This one I hadda force myself to write. There wasn't much emotion or
description, which I was trying to put in. I don't know if it's as good as
the first chapter. . .but hell, I'll just shut up and let you read.
Two: He Comes. . .
Kid came to slowly on the rock. "Ow!" she cried as she felt the pain in her back from sleeping draped over the rock on her back. Standing, she rubbed the sore spot and looked around her. Forest. All she could see was forest. 'How long have I been out?' she wondered vaguely, looking up at the scarlet streaked sky.
Noticing a sour taste in her mouth, Kid touched her lip to find a small swelling. She must have split it when she tripped, she realized as everything rushed back to her.
She looked over the events of the last few minutes. Confusing. But there was nothing she could do about it. Calm now, she decided the best course of action was to check Cape Howl. If her grave wasn't there, everything would be alright. She'd show Leena and Adam, and her father would be okay.
Decided, she gave herself a nod and made for the cape.
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"Damn thorns. . ." Kid pulled another one out of her leg. "At this rate, it'll take me forever to get there!" she muttered, glaring up at the steadily darkening sky.
As if by a miracle, Kid reached the cape with no other thorns in her way. The others had taken her a great deal of tugging and grimacing. She wiped a bit of blood from a hole in her thigh, and bent beside the gravestone.
Our beloved Kid,
Died age six,
No one can take
anything away from her,
Nor can anyone give
anything to her.
What came from the sea,
Has returned to the sea.
Kid stood, shaking her head. "This isn't right. . ."
"So, you must be Kid, the ghost of the girl who died ten years ago."
Kid whirled to face the voice. "Who wants to know?!"
A purple haired man and two dragoons stepped up to her, barring the way back to the trail out of Cape Howl. Kid ran at them, hoping to scare them into letting her get by. The gambit didn't work.
"Don't move!" the purple-haired man, Deva, from the look of it, put up a hand, stopping her. "We don't wanna hurt you, missy, just come with us."
"But, Sir Karsh," one of the dragoons began, "are you surely sure this is the one we're looking for? She looks like a perfectly perfect fine young lady to me."
"That doesn't matter!" Karsh told him. "We found the girl here, just as SHE told us, didn't we?" He glared at Kid. "Now seize her!" The other two dragoons, Solt and Peppor, moved forward to do so.
"Hold yer seahorses!"
Kid looked up to see a boy of about seventeen standing on a ledge. His blue hair waved in the light breeze, as well as the bandana tied around his head. One hand was on his hip, the other on the weapon he was holding: one of the two blades resting on the soil. Kid recognized it as a sea swallow, from the weapon her father used to wield. The sun glinted off the flawless metal of the other blade, the pointed end an ominous sign to the three would-be-kidnappers.
Confused, Kid kept her eyes on him. Where had she seen him before? Why did she feel he was throwing himself into danger just by being near her?
"Who the-?!" Karsh began, but neglected to finish.
The boy took a leap, somersaulting over the heads of the bemused dragoons, to land right in front of her. His eyes locked with hers for just an instant before he turned to the dragoons. The two of lower class backed up as he took a step forward.
"D-do you have a sh-shakin' idea who you're dealin' with, junior?" Peppor demanded shakily. He didn't sound very convincing.
"Silence!" Karsh yelled at him. "Listen up, missy! We're here to take you in, so come quietly or this ax o' mine'll have to do the talkin'!"
"Would ya just shut up and get on with it?!" the boy shouted back at him. "I'm gonna kick yer sorry arse so hard you'll kiss the moons!"
Karsh growled and ran at the boy, ax raised. The latter blocked the attack easily with his swallow. The two struggled, both pushing, until the boy kicked Karsh in the jaw, causing the Deva to back up.
Meanwhile, Kid was grappling with Solt and Peppor. As she held Solt's ax still, she kicked Peppor, who had attempted to deliver an attack from behind. The two weren't much of a struggle, Kid soon found. As Solt collapsed beside his brother, she turned to see how the other boy was doing. Perspiration was dripping down his forehead as he blocked yet another blow from Karsh. But he was beginning to weaken with fatigue, for he had been the one to try to deliver the most blows to Karsh, instead of vice versa. Kid noticed this, and yanked out her Element grid.
"Electrobolt!" she cried. Karsh was of green innate, and already weakened by the boy's attacks, so this easily finished him off. He stood, along with the other two, bruised and bitterly defeated.
"Aaaaah!" Solt cried and ran down the pathway.
"W-we should shake it outta here, if we want to live to fight another day!" Peppor told Karsh, shaking. "Th-these ain't no ordinary brats we're dealin' with!" he called over his shoulder as he followed his brother.
"Damned idiots. . ." Karsh muttered. He turned to Kid and the boy. "We won't forget this, junior! You'll regret it!"
"Oh, I'm REALLY scared." the boy retorted as Karsh limped quickly after his companions. "Ha! Think I'd lose ta scum like you?!"
With a bitter glare at the retreating dragoons, the boy turned to Kid. "Kid. . .ye're name's Kid, ain't it?"
"Yeah." Kid removed her stare from the pathway. "And you?"
"Me? I'm Serge." Serge told her. "Nice ta meet ya."
Kid looked shyly at him. "So. . .why did you help me?" she asked.
"I couldn't just sit back and watch those blokes gang up on ya like that." Serge told her as they continued up to the edge of the cape. "It pissed the bloody hell outta me, and I wanted ta beat 'em up some more." He grinned at her, crossing his arms. "'Sides, ye're a cute one, mate."
"You're not gonna try anything, are you?" Kid whipped out the wickedly curved dagger.
"Nah." Serge looked out at the sea, silent for a moment. "Hey, Kid." He turned, a sudden inspiration striking him. "How 'bout you and me team up for a while? Those blokes ain't gonna leave ya alone, sure as hell. And, ta tell ya the truth, it's kinda lonely travelin' these islands by meself. . ." he gave her puppy eyes. "So whadd'ya say?"
"Well. . ." Kid paused. Where had she seen him before?! Then it all came back to her. Blood. Dagger. Smirk. Serge. . .
She recognized it all. "Well, I-"
"Then it's settled. We'll shack up in Arni for the night, and make for Termina in the mornin'." Serge nodded.
"Termina? Why Termina?" Kid asked, following him down the path to Arni. She didn't object to his perception of her response.
"News. Maybe we'll find somethin' on that Karsh fella." Serge told her.
Kid paused, but continued to follow. She couldn't shake the terrible feeling of dread from forming a cloud over her mind.
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"Uh."
Kid opened her eyes. Serge was sitting in a corner of the room, polishing one of the blades of his swallow, though his eyes were on her. "Ya like ta sleep then, eh?" he asked.
"Yeah." Kid yawned and climbed out of what used to be her bed.
"That'll be 50G from the both of you, man." the Komodo Dragon lending them the room held out a scaly claw.
"Hope ya choke on it." Serge muttered bitterly under his breath, handing the Komodo Dragon the fee. "Softer beds in Guldove. . ." he turned. "C'mon, Kid."
Kid put her hair, which she had tied in a bun to sleep in, up in a braid again. "'Kay." She followed him toward the exit.
Just as they reached the door, a man stepped into their way. His relaxed expression hardened into a glare as he spotted them. "What're you kids doing here? My house isn't a playground for you kids, you know!"
"Sorry, we were just leaving." Kid told him, trying to edge around him.
"Just don't show up around here again or I'll box your ears!" the man stalked into the house.
"Awfully polite, ain't he?" Serge remarked sarcastically.
Kid shrugged. "I guess he finds a lot of kids in his house right under his nose."
Serge turned toward the exit, but spotted something else. "Hey, who's that red-haired girl who's cussin' out the cook?"
Kid followed his gaze with a mental groan. "That's Leena. She's my cousin, but she says I died ten years ago."
"What?! Ye're as alive as that oak over there!" Serge pointed.
"Um. . .that oak died thirty-seven years ago." Kid told him.
"Ya know what I mean." Serge replied, glancing at the remains of the tree. "But, ya know, that story's a little hard ta believe. I mean, she's yer cousin. . ."
"I'll show you." Kid began down the path of Arni.
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Along the way to Cape Howl, Kid explained the strange occurrence at the beach. She left out the part about the blood. But she was just about to tell him of the strange dream she'd been having throughout the years since she almost drowned ten years ago when Serge cried out.
"Look out!" he called as a Beach Bum directed an attack right for Kid's head. She managed to dodge it, ducking behind the Beach Bum and stabbing it in the vulnerable spot just behind the head, if you could call it that. The Beach Bum shuddered and died.
Kid found they were nearly at the peak, and clambered on up the steeper pathway. "Yeough! Ow! Erch!" she cried, grimacing, as thorns dug into her previous wounds.
"What's-eouch!" Serge cried as another thorn stuck him in the leg. He turned to sit to pull it out.
"Wait, Serge, you're sitting-!"
"YEOWWWIEE!"
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"Ow. Ow. Ow! Ow." Serge muttered thirty minutes later as Kid tugged at the thorns. He was sprawled on his stomach near the peak of Cape Howl. Being unable to reach most of the thorns, Kid had obliged to pull them out.
"Okay, all out." Kid told him, tossing the last one into the small pile.
"Finally. . ." Serge breathed a sigh of relief, turning over on his back. He grimaced, standing quickly. "I'm not gonna be able ta sit down for a week!"
"Would a Tablet or something help?" Kid asked.
"Didn't think of that. Maybe." Serge took out one to cast it.
Once Serge had healed the sharply stinging wounds, though not completely, he joined her at the gravestone. He bent, reading it silently. "Eh?! Ye're really dead. . .ain't ya?"
Kid nodded. "But I don't understand it. I almost drowned ten years ago, but now it seems that was a mistake." She sighed. "It seems I really DID die ten years ago, but I have no memory of it."
"Don't worry, mate, we'll find out what's goin' on here." Serge assured her. "Ye're definitely alive, I just dunno if ye're a different person or not."
"And Serge. . ." Kid began. "There was something I've been wanting to tell you."
"What?" Serge asked, flipping his swallow around nonchalantly.
"For ten years I've had the same nightmare, about once a week, or once a month, if I'm lucky." Kid told him, watching the sea swallow instead of his eyes. "I dreamt I. . .was standing over a boy. . .holding my dagger. . .but. . .there was blood dripping down the dagger. . .and he was dead." Kid looked up. "That boy was. . .was you, Serge."
Serge gave her a grin. "So now you think that's gonna happen? Lemme tell ya somethin'. I know about dreams. Sometimes ya dream about someone, and the next day ya see 'em. It doesn't mean nothin', just some foresight yer brain has." He put the swallow away, turning toward the path. "'Sides, I don't go down that easy."
He turned. "Uh. . .now how're we gonna get back ta the path?"
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Serge glared up at the sky. "And I thought it'd be cool in the valley!" he muttered.
"Maybe we should've stopped by Divine Dragon Falls before coming here." Kid agreed, looking around Fossil Valley.
"Hey! You over there!" one of the two dragoons from the entrance called to them. "Keep out of the way of our men on the higher ground, eh?"
"Sure!" Serge called back with an angelic smile. He turned to Kid. "Why don't we see what our dragoon friends're up to?"
"But the others said-"
"Ta hell with the others. C'mon." Serge walked toward the dragoon at the rope ladder. "They might have a fan or somethin' up there, anyhoo."
"Serge. . ." Kid began, but stopped, shaking her head with a small smile. She followed him. After all, what kind of trouble could they get into?
"Are you the exorcists?" the dragoon asked.
"We're just a pair of-"
"Yeah." Serge cut Kid off. She glared at him.
"Right this way, then." The dragoon gestured to the ladder.
Serge cocked his head toward the ladder with a smile at Kid. She sighed, shaking her head, but she headed up the ladder. "Yai!" she cried out as a hand grazed her, putting a hand to her backside and spinning to face Serge, who was climbing up after her.
"Oops." was Serge's only reply.
"Grrr. . ." Kid muttered before continuing up, a lot faster than normal.
Once up on the cliff face, Serge glanced around hopefully for the electronic fan he'd mentioned, but found nothing of the sort. Most of the guards were talking or comparing notes, fanning themselves with paper that had already curled up and fried. "So much for the fan. . ." Serge muttered.
"Are you the exorcists?" one dragoon asked.
Kid felt a jerk of realization as Serge agreed, asking for what amazing feat they needed to perform. "Serge. . ." She pulled him aside. "You tell me just WHAT we're supposed to do when we almost get KILLED by this ghost or whatever!"
"It can't be all that hard, can it?" Serge asked. "It turns out it wants ta destroy stuff, we destroy it. We're just supposed ta stop a weird sound that's freakin' the dragoons out. What babies."
Kid sighed as Serge headed toward the old dragon skull. 'What if it can't be destroyed. . .' Crossing her arms, she followed.
"I can't find anything-what the hell. . .?!" Serge stared as a skull, painted with clown makeup, walked out of the skull. No, not walk, more like hop. With each "step", the skull's lower jawbone hit the stone with a crack.
Turning to Kid, it cracked once more. "I get it. I'm dead, and you're dead too."
"No, I'm not-"
"But I lost all my body parts, and I can't remember a thing." the skull cut her off. "I have a feeling if I find all my body parts, I'll recover my identity." He looked up at her. Kid saw pleading in the hollow sockets, as impossible it may seem. "Will you help me find everything? I can't exactly navigate at this state. . ."
Kid knelt. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all, a favorite food, an object. . . ?"
"Just a crash." The skull frowned, or it looked as though he did. "A big explosion. . .I think I was in an accident. But that was almost three years ago, so it's foggy."
"Yeah, we'll take you with us. Maybe we can help you on the way." Kid told him.
"Thanks! I'm pretty heavy, but don't swing me around too much or I'll get nauseous." he told her as she took him up.
Serge had gone unnaturally quiet. "How did. . .how in the physical world. . ." he began, but didn't finish. He stood from his stooped position, scratching his head in confusion and bewilderment. "I guess it's because it thinks your dead."
Kid shrugged, throwing her braid over her shoulder. "Termina, then?"
"Yeah, I guess." Serge nodded and headed for the ladder, coming closer to his original emotions.
"Skulls aren't supposed to hop around!" the head dragoon told them.
'Like we don't know that.' Kid imagined herself replying.
"You must have used some kind of supernatural trick!" he continued.
Kid stopped, worried he might want them to perform more. She took Serge's arm, hauling him toward the ladder. "Yeah, it's called, uh, Flying Spirit." she told him quickly before disappearing down the ladder.
A/N: Okay, I think I made that one a little longer than I wanted. Termina's next, if I can get any more juice out of my overworked brain. I've already written down some of the things that happen at Fort Dragonia, but I'll hold it from you 'til I'm at that point! Heehee! Oh, and Kid-fans, I had to give Serge her accent. There's no way around it: Kid was roughed up during life, so if they switched places, Serge would be roughed up during life, and gain the accent.
Sorry if Kid seemed a little more mobile and less shy than the Serge in the game. Sorry if it seemed long. It's like ten pages, but I don't know if that's normal. Sorry I changed some things. I couldn't remember what Skelly said at all, so I just remembered what I could. Sorry I won't shut up. I will now.
Two: He Comes. . .
Kid came to slowly on the rock. "Ow!" she cried as she felt the pain in her back from sleeping draped over the rock on her back. Standing, she rubbed the sore spot and looked around her. Forest. All she could see was forest. 'How long have I been out?' she wondered vaguely, looking up at the scarlet streaked sky.
Noticing a sour taste in her mouth, Kid touched her lip to find a small swelling. She must have split it when she tripped, she realized as everything rushed back to her.
She looked over the events of the last few minutes. Confusing. But there was nothing she could do about it. Calm now, she decided the best course of action was to check Cape Howl. If her grave wasn't there, everything would be alright. She'd show Leena and Adam, and her father would be okay.
Decided, she gave herself a nod and made for the cape.
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"Damn thorns. . ." Kid pulled another one out of her leg. "At this rate, it'll take me forever to get there!" she muttered, glaring up at the steadily darkening sky.
As if by a miracle, Kid reached the cape with no other thorns in her way. The others had taken her a great deal of tugging and grimacing. She wiped a bit of blood from a hole in her thigh, and bent beside the gravestone.
Our beloved Kid,
Died age six,
No one can take
anything away from her,
Nor can anyone give
anything to her.
What came from the sea,
Has returned to the sea.
Kid stood, shaking her head. "This isn't right. . ."
"So, you must be Kid, the ghost of the girl who died ten years ago."
Kid whirled to face the voice. "Who wants to know?!"
A purple haired man and two dragoons stepped up to her, barring the way back to the trail out of Cape Howl. Kid ran at them, hoping to scare them into letting her get by. The gambit didn't work.
"Don't move!" the purple-haired man, Deva, from the look of it, put up a hand, stopping her. "We don't wanna hurt you, missy, just come with us."
"But, Sir Karsh," one of the dragoons began, "are you surely sure this is the one we're looking for? She looks like a perfectly perfect fine young lady to me."
"That doesn't matter!" Karsh told him. "We found the girl here, just as SHE told us, didn't we?" He glared at Kid. "Now seize her!" The other two dragoons, Solt and Peppor, moved forward to do so.
"Hold yer seahorses!"
Kid looked up to see a boy of about seventeen standing on a ledge. His blue hair waved in the light breeze, as well as the bandana tied around his head. One hand was on his hip, the other on the weapon he was holding: one of the two blades resting on the soil. Kid recognized it as a sea swallow, from the weapon her father used to wield. The sun glinted off the flawless metal of the other blade, the pointed end an ominous sign to the three would-be-kidnappers.
Confused, Kid kept her eyes on him. Where had she seen him before? Why did she feel he was throwing himself into danger just by being near her?
"Who the-?!" Karsh began, but neglected to finish.
The boy took a leap, somersaulting over the heads of the bemused dragoons, to land right in front of her. His eyes locked with hers for just an instant before he turned to the dragoons. The two of lower class backed up as he took a step forward.
"D-do you have a sh-shakin' idea who you're dealin' with, junior?" Peppor demanded shakily. He didn't sound very convincing.
"Silence!" Karsh yelled at him. "Listen up, missy! We're here to take you in, so come quietly or this ax o' mine'll have to do the talkin'!"
"Would ya just shut up and get on with it?!" the boy shouted back at him. "I'm gonna kick yer sorry arse so hard you'll kiss the moons!"
Karsh growled and ran at the boy, ax raised. The latter blocked the attack easily with his swallow. The two struggled, both pushing, until the boy kicked Karsh in the jaw, causing the Deva to back up.
Meanwhile, Kid was grappling with Solt and Peppor. As she held Solt's ax still, she kicked Peppor, who had attempted to deliver an attack from behind. The two weren't much of a struggle, Kid soon found. As Solt collapsed beside his brother, she turned to see how the other boy was doing. Perspiration was dripping down his forehead as he blocked yet another blow from Karsh. But he was beginning to weaken with fatigue, for he had been the one to try to deliver the most blows to Karsh, instead of vice versa. Kid noticed this, and yanked out her Element grid.
"Electrobolt!" she cried. Karsh was of green innate, and already weakened by the boy's attacks, so this easily finished him off. He stood, along with the other two, bruised and bitterly defeated.
"Aaaaah!" Solt cried and ran down the pathway.
"W-we should shake it outta here, if we want to live to fight another day!" Peppor told Karsh, shaking. "Th-these ain't no ordinary brats we're dealin' with!" he called over his shoulder as he followed his brother.
"Damned idiots. . ." Karsh muttered. He turned to Kid and the boy. "We won't forget this, junior! You'll regret it!"
"Oh, I'm REALLY scared." the boy retorted as Karsh limped quickly after his companions. "Ha! Think I'd lose ta scum like you?!"
With a bitter glare at the retreating dragoons, the boy turned to Kid. "Kid. . .ye're name's Kid, ain't it?"
"Yeah." Kid removed her stare from the pathway. "And you?"
"Me? I'm Serge." Serge told her. "Nice ta meet ya."
Kid looked shyly at him. "So. . .why did you help me?" she asked.
"I couldn't just sit back and watch those blokes gang up on ya like that." Serge told her as they continued up to the edge of the cape. "It pissed the bloody hell outta me, and I wanted ta beat 'em up some more." He grinned at her, crossing his arms. "'Sides, ye're a cute one, mate."
"You're not gonna try anything, are you?" Kid whipped out the wickedly curved dagger.
"Nah." Serge looked out at the sea, silent for a moment. "Hey, Kid." He turned, a sudden inspiration striking him. "How 'bout you and me team up for a while? Those blokes ain't gonna leave ya alone, sure as hell. And, ta tell ya the truth, it's kinda lonely travelin' these islands by meself. . ." he gave her puppy eyes. "So whadd'ya say?"
"Well. . ." Kid paused. Where had she seen him before?! Then it all came back to her. Blood. Dagger. Smirk. Serge. . .
She recognized it all. "Well, I-"
"Then it's settled. We'll shack up in Arni for the night, and make for Termina in the mornin'." Serge nodded.
"Termina? Why Termina?" Kid asked, following him down the path to Arni. She didn't object to his perception of her response.
"News. Maybe we'll find somethin' on that Karsh fella." Serge told her.
Kid paused, but continued to follow. She couldn't shake the terrible feeling of dread from forming a cloud over her mind.
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"Uh."
Kid opened her eyes. Serge was sitting in a corner of the room, polishing one of the blades of his swallow, though his eyes were on her. "Ya like ta sleep then, eh?" he asked.
"Yeah." Kid yawned and climbed out of what used to be her bed.
"That'll be 50G from the both of you, man." the Komodo Dragon lending them the room held out a scaly claw.
"Hope ya choke on it." Serge muttered bitterly under his breath, handing the Komodo Dragon the fee. "Softer beds in Guldove. . ." he turned. "C'mon, Kid."
Kid put her hair, which she had tied in a bun to sleep in, up in a braid again. "'Kay." She followed him toward the exit.
Just as they reached the door, a man stepped into their way. His relaxed expression hardened into a glare as he spotted them. "What're you kids doing here? My house isn't a playground for you kids, you know!"
"Sorry, we were just leaving." Kid told him, trying to edge around him.
"Just don't show up around here again or I'll box your ears!" the man stalked into the house.
"Awfully polite, ain't he?" Serge remarked sarcastically.
Kid shrugged. "I guess he finds a lot of kids in his house right under his nose."
Serge turned toward the exit, but spotted something else. "Hey, who's that red-haired girl who's cussin' out the cook?"
Kid followed his gaze with a mental groan. "That's Leena. She's my cousin, but she says I died ten years ago."
"What?! Ye're as alive as that oak over there!" Serge pointed.
"Um. . .that oak died thirty-seven years ago." Kid told him.
"Ya know what I mean." Serge replied, glancing at the remains of the tree. "But, ya know, that story's a little hard ta believe. I mean, she's yer cousin. . ."
"I'll show you." Kid began down the path of Arni.
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Along the way to Cape Howl, Kid explained the strange occurrence at the beach. She left out the part about the blood. But she was just about to tell him of the strange dream she'd been having throughout the years since she almost drowned ten years ago when Serge cried out.
"Look out!" he called as a Beach Bum directed an attack right for Kid's head. She managed to dodge it, ducking behind the Beach Bum and stabbing it in the vulnerable spot just behind the head, if you could call it that. The Beach Bum shuddered and died.
Kid found they were nearly at the peak, and clambered on up the steeper pathway. "Yeough! Ow! Erch!" she cried, grimacing, as thorns dug into her previous wounds.
"What's-eouch!" Serge cried as another thorn stuck him in the leg. He turned to sit to pull it out.
"Wait, Serge, you're sitting-!"
"YEOWWWIEE!"
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"Ow. Ow. Ow! Ow." Serge muttered thirty minutes later as Kid tugged at the thorns. He was sprawled on his stomach near the peak of Cape Howl. Being unable to reach most of the thorns, Kid had obliged to pull them out.
"Okay, all out." Kid told him, tossing the last one into the small pile.
"Finally. . ." Serge breathed a sigh of relief, turning over on his back. He grimaced, standing quickly. "I'm not gonna be able ta sit down for a week!"
"Would a Tablet or something help?" Kid asked.
"Didn't think of that. Maybe." Serge took out one to cast it.
Once Serge had healed the sharply stinging wounds, though not completely, he joined her at the gravestone. He bent, reading it silently. "Eh?! Ye're really dead. . .ain't ya?"
Kid nodded. "But I don't understand it. I almost drowned ten years ago, but now it seems that was a mistake." She sighed. "It seems I really DID die ten years ago, but I have no memory of it."
"Don't worry, mate, we'll find out what's goin' on here." Serge assured her. "Ye're definitely alive, I just dunno if ye're a different person or not."
"And Serge. . ." Kid began. "There was something I've been wanting to tell you."
"What?" Serge asked, flipping his swallow around nonchalantly.
"For ten years I've had the same nightmare, about once a week, or once a month, if I'm lucky." Kid told him, watching the sea swallow instead of his eyes. "I dreamt I. . .was standing over a boy. . .holding my dagger. . .but. . .there was blood dripping down the dagger. . .and he was dead." Kid looked up. "That boy was. . .was you, Serge."
Serge gave her a grin. "So now you think that's gonna happen? Lemme tell ya somethin'. I know about dreams. Sometimes ya dream about someone, and the next day ya see 'em. It doesn't mean nothin', just some foresight yer brain has." He put the swallow away, turning toward the path. "'Sides, I don't go down that easy."
He turned. "Uh. . .now how're we gonna get back ta the path?"
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Serge glared up at the sky. "And I thought it'd be cool in the valley!" he muttered.
"Maybe we should've stopped by Divine Dragon Falls before coming here." Kid agreed, looking around Fossil Valley.
"Hey! You over there!" one of the two dragoons from the entrance called to them. "Keep out of the way of our men on the higher ground, eh?"
"Sure!" Serge called back with an angelic smile. He turned to Kid. "Why don't we see what our dragoon friends're up to?"
"But the others said-"
"Ta hell with the others. C'mon." Serge walked toward the dragoon at the rope ladder. "They might have a fan or somethin' up there, anyhoo."
"Serge. . ." Kid began, but stopped, shaking her head with a small smile. She followed him. After all, what kind of trouble could they get into?
"Are you the exorcists?" the dragoon asked.
"We're just a pair of-"
"Yeah." Serge cut Kid off. She glared at him.
"Right this way, then." The dragoon gestured to the ladder.
Serge cocked his head toward the ladder with a smile at Kid. She sighed, shaking her head, but she headed up the ladder. "Yai!" she cried out as a hand grazed her, putting a hand to her backside and spinning to face Serge, who was climbing up after her.
"Oops." was Serge's only reply.
"Grrr. . ." Kid muttered before continuing up, a lot faster than normal.
Once up on the cliff face, Serge glanced around hopefully for the electronic fan he'd mentioned, but found nothing of the sort. Most of the guards were talking or comparing notes, fanning themselves with paper that had already curled up and fried. "So much for the fan. . ." Serge muttered.
"Are you the exorcists?" one dragoon asked.
Kid felt a jerk of realization as Serge agreed, asking for what amazing feat they needed to perform. "Serge. . ." She pulled him aside. "You tell me just WHAT we're supposed to do when we almost get KILLED by this ghost or whatever!"
"It can't be all that hard, can it?" Serge asked. "It turns out it wants ta destroy stuff, we destroy it. We're just supposed ta stop a weird sound that's freakin' the dragoons out. What babies."
Kid sighed as Serge headed toward the old dragon skull. 'What if it can't be destroyed. . .' Crossing her arms, she followed.
"I can't find anything-what the hell. . .?!" Serge stared as a skull, painted with clown makeup, walked out of the skull. No, not walk, more like hop. With each "step", the skull's lower jawbone hit the stone with a crack.
Turning to Kid, it cracked once more. "I get it. I'm dead, and you're dead too."
"No, I'm not-"
"But I lost all my body parts, and I can't remember a thing." the skull cut her off. "I have a feeling if I find all my body parts, I'll recover my identity." He looked up at her. Kid saw pleading in the hollow sockets, as impossible it may seem. "Will you help me find everything? I can't exactly navigate at this state. . ."
Kid knelt. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all, a favorite food, an object. . . ?"
"Just a crash." The skull frowned, or it looked as though he did. "A big explosion. . .I think I was in an accident. But that was almost three years ago, so it's foggy."
"Yeah, we'll take you with us. Maybe we can help you on the way." Kid told him.
"Thanks! I'm pretty heavy, but don't swing me around too much or I'll get nauseous." he told her as she took him up.
Serge had gone unnaturally quiet. "How did. . .how in the physical world. . ." he began, but didn't finish. He stood from his stooped position, scratching his head in confusion and bewilderment. "I guess it's because it thinks your dead."
Kid shrugged, throwing her braid over her shoulder. "Termina, then?"
"Yeah, I guess." Serge nodded and headed for the ladder, coming closer to his original emotions.
"Skulls aren't supposed to hop around!" the head dragoon told them.
'Like we don't know that.' Kid imagined herself replying.
"You must have used some kind of supernatural trick!" he continued.
Kid stopped, worried he might want them to perform more. She took Serge's arm, hauling him toward the ladder. "Yeah, it's called, uh, Flying Spirit." she told him quickly before disappearing down the ladder.
A/N: Okay, I think I made that one a little longer than I wanted. Termina's next, if I can get any more juice out of my overworked brain. I've already written down some of the things that happen at Fort Dragonia, but I'll hold it from you 'til I'm at that point! Heehee! Oh, and Kid-fans, I had to give Serge her accent. There's no way around it: Kid was roughed up during life, so if they switched places, Serge would be roughed up during life, and gain the accent.
Sorry if Kid seemed a little more mobile and less shy than the Serge in the game. Sorry if it seemed long. It's like ten pages, but I don't know if that's normal. Sorry I changed some things. I couldn't remember what Skelly said at all, so I just remembered what I could. Sorry I won't shut up. I will now.