DISCLAIMER - I barely own the new lace-up-Doc-Marten-boots I just received!
HOW could I own a precious thing like FFIX?!
Ah yes, the ninth installment of my first little ficlet. Get it . . . ~9~, FFIX?
Okay, that was lame, but you're still going to read it, right?
Eika -Heh. Calm down, everything will be okaaaaaay . . . but seriously, I don't mind much. The reviews I do get are always positive, and many of you place it on your favorite stories lists when you read it! It's the most wonderful thing to get a thoughtful review, and I have to profoundly thank you on your thoughtfulness. I was thinking about it, and I was debating on whether or not . . . but, though I understand it's certainly not my best . . .
I DEDICATE MY ~BIRTHDAY~ CHAPPIE TO YOU; EIKA! You're one of the reasons I still work on this thing . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Maiaza?"
"Yeah?"
"We should probably stop for now, it's getting dark."
"If you say so, but it ~would~ be a lot easier to walk when it's cooler outside--"
"~Please~ Maiaza?"
"Fine."
The sandy-haired girl abruptly sat down. It had been an exhausting day, with the firm memory of swirling winds, blowing dust and grit into their tightened eyes, all the while trying to evade the tiny, prickly tumble- weeds dancing between their ankles.
Everywhere she ached, but she forced herself to put up with it, for she was certain her companion was much worse off. Tightening her hands to fists, she absently massaged her outstretched legs with the knuckles, grimacing a bit.
"Ouch! Sheesh, have I been getting soft . . . " she rested for a moment, forcing herself into a deep calming action of extended breaths.
The silver-haired boy fell backward into the sandy dirt, oblivious to the uncomfortable surface and said nothing at first. An outstretched masterpiece was laid out before him, bright and plentiful stars, twinkling mischievously.
"Hey, um . . . ~God~! You sure you don't have a name!" she cried out into the silence "This is getting ~really~ annoying . . . I'm not old enough to call you 'kid', and you're not old enough to be called 'mister'!"
He only shrugged in indifference, now admiring the crescent moon. "Why don't you just give me a name, if it means so much to you."
Maiaza scowled, resting her chin on her knee.
"~I'm~ not supposed to give you a name, your mother is." Yet she bit her lip in thought, suddenly grasping the ghost of an idea "Wait, how about--"
"--Kuja"
She spun around, expecting to find someone there to accompany the strange voice that instantly sent a chill up her tanning neck, but only night- shadows looked dispassionately back.
As she turned back, he was sitting upright and rigid. For a split second, she thought she saw a boldly drained look of horror that resembled a shade of sour milk, but it was gone quicker than in had come.
"Where did you come up with that name?" his voice deadly calm.
"Huh? But I didn't say th--"
She stopped herself in mid-thought. The evidence was there all right; the slightly moistened throat, and the tingling backlash of movement in her lips.
~She~ had said it. But somehow, she hadn't.
Maiaza gulped. /Was I possessed?/ At the church back in Lindblum, they had briefly mentioned the circumstances of possession, an act in which the great God did not approve, and they certainly weren't favorable.
"Oh. ~Kuja~. Yeah . . . um, it just came to me I guess." She laughed nervously, and from what she could make of the look he was giving her, he knew she wasn't being entirely truthful, but said nothing.
The boy only reclined again in thought. Though, quite suddenly, he began to clutch his head, as a hiss and moan of pain escaped his lips.
She quickly pushed herself over to his side "Are you okay?"
With one last painful squint of his eyes, his body sagged and he removed the shelter of his hands. "Yes. I think I am now." He didn't even look at her "'Kuja's' . . . fine I suppose."
Then, the strange boy fell backwards, unmistakably and profoundly asleep. Maiaza sighed, arranging herself comfortably, and fell into her unconscious dreamland as well.
~*~*~*~
Kuja woke with a sharp intake of breath, as his body went rigidly upright. It took him a moment for things to sink back in, and he relaxed considerably with realization.
He smiled a bit at Maiaza's ridiculous sprawl a few feet away. Her face was smudged against the grainy dirt, her legs bent awkwardly, and face a little bit too rosy. She continued to sleep undisturbed, and completely oblivious to her companion's rising.
Taking hold of a bit of pale silver hair, he winced at the crust texture; result of traveling in a sandstorm it seemed like. The boy quickly withdrew his combing fingers from the chaotically dry mass, and nudged Maiaza's arm for her to awaken.
A transformation immediately underwent on Maiaza, with him only catching a tiny glimpse of what appeared to be pure terror, but when her wide almond eyes fell upon his astonished face, she relaxed.
"Oh, I thought . . . never mind." She said, shaking her untidy head violently. "Guess it's time to go now, huh?"
He simply nodded, getting to his feet. His arms stretched up to the desert dawn in a controlled motion, and he yawned.
"Here." She tossed a small roll to him, who caught in surprise. "it's all we have for now, but I'm starved, as of now."
Kuja twisted it around in his extended fingertips curiously. "What do I do with it?"
Maiaza fixed him with that disbelieving, or unbelieving, stare. "You ~eat it~."
"How?"
She sighed, demonstrating by stuffing hers into her mouth, and swallowing it with a single gulp. While her red cheeks were pudged out, she grinned widely, and closed her eyes in bliss.
Even though he still had doubts about the tan-box-thing, he managed to mimic her action, now finding the action of swallowing easing that constant pain in his stomach. "Mmm."
As she picked up her glittering twin swords and slung her pack over her shoulder carelessly, she began to walk forward a few steps.
"What was that?!" he felt something abrupt, dizzy a bit as if the ground had dropped a few feet below its original placement. Without being entirely conscious of it, his eyebrow began to sweat, his body shaking in fear of the fearful unknown. "~Maiaza~" he said, voice reduced to a croak.
She just looked at him, puzzled.
"What on earth are you talking ab--"
The, she heard it. An ominous and diffidently crescendo rumble whose source lay in the wide-spread distance. It wasn't too long before the little dusty pebbles around her feet began to shake, and eventually jump around wildly at the commotion. Under black eyebrows, her chocolate orbs squinted at an unexpected movement on the horizon. When it finally became clear to her what it was, she reacted instantly.
"~Hold your breath~!"
Even though he was as pale as parchment, he managed a shaky nod, and thankfully heeded her words.
A few tension-full seconds passed, before the billowing cloud of mist overcame them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So, whaddya think?! HUH? HUH? HUH?
I eagerly await your comments, and hope that at least overall, I am pleasing you in my progress. Sometimes, no wait . . . ~all~ the time I'm a tad bit verbose, but it works, does it not? Tell me! My adoptive-octopus- brother-Bob, and Charlie the Tuna say they like it, but sometimes they're a bit biased in their opinions.
My birthday is on Tuesday! WOOHOO!
So why not leave me a present . . . a REVIEW possibly?!
Thank you so much for reading!
Toodles.
giggleplex
Ah yes, the ninth installment of my first little ficlet. Get it . . . ~9~, FFIX?
Okay, that was lame, but you're still going to read it, right?
Eika -Heh. Calm down, everything will be okaaaaaay . . . but seriously, I don't mind much. The reviews I do get are always positive, and many of you place it on your favorite stories lists when you read it! It's the most wonderful thing to get a thoughtful review, and I have to profoundly thank you on your thoughtfulness. I was thinking about it, and I was debating on whether or not . . . but, though I understand it's certainly not my best . . .
I DEDICATE MY ~BIRTHDAY~ CHAPPIE TO YOU; EIKA! You're one of the reasons I still work on this thing . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Maiaza?"
"Yeah?"
"We should probably stop for now, it's getting dark."
"If you say so, but it ~would~ be a lot easier to walk when it's cooler outside--"
"~Please~ Maiaza?"
"Fine."
The sandy-haired girl abruptly sat down. It had been an exhausting day, with the firm memory of swirling winds, blowing dust and grit into their tightened eyes, all the while trying to evade the tiny, prickly tumble- weeds dancing between their ankles.
Everywhere she ached, but she forced herself to put up with it, for she was certain her companion was much worse off. Tightening her hands to fists, she absently massaged her outstretched legs with the knuckles, grimacing a bit.
"Ouch! Sheesh, have I been getting soft . . . " she rested for a moment, forcing herself into a deep calming action of extended breaths.
The silver-haired boy fell backward into the sandy dirt, oblivious to the uncomfortable surface and said nothing at first. An outstretched masterpiece was laid out before him, bright and plentiful stars, twinkling mischievously.
"Hey, um . . . ~God~! You sure you don't have a name!" she cried out into the silence "This is getting ~really~ annoying . . . I'm not old enough to call you 'kid', and you're not old enough to be called 'mister'!"
He only shrugged in indifference, now admiring the crescent moon. "Why don't you just give me a name, if it means so much to you."
Maiaza scowled, resting her chin on her knee.
"~I'm~ not supposed to give you a name, your mother is." Yet she bit her lip in thought, suddenly grasping the ghost of an idea "Wait, how about--"
"--Kuja"
She spun around, expecting to find someone there to accompany the strange voice that instantly sent a chill up her tanning neck, but only night- shadows looked dispassionately back.
As she turned back, he was sitting upright and rigid. For a split second, she thought she saw a boldly drained look of horror that resembled a shade of sour milk, but it was gone quicker than in had come.
"Where did you come up with that name?" his voice deadly calm.
"Huh? But I didn't say th--"
She stopped herself in mid-thought. The evidence was there all right; the slightly moistened throat, and the tingling backlash of movement in her lips.
~She~ had said it. But somehow, she hadn't.
Maiaza gulped. /Was I possessed?/ At the church back in Lindblum, they had briefly mentioned the circumstances of possession, an act in which the great God did not approve, and they certainly weren't favorable.
"Oh. ~Kuja~. Yeah . . . um, it just came to me I guess." She laughed nervously, and from what she could make of the look he was giving her, he knew she wasn't being entirely truthful, but said nothing.
The boy only reclined again in thought. Though, quite suddenly, he began to clutch his head, as a hiss and moan of pain escaped his lips.
She quickly pushed herself over to his side "Are you okay?"
With one last painful squint of his eyes, his body sagged and he removed the shelter of his hands. "Yes. I think I am now." He didn't even look at her "'Kuja's' . . . fine I suppose."
Then, the strange boy fell backwards, unmistakably and profoundly asleep. Maiaza sighed, arranging herself comfortably, and fell into her unconscious dreamland as well.
~*~*~*~
Kuja woke with a sharp intake of breath, as his body went rigidly upright. It took him a moment for things to sink back in, and he relaxed considerably with realization.
He smiled a bit at Maiaza's ridiculous sprawl a few feet away. Her face was smudged against the grainy dirt, her legs bent awkwardly, and face a little bit too rosy. She continued to sleep undisturbed, and completely oblivious to her companion's rising.
Taking hold of a bit of pale silver hair, he winced at the crust texture; result of traveling in a sandstorm it seemed like. The boy quickly withdrew his combing fingers from the chaotically dry mass, and nudged Maiaza's arm for her to awaken.
A transformation immediately underwent on Maiaza, with him only catching a tiny glimpse of what appeared to be pure terror, but when her wide almond eyes fell upon his astonished face, she relaxed.
"Oh, I thought . . . never mind." She said, shaking her untidy head violently. "Guess it's time to go now, huh?"
He simply nodded, getting to his feet. His arms stretched up to the desert dawn in a controlled motion, and he yawned.
"Here." She tossed a small roll to him, who caught in surprise. "it's all we have for now, but I'm starved, as of now."
Kuja twisted it around in his extended fingertips curiously. "What do I do with it?"
Maiaza fixed him with that disbelieving, or unbelieving, stare. "You ~eat it~."
"How?"
She sighed, demonstrating by stuffing hers into her mouth, and swallowing it with a single gulp. While her red cheeks were pudged out, she grinned widely, and closed her eyes in bliss.
Even though he still had doubts about the tan-box-thing, he managed to mimic her action, now finding the action of swallowing easing that constant pain in his stomach. "Mmm."
As she picked up her glittering twin swords and slung her pack over her shoulder carelessly, she began to walk forward a few steps.
"What was that?!" he felt something abrupt, dizzy a bit as if the ground had dropped a few feet below its original placement. Without being entirely conscious of it, his eyebrow began to sweat, his body shaking in fear of the fearful unknown. "~Maiaza~" he said, voice reduced to a croak.
She just looked at him, puzzled.
"What on earth are you talking ab--"
The, she heard it. An ominous and diffidently crescendo rumble whose source lay in the wide-spread distance. It wasn't too long before the little dusty pebbles around her feet began to shake, and eventually jump around wildly at the commotion. Under black eyebrows, her chocolate orbs squinted at an unexpected movement on the horizon. When it finally became clear to her what it was, she reacted instantly.
"~Hold your breath~!"
Even though he was as pale as parchment, he managed a shaky nod, and thankfully heeded her words.
A few tension-full seconds passed, before the billowing cloud of mist overcame them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So, whaddya think?! HUH? HUH? HUH?
I eagerly await your comments, and hope that at least overall, I am pleasing you in my progress. Sometimes, no wait . . . ~all~ the time I'm a tad bit verbose, but it works, does it not? Tell me! My adoptive-octopus- brother-Bob, and Charlie the Tuna say they like it, but sometimes they're a bit biased in their opinions.
My birthday is on Tuesday! WOOHOO!
So why not leave me a present . . . a REVIEW possibly?!
Thank you so much for reading!
Toodles.
giggleplex