Termina Blues
Chapter 2: With and Without
by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)
The Magical Dreamers' dressing room was chaotic. Mi and Yu, the background dancers, were applying make-up to their painted faces, joking and laughing as they worked.
The Dreamers' manager was looking at some props in the corner of the room, holding up a pillow in one hand, a ham sandwich in the other.
In the center of the room, the star of the show read over some a sheet of lyrics. He was garbed in red and black leather, and the left side of his pant leg was ripped and tied with a small black belt. An X-shaped harness (for lack of any other word) was strapped to his chest, attached to a steel circle in the middle, revealing his well-toned muscles. Another black belt was fasted tight around his neck. His black hair was highlighted with hot red streaks, and on his face he wore purple mascara and lipstick. A purple boa hanging around his shoulders completed his glam-goth look. This was Nikki, the rebellious young star of the Magical Dreamers.
And Marcy's older brother.
Pierre approached the rock star cautiously, suddenly unsure if he would be safe around such a weirdly-dressed man. "Uh...Monsieur Nikki?"
Nikki looked up from his music. "Huh? Who are you? Fans aren't allowed up here…" He leaned in closer to Pierre, noting his appearance and features. "Hey…you're Pierre! I remember you! You traveled with Serge and everyone else when we got the Time Devourer."
"Uh, oui," Pierre answered. "Oui, I was part of zat. Oh, but ze real reason moi iz here is because little Mademoiselle Marcy is very sick…"
"Marcy? You mean, Marcella? My little sister, Marcella!" Nikki's purple contact lenses grew wider. "She's sick!"
"Oui. She iz at ze home of Monsieur Zappa right now. I was sent to find a doctor for 'er, but—"
"Oh dear," Nikki murmured, getting out of his chair. "I must go to her! But how am I gonna get outta here!"
"Nikki! What're ya doing? You're on in less than ten minutes!" the manager, who had been listening, yelled. He looked at his watch. "You're not going anywhere, buster. All those fans outside are cheering for you!"
"My family comes first!" Nikki shouted back in his raspy voice, determined. "I'm going! Even if we have to refund all the money, I'm still gonna go!"
"But Nikki—"
Nikki flashed an angry look at his manager. "No one questions me!" he thundered, briefly returning to the rock star conceit that singers were known for.
"But how ya gonna do it, Nikki?" Mi questioned, turning to him.
"Yeah, all those groupies outside are gonna tear you apart if they see you!" Yu added.
Nikki thought for a moment. "What can I do….."
The door burst open. A young woman stood there, wearing the skimpiest outfit. With a hot pink tube top, see-through skirt, thigh-length boots and gloves, all checkered with patches of purple, her strawberry blonde hair swished about her face as she crossed the room. A moon-shaped symbol dangled from her forehead, and a purple star was painted on her left cheek. In one hand she held a red electric guitar, which she held out to Nikki.
"Here, Niks," she greeted in a low, seductive voice.
"Miki…say Miki, can you do me a big favor?" Nikki asked, staring into her sky blue eyes.
Miki blushed, quickly turning away. "Uh, sure, Nikki. What is it?"
"Well, I got news that my little sister is ill, so I was wondering if you could go outside and make some kind of…I don't know…distraction? So I could get away?"
"A distraction? Well…um, I guess," Miki whispered nervously, her face still red.
Nikki turned to Pierre, who had been silently listening. "Can I borrow your umbrella? To cover me up?"
"Oui Monsieur," Pierre replied, handing the red umbrella to Nikki.
"And Mi, hand me that trenchcoat…"
-
Minutes later, Miki descended the steps of the ship, looking fresh and beautiful. She unhooked the metal chain and grinned at all the groupies, whispering in awe.
"That's Miki!" "Whoa mama!" "She's hot!" "Yeah baby!"
"Hello, Dreamer fans!" Miki shouted, waving her hands. "I thought I'd come out before the concert and get to know you all…" She smiled mischievously. "Get to know you all a little better…."
The fans went wild at this statement and surged towards her. The bodyguards, finally realizing that they were on duty, rushed forth and protected Miki from the crowd. Miki was a crowd-pleaser, not as famous as Nikki, but still one of the best.
No one noticed a man coming out from behind her, robed in a black leather trenchcoat and a red umbrella. He rushed through the crowd, the people ignoring him. Just another groupie like the rest of us, they thought.
Wrong.
The door to the smithy opened. Zappa looked up from his stool, where he was trying to concentrate on some steel wrist bands. A man in a leather coat. He folded the umbrella, leaned it against the wall and threw off his covering, revealing Nikki's familiar face.
Zappa stood. "You're…"
"Mr. Zappa! I was told that my sister is here," Nikki said, coming closer to the old man.
"Aye! She's in the next room," Zappa replied, gesturing to the door knob.
Nikki pushed it open. Karsh was sitting on a chair next to the bed, while Zippa was pouring some hot water into a bowl.
Karsh looked up. "Nikki," he greeted, rising. He had never liked Marcy's older brother, finding him to be too frivolous and uncaring.
He had never seen the real Nikki.
Nikki knelt down next to his sister, in shock. "Marcella," he whispered, smoothing her hair. "Marcella…what's happened to you?"
Marcy opened her eyes. "Oh Nikkolas," she whispered, using his real name. "I….Fossil Valley…it was awful…I'm hurting…" She grabbed his hand. "N- Nikkolas…"
Nikki looked with pained eyes towards his injured sister. She was suffering so much…he ran his fingers through her blonde hair, staring up at Karsh. "What happened to her?"
Karsh's eyes found their way to the ground. "We were at Fossil Valley…and she was attacked by one of those birds…"
"And you didn't help her?" Nikki's voice was calm and undemanding, his purple irises locked into Karsh's red pupils.
"She ran away from me…by the time I found her, she was injured…"
"It's my own fault," Marcy gasped from the bed. "I shouldn't have been so stupid. And now I'm paying for it…"
"Hush Marcella," Nikki quieted, bringing one of his black painted hands up to her mouth. "It was no one's fault. Just be still now; you'll be fine."
Karsh stared at the siblings with interest. He never knew Nikki could be so….tender. He thought those rock star types were all the same; the kind who only cared about themselves, getting women, doing drugs…Nikki was different. His soul wasn't fit for his body, you might say.
Zippa, who had observed the whole scene, inquired, "Mr. Nikki, did ye see Pierre runnin' about?"
"Yes, he was the one who told me about Marcy," Nikki answered, staring up at the old woman.
"Did he find a doctor?" Karsh demanded.
"I don't think so," Nikki answered, frowning.
All were silent for a while, the only sound being Marcy's hoarse, labored breathing. One thing was on their minds: her wounds were deep. They might be fatal…
But Zippa knew something Karsh and Nikki did not; the huge bird that had bitten Marcy was venomous. She had a large dose of venom within her…but, so as not to alarm them, she decided not to mention it.
"Mr. Nikki, please sit down in this chair. Would ye like somethin' to eat? No? Karsh, what about ye?"
"No Ma," Karsh replied. He was too distraught to eat. Zippa sighed and left the room, crossing the floor and explaining the situation to Zappa.
The two men sat next to Marcy, waiting, watching. She had to live. She had to. Stories are supposed to have happy endings, right?
Maybe not.
-
"Zoah, has Karsh come back yet?"
"NO, GLENN, I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM."
"He took Marcy with him, didn't he?"
"YES, THEY WENT TO FOSSIL VALLEY."
"It's been four hours now."
A young man sat in a chair by the window at Viper Manor, glaring into the wilderness surrounding the mansion. He had known all along that Karsh and Marcy had gone out that afternoon, but now it was getting late...9:30 PM. Karsh could stay out as late as he wanted, but when he was with Marcy, he usually brought her back at 8.
The young man was serious-looking at the moment, but if the circumstances had been different, he would have been smiling softly, his spiky blonde hair casting shadows in the firelight. He wore several pieces of faded brown armor, engraved with the Acacian symbols. Under that he had on a suit of rough grey chain mail, under which he wore black pants and high boots. His shield was positioned on his elbow, and at his hips hung two cases, housing the weapons of weapons, the twin Einlanzers.
He continued looking out the window before turning to the man who stood next to him. "I know I'm really not supposed to worry about this," he said carefully, being sure to act in a "knightly" manner, "but maybe we should out and look for them?"
"KARSH CAN TAKE CARE OF MARCY," the booming voice replied back. The massively large man donned little more than a short strip of cloth tied around his waist, tied with a sliver belt. His arm covering and boots were strapped tightly around his huge musculature. A steel spike was perched on his shoulder, and a shield bound to his elbow. Like Glenn's, it was engraved with the Acacian symbol. But his most noticeable feature of his personage was his knight's helmet, which he never took off. No one knew what he looked like under it; but they said his eyes were the most soulful brown...
Glenn shifted uncomfortably. "How can you be so calm? If you haven't noticed, it's raging outside!" He glanced back at the wind whipping through the branches, the cold water splashing all over the ground.
"THEY WERE PROBABLY CAUGHT IN THE RAIN," Karsh answered, despite his growing worry. "THEY MUST'VE TAKEN SHELTER SOMEWHERE."
"I don't know," Glenn repeated, settling back. "What if—"
All of a sudden, the door to the Library burst open. Standing inside the doorway were the Lord of Viper Manor, his daughter, and the Professor.
The Lord Viper was a striking man, his long blue satin coat, trimmed with ribbed velvet, reaching down to the tops of his brown leather boots. A high lace collar framed his elderly face, which gleamed of determination and command.
Lady Riddel stood next to him, looking regal and detached. Her slender frame carried the snake-like green dress beautifully, displaying the gently cut layers of multicolored silk that were sewn to her hemline and sleeves. Her long violet hair was held back with an exquisite-looking snake tiara.
Professor Luccia was quite a woman, donning her familiar professional- looking whitish-grey labcoat, with its thick black trim. A brown belt and giant lapels made her appear larger than she actually was. Her stark purple hair was combed back into a strange-looking hat, and she wore a monacle on her left eye.
"Sir! Ma'am, Ma'am," Glenn, ever the gentlemen, immediately rose and saluted. Zoah, a bit wiser in the situation, merely straightened up.
"Zoah, Glenn! Where are Karsh and Marcy? We need to devise some sort of plan to keep those monsters out of the manor, and how the devil am I supposed to do that without all of the Devas?" Viper thundered. "Where have they gone?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Glenn answered, trying to act dignified. "You see, they haven't returned from their picnic-"
"Where exactly did they go?" Riddel questioned, practically floating over to where the two knights stood. "It-was it Fossil Valley?"
"I BELIEVE THAT IS WHERE THEY WENT, MILADY."
Luccia shook her head. "I don't zink zat vas a very wise choice," she began. "I just received word zat a giant wounded bird was found zere a few minutes ago...it looks as if it had received wounds from a steel-plated axe..."
"You don't think..." Glenn began, coming towards her. Had this bird harmed Karsh or Marcy?
Luccia shook her head. "Zhey searched Fossil Valley to zee if there vere any injured...none vere found."
Riddel blinked. Karsh, one of her dearest friends since childhood. Marcy, the sweet little girl she thought of as her little sister.
Viper turned to comfort his distraught girl. "Now, Riddel, we'll find them." Turning to Glenn and Zoah, he added, "Now won't we?"
Glenn sighed. The fact that they were Devas didn't stop Viper from treating them as if they were servants, which he occaisionally did. "Yes, sir. But where should we look? If they're not in Fossil Valley..."
"Zhink about it," Luccia urged. "Imagine a scenario...ze bird had a wound to itz wing, correct? It must have been caused by Karsh. Assuming ze bird flew away after zat, Karsh must have been alright. Marcy must have been injured a little...in my opinion, I believe zhey went to seek medical help in ze nearest city..."
"Termina!" Riddel, Glenn and Viper exclaimed at the same time.
"Exactly. Zo, we should look for zhem zere."
"This sounds pretty far out," Glenn commented, scratching the back of his head. "Are you sure?" he asked, immediately realizing that not even a Deva questioned the Professor's explanations.
"You forget...I've been studying humans and animals all my life. I've lived with Karsh and Marcy, and I know vhat they'll do in times of emergency. It'z ze most logical explanation."
Try as he might, Glenn couldn't come up with anything else. Luccia's Sherlockian techniques were too good. He looked up at Viper. "So, sir, what shall we do?"
"If it's as the Professor says," Viper replied, glancing at Luccia. "Then we'll head to Termina. I'll have the soldiers saddle up the chocobos. Glenn, Zoah, met me out front in half an hour. Riddel, Luccia, please stay here and see to-"
"No! I'm coming too!" Riddel shouted, swiftly crossing the room to look her father in the eye. How could her father think she would just sit there, worried, like one of those old damsels of lore, unable to do anything to help the situation? "What if Marcy is seriously injured? I must go see she's alright. The Manor has plenty of protection."
"If I may zay zo," Luccia added, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I am Marcy's guardian. I must zee to her safety." She looked Viper squarely in the eye.
Viper's eyes darted over the two strong women who stood in front of him, and he realized he had no choice. "Alright. You may come if you wish. We need to get those chocobos ready..."
Viper swept out of the room, Glenn at his heels, his fingers gripping his Einlanzers, which were beginning to slip off his hips. Zoah followed at a more leisurely pace, and Riddel gracefully went after them.
Which left Luccia standing there, staring down at the library desk in front of her. Her eyes traveled to the books on the shelves. Old books, ancient books, yet they gathered no dust.
This was the Devas' Library.
They often gathered here-Zoah, Karsh, in the old days Dario, in the new Glenn. And Marcy, their Diva. Their little lady. Sometimes Luccia would come to look up information on some scientific matter, and she'd find Marcy sitting there, soaking up knowledge.
Marcy, looking up, smiling. Her sparkly blue eyes. Her long blonde hair. She had looked so much like her mother. Her mother, who had died giving birth to her.
I promised Zelbess I'd take care of her...
Flashback to the night Zelbess had died...the dying mother holding her newborn in her arms...her angelic face ringed with pain.
Luccia, please, tell Fargo I love him more than anything...and tell Mother and Father and Irenes that I love them too...and take care of Nikkolas and Marcella...they can't survive on their own...Luccia...
Luccia shook her head and divorced the memory from her mind. She inhaled and let it out, then followed after the others for the ride to Termina.
Termina Blues will continue.
Notes: Gosh, that took a long time to write, huh? Well, here it is. I hope you like it.
Q. Why did Nikki remember the Time Devourer? Weren't everyone's minds erased at the end?
A. Yeah, they were. I needed some sort of memory between Nikki and Pierre, though. So I kept it.
Review my story, please?