Disclaimer~ Do not own...simple as that.
Chapter Two
Rikku stood before the ruined airship. It was obvious by first glance that it was ruined. Steam rose from burnt wires as energy flickered over metal, and a slight humming was coming from the control panels.
Suddenly the humming came to an arupt stop, the lights flickered and with a beep, turned off.
Forcing herself not to sigh, she surveyed the damage. There was no way it would be up and running in a day, let alone a month. It looked like it had flown during Spira's worst thunder storm before nose diving into the earth.
She kicked a piece of metal, that she had no idea where it'd come from, out of her way. Due to the fact it looked like scrap metal, and nothing like the shiny panels that the airship used to be built of, she seriously doubted if it had even be a part of the ship.
After further inspection of the inside of the ship, her fears were confirmed. The control globe was shattered,the windows cracked, and strange wires laying everywhere. There was no hope of repairing any of it.
Frustrated, she began walking away from the airship. There was nothing she could do here. Her only options were to either rent or buy a chocobo and ride her way to wherever Kimahri was, or make the trek on foot. Neither seemed really efficient, nor fast.
Her feet brought her back to the path up to Lulu's house, and right at that moment, Lulu herself stepped from her open door.
Her gaze slowly drifted over to Rikku, and after a moment she spoke, "I'm going out to look."
Rikku nodded, slowly.
'Yunie better be alright,' Rikku thought, 'it doesn't seem like Lulu can bear to lose another person she cares about.'
"Something happened to the Airship, and it's no where near flying condition," she paused, letting it sink in, "do you know...do you know where I could buy a chocobo?"
Lulu frowned, "There used to be an old man who had a couple on a ranch a few miles west from here, but don't expect much," her frown deepened, "it was a while ago, and he was old."
Rikku tried to smile, "I'll see ya later Lu."
Lulu only nodded in farewell.
And with that, Rikku set off, hoping desparately that the time lost by having to trek around in search of a chocobo, wasn't hurting Yunie.
~
Yuna knew she was dreaming. She'd had this dream before, the one where the dead people came and spoke to her.
They would mutter, and whisper urgently, their faces expressing that whatever they were saying, was extremely important, but however hard she tried, she couldn't make the words stick in her mind.
But this time, he was there.
He was standing with his back to her, his blond hair blowing in the breeze. Which was uncanny since this was a dream, and there shouldn't be a breeze, but she felt one.
Yuna took a step forward, reached out one hand to tap him on the shoulder...
She almost made it.
But he wasn't there anymore, instead Auron stood before her, eyes staring straight into hers.
"The serpent," he managed to say, before she was swept into the land of the wakeful people.
Yuna opened blurry eyes to a sight she'd come to expect.
A person in gray towered over her, and before she even could draw a breath, it had asked the horrid question. The question it always asked whenever she awoke.
"What did you dream?"
"I-I-I don't remember," Yuna stuttered, sitting up on her elbows.
"You must remember," the person hissed.
Yuna closed her eyes briefly, drew in a breath, "He was there, that's all I remember."
The figure took a step back, seeming to be deep in thought.
"Who are you?" Yuna dared to ask.
The figure's head turned to stare at her, but she couldn't see anything through the folds of cloth that covered it.
"You may call me," the figure seemed to think, "Alex."
'A boy's and a girl's name,' Yuna thought annoyed, that didn't help her.
"Always, the dead, speaking," Alex muttered, or rather hissed from deep within the gray cloth.
Yuna, rubbed her forehead, and surveyed the room she was being held in.
It had changed once again, but this time it looked familar. Maybe she'd stayed here before? An inn?
~
Three days later, Rikku found herself somewhere between Macalania and Bevelle. A day ago she'd given up any hope of finding the old man who sold chocobos. She intended to make her way to the Calm Lands. She knew a man who had chocobos there.
It was strangely cold for the time of day, the sun was high in the pale blue sky, and there were no clouds. But it was cold. Shivering, Rikku kept on walking.
In the distance she could make out something. It had to be either a person or a tree...Drawing nearer, she realized it was a person, a young man, and next to him was a chocobo.
"Hello," the young man, called out to her, as she came within talking distance of him. He had on a black cloak that he adjusted before he fitted a rather large sword in a sheath on his back. His hair was pitch black and tousled, making it fall into his dark gray eyes.
"Hi," Rikku said hesitantly, "could I, um, buy that chocobo off you?"
The young man suddenly grinned,"Sure-" but before he could say more, at least ten figures came running over the hill behind him.
His grin disappeared.
"I, ah, I got to go," he declared, and jumped on to the chocobo.
"Hey, wait!" Rikku yelled, "I need your chocobo."
The young man, pulled on the reins, and stopped, frowning slightly.
"Get on!" He told her.
Rikku ran forward and hopped on, putting her arms around the guy's waist.
"Hang on," he told her, and the chocobo lurched into a speedy run toward the people on the hill.
Laughing as he passed them, the guy, yelled out, "Oh yea!" And bounced a leather purse in his fist. He'd grabbed it as he passed one of the men on the hill.
Rikku stared at it thoughtfully, then back at the men, then down at the chocobo. She had a sinking feeling...
"Hey! Um, did you...?"
"What steal the bird?" he asked, twisting in his seat to smirk at her. "Of course."
Rikku didn't really know how to respond so she asked, "What's your name?"
"Oh, I"m Zeke," he replied.
"Rikku," she said.
They lapsed into silence, as they rode. Rikku studied the passing hills, wondering what she was going to do next.
"If you were thinking of going to Bevelle, we're not going to," Zeke suddenly announced.
"Why?"
"It's not a good idea," Zeke told her sternly.
Rikku shrugged, no longer caring.
"I need your chocobo," she told him.
"Yeah, you said that before," and suddenly they stopped.
Zeke jumped off, and Rikku followed suit.
Realizing she hadn't really looked at him before, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
He looked intimaditing, standing there in black, the sword on his back shining in the sun.
"Why do you need the bird?" he asked.
Rikku didn't answer right away, she didn't really know how to answer, "I need to get to Mt. Gagazet. One of my friends have disappeared and someone I know there might have some information."
He nodded slowly, then turned around to face her.
"Here's the deal, I'd lend you the bird, but I don't exactly trust you to bring him back to me. I'd sell him to ya, but I don't exactly need the money." He grinned. "What I need is the bird. So, I'll come with you to this Mt. Gagazet, and then I'll be off."
Rikku nodded her consent, feeling like she really didn't have a choice anyway.
~
Review time!
Chapter Two
Rikku stood before the ruined airship. It was obvious by first glance that it was ruined. Steam rose from burnt wires as energy flickered over metal, and a slight humming was coming from the control panels.
Suddenly the humming came to an arupt stop, the lights flickered and with a beep, turned off.
Forcing herself not to sigh, she surveyed the damage. There was no way it would be up and running in a day, let alone a month. It looked like it had flown during Spira's worst thunder storm before nose diving into the earth.
She kicked a piece of metal, that she had no idea where it'd come from, out of her way. Due to the fact it looked like scrap metal, and nothing like the shiny panels that the airship used to be built of, she seriously doubted if it had even be a part of the ship.
After further inspection of the inside of the ship, her fears were confirmed. The control globe was shattered,the windows cracked, and strange wires laying everywhere. There was no hope of repairing any of it.
Frustrated, she began walking away from the airship. There was nothing she could do here. Her only options were to either rent or buy a chocobo and ride her way to wherever Kimahri was, or make the trek on foot. Neither seemed really efficient, nor fast.
Her feet brought her back to the path up to Lulu's house, and right at that moment, Lulu herself stepped from her open door.
Her gaze slowly drifted over to Rikku, and after a moment she spoke, "I'm going out to look."
Rikku nodded, slowly.
'Yunie better be alright,' Rikku thought, 'it doesn't seem like Lulu can bear to lose another person she cares about.'
"Something happened to the Airship, and it's no where near flying condition," she paused, letting it sink in, "do you know...do you know where I could buy a chocobo?"
Lulu frowned, "There used to be an old man who had a couple on a ranch a few miles west from here, but don't expect much," her frown deepened, "it was a while ago, and he was old."
Rikku tried to smile, "I'll see ya later Lu."
Lulu only nodded in farewell.
And with that, Rikku set off, hoping desparately that the time lost by having to trek around in search of a chocobo, wasn't hurting Yunie.
~
Yuna knew she was dreaming. She'd had this dream before, the one where the dead people came and spoke to her.
They would mutter, and whisper urgently, their faces expressing that whatever they were saying, was extremely important, but however hard she tried, she couldn't make the words stick in her mind.
But this time, he was there.
He was standing with his back to her, his blond hair blowing in the breeze. Which was uncanny since this was a dream, and there shouldn't be a breeze, but she felt one.
Yuna took a step forward, reached out one hand to tap him on the shoulder...
She almost made it.
But he wasn't there anymore, instead Auron stood before her, eyes staring straight into hers.
"The serpent," he managed to say, before she was swept into the land of the wakeful people.
Yuna opened blurry eyes to a sight she'd come to expect.
A person in gray towered over her, and before she even could draw a breath, it had asked the horrid question. The question it always asked whenever she awoke.
"What did you dream?"
"I-I-I don't remember," Yuna stuttered, sitting up on her elbows.
"You must remember," the person hissed.
Yuna closed her eyes briefly, drew in a breath, "He was there, that's all I remember."
The figure took a step back, seeming to be deep in thought.
"Who are you?" Yuna dared to ask.
The figure's head turned to stare at her, but she couldn't see anything through the folds of cloth that covered it.
"You may call me," the figure seemed to think, "Alex."
'A boy's and a girl's name,' Yuna thought annoyed, that didn't help her.
"Always, the dead, speaking," Alex muttered, or rather hissed from deep within the gray cloth.
Yuna, rubbed her forehead, and surveyed the room she was being held in.
It had changed once again, but this time it looked familar. Maybe she'd stayed here before? An inn?
~
Three days later, Rikku found herself somewhere between Macalania and Bevelle. A day ago she'd given up any hope of finding the old man who sold chocobos. She intended to make her way to the Calm Lands. She knew a man who had chocobos there.
It was strangely cold for the time of day, the sun was high in the pale blue sky, and there were no clouds. But it was cold. Shivering, Rikku kept on walking.
In the distance she could make out something. It had to be either a person or a tree...Drawing nearer, she realized it was a person, a young man, and next to him was a chocobo.
"Hello," the young man, called out to her, as she came within talking distance of him. He had on a black cloak that he adjusted before he fitted a rather large sword in a sheath on his back. His hair was pitch black and tousled, making it fall into his dark gray eyes.
"Hi," Rikku said hesitantly, "could I, um, buy that chocobo off you?"
The young man suddenly grinned,"Sure-" but before he could say more, at least ten figures came running over the hill behind him.
His grin disappeared.
"I, ah, I got to go," he declared, and jumped on to the chocobo.
"Hey, wait!" Rikku yelled, "I need your chocobo."
The young man, pulled on the reins, and stopped, frowning slightly.
"Get on!" He told her.
Rikku ran forward and hopped on, putting her arms around the guy's waist.
"Hang on," he told her, and the chocobo lurched into a speedy run toward the people on the hill.
Laughing as he passed them, the guy, yelled out, "Oh yea!" And bounced a leather purse in his fist. He'd grabbed it as he passed one of the men on the hill.
Rikku stared at it thoughtfully, then back at the men, then down at the chocobo. She had a sinking feeling...
"Hey! Um, did you...?"
"What steal the bird?" he asked, twisting in his seat to smirk at her. "Of course."
Rikku didn't really know how to respond so she asked, "What's your name?"
"Oh, I"m Zeke," he replied.
"Rikku," she said.
They lapsed into silence, as they rode. Rikku studied the passing hills, wondering what she was going to do next.
"If you were thinking of going to Bevelle, we're not going to," Zeke suddenly announced.
"Why?"
"It's not a good idea," Zeke told her sternly.
Rikku shrugged, no longer caring.
"I need your chocobo," she told him.
"Yeah, you said that before," and suddenly they stopped.
Zeke jumped off, and Rikku followed suit.
Realizing she hadn't really looked at him before, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
He looked intimaditing, standing there in black, the sword on his back shining in the sun.
"Why do you need the bird?" he asked.
Rikku didn't answer right away, she didn't really know how to answer, "I need to get to Mt. Gagazet. One of my friends have disappeared and someone I know there might have some information."
He nodded slowly, then turned around to face her.
"Here's the deal, I'd lend you the bird, but I don't exactly trust you to bring him back to me. I'd sell him to ya, but I don't exactly need the money." He grinned. "What I need is the bird. So, I'll come with you to this Mt. Gagazet, and then I'll be off."
Rikku nodded her consent, feeling like she really didn't have a choice anyway.
~
Review time!