Disclaimer: I don't own FF9, just Ariana.
As they walked, Ariana's mind began to wander. "How the hell did I end up here in the first place?" she thought to herself. "Woah, Zidane has a cute butt. Oh yeah, why does he have a tail?"
"Hey Zidane?" she asked. "Why do you have a tail? I mean you look human and all, but normal people don't have tails."
"Honestly? I don't know. It's been there all my life. I don't know my parents, so I can't say I got it from them, but I also can't say I didn't either," he replied.
"Oh, okay." Once again her mind began to wander, but she was interrupted by Zidane.
He looked at her when he said, "How did you get here? I don't remember you being on board when we left from Lindblum. I asked Blank and he says he didn't see you either."
"Well, I remember I was really bored, and I decided to play my brother's Playstation. I put Final Fantasy 9 in, and suddenly I found myself on your theater ship. Frankly, I'm not sure how long I'll be here."
Zidane had stopped in his tracks, and was staring at her, looking completely bewildered. Alarmed, Ariana stammered out, "W-What? Did you see something?"
"No...what the hell is a Playstation? And what is a final fantasy?" He had begun walking again, now focused on her. The little black mage and Steiner were behind them engrossed their own conversation.
"Eh, you really wouldn't understand. Let's just say I'm from another planet," Ariana said to him.
He nodded his head, and they continued to walk through the dense forest. Weirds sounds of woodland beasts could be heard all around them, and Ariana shivered to think of what would happen if they met one. She scooted a little closer to Zidane so that they're arms touched. He glanced at her and smiled, but she looked away, not trying to be romantic.
She turned her head around to see if Steiner and Vivi were still there. They were walking along behind them, still having some sort of conversation, Steiner pointing animatedly at Zidane.
"Hey, Steiner!" Zidane yelled to the knight, "You can quit talking about how much you want to murder me. The princess wanted to be kidnapped, just so you know."
"Even so. I'm not only going with you to rescue the princess! I will deal with you personally when this is over!" Steiner growled at him.
Zidane shook his head and said, "Whatever..."
To Ariana's surprise, a little creature ran over to her and jumped into her arms. It looked around frightfully for a moment and shoved its head under her arm to hide it's face, as though it had been chased. Zidane frowned at the shivering furry thing in her hands and looked around the forest in search of it's hunter. He then saw what he had been looking for and ran into a bush, his dagger in hand. Ariana cringed when she heard a pathetic shriek, and saw Zidane come out with a very dead, very scary- looking beast in his hand.
"Bleh!" Ariana exclaimed, her lip curled in disgust, "What IS that?"
Zidane looked down at the bleeding beast triumphantly. "This? Oh, it's a Fang. They're pretty common around here, so you better stick with me if you want to stay safe." He tossed back into the bushes, and creature in Ariana's arms popped it's head out in and sighed loudly, with relief. It looked up at her face and uttered a little "mew?" type of noise. It reminded her of her pet cat, Tuggle, who had died a year ago. She hugged it close to her as the memories of home flooded into her mind. Wow, did she miss Earth or what?
"What's this thing called?" she asked Zidane, who was now walking ahead of her.
He looked back at her and answered, "It's a Mu! They're usually just as fierce as the Fang that was chasing it, but you got lucky and came across a friendly one." He stopped for a second, and asked, "You're not going to keep it are you?"
She hadn't really thought about it, but sensing his disapproval, she happily replied, "Yes, I think I will! I'll name it Tuggle, in memory of my old pet." The Mu tittered happily in reply, and crawled onto her shoulder and sat there as she walked along. She was beginning to feel a little more loved in this strange world called Gaia.
Ariana looked ahead of her and saw a spring of some sort. Another one of those moogle creatures sat perched atop of it.
"Hmm... No sign of any monsters here." Zidane said, and together they walked over to the water,
"A spring..."
Ariana dipped her hand into the water and drank. "Woah!" she exclaimed. "That's refreshing!"
After everyone finished drinking from the spring, they walked further into the forest. When they'd turned a corner, they saw the princess trapped against a wall, while another, larger plant monster guarded her.
"There she is!" Vivi shouted.
"So this is the master.." Zidane said, mystified.
"Come on!" Ariana commanded, "Let's get him!"
Ariana drew out her blade, and like before, slashed at the plant. Vivi was casting Fire on it, which did a lot of damage. Suddenly, Steiner decided to combine Vivi's magic with his sword, and did a huge amount of damage to the plant. Blank ran into the clearing out of nowhere, and joined the battle. Soon, they had completely destroyed the plant, and Blank gave the coughing princess some medicine.
As they stood helping the princess regain conciousness, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. A hole opened up in the forest floor in front of them, and two giant bugs jumped out. Ariana screamed, and Blank yelled, "We're gonna be surrounded! Run!"
Soon, dozens upon dozens, possibly hundreds, of bug creatures were chasing them, and what seemed like the entire forest was coming after them. Blank was suddenly grabbed by one of the bugs because he had pushed Zidane out of the way of it's grasp. He threw Zidane some sort of scroll, and a wave of petrification came over the forest, capturing Blank with it. Ariana screamed again, and grabbed Zidane's hand as they ran. The forest had come alive, and was trying to grab or injure them in any way it possibly could. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest, and made a desperate leap for the exit. They all landed hard on the ground, and rolled over. The Evil Forest made it's final grasp for them, and then froze in motion, as it was quickly petrified.
Zidane stood up, and yelled, "Dammit! That idiot! Blank..."
Ariana limped over to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Zidane."
Author's Note: Okay, they're FINALLY out of the forest. Now, we can really get things going! R & R please!
As they walked, Ariana's mind began to wander. "How the hell did I end up here in the first place?" she thought to herself. "Woah, Zidane has a cute butt. Oh yeah, why does he have a tail?"
"Hey Zidane?" she asked. "Why do you have a tail? I mean you look human and all, but normal people don't have tails."
"Honestly? I don't know. It's been there all my life. I don't know my parents, so I can't say I got it from them, but I also can't say I didn't either," he replied.
"Oh, okay." Once again her mind began to wander, but she was interrupted by Zidane.
He looked at her when he said, "How did you get here? I don't remember you being on board when we left from Lindblum. I asked Blank and he says he didn't see you either."
"Well, I remember I was really bored, and I decided to play my brother's Playstation. I put Final Fantasy 9 in, and suddenly I found myself on your theater ship. Frankly, I'm not sure how long I'll be here."
Zidane had stopped in his tracks, and was staring at her, looking completely bewildered. Alarmed, Ariana stammered out, "W-What? Did you see something?"
"No...what the hell is a Playstation? And what is a final fantasy?" He had begun walking again, now focused on her. The little black mage and Steiner were behind them engrossed their own conversation.
"Eh, you really wouldn't understand. Let's just say I'm from another planet," Ariana said to him.
He nodded his head, and they continued to walk through the dense forest. Weirds sounds of woodland beasts could be heard all around them, and Ariana shivered to think of what would happen if they met one. She scooted a little closer to Zidane so that they're arms touched. He glanced at her and smiled, but she looked away, not trying to be romantic.
She turned her head around to see if Steiner and Vivi were still there. They were walking along behind them, still having some sort of conversation, Steiner pointing animatedly at Zidane.
"Hey, Steiner!" Zidane yelled to the knight, "You can quit talking about how much you want to murder me. The princess wanted to be kidnapped, just so you know."
"Even so. I'm not only going with you to rescue the princess! I will deal with you personally when this is over!" Steiner growled at him.
Zidane shook his head and said, "Whatever..."
To Ariana's surprise, a little creature ran over to her and jumped into her arms. It looked around frightfully for a moment and shoved its head under her arm to hide it's face, as though it had been chased. Zidane frowned at the shivering furry thing in her hands and looked around the forest in search of it's hunter. He then saw what he had been looking for and ran into a bush, his dagger in hand. Ariana cringed when she heard a pathetic shriek, and saw Zidane come out with a very dead, very scary- looking beast in his hand.
"Bleh!" Ariana exclaimed, her lip curled in disgust, "What IS that?"
Zidane looked down at the bleeding beast triumphantly. "This? Oh, it's a Fang. They're pretty common around here, so you better stick with me if you want to stay safe." He tossed back into the bushes, and creature in Ariana's arms popped it's head out in and sighed loudly, with relief. It looked up at her face and uttered a little "mew?" type of noise. It reminded her of her pet cat, Tuggle, who had died a year ago. She hugged it close to her as the memories of home flooded into her mind. Wow, did she miss Earth or what?
"What's this thing called?" she asked Zidane, who was now walking ahead of her.
He looked back at her and answered, "It's a Mu! They're usually just as fierce as the Fang that was chasing it, but you got lucky and came across a friendly one." He stopped for a second, and asked, "You're not going to keep it are you?"
She hadn't really thought about it, but sensing his disapproval, she happily replied, "Yes, I think I will! I'll name it Tuggle, in memory of my old pet." The Mu tittered happily in reply, and crawled onto her shoulder and sat there as she walked along. She was beginning to feel a little more loved in this strange world called Gaia.
Ariana looked ahead of her and saw a spring of some sort. Another one of those moogle creatures sat perched atop of it.
"Hmm... No sign of any monsters here." Zidane said, and together they walked over to the water,
"A spring..."
Ariana dipped her hand into the water and drank. "Woah!" she exclaimed. "That's refreshing!"
After everyone finished drinking from the spring, they walked further into the forest. When they'd turned a corner, they saw the princess trapped against a wall, while another, larger plant monster guarded her.
"There she is!" Vivi shouted.
"So this is the master.." Zidane said, mystified.
"Come on!" Ariana commanded, "Let's get him!"
Ariana drew out her blade, and like before, slashed at the plant. Vivi was casting Fire on it, which did a lot of damage. Suddenly, Steiner decided to combine Vivi's magic with his sword, and did a huge amount of damage to the plant. Blank ran into the clearing out of nowhere, and joined the battle. Soon, they had completely destroyed the plant, and Blank gave the coughing princess some medicine.
As they stood helping the princess regain conciousness, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. A hole opened up in the forest floor in front of them, and two giant bugs jumped out. Ariana screamed, and Blank yelled, "We're gonna be surrounded! Run!"
Soon, dozens upon dozens, possibly hundreds, of bug creatures were chasing them, and what seemed like the entire forest was coming after them. Blank was suddenly grabbed by one of the bugs because he had pushed Zidane out of the way of it's grasp. He threw Zidane some sort of scroll, and a wave of petrification came over the forest, capturing Blank with it. Ariana screamed again, and grabbed Zidane's hand as they ran. The forest had come alive, and was trying to grab or injure them in any way it possibly could. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest, and made a desperate leap for the exit. They all landed hard on the ground, and rolled over. The Evil Forest made it's final grasp for them, and then froze in motion, as it was quickly petrified.
Zidane stood up, and yelled, "Dammit! That idiot! Blank..."
Ariana limped over to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Zidane."
Author's Note: Okay, they're FINALLY out of the forest. Now, we can really get things going! R & R please!