Yes, I realize it's been a long wait for this chapter. I flew home last
week, and I've kind of been busy with other things (We've moved house, so I
had to unpack my room, go shopping *The MUST thing to do in Hong Kong* and
a bunch of other things). I have a feeling this chapter will be a bit
shorter than the others *shrugs shoulders* I dunno. I have yet to compare
them. Also, only three characters appear in it, so if your reading this
for someone like Jak or Keira. Sorry, perhaps the next chapter.
Anyways, there's a lot more Jak and Daxter orientated art in my gallery now, so if you're feeling board, why not pop over there and have a look. Don't forget to leave a review either!
And finally, this chapter is dedicated to: Michelle. Simply because of all the nice comments she's left on my gallery/fic. See Michelle! I DID remember to dedicate it to you! Despite my over indulgence in Diet Coke *cough* Um, yeah. So here's the story folks. Enjoy!
~Keysha
***
Jak and Daxter: Legend of the Lost White City
Chapter six: The Dream
Xema woke up late into the night. She was sure she had heard footsteps outside. Perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her. What ever it was, she sure didn't trust it. Or perhaps she didn't trust sleeping on the ground. Xema wasn't used to not sleeping high up in a tree. But that night, she awoke in a curled up position underneath a rather leafy bush. The wind was howling through the trees, and she would have been freezing had it not been for the blanket Daxter had brought out for her.
Xema glanced down at the little furball. He had insisted on staying with her during the night, and she was eternally grateful. He was again proving his ability to sleep through anything. He was snoring away, oblivious to the fact that the wind was screaming all around them. Xema pulled the blanket closer to her body and stroked Daxter's fur kindly. She doubted that she'd get much sleep that night, but at least she had company. Xema pulled Daxter closer towards her, and lay her head back down on the grass, attempting to get back to sleep for the hundredth time that night.
***
Daxter knew he was dreaming the instant he looked down at his paws. No longer furry, he discovered he once again had hairless fingers. He glanced down at his body, now covered in his white clothes and red coat, and when he glanced around at his back, he was relived to find he no longer had a tail. Unfortunately, when he pinched himself, the result of no pain signaled that nothing he was looking at was reality.
He was surrounded by a world of purple cloud. The whole area was misty and empty asides from him and the figure standing next to him.
"Xema?" He asked rather breathlessly, glancing at her. Now in his human form, he could see that she was ever so slightly shorter than he was. Not that he was incredibly tall for his age anyway. She looked up at him and smiled as she took his hand and laced her fingers between his. At first he was rather shocked by her action, until he remembered that he was still dreaming. This wasn't the real Xema. Only the one he had pictured in his mind. He couldn't even feel her touch as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Where ARE we?" He asked the dream girl beside him. She glanced around at the purple mist and shrugged her shoulders.
"Anywhere you choose to be Daxter." She spoke almost robotically. As if she were repeating words from a script. In a way, it was starting to make Daxter feel uneasy. He removed his hand from hers and started to back away.
"Where are you going?" She asked. He shook his head.
"I've got to wake up." He insisted. "You're not really Xema, you're just who I WANT Xema to be." He looked down at his hands. "I look like I WANT to! But it's not the same!"
He turned to leave, but the girl placed a hand on his shoulder and held him back.
"I might not be Xema, but I can tell you things you want to know." She insisted. "It's important that you listen to your dreams Daxter. And it's important that you stay with Xema for as long as you can. You will both need each other in the near future."
Daxter was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. He didn't like this kind of confirmation, especially in his dreams, where he usually ESCAPED his problems of the outside world. Now, it seemed, they were even invading his subconscious mind.
"Daxter. Are you LISTENING?" The girl asked.
'That's a strange question.' Daxter thought. 'She's asking me if I'm listening to the voices in my head!' The girl frowned.
"Daxter, listen to me. Xema LIKES you! And not just in that pathetic 'I like you as a friend' way. I mean she REALLY likes you!"
Daxter shook his head furiously.
"Uh, hello! Girl with the Xema voice. I don't think your notification skills are up to scratch! Outside of my head, I'm not even HUMAN! How can Xema like me if I'm not even the same SPIECES as her?"
The girl shook her head as if he had asked one of the most idiotic questions she had ever heard.
"Daxter, even if you WERE in your normal form outside your dreams, you STILL wouldn't be the same species would you?" The clueless expression on his face told her she had to continue. She sighed.
"Did you ever notice that she has WINGS?" The girl laughed slightly. "Xema's race is an evolved form of your own, but not COMPLETELY the same. Do you think THAT is going to make a difference as to whether she likes you or not?"
Daxter was speechless. She was RIGHT! He simply shook his head in response. The girl giggled.
"Daxter, you KNOW what you have to do!" She insisted, before turning to leave.
"Wait!" Daxter called to the girl, chasing after her. She spun around just as he took her gently into his arms and hugged her. She returned the hug, and then pulled away.
"What was that for?" She questioned. He smiled rather awkwardly.
"Well, I may never be human again." He admitted with a hinge of sadness on his voice. "I'll never know what holding Xema would be like, seen as she'll always be bigger than me. It's my dream to hold her in my arms, and since this IS my dream, I thought I'd try it out." He sighed. "But I couldn't feel anything. It's not reality, and NEVER will be."
Before he could continue further, the dream girl placed the tips of her fingers on his lips to silence him.
"Daxter, you can't predict the future. Never give into something, no matter how bad things may look. Maybe one day, you will be human. Or maybe." Her voice trailed off.
"Or maybe what?" Daxter asked hopefully, thinking that his or Xema's future lay in her next words.
"I can't say anymore." The girl insisted.
And then the dream ended.
***
As he scanned the empty coastline, the young guard sighed in vain. This was hopeless. Xema was long gone. How Karma thought he even had a CHANCE of catching up to her was a mystery. He had caught sight of the other city guards flying towards a small village by the sea earlier that morning. Perhaps they had a clue as to where she could be. The boy sighed again, his eyes scanning over the beach until something caught his eye. There, lying in plain sight on one of the many stones littering the beach was Xema's sandals. Left behind from the day before. So she WAS nearby! Just how close he had no idea, but he knew that he was getting warmer. He felt his hand slip inside his satchel, and he ran his hand lightly down the blade of his knife. If all went to plan, it would soon be all over, and he could go home. Knowing that the dreadful deed was over, and that his own life was no longer in jeopardy.
***
"You look tired!" Was the first thing Xema heard when she opened her heavy eyelids early that morning.
"Thanks! Is that how you ALWAYS greet people when they wake up?" Xema rubbed her eyes, trying to regain enough consciousness so that she could at least stand up. Daxter laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.
"No, that's just how I greet pretty girls when THEY wake up beside me!" He laughed, but Xema just cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Admit it Daxter." She teased. "I'm the ONLY girl that's woken up beside you!"
Daxter's laughter haltered. He tried to think of a come back, but couldn't bring himself to find one.
"Keep this in mind Xema: 'IOU one comeback!'" He snapped at her. Xema could only laugh as she stood up and starched her aching limbs.
"Where are you going?" Daxter asked her as she left their haven under the trees, heading towards the ocean. She turned around and smiled.
"To stretch my wings." She continued walking away. "Wanna come?"
Daxter had not missed the flying trips Xema had taken him on before. Whenever Xema felt like performing some aerobatic act in mid air, he had felt like loosing his lunch. Then again, after that dream, he was too scared to leave Xema's side for any reason.
"Sure. As long as you promise not to go too fast, or roll in mid air or basically anything else that isn't necessary."
Xema began to laugh; she picked up Daxter and hugged him close.
"I promise." She insisted, and smiled as she heard Daxter breath a sigh of relief. She opened her wings, and a few seconds later; they were airborne, circling the beach and jungle from high up in the clouds. Daxter snuggled close to her as the air temperature dropped heavily. Trying to keep himself, and also Xema, as warm as possible.
Perhaps he was being a bit over protective, but he didn't care. This heavenly area was the perfect place to discuss his feelings with Xema. He was trying his best to go by the advice of the girl in his dreams; now all he wanted to do was tell Xema how he felt about her. But every time he tried to say something, he just could not force the words beyond his mouth. Perhaps this WASN'T the best time to talk about it.
But is this wasn't, then WHEN would it be? How long did he have to wait until he could tell Xema exactly how he felt? Would he have to wait his whole life just to tell Xema he loved her?
He cringed. Did he just think the 'L' word? He never thought he had been THAT serious about Xema. Was that a sign that he HAD to tell her now? He couldn't wait his whole life to tell her. He sighed heavily. For all he knew, ottsels did not live as long as humans did.
***
The guard watched intensely as the young princess flew out of hiding and into the morning air. He licked his lips in anticipation as he brought his long, sliver knife into view. It glistened in the early morning rays, and he smiled wickedly at the thought of using it. Even if there WERE city guards hanging around, they wouldn't see Xema up in the clouds. He could easily 'dispose' of her, and never get caught.
Stretching his large, powerful wings, the guard kicked off from the ground and steadily climbed into the sky himself. Preparing the deadly weapon in his hand, ready to attack Xema as soon as he got the chance.
Anyways, there's a lot more Jak and Daxter orientated art in my gallery now, so if you're feeling board, why not pop over there and have a look. Don't forget to leave a review either!
And finally, this chapter is dedicated to: Michelle. Simply because of all the nice comments she's left on my gallery/fic. See Michelle! I DID remember to dedicate it to you! Despite my over indulgence in Diet Coke *cough* Um, yeah. So here's the story folks. Enjoy!
~Keysha
***
Jak and Daxter: Legend of the Lost White City
Chapter six: The Dream
Xema woke up late into the night. She was sure she had heard footsteps outside. Perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her. What ever it was, she sure didn't trust it. Or perhaps she didn't trust sleeping on the ground. Xema wasn't used to not sleeping high up in a tree. But that night, she awoke in a curled up position underneath a rather leafy bush. The wind was howling through the trees, and she would have been freezing had it not been for the blanket Daxter had brought out for her.
Xema glanced down at the little furball. He had insisted on staying with her during the night, and she was eternally grateful. He was again proving his ability to sleep through anything. He was snoring away, oblivious to the fact that the wind was screaming all around them. Xema pulled the blanket closer to her body and stroked Daxter's fur kindly. She doubted that she'd get much sleep that night, but at least she had company. Xema pulled Daxter closer towards her, and lay her head back down on the grass, attempting to get back to sleep for the hundredth time that night.
***
Daxter knew he was dreaming the instant he looked down at his paws. No longer furry, he discovered he once again had hairless fingers. He glanced down at his body, now covered in his white clothes and red coat, and when he glanced around at his back, he was relived to find he no longer had a tail. Unfortunately, when he pinched himself, the result of no pain signaled that nothing he was looking at was reality.
He was surrounded by a world of purple cloud. The whole area was misty and empty asides from him and the figure standing next to him.
"Xema?" He asked rather breathlessly, glancing at her. Now in his human form, he could see that she was ever so slightly shorter than he was. Not that he was incredibly tall for his age anyway. She looked up at him and smiled as she took his hand and laced her fingers between his. At first he was rather shocked by her action, until he remembered that he was still dreaming. This wasn't the real Xema. Only the one he had pictured in his mind. He couldn't even feel her touch as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Where ARE we?" He asked the dream girl beside him. She glanced around at the purple mist and shrugged her shoulders.
"Anywhere you choose to be Daxter." She spoke almost robotically. As if she were repeating words from a script. In a way, it was starting to make Daxter feel uneasy. He removed his hand from hers and started to back away.
"Where are you going?" She asked. He shook his head.
"I've got to wake up." He insisted. "You're not really Xema, you're just who I WANT Xema to be." He looked down at his hands. "I look like I WANT to! But it's not the same!"
He turned to leave, but the girl placed a hand on his shoulder and held him back.
"I might not be Xema, but I can tell you things you want to know." She insisted. "It's important that you listen to your dreams Daxter. And it's important that you stay with Xema for as long as you can. You will both need each other in the near future."
Daxter was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. He didn't like this kind of confirmation, especially in his dreams, where he usually ESCAPED his problems of the outside world. Now, it seemed, they were even invading his subconscious mind.
"Daxter. Are you LISTENING?" The girl asked.
'That's a strange question.' Daxter thought. 'She's asking me if I'm listening to the voices in my head!' The girl frowned.
"Daxter, listen to me. Xema LIKES you! And not just in that pathetic 'I like you as a friend' way. I mean she REALLY likes you!"
Daxter shook his head furiously.
"Uh, hello! Girl with the Xema voice. I don't think your notification skills are up to scratch! Outside of my head, I'm not even HUMAN! How can Xema like me if I'm not even the same SPIECES as her?"
The girl shook her head as if he had asked one of the most idiotic questions she had ever heard.
"Daxter, even if you WERE in your normal form outside your dreams, you STILL wouldn't be the same species would you?" The clueless expression on his face told her she had to continue. She sighed.
"Did you ever notice that she has WINGS?" The girl laughed slightly. "Xema's race is an evolved form of your own, but not COMPLETELY the same. Do you think THAT is going to make a difference as to whether she likes you or not?"
Daxter was speechless. She was RIGHT! He simply shook his head in response. The girl giggled.
"Daxter, you KNOW what you have to do!" She insisted, before turning to leave.
"Wait!" Daxter called to the girl, chasing after her. She spun around just as he took her gently into his arms and hugged her. She returned the hug, and then pulled away.
"What was that for?" She questioned. He smiled rather awkwardly.
"Well, I may never be human again." He admitted with a hinge of sadness on his voice. "I'll never know what holding Xema would be like, seen as she'll always be bigger than me. It's my dream to hold her in my arms, and since this IS my dream, I thought I'd try it out." He sighed. "But I couldn't feel anything. It's not reality, and NEVER will be."
Before he could continue further, the dream girl placed the tips of her fingers on his lips to silence him.
"Daxter, you can't predict the future. Never give into something, no matter how bad things may look. Maybe one day, you will be human. Or maybe." Her voice trailed off.
"Or maybe what?" Daxter asked hopefully, thinking that his or Xema's future lay in her next words.
"I can't say anymore." The girl insisted.
And then the dream ended.
***
As he scanned the empty coastline, the young guard sighed in vain. This was hopeless. Xema was long gone. How Karma thought he even had a CHANCE of catching up to her was a mystery. He had caught sight of the other city guards flying towards a small village by the sea earlier that morning. Perhaps they had a clue as to where she could be. The boy sighed again, his eyes scanning over the beach until something caught his eye. There, lying in plain sight on one of the many stones littering the beach was Xema's sandals. Left behind from the day before. So she WAS nearby! Just how close he had no idea, but he knew that he was getting warmer. He felt his hand slip inside his satchel, and he ran his hand lightly down the blade of his knife. If all went to plan, it would soon be all over, and he could go home. Knowing that the dreadful deed was over, and that his own life was no longer in jeopardy.
***
"You look tired!" Was the first thing Xema heard when she opened her heavy eyelids early that morning.
"Thanks! Is that how you ALWAYS greet people when they wake up?" Xema rubbed her eyes, trying to regain enough consciousness so that she could at least stand up. Daxter laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.
"No, that's just how I greet pretty girls when THEY wake up beside me!" He laughed, but Xema just cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Admit it Daxter." She teased. "I'm the ONLY girl that's woken up beside you!"
Daxter's laughter haltered. He tried to think of a come back, but couldn't bring himself to find one.
"Keep this in mind Xema: 'IOU one comeback!'" He snapped at her. Xema could only laugh as she stood up and starched her aching limbs.
"Where are you going?" Daxter asked her as she left their haven under the trees, heading towards the ocean. She turned around and smiled.
"To stretch my wings." She continued walking away. "Wanna come?"
Daxter had not missed the flying trips Xema had taken him on before. Whenever Xema felt like performing some aerobatic act in mid air, he had felt like loosing his lunch. Then again, after that dream, he was too scared to leave Xema's side for any reason.
"Sure. As long as you promise not to go too fast, or roll in mid air or basically anything else that isn't necessary."
Xema began to laugh; she picked up Daxter and hugged him close.
"I promise." She insisted, and smiled as she heard Daxter breath a sigh of relief. She opened her wings, and a few seconds later; they were airborne, circling the beach and jungle from high up in the clouds. Daxter snuggled close to her as the air temperature dropped heavily. Trying to keep himself, and also Xema, as warm as possible.
Perhaps he was being a bit over protective, but he didn't care. This heavenly area was the perfect place to discuss his feelings with Xema. He was trying his best to go by the advice of the girl in his dreams; now all he wanted to do was tell Xema how he felt about her. But every time he tried to say something, he just could not force the words beyond his mouth. Perhaps this WASN'T the best time to talk about it.
But is this wasn't, then WHEN would it be? How long did he have to wait until he could tell Xema exactly how he felt? Would he have to wait his whole life just to tell Xema he loved her?
He cringed. Did he just think the 'L' word? He never thought he had been THAT serious about Xema. Was that a sign that he HAD to tell her now? He couldn't wait his whole life to tell her. He sighed heavily. For all he knew, ottsels did not live as long as humans did.
***
The guard watched intensely as the young princess flew out of hiding and into the morning air. He licked his lips in anticipation as he brought his long, sliver knife into view. It glistened in the early morning rays, and he smiled wickedly at the thought of using it. Even if there WERE city guards hanging around, they wouldn't see Xema up in the clouds. He could easily 'dispose' of her, and never get caught.
Stretching his large, powerful wings, the guard kicked off from the ground and steadily climbed into the sky himself. Preparing the deadly weapon in his hand, ready to attack Xema as soon as he got the chance.