I'm back!!! Enjoy the next chapter! I hope y'all like it! Just a quick note: This chapter has some sexual content from Nariko--THE HORNY BASTARD--so be warned. It's actually not that bad, but I just got back from my forced trip to church so I better put this in... Ah, well, be prepared for suspense--chapter three!
Chapter Three
Nariko's Attempt
He smoothly walked in. "Ah, Rinoa, my sweet, may I say that you were magnificent onthe battlefield?" Nariko asked, suavely.
Rinoa looked over her shoulder at him, "Yes, you may..." She turned around to look at him, "You were too."
He took her hand and kissed it, "Out of all the precious stones and jewels we find here, you are truly the one that lights up the night." I could feel my face heating up--you Casanova-wannabe!
Her face went red, "Thank you." When I heard her voice, I became worried, for she wasn't lovestruck, she was scared. I saw her eyes, they seemed clouded and frightened. Don't worry, I found myself saying to her silently. I'm right here...
He pulled her into his arms and pressed himself up against her. My face went red in anger; get the hell away from her, you asshole!!!
He gazed into her eyes as she tried to push him away gently, "Nariko, please, let go of me."
"That's not what you want," he said cooly. It took all of my strength to keep from jumping in there and kicking his ass for even LOOKING at Rinoa. Please, God, just gimme a reason, just gimme a reason...
"...What did you say?" Rinoa whispered in fear. I'm right here, Rinoa, I'm right here...
"Come away with me, Rinoa Loire. Forget about your little 'Blue-eyes' from the Outlands. He's not even a real man." I'll show you a man, alright, you...you...
She pulled out of his arms and grabbed her chest, "What do you want from me?"
"You know what I want..." Oh don't you dare... He took a few steps closer to her, causing her to take a few more back. "Rinoa, I know that you didn't want your father to call off our marriage. I know that you thought that arranged marriages were a good thing, and that the matchmaker was right about us." Don't touch her, don't touch her...! He reached out and stroked her cheek. Oh--you touched her!!! Out of total impulse, I rushed in , grabbed Nariko by the shoulder and punched him square in the face. Rinoa gasped.
"What are you doing?!" she asked, shocked. I looked over to Nariko, holding his bloody lip. What was I doing?
"I--I don't know, I couldn't help it!" I said.
"Looks like the outsider wants you," Nariko spat.
"Nariko, please," Rinoa said. She turned to me. "What the hell is wrong with you--it may be okay to do that in Garden, but don't do it here." Was she serious? I wasn't going to stand by and watch him rape her!
"Taking orders from a woman?" he said in a tone that could only be equalled by Seifer. "How pathetic, outsider."
"Is that a threat?" I asked, taking a step forward; I was ready to punch his lights out.
"Squall, don't!" Rinoa said. "This isn't your concern, so just stay out of it, alright?" I stared at her, surprised; that was something that I would say, if I was acting like my regular self. She turned to Nariko. "As for you, we will let our swords speak."
His eyes flared. "You will soon be greeted by Odin," he said, walking away. Rinoa grabbed her chest; she hung her head and took in a few deep breaths.
I stared at her in concern. "Rinoa?"
She quickly looked up. "I'm fine, really, I--I..." She blew out another breath. "I... I just have to fight it off." She walked out of the stable. Fight it off? What the hell kind of a place was this...? Was disrespecting women like this considered alright? Were women even valued in this village? I shook my head and sighed; Korekanda growled, grabbing my attention.
I walked up to him and scratched him under his chin. "Why didn't you do something?" I asked. Rinoa was mad at me, I could tell. It was like, ever since I came here and told her that I killed monsters, she's had some sort of silent hatred towards me. I still can't shake it off; for some reason, I feel really guilty when she's angry with me, and that's never happened to me before. Oh, well, I'll go back to the battle anyway, I want to see Rinoa kick his ass.
The battle between Nariko and Rinoa had been fierce. Korekanda and Nariko's Chimera, Zev, were two of the strongest monsters I had ever seen. They each used powerful techniques and magic attacks, like Ultima, and Meteor. Rinoa and Nariko didn't battle until Korekanda and Zev were both too tired to battle, it had been a tie between the monsters, but then it came time for Rinoa and Nariko to battle. Somehow, I had a bad feeling that one of them was going to be hurt badly, and I feared that it would be Rinoa.
Cling-Clank! Their swords slashed, narrowing the gap between them. Nariko jumped back, "Ice Blast!" The water vapor in the air formed together to fom thousands of tiny ice-daggers that hurled themselves at Rinoa.
Rinoa traced her neckline and cast the spell, "Flame Wall!" Just as the attack had suggested a wall of fire shot up from the ground and formed a shield that protected her from the ice.
Nariko clenched his fists angrily and formed a reddish-orange orb in the palm of his hand. He held it up, "Smoke screen!" A great white flash blasted in the sky and smoke filled the arena. Everyone in the first five rows, including me, coughed from the smoke. What kind of power does this guy possess, anyway? I coughed hard, will this clear soon?
Rinoa coughed another attack, "Aero Gust*cough-cough*!" A fierce and sharp wind shot through the stadium and the smoke cleared. A confused silence covered the entire crowd. Rinoa gripped her sword tightly in her right hand as she looked around. She dug her feet into the ground like a lioness waiting for the perfect time to attack. As we all waited for Nariko to appear, I began thinking. What kind of power does Rinoa possess? She doesn't seem to be a highly trained fighter on the outside, or a highly skilled
magic user. Is this in her blood? Perhaps her father tought it to her... He seems to be a great man to be a leader of this place...
Without warning Rinoa spun around and quickly cast a powerful spell behind her, at about a 45 degree angle, "Ultima!!!" In a split second, I saw Nariko right at the place where Rinoa was casting, right in mid-air. This kinda reminds me of a kung-fu movie I once saw... The sky and whole aren a went totally black and a sea of errupting green and white exploded and blasted mostly everyone in the front row back a bit. Once again, everything was covered in dust, and I couldn't see.
A cool wind came and blew the breeze away, showing Rinoa standing proudly in the middle of the stadium, her sword still clutched in her hand. I saw Nariko lying at the other end of the stadium, unconcious. The crowds roared, Rinoa had won! Everyone in the stands stood up and cheered their lungs out, so did Eiri, "YAY!!!! SIS YOO DID IT!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"ALRIGHT!!!" I shouted down to her. "WAY TO GO RINOA!!!" She laughed and waved to the whole crowd, giving a proud bow. Rinoa won, two out of three... She actually did it.
I was surprised how multi-dimensional she was. She seemed so together, but just look at all she had to deal with. the insubordanation of the villagers, holding her title of Master Monster Rancher, raising hundreds of monsters, raising her little sister, putting up with womanizing creeps like Nariko... She was like a diamond with a thousand facets, each shining a beautiful new face. This woman was obviously a force to be reckoned with; and here I thought she was just an angel that liked to dance...
I saw her turn to her defeated opponent and begin slowly walking to him. What is she doing...? I don't trust that guy at all. I jumped up in my seat and started running down to the arena where she was. I had a really bad feeling about this... I do NOT trust that guy at all.. My heart pounded with every rushed step I took, and after running for what seemed like hours, I finally reached the entrance to the arena, where Rinoa had just reached Nariko, who was now weakly sitting up.
She smiled down at him, "Good match." She slowly reached for his hand, oh god no... Every thing seemed to go in slow motion now. I saw an evil gleam in his eye the second they touched. Oh no... I ran out into the arena,"Rinoa, NO!!!"
She looked at me, giving Nariko that split second he needed to do his dire deed. And, in that brief moment, it happened...
She screamed an inhuman scream.
The whole crowd gasped and went deathly silent. I stood there, about five meters away from them, frozen, shocked, dumbstruck, heart-stopped. My blood seemed to freeze in my veins, I couldn't move. I wanted to run to help her, but I couldn't; my legs didn't seem to get the signal.
Nariko looked to me, "Thanks, pal. Couldn't have done it without you." he said, his words piercing my ears like venom. He turned to Rinoa, her eyes wide and glassy, her mouth open in shock. "Save a seat for me in hell."
I sat in the lonely hut of the Village's Shaman, my face buried in my hands. I couldhear Eiri sitting on the other side of the room, crying her little eyes out. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. What I felt was something else, something far beyond greif, rage, or sorrow... Something that words cannot explain. Something that didn't even allow me to shed a tear. I was in far too deep to cry, this feeling was much worse. I felt as if someone had reached down my throat, pulled out my heart, tossed it in a blender, and put it on puree`. Dammit, why did I have to distract her like that...? Why?
I replayed the battle in my mind; she called an Ultima spell... Nariko was down... She went to help him... The second they touched, I had distracted her... And it happened. ...In a split second, Nariko grabbed for his sword and stabbed Rinoa in the stomach so deeply that I could see the blade coming out of her back... Then, he had said that he couldn't have done it without me... ME! I ran to her after Nariko had left, the ground covered in her blood. I had distracted her... It was all my fault.
"Are you the one who Lady Loire speaks of?" said a voice. I looked to my left and saw the Village Shaman, wearing some sort of strange red robes. He looked strangely familiar. "My name is Kiros Seagil. I am the Shaman of Madao Valley." Kiros?! As in Kiros from the dream world?! "You are the one Lady Loire keeps talking about, yes?" he asked.
I nodded, my eyes wet. "...Is... Is Rinoa... Is she--?"
"Come with me," he said, cutting me off. I stood up and followed him through a curtain of beads and into the back of his hut. The back seemed to be an Amazon version of the Infirmary back at Garden, and on a bed of palm leaves lay Rinoa, surrounded by pots of herbs and candles and oil-burners. An Jamaican woman tended to Rinoa, drawing twine a foot or so over Rinoa as if she were scraping impurities off of her soul.
Rinoa looked terrible... Her long hair was out of its braid and was now fanned out behind her, and some in her face. Her once beautiful skin was now the palest shade of ghostly white, and covered in sweat. And her lips, which were once a beautiful shade of crimson red, were a frighteningly pale pink. I almost ran to her, but Kiros held me back with one hand, and walked up to the woman.
He spoke to her in some weird language that sounded like the same thing Rinoa had used when she found me on the beach, and she bowed and left. He sat down next to her Native-American style, and motioned for me to sit down, too. I did, almost breaking down at the sight of Rinoa like this.
"Kiros... Please, tell me that she'll be okay...? Please, I gotta know."
"Calm down," he said. I took a few deep breaths, but I couldn't seem to calm myself. "Let me tell you a story." Story...? Rinoa's life is at stake, man! She needs help! Not a story! "About four months ago, Rinoa's father, the leader of this whole region, went away to seek other lands and help needy people and bring them back here, where they could be helped properly. Before he left, he made me as well as the Village Wiseman, Ward Zabak, promise that I would take care of Rinoa and Eiri as if they were my own. In a way, they are like my own.
"From the day that Rinoa was born, I fell in love with those eyes of hers and that cute little laugh. She looks so much lke her mother, but acts more like her father than anything. They're both so goofy and carefree, they love little kids, and they both go wherever the wind takes them.
"But, like her mother, she is beautiful, courageous, patient, and strong. Whenever her parents went away, Ward and I would always take care of her, as well as her borhters and Eiri. We watched them grow, helped them live their lives, contribute to bringing Eiri up into the sweet little girl she is, and the beautiful young woman Rinoa has become. I'm just sorry that her mother isn't alive to see her like she is now..."
"...Her mother is dead?" I asked, confused. What sort of mother would dare to leave such an angel without her?
He nodded, "One day, in the winter about a year or so after Eiri was born, Rinoa turned nine, and her parents went away a week or so after. Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. Finally, late in the year, Rinoa was outside playing in the snow. Her father came back that day; Rinoa was so happy to see him... But her cute little smile quickly turned to tears once she found out that her mother was dead.
"She ran away into the outskirts of the village and into the snowy hills just passed the Chocobo Forest. She called and called, but her mother never answered. Finally, after searching through the hills for awhile, she did find her mother, but in the Shrine that had been built for her.
"She had changed from that day on, and eventually turned into the Rinoa you know now. We hated to see Rinoa like that, so sad and grieving. We would all hate it even more to see her die. I would never break a promise to my best friend; I promise YOU that I will get her through alright. That is a promise that I will keep and take to the grave with me."
I sighed in relief, "Thank you..."
Kiros nodded, "Think nothing of it. I love Rinoa just as much as her father does, as well as her sister."
I nodded. "Again, thank you..."
I stared at Rinoa's face. I felt so guilty, I couldn't even tell you. It had been hours since the battle, and the sun was setting. Nariko had run off somewhere, all the villagers were looking around for him. It was obvious that everybody loved Rinoa dearly, but what about the woman with red hair? Who was she? Why did she think that Rinoa was too soft? Hell, she seems tougher than me sometimes. I wonder if there are others who think that Rinoa is too soft? What else did she call her...? ...A godless heathen...? Was that it...?
I leaned back in the wicker chair; this tribe was quite primitive, I thought. They still keep to their traditions after all these years. I haven't seen a computer here once, no phones, no modern conviniences whatsoever. They seemed to be doing alright, though... No deaths, no starvation, no diseases... Hmm, when you think about it, these people are living better than we are, in a way... It's so peaceful here.
Let's see... If I'm in Centra, then that means this tribe must be... I recalled an old history text: "It has been proven that all human civilization actually began in Southeastern Centra. Various tribes lived within the area and built sacred temples to their patron guardians; these ruins have been found all over the world. Many tribes migrated to the other parts of the world to build temples and survive. While most tribes died out, it has been rumored that some still live in the heart of Centra. There is a theory that some of the people evolved into the Shumi tribe of northern Trabia because of the effects of the comet that brought down the monsters in Trabia. While this has never been proven, it has never been disproven..."
I let my mind wander. The Akashic tribe must be one of those tribes. If they still live here...then that means that all those theories about the world beginning in Centra are true. Those ruins I read about, the ruins of Odin... They built it... Odin must be their patron god... Hmm, if Odin requires a sacrifice, then that explains why Rinoa is considered to be a 'heathen,' because she won't sacrifice people... And I could have ended all this...?
I leaned my forehead on my palm, wincing slightly at the pressure; my wound from Seifer still hadn't healed. Rinoa has done so much for me... What have I done for her...? I've gotten her killed, that's what... I could feel my eyes welling up. "R-Rinoa..." I whimpered. "Please... Be okay..."
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Well? What do you think? Not bad, eh? Chapter Four should be up, pretty soon, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!
Kayli
