself. "Sketch!" She flicked her wrist a few times, and an image of the man appeared before her.
It turned to the real thing, and chucked a small red orb at him (which hit the somewhat bemused intruder in the chest), then jumped in the air and did a summersault. It started to fly away, but disappeared, Relm's spell worn off. She stared, then repeated her attack. This time she got the desired result.
The simulacrum created an Ice3 spell, and attempted to freeze the real guy. This time it wasn't reflected back, and the man cried out in pain. He glared daggers at Realm, and a black hole appeared behind him. He walked backwards through it, and it closed. He was gone.
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Alie crawled over to Sabin. He wasn't breathing. She cast a Cure3 spell on him, and his wounds healed, but his heart still didn't beat. No breath lifted his chest. Alie cast Life2, but he still didn't stir.
"No… Sabin, oh, no…." she whispered, eyes wide and tearing.
Shadow and Relm began to cast Heal on the downed Returners. Terra woke and helped Relm check on Interceptor. Celes stood shakily and want to tell Locke and the others what had happened. Shadow cast a long look at Alie and Sabin, then hefted Setzer over his shoulder to be taken to the Infirmary.
Edgar sat up groggily. He saw Alie bending over his brother, and managed to pull himself over. "Oh, Goddess…." He began to press down on his brother's chest, attempting to re-start his brother's heart.
CPR, Alie thought. He's trying to use CPR to revive Sabin.… Why didn't I think of that…?
After a few more pushes from Edgar, Alie leaned forward. She pried open Sabin's mouth, pinched shut his nose, and took a deep breath. She breathed into Sabin's mouth, filling his lungs with hair.
She waited for Edgar, then repeated the process. Suddenly, as Alie was leaning back and away, Sabin's eyes popped open, and he gasped for air. He blinked at her, trying to focus on her face. Edgar checked his pulse.
"I'm no doctor, but I think he should be fine for a while," he said. The young king helped his younger brother to stand. Sabin's blue eyes flitted to Alie's face, and he muttered a thank you before being led away by his brother.
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I'm sorry to all Tifa fans about the previous chapter. ^^; She should be fine. We'll have to see.
To all those reading this on Fanfiction.net, please, by all means, R/R this and the rest of my fics!
~ Jamie/Aleenia ~
My other fics, you ask?
So far, as of 9-15-01:
NOTE: THESE ON FANFICTION.NET
"Eyes on Me" – A Gundam Wing songfic/vidfic, based on the Final Fantasy 8 song, Eyes on me. DuoxRelena fic, peoples. ^^
"Gone Away" – a Final Fantasy 2 song/vidfic, based on The Offspring's song, Gone Away. Edward's having a nightmare on the Anniversary of Anna's Death…
"Dimensional Whiplash" – that's this fic, as you know. ^^;
"Trapped in Darkness (beta)" Vampire Hunter D/Vampire Princess Miyu fic.
"Oh My Heero" -- A Gundam Wing songfic/vidfic, based on the Final Fantasy 3/6 song that Maria (celes, actually) sings.
"EaRtH aNgEl" -- A Vampire Diaries fanfiction.
"By Myself" -- A Final Fantasy 7 MV based on the Linkin Park song, By Myself. A Sephiroth fic.
That's all, my peeps.
~
And out of the Darkness the zombie did call
True pain and suffering he brought to them all
Away ran the children to hide in their beds
For fear that the Devil would chop off their heads.
~
+Call of the Zombie: Track one on Hellbilly Deluxe+