Chapter 28: The Meeting of Heroes
"Hi Zidane! What brings you here?" Dagger quickly jumped out of her throne and into Zidanes arms.
"Hey Dagger! You know Vivi's in town?" Zidane smirked.
"Wow! Look how big this place is!" From behind Zidane waddled little Kuriko as she marveled at all the wonderful things. Zidane put Dagger down and walked over the black and white checkerboard floor and onto the red carpet.
"Hey Kuriko. You've never been in the throne room before?" Zidane asked. Dagger giggled as she watched Zidane talk to the little black mage.
"This brings back memories. Remember when Vivi used to be like that?" Dagger asked Zidane.
"Where's uncle Shteiner?" Kuriko asked.
"He's gone to go get your daddy, O.K?" Zidane said.
"All right. Hi Auntie Dagger!" She replied. Garnet, in her white queens outfit, looked stunning even lifting a baby off the ground. She picked up Kuriko and tossed her into the air.
"Long time no see Kuriko!" She gently placed Kuriko on the floor.
"Say, Dagger. Do you know where the others are?" Zidane asked.
"You mean Auntie Freya, Uncle/Auntie Quina, Auntie Eiko, and Uncle Amarant?" Kuriko mentioned.
"Well, I wouldn't say Uncle Amarant…" Dagger smiled.
"Or Auntie Eiko." Zidane laughed.
Dagger smiled. "Well I have a rough idea where they are, but I can't be too sure."
Just then Steiner came running into the throne room, accompanied by Vivi, Violet, and their five little children. "Master Vivi and his lady have arrived, my Queen." Steiner bellowed.
"No need to be so formal Steiner. We're all friends here." Zidane sighed.
"What?! You must always speak in this tongue to the queen!" Steiner yelled.
"Guys! Stop!" Dagger shouted. "Steiner, there's no reason to be so formal. I wish to be treated as an equal."
"Well, Let's get to business." Zidane smiled. "Vivi, Dagger, Steiner, I have been having odd dreams for the last couple of months. And those people at the gate are in them. That's how I know them."
"What people?" Dagger questioned.
"Aliens, my queen." Steiner answered.
"There's aliens out there?!" Violet gasped.
"I think they mean people from outside Alexandria." Vivi comforted his wife.
"Anyway. Those guys are from another world, similar to ours but far more advanced. The leader is a man named Cloud Strife, and he and his gang of people have saved their world from a threat not too different from the one that threatened ours."
"Their world was going to be taken over by Terra?" Violet asked.
"Not exactly." Zidane said.
"So, what is the point of these dreams, Zidane?" Dagger asked.
"Well, I got a couple glimpses at what they were doing a while ago, you know. Trying to save the world from a guy named Sephiroth and ShinRa and Meteor. But now they face a monster called EON that teleported them here in our world and is slowly destroying there's." Zidane said.
"So what has this to do with us?" Steiner asked.
"Well, a moogle told me that EON will effect both of our worlds and to stick close to your friends. So therefore its safe to assume that EON will come here." Zidane replied.
"Yup, that's about the story." Yuffie jumped down from the ceiling.
"Who's that?!" Vivi asked.
"I thought I told you to stay in the courtyard!" Steiner bellowed.
"So that's one of the aliens…" Dagger whispered.
"Thought I might do a little bit of explainin, people. I don't know who you guys are, but Cloud does and he's been having dreams of you guys." Yuffie ran a hand threw her hair.
"Really?" Zidane questioned.
"Steiner, bring in the rest of her group please." Dagger asked.
"Yes your majesty." Steiner ran off.
"Well, you certainly aren't dressed like an Alexandrain." Violet said.
"Buzz off."
** *
Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cid, Yuffie, and Cait Sith stood in front of the queen. Vincent stood in the back of the room. Both groups had just finished explaining their stories to each other.
"They're just might be a way to bring you back home." Doctor Tot, an old bird scholar, said to Cloud. "The Shimmering Island, or what WAS the Shimmering Island, teleported our heroes to another dimension, the world of Terra. There is a chance that it might teleport you back to your own world."
"Uh, thanks Doc." Cloud said. "But where's that?"
"Oh it's a long long way away. You'll need a big airship to carry you that far without any mist." Doctor Tot replied.
"Great, more flying…" Yuffie moaned.
"If we had the Highwind, we'd be there in no time!" Cid snapped his fingers.
"Well, we don't. So…" Cait Sith sighed.
"Hold on! Remember there's a chance that it might take you somewhere else besides you're world! You might be stranded in another world!" Vivi said.
Just then, A dragoon knight from Burmecia broke through the throne room doors. Everyone immediately turned to see whom it was. The dragon knight quickly ran up to Dagger, revealing her face to be Freya.
"Garnet! We need you're help! Some thing is attacking Burmecia and we can't fight it alone!" Freya said quickly.
"Freya!" Zidane and Vivi both shouted in unison.
Hold on! What's attacking Burmecia?" Dagger tried to ask calmly.
"A large part machine part flesh octopus looking creature with one red eye. It's huge, larger than South Gate! It just came out of nowhere and attacked!" Freya shouted.
{That's strange. I could have sword it would have appeared near Ipsens Castle…} Zidane thought to himself.
"That foo is EON Cloud!" Barret said.
"Which way is Burmecia?" Vincent calmly asked.
"It is to the west over the mountain range." Steiner asked.
Vincent started to run out the damaged doors and into the city.
"Vincent!" Tifa screamed as she ran out after him.
"Vincent! That is not the way to win her!" Red XIII growled as he quickly sprinted after him.
"What's going on?!" Kuriko asked.
"Aw shit man! We don't need to be splittin up now!" Barret stomped his foot.
"Damnit! You guys stay here! I'll catch up to Tifa, Red, and Vincent!" Cloud yelled as he started a dash for the door.
"Hey! We need you leader boy! You stay and I'll go!" Cait Sith said.
"No! They need you for communication to our world Reeve! Cid, you take charge while I'm gone!" Cloud shouted.
"Shit! Leader is not good!" Cid yelled. Cloud was gone after Red.
"Quickly! We must make haste before that creature destroys Burmecia!" Freya shouted.
"I'm sure we can handle it, Lady Freya. We did defeat Kuja!" Steiner unsheathed his sword.
"Hey! You guys don't have a damn clue about this guy's strength!" Barret shouted.
"Yea. He'll eat you for breakfast!" Yuffie said.
"Hell, we don't know how powerful you guys are, but he defeated us once!" Cid said.
"Uh guys! He's still here near Jonun! He must have split or something!" Cait Sith shouted.
"Shit!" The four remaining members of AVALANCHE cursed in unison.
"Maybe we can take him on together?" Vivi said.
"No dear! You've had enough fighting!" Violet grabbed on to him.
"You heard Zidane and them. That thing…EON…will kill everything if it's not stopped!" Vivi said.
"My Queen, I cannot allow you to go. Beatrix will stay to guard you as I go. Tell her I love her." Steiner said as he marched to the door.
"Shit Rusty! Garnet, I'll be back! I promise!" Zidane ran after him.
"Thank you Queen Garnet." Freya said as she sprinted towards Zidane. "Wait up!"
"Zidane! I lost you once…" Dagger started as the AVALANCHE members ran to catch up with them.
"…I don't want to lose you" Violet whispered.
"Bye Daddy!" The Black Mage children shouted.
"Wait! Where's Kuriko?!" Violet shouted.