Chapter one: My Heart Desires a Cookie (tribute to Onitna ^_^)
Eika-you're missing something. She's - - well, any more would be spoilers, so keep readin'.
It had been over so fast that I hadn't realized I had done it! The Waltz, it had burned, blasted, and exploded Lindblum into nothing but ash and bodies. The sight, smell, and sound of it all had nauseated me until I could hardly stand, but I had been most afraid when my second friend, Zidane, looked at his home with such a look of hate and terror. Then we heard it laughing, a frightening, pitiless sound precisely like a knife glistening in moonlight.
I felt the rage well up inside me like a volcano. It heated me until the cold from fear was gone, my blood boiled, and my fingers shook a little more then usual. Before I knew what happened, flames surrounded me, and I heard it scream and saw it drop from the sky.
I had jumped back with startilization from my own little-used power. From far off, I had heard Dagger yell at me to do something about the fire and I used ice magic to cool the flame, and then in a flash, the fire was out and the bodies being counted.
Zidane fell to his knees and screamed in rage, "WHY? WHAT DID IT WANT?"
I knelt down to touch him, but I was afraid. I didn't know if I had the right: some of the damage had been my doing just to stop the creature and for an instant I had wanted to join her in her blood shedding.
"Zidane." Dagger breathed, "Let's help them, there is nothing more we can do here."
The meek little voice of a frightened, tailed child muttered, "It's coming back."
Garnett eyed him quizzically, "What is?"
"Your royal tone. It's coming back."
Steiner showed his first hint of caring for the monkey-child, "Lets get you and Master Vivi to the inn, it's the only structure intact and they'll use it to care for the wounded."
I wanted a cookie. I hadn't desired one since my grandpa died. He always gave me white chocolate chunk after supper to speed my growth, and when I was unhappy. I know that his first intent had been to eat me, but he started to like me. He named me "Vivi Oruntia" after his favorite brand of cookies and had eventually stopped pondering whether I was worth eating or not. He called me his little friend, which was the common language translation for the cookies he liked. He taught me a lot and I love and miss him still.
I remembered when I fell off the cliff. I'd scraped my knees up and Grandpa Quan had fed me cookies. I remembered the sting of my still scarred knees. My heart felt like my knees. I wanted a cookie very badly.
The smell of burnt flesh turned my stomach. Some people went mad at the attack and their screams filled the air. I clung tightly to Dagger and Steiner. Quina and Steiner suspended Zidane between them. It seemed like an eternity walking to the inn listening to cries of anguish.
"Vivi, did you see where she landed?" Zidane asked numbly.
"How you know Waltz was girl?" Quina demanded hotly, clearly not wanting to be in remotely the same category as the Bringer of Destruction.
Zidane shook his head, "Her laugh, it was so cold and merciless. Only a blood-crazed woman sounds like that. It was enough to send chills down my spine, tail included."
"No, I didn't," I answered, "I was s-scared." I didn't tell them that what scared me most was the desire to join the slaughter.
Dagger mused softly, "You sound like you've heard that sound before, Zidane."
"I think maybe I have. It's not a sound I want to hear again."
I felt very sick.
Steiner looked down at me, "Master Vivi, are you okay?"
"M-my h-heart desires a cookie."
Eika-you're missing something. She's - - well, any more would be spoilers, so keep readin'.
It had been over so fast that I hadn't realized I had done it! The Waltz, it had burned, blasted, and exploded Lindblum into nothing but ash and bodies. The sight, smell, and sound of it all had nauseated me until I could hardly stand, but I had been most afraid when my second friend, Zidane, looked at his home with such a look of hate and terror. Then we heard it laughing, a frightening, pitiless sound precisely like a knife glistening in moonlight.
I felt the rage well up inside me like a volcano. It heated me until the cold from fear was gone, my blood boiled, and my fingers shook a little more then usual. Before I knew what happened, flames surrounded me, and I heard it scream and saw it drop from the sky.
I had jumped back with startilization from my own little-used power. From far off, I had heard Dagger yell at me to do something about the fire and I used ice magic to cool the flame, and then in a flash, the fire was out and the bodies being counted.
Zidane fell to his knees and screamed in rage, "WHY? WHAT DID IT WANT?"
I knelt down to touch him, but I was afraid. I didn't know if I had the right: some of the damage had been my doing just to stop the creature and for an instant I had wanted to join her in her blood shedding.
"Zidane." Dagger breathed, "Let's help them, there is nothing more we can do here."
The meek little voice of a frightened, tailed child muttered, "It's coming back."
Garnett eyed him quizzically, "What is?"
"Your royal tone. It's coming back."
Steiner showed his first hint of caring for the monkey-child, "Lets get you and Master Vivi to the inn, it's the only structure intact and they'll use it to care for the wounded."
I wanted a cookie. I hadn't desired one since my grandpa died. He always gave me white chocolate chunk after supper to speed my growth, and when I was unhappy. I know that his first intent had been to eat me, but he started to like me. He named me "Vivi Oruntia" after his favorite brand of cookies and had eventually stopped pondering whether I was worth eating or not. He called me his little friend, which was the common language translation for the cookies he liked. He taught me a lot and I love and miss him still.
I remembered when I fell off the cliff. I'd scraped my knees up and Grandpa Quan had fed me cookies. I remembered the sting of my still scarred knees. My heart felt like my knees. I wanted a cookie very badly.
The smell of burnt flesh turned my stomach. Some people went mad at the attack and their screams filled the air. I clung tightly to Dagger and Steiner. Quina and Steiner suspended Zidane between them. It seemed like an eternity walking to the inn listening to cries of anguish.
"Vivi, did you see where she landed?" Zidane asked numbly.
"How you know Waltz was girl?" Quina demanded hotly, clearly not wanting to be in remotely the same category as the Bringer of Destruction.
Zidane shook his head, "Her laugh, it was so cold and merciless. Only a blood-crazed woman sounds like that. It was enough to send chills down my spine, tail included."
"No, I didn't," I answered, "I was s-scared." I didn't tell them that what scared me most was the desire to join the slaughter.
Dagger mused softly, "You sound like you've heard that sound before, Zidane."
"I think maybe I have. It's not a sound I want to hear again."
I felt very sick.
Steiner looked down at me, "Master Vivi, are you okay?"
"M-my h-heart desires a cookie."