Disclaimer: I don't own FF9, just Ariana!!!!!!! (geez, how many times do i
hafta to say that?!)
Author's Note: Since I'm not one to take flames too lightly, I'd like to reply to Nightmare's review: Okay, first of all, what the hell do you think fan fiction is?! To live out the writer's fantasy of how they wanted to story to go! So of course that's why I'm writing this, and for that I am not ashamed. hmph Oh, and Pikapoo8, I love you! Lol, so glad to have an Ariana/Zidane supporter...(especially a rabid one)..woohoo!!
Zidane informed them that the name of the village ahead of them was Dali, and when they got there, they went straight to an inn to rest. The man at the inn's desk was asleep when they entered, so Zidane tapped him on his shoulder to wake him.
"Sleeping on the job?" Zidane said to him.
"Oh, I'm sorr...y.." said the innkeeper, warily.
Zidane turned around and looked at Dagger, then back at the shopkeeper. "Hey, I know she's cute but that's no reason for you to stare."
"Oh, I-I wasn't looking at the young lady. I was just... The room is right over there. Make yourselves at home." The innkeeper pointed them to a room off to the side, and they all walked in. She saw that there were only four beds, but there were five in their party. Someone was going to have to sleep on the floor.
"Um, Zidane?" Dagger said, "Where do I sleep?"
"Sorry babe, we don't get individual rooms here," Ariana said to her.
"But, I musn't..."
"Yes, you must," Ariana said, rolling her eyes. What a baby, she thought to herself.
Vivi climbed onto one of the beds, and Dagger reluctantly sat on one of the other beds. Now only two beds remained. Steiner looked at Ariana and Zidane. Zidane looked at Ariana. Ariana looked at the bed beside her. Quick as a flash, Steiner jumped into one empty bed, and Ariana hopped onto the other.
"Damn!" Zidane furrowed his brows, and cursed. "I guess I'm sleepin' on the floor then."
"Hey, you can sleep with me in my bed," Ariana said playfully.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "Really?" he asked, hopeful.
She snorted and threw a pillow at him. "In your dreams, loverboy." She then rolled over in the bed, and quickly fell into a blissful world of dreams.
When she awoke the next morning, no one else was in the room with her, and somebody was singing. Desperate to get the melody out of her head, she straightened herself up and left the inn. Outside there were little children laughing and running around. Ariana spotted Zidane and Garnet searching the ground over by a windmill.
She walked over to them and casually asked, "Hey, watcha looking for?"
"Vivi. He was here a little while ago, and now we can't find him," Zidane replied.
"Oh." Ariana was watching Dagger and Zidane, when she heard a "kweh" noise.
Dagger then said, "Woah! I heard a chocobo."
"Sniff. Sniff."
"Did you hear that? Sounds like someone is crying!" Ariana exclaimed.
"Sniff. Sniff."
"Vivi!" Zidane declared, loudly.
"Zidane?!" They could hear little Vivi's muffled sobs beneath them now.
Ariana saw the building that seemed to be running the windmill, and she waved over to Zidane and Dagger to follow her inside. Once inside, they looked around for a means to get underground.
"Well isn't that obvious," Zidane said, pointing to a hatch. Ariana pulled the door open, and descended down a long ladder. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until they ran into the second room. A large yellow bird sat in cage next to a small hut.
"A chocobo?" Ariana asked.
"Yes," Dagger said, nodding.
"This doesn't seem to be just any old underground storage facility," Zidane said uneasily.
"Shhh!!" Ariana hissed, silencing them. She had heard a conversation going on in the next room, and was eavesdropping on it. They had been talking about the mayor's brother, and something he'd found. Then she, Zidane, and Dagger watched as a young man stuffed Vivi into a box, then left the room talking about taking Vivi to the castle.
Dagger glanced at one of the barrels lying on the floor, and suddenly looked scared.
"What is it?!" Zidane asked her.
"Did you see the large barrel next to the shed? I've seen the exact same pattern on some of the barrels in my castle! Dali must have some connection with Alexandria Castle, and I have to find out what it is!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Okay, but if Vivi is in danger, then I'll start trouble," Zidane said. "Agreed?"
"Yes," Dagger replied.
Ariana followed them into a few more rooms, when they heard some sort of machine-like noises. She could hear sobbing coming from another of the boxes lying on the floor, and whispered, "Vivi!?"
"Awaiana!"
"Oh, you poor thing. Just stay right there, I'll get you out," she said, sympathetically. She pried the lid off the barrel he was in, and pulled him out by his arms.
"It's not like I was goin' anywhere anyways," he said sheepishly. Ariana laughed, and hugged him to her. "Why would those stupid bastards put you in a barrel?!"
"How could they...?" Dagger said to herself, trailing off.
"After you left, Zidane some men took me and brought me down here. I was so scared... I didn't know what to do! They asked me 'Why were you outside?' and then they said, 'The cargo ship isn't even here yet.' I didn't know what they were talking about, so I didn't say anything, and then they said, 'Let's put it in today's shipment', then that's when you all came down here and found me," Vivi said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Oh! That's awful! If I ever meet one of them in a dark alley, they'd better run!," Ariana said, shaking her head. Tuggle tittered in agreeance. Poor Vivi.... She then vowed silently to herself that she would never leave his side. Ariana would be his protectress, and whether Vivi liked it or not, she would always be there for him.
"Well next time it happens, Vivi, you should fight back. Scream out loud, or say something like 'Get off me you scumbag!'," Zidane suggested.
Ariana laughed. "Do you still want to come with us now, Vivi?"
"Yes, I wanna know more about what these people are doing." He looked away for a second, and said, "Hey, what's that?" He was pointing to the machine in the room.
"It looks like it's making eggs!" Dagger said.
Zidane ran into the next room and said, "Look! It's being run by a chocobo!" Ariana followed him, but then she looked up, and saw many black mages, taller and larger than Vivi, attached to an upper conveyor belt, being carried around likes ties on a tie rack.
Ariana put her hand over Vivi's eyes, but it was too late. He had seen them. "A-Are they real?" he asked.
"Quick! Hide! I think I hear someone coming!" Zidane yelled to them. Ariana grabbed Vivi's hand and they hid behind a large box. "No!" Zidane yelled, waving towards them. "Through here!" She took Vivi's hand again, and ran into the small tunnel with Dagger and Zidane. They heard workers moving around the room as they hid. Suddenly, three of the mages they had seen the machine making dropped down in front of them.
"Aaaah!!!" Ariana screamed, she squeezed Zidane's tail and Vivi hid his face under her jacket, where Tuggle hid, shivering.
Author's Note: Since I'm not one to take flames too lightly, I'd like to reply to Nightmare's review: Okay, first of all, what the hell do you think fan fiction is?! To live out the writer's fantasy of how they wanted to story to go! So of course that's why I'm writing this, and for that I am not ashamed. hmph Oh, and Pikapoo8, I love you! Lol, so glad to have an Ariana/Zidane supporter...(especially a rabid one)..woohoo!!
Zidane informed them that the name of the village ahead of them was Dali, and when they got there, they went straight to an inn to rest. The man at the inn's desk was asleep when they entered, so Zidane tapped him on his shoulder to wake him.
"Sleeping on the job?" Zidane said to him.
"Oh, I'm sorr...y.." said the innkeeper, warily.
Zidane turned around and looked at Dagger, then back at the shopkeeper. "Hey, I know she's cute but that's no reason for you to stare."
"Oh, I-I wasn't looking at the young lady. I was just... The room is right over there. Make yourselves at home." The innkeeper pointed them to a room off to the side, and they all walked in. She saw that there were only four beds, but there were five in their party. Someone was going to have to sleep on the floor.
"Um, Zidane?" Dagger said, "Where do I sleep?"
"Sorry babe, we don't get individual rooms here," Ariana said to her.
"But, I musn't..."
"Yes, you must," Ariana said, rolling her eyes. What a baby, she thought to herself.
Vivi climbed onto one of the beds, and Dagger reluctantly sat on one of the other beds. Now only two beds remained. Steiner looked at Ariana and Zidane. Zidane looked at Ariana. Ariana looked at the bed beside her. Quick as a flash, Steiner jumped into one empty bed, and Ariana hopped onto the other.
"Damn!" Zidane furrowed his brows, and cursed. "I guess I'm sleepin' on the floor then."
"Hey, you can sleep with me in my bed," Ariana said playfully.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "Really?" he asked, hopeful.
She snorted and threw a pillow at him. "In your dreams, loverboy." She then rolled over in the bed, and quickly fell into a blissful world of dreams.
When she awoke the next morning, no one else was in the room with her, and somebody was singing. Desperate to get the melody out of her head, she straightened herself up and left the inn. Outside there were little children laughing and running around. Ariana spotted Zidane and Garnet searching the ground over by a windmill.
She walked over to them and casually asked, "Hey, watcha looking for?"
"Vivi. He was here a little while ago, and now we can't find him," Zidane replied.
"Oh." Ariana was watching Dagger and Zidane, when she heard a "kweh" noise.
Dagger then said, "Woah! I heard a chocobo."
"Sniff. Sniff."
"Did you hear that? Sounds like someone is crying!" Ariana exclaimed.
"Sniff. Sniff."
"Vivi!" Zidane declared, loudly.
"Zidane?!" They could hear little Vivi's muffled sobs beneath them now.
Ariana saw the building that seemed to be running the windmill, and she waved over to Zidane and Dagger to follow her inside. Once inside, they looked around for a means to get underground.
"Well isn't that obvious," Zidane said, pointing to a hatch. Ariana pulled the door open, and descended down a long ladder. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until they ran into the second room. A large yellow bird sat in cage next to a small hut.
"A chocobo?" Ariana asked.
"Yes," Dagger said, nodding.
"This doesn't seem to be just any old underground storage facility," Zidane said uneasily.
"Shhh!!" Ariana hissed, silencing them. She had heard a conversation going on in the next room, and was eavesdropping on it. They had been talking about the mayor's brother, and something he'd found. Then she, Zidane, and Dagger watched as a young man stuffed Vivi into a box, then left the room talking about taking Vivi to the castle.
Dagger glanced at one of the barrels lying on the floor, and suddenly looked scared.
"What is it?!" Zidane asked her.
"Did you see the large barrel next to the shed? I've seen the exact same pattern on some of the barrels in my castle! Dali must have some connection with Alexandria Castle, and I have to find out what it is!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Okay, but if Vivi is in danger, then I'll start trouble," Zidane said. "Agreed?"
"Yes," Dagger replied.
Ariana followed them into a few more rooms, when they heard some sort of machine-like noises. She could hear sobbing coming from another of the boxes lying on the floor, and whispered, "Vivi!?"
"Awaiana!"
"Oh, you poor thing. Just stay right there, I'll get you out," she said, sympathetically. She pried the lid off the barrel he was in, and pulled him out by his arms.
"It's not like I was goin' anywhere anyways," he said sheepishly. Ariana laughed, and hugged him to her. "Why would those stupid bastards put you in a barrel?!"
"How could they...?" Dagger said to herself, trailing off.
"After you left, Zidane some men took me and brought me down here. I was so scared... I didn't know what to do! They asked me 'Why were you outside?' and then they said, 'The cargo ship isn't even here yet.' I didn't know what they were talking about, so I didn't say anything, and then they said, 'Let's put it in today's shipment', then that's when you all came down here and found me," Vivi said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Oh! That's awful! If I ever meet one of them in a dark alley, they'd better run!," Ariana said, shaking her head. Tuggle tittered in agreeance. Poor Vivi.... She then vowed silently to herself that she would never leave his side. Ariana would be his protectress, and whether Vivi liked it or not, she would always be there for him.
"Well next time it happens, Vivi, you should fight back. Scream out loud, or say something like 'Get off me you scumbag!'," Zidane suggested.
Ariana laughed. "Do you still want to come with us now, Vivi?"
"Yes, I wanna know more about what these people are doing." He looked away for a second, and said, "Hey, what's that?" He was pointing to the machine in the room.
"It looks like it's making eggs!" Dagger said.
Zidane ran into the next room and said, "Look! It's being run by a chocobo!" Ariana followed him, but then she looked up, and saw many black mages, taller and larger than Vivi, attached to an upper conveyor belt, being carried around likes ties on a tie rack.
Ariana put her hand over Vivi's eyes, but it was too late. He had seen them. "A-Are they real?" he asked.
"Quick! Hide! I think I hear someone coming!" Zidane yelled to them. Ariana grabbed Vivi's hand and they hid behind a large box. "No!" Zidane yelled, waving towards them. "Through here!" She took Vivi's hand again, and ran into the small tunnel with Dagger and Zidane. They heard workers moving around the room as they hid. Suddenly, three of the mages they had seen the machine making dropped down in front of them.
"Aaaah!!!" Ariana screamed, she squeezed Zidane's tail and Vivi hid his face under her jacket, where Tuggle hid, shivering.