Chapter Three~
Rikku hung on desperatly to Zeke's back as they sped through the Calm Lands. He was driving like a bloody maniac. Wait, was he even driving?!
Craning her neck so she could look over his shoulder, she was a little relieved to see he had both hands on the reins. Now if only he knew how to use them correctly.
"Um, Zeke, can we-" she began, but he turned and looked at her, interupting her with just the smirk on his face.
"Do you want to slow down or something?" he asked, obviously amused. Rikku could have sworn the chocobo sped up.
"No," she replied calmly, "the faster we get there, the sooner I can find Yunie."
He looked like he was about to say something else, but a sudden lurch in the speeding of the chocobo stopped him from even opening his mouth.
"What is it?" Rikku asked as Zeke struggled to calm the bird.
"I'm not sure." He cast a look over his shoulder, past her, but there was no one on the plains behind them.
Rikku squirmed in her seat, "Well-" she began, but before she knew it, Zeke had grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her to the ground as he rolled off the chocobo.
"Don't move," he commanded, as he jumped to his feet, and drew his sword, ignoring the fleeing yellow form.
"Don't move, yeah right," Rikku mumbled as she got to her feet, dusting herself off.
Glancing up, she caught sight of the giant snake slithering a couple feet in front of her. Zeke stood before it in battle stance, swinging his sword in one hand, then two.
Smiling, Rikku ran forward. It'd been awhile since her last fight, and she needed a boost of adrenaline. Perfect timing.
~
Yuna was thrashing in her sleep, mumbling hoarsly and clawing at the blankets, as though she was trying to fight something off. It obviously wasn't working in whatever nightmare land her subconsicous mind had taken her to, for she continued fighting for a long time.
And when she did awake, she immediately gasped for breath. Alex was visible, standing in a corner of the room, watching her.
There was no one to comfort her and tell her all would be okay. She shivered.
'I am strong,' she thought, 'I can do this on my own.'
"I want to know why," Alex told her.
Yuna looked up at the person blankly. In the back of her mind something told her she'd been doing that a lot lately.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I want to know why you have dreams. Why you are so special. I want to know what link you have with The Serpent," Alex stated simply, as if even a clueless child would have already figured it out.
"I-I thought you were the Serpent," Yuna bravely answered.
Alex gave her a long, cold stare, "I am not sure anymore. Am I the master or the tool?"
Yuna blinked at statement a few times, not daring to reply.
"No I am the Serpent," Alex told her, but the voice sounded unsure.
Suddenly a thought came to Yuna. Something she'd forgotten. Something she shouldn't have.
"Who died?" She asked calmly, her voice devoid of emotion.
~
Kimahri stood on the base of Mt. Gagazeet, spear in hand. It was his job to protect the Ronsos. It was his job to protect the secrets, it was his job, and his job alone.
"Kimahri strong." He muttered.
He glanced up at the star filled night, watched a shooting star fly across the darkness, and wondered.
Where was the summoner he'd protected for so long? What if now she needed him? What kind of protector was he if she was in trouble right at this moment?
He shook his head. Yuna was strong and she had others to protect her. Lulu, and Rikku, and... He almost added another name before he checked himself. It wasn't good to think of the past too much.
This was his job now, protector of the secrets of the Ronsos, and it was a good job.
"Kimahri is happy," he mumbled.
But then why, in the back of his mind, did he feel like something was wrong?
There were no more shooting stars that night.
~
In the grass it slithered, through the weeds and flowers, tongue flicking out once and awhile.
It was no larger then the length of an arm, and no thicker, but the red and brown that colored its scales hinted of posion.
Snakes are dangerous things.
It saw a bag, lying on the ground, where a certain someone with gray eyes had thrown it down in his haste.
With a simple flick of its tongue it slithered into the opening, coiling up inside.
Someone would find an interesting treat.
~
Zeke hadn't expected Rikku to follow him into battle. He was so used to people chasing him half way...better not to think of that. Nobody ever actually worked with him. Come to think of it, he was a solo kind of guy. Living and working all on his own. Depending on others for his needs, which he took when he needed, or rather, wanted them.
He attacked the giant snake with a slashing cut of his blade and stepped back, allowing Rikku to throw some sort of bomb. Both attacks seemed to do absolutly nothing.
Zeke almost jumped when he heard Rikku laugh.
"Isn't this strange?" she asked him, as she ran past, to attack the thing.
"What?"
"This isn't a fiend, it's just a giant..." she frowned. "Snake." And she was back in fighting stance.
He tipped his head to the right and stared at the thing.
Just a snake?
Running forward, he jumped and plunged the blade deep into the neck of the slithering, hissing reptile, and slashed it side ways.
The head fell off in a spurt of blood. But before he could inspect it closely, the whole thing blew up, with a flash of smoke.
Rikku smiled impishly at him when he turned and glared at her.
"What?" she asked sweetly, "you know some snakes can still attack you even if you chop of their head. Wouldn't want to get eaten by a stupid snake head, now would we?"
He smirked. It hadn't been a rattle snake, but still...
Zeke glanced back at the remains of the thing, swimming in smoke, maybe it wouldn't have been a good idea to get close to the head.
The fangs glittered in the sunlight, the only complete remains of the carcass.
~
A/N~ We know it's kinda short and that it's been awhile. We're so sorry...but we do have a good excuse. You see school started this week and we've been so busy with that crap...er...fun educational stuff that you just want to smash with a hammer...er hug...and so we haven't had much time...We'll try harder...heh...
Review! Please, we'd greatly appreciate it.
Rikku hung on desperatly to Zeke's back as they sped through the Calm Lands. He was driving like a bloody maniac. Wait, was he even driving?!
Craning her neck so she could look over his shoulder, she was a little relieved to see he had both hands on the reins. Now if only he knew how to use them correctly.
"Um, Zeke, can we-" she began, but he turned and looked at her, interupting her with just the smirk on his face.
"Do you want to slow down or something?" he asked, obviously amused. Rikku could have sworn the chocobo sped up.
"No," she replied calmly, "the faster we get there, the sooner I can find Yunie."
He looked like he was about to say something else, but a sudden lurch in the speeding of the chocobo stopped him from even opening his mouth.
"What is it?" Rikku asked as Zeke struggled to calm the bird.
"I'm not sure." He cast a look over his shoulder, past her, but there was no one on the plains behind them.
Rikku squirmed in her seat, "Well-" she began, but before she knew it, Zeke had grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her to the ground as he rolled off the chocobo.
"Don't move," he commanded, as he jumped to his feet, and drew his sword, ignoring the fleeing yellow form.
"Don't move, yeah right," Rikku mumbled as she got to her feet, dusting herself off.
Glancing up, she caught sight of the giant snake slithering a couple feet in front of her. Zeke stood before it in battle stance, swinging his sword in one hand, then two.
Smiling, Rikku ran forward. It'd been awhile since her last fight, and she needed a boost of adrenaline. Perfect timing.
~
Yuna was thrashing in her sleep, mumbling hoarsly and clawing at the blankets, as though she was trying to fight something off. It obviously wasn't working in whatever nightmare land her subconsicous mind had taken her to, for she continued fighting for a long time.
And when she did awake, she immediately gasped for breath. Alex was visible, standing in a corner of the room, watching her.
There was no one to comfort her and tell her all would be okay. She shivered.
'I am strong,' she thought, 'I can do this on my own.'
"I want to know why," Alex told her.
Yuna looked up at the person blankly. In the back of her mind something told her she'd been doing that a lot lately.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I want to know why you have dreams. Why you are so special. I want to know what link you have with The Serpent," Alex stated simply, as if even a clueless child would have already figured it out.
"I-I thought you were the Serpent," Yuna bravely answered.
Alex gave her a long, cold stare, "I am not sure anymore. Am I the master or the tool?"
Yuna blinked at statement a few times, not daring to reply.
"No I am the Serpent," Alex told her, but the voice sounded unsure.
Suddenly a thought came to Yuna. Something she'd forgotten. Something she shouldn't have.
"Who died?" She asked calmly, her voice devoid of emotion.
~
Kimahri stood on the base of Mt. Gagazeet, spear in hand. It was his job to protect the Ronsos. It was his job to protect the secrets, it was his job, and his job alone.
"Kimahri strong." He muttered.
He glanced up at the star filled night, watched a shooting star fly across the darkness, and wondered.
Where was the summoner he'd protected for so long? What if now she needed him? What kind of protector was he if she was in trouble right at this moment?
He shook his head. Yuna was strong and she had others to protect her. Lulu, and Rikku, and... He almost added another name before he checked himself. It wasn't good to think of the past too much.
This was his job now, protector of the secrets of the Ronsos, and it was a good job.
"Kimahri is happy," he mumbled.
But then why, in the back of his mind, did he feel like something was wrong?
There were no more shooting stars that night.
~
In the grass it slithered, through the weeds and flowers, tongue flicking out once and awhile.
It was no larger then the length of an arm, and no thicker, but the red and brown that colored its scales hinted of posion.
Snakes are dangerous things.
It saw a bag, lying on the ground, where a certain someone with gray eyes had thrown it down in his haste.
With a simple flick of its tongue it slithered into the opening, coiling up inside.
Someone would find an interesting treat.
~
Zeke hadn't expected Rikku to follow him into battle. He was so used to people chasing him half way...better not to think of that. Nobody ever actually worked with him. Come to think of it, he was a solo kind of guy. Living and working all on his own. Depending on others for his needs, which he took when he needed, or rather, wanted them.
He attacked the giant snake with a slashing cut of his blade and stepped back, allowing Rikku to throw some sort of bomb. Both attacks seemed to do absolutly nothing.
Zeke almost jumped when he heard Rikku laugh.
"Isn't this strange?" she asked him, as she ran past, to attack the thing.
"What?"
"This isn't a fiend, it's just a giant..." she frowned. "Snake." And she was back in fighting stance.
He tipped his head to the right and stared at the thing.
Just a snake?
Running forward, he jumped and plunged the blade deep into the neck of the slithering, hissing reptile, and slashed it side ways.
The head fell off in a spurt of blood. But before he could inspect it closely, the whole thing blew up, with a flash of smoke.
Rikku smiled impishly at him when he turned and glared at her.
"What?" she asked sweetly, "you know some snakes can still attack you even if you chop of their head. Wouldn't want to get eaten by a stupid snake head, now would we?"
He smirked. It hadn't been a rattle snake, but still...
Zeke glanced back at the remains of the thing, swimming in smoke, maybe it wouldn't have been a good idea to get close to the head.
The fangs glittered in the sunlight, the only complete remains of the carcass.
~
A/N~ We know it's kinda short and that it's been awhile. We're so sorry...but we do have a good excuse. You see school started this week and we've been so busy with that crap...er...fun educational stuff that you just want to smash with a hammer...er hug...and so we haven't had much time...We'll try harder...heh...
Review! Please, we'd greatly appreciate it.