Disclaimer: Final Fantasy Nine... in fact is not mine... It's Square's, not the poet's... as if you didn't know it!
A/N Teasers: Vanessa tries to obey the law, gains a few partners in crime, learns a new name, dreams of pies, and "almost dies"... all in one day! ... all in one hour O.o!
Like, Final Fantasy IX - by ThingBling
Chapter III: Juuuuump!
"Where's Vanessa?" Jeremy sat down, ignoring his balding father's question. The table was set with forks, spoons, knives, and (most importantly) enough food for the four Morrison family members. But the fourth person wasn't there. "Young man..."
Jeremy looked up from his plate, which he was already piling the food onto. "Huh?"
His mother looked toward the stairs. "Is she still in her room? Well??"
"Oh, Vanessa. Nah, didn't see her there!"
"Did you check to see if she was in the bathroom, brushing her hair like she sometimes does?" Mr. Morrison was helping himself to the overwhelming lump of potatoes in front of him.
"Hmm," Jeremy paused, dropping a fork into his chicken. "No, but I'm pretty sure we'd hear her trying to sing-"
"Jeremy!"
"What?!" He looked at his mother and father. A shade of red slowly filled up both their faces.
"Don't ever question the Morrison family's ability to sing! By the way, Largo," Mrs. Morrison looked at her husband, watching as he inhaled a spoonful of peas, "I think she mentioned something about going to a friend's house... so..."
"Ah! Yes, I do remember now," Mr. Morrison thoughtfully poured himself another glass of milk. He sipped, and nearly spluttered as he remembered something else. "She was going to spend two weeks with her before she moved! Wasn't she? Wasn't she, dearie??"
Jeremy shuddered as the two agreed and called eachother lovey-dovie and honey-nut and, "Ugh! I mean, may I be excused?"
"What?" His mother looked at him strangely. "No dessert tonight?"
"Heh.. NO," he said, almost too eagerly. He risked a glance at the misshapen cake in the center of the table. "I think I'll go upstairs and.. uh, you know..."
"What?" His father looked confused, but Jeremy was already gone. "What's he going to do?? Maureen...?"
The boy shook his head and continued walking. Vanessa bounded after him, deeper into the crevices of the city's alley-ways. "So, um, are you going to see the play?"
"..." The boy refused to stop and talk, obviously pressed for time. "...I-I almost got to. But then-"
He was interrupted by a swishing sound and a pair of rat feet covering the distance between the next corner and the ladder that the signmaker had left behind. A rat boy turned around to look at them.
"Hey, you! Shrimp and pretty-face!" He was an interesting youth with a small red cap on. Vanessa thought it looked a little like an acorn (Ooh, bad memories..), and the overalls he was wearing stopped a few inches short of his feet. Overall, kind of...
"Ratty," Vanessa murmured, finding herself grading the Rodent's fashion sense.
"Hey, whatever! So, shrimp, you're the one with the phony ticket, aintcha?" The furry youth folded his arms as Vanessa looked at the dark boy pull down his hat. "I saw the guy tell you it was fake!"
"Y-Yeah, it's fake," the insecure shadow looked down. Vanessa didn't get it.
"I'll let you see the show if you become my slave!" She was horrified! THERE'S SLAVERY IN THIS GAME?!
"Like, hold on a second, mister!"
"Oh, yeah, you can be my slave, too! Well, whaddya say?"
"No!!" Vanessa looked at this spoiled rat. Why in this world would he want slaves? And just to get into some dumb.. wait a minute.. "Actually, yes!"
The rat looked at her oddly, then looked at the boy under the pointed hat. He was still thinking, but if the big, brunette girl thought it was a good idea, then...
"Alright."
"Awesome! Now for your first assignment! .. Uh, shrimp: go over by the square's entrance, and you, Powder-puff: over by the theatre," the little rascal's eyes darted around, making sure no eavesdroppers were about. "See if anyone's comin'!"
"Why?" Vanessa automatically responded.
"Because I said so! Sheesh!" The rat kicked Vanessa in the shins. He didn't wait for her to stop hopping in pain before starting the 'mission'. He hurried over to Vanessa's post as Vivi took a place in view of the Villiage square. Vanessa stopped her little dance.
"I don't get this-"
"All clear?" The rat child interrupted, looking behind himself at Vivi. Vanessa fumed.
"I think someone's coming..." Vivi looked pleased with his report. Not for long.
"You 'think'?! I wanna know!" The rudeness of this rat popped the shy one's ego a little, but he was soon back to looking out.
"Yeah, it's clear." He pulled his blue coat tighter around himself.
"Clear? What are you going to do? .. ?!" Vanessa's eyes widened. "You aren't, like, going to do drugs?!"
"What's that?" The two boys looked quizzically at her.
"...never mind," Vanessa twitched nervously. What a relief! She didn't mess up anyone's mind this time!
"Well, awesome job anyway! Engage according to mission parameters!" The rat hurdled over to the ladder and ripped it away from the wall as fast as he could. With a grunt, he hoisted the ladder above his head.
"Hey!" Vanessa suddenly screeched.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
"...yeees?"
"Wasn't that, like, the hippo's ladder?" Vanessa asked curtly. She eyed the small, furry boy as he rotated towards her.
"...if it was...?"
A hand with pink fingernails gripped the edge of the wooden climbing tool. "I think we should put it back."
"No, we shouldn't.." With a pained expression, the rat tried to tug the ladder away from Vanessa's clutches. No such luck!
"Should."
"Shouldn't."
"Should!"
"Shouldn't!
"SHOULD!"
"SHOULDN'T!!" The ladder was now between the feuding children, swaying this way and that with each word. The boy with the blue coat staggered backwards as Vanessa exclaimed her last disagreement.
"U-um, guys!" The small boy looked around nervously. Was it footsteps he was hearing behind his two angry accomplices?
"...SHOULD!!!" Vanessa ignored the warning, and with one last desparate heave of strength, the ladder swung above her head, the rat still attached to it. "Wha-?"
"Yaaaaah!" Before anything could be done, the rat child lost his grip and sailed away, over the rooftops. A splash could be heard.
The shadow boy and Vanessa looked at eachother. It was a very, very uncomfortable silence that followed. Unfortunately, the silence was broken even more uncomfortably be a harsh voice.
"Hey, you kids! What do you think you're doing with my ladder?!" The hippo had returned, looking more furious than ever. With a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he started to charge towards them. "THIEVES!!!"
It was then Vanessa remembered... Hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa.
Eyes wide, Vanessa grabbed the boy, and the ladder, and ran. What else was she to do? It was a bad day for her already, let me tell you, and she doubted that she'd ever rent this game out again if given the chance! Not that she WOULD get the chance: the Hippo was catching up! He would kill her and the poor kid that just happened to get caught in that scene! ... and to think of it, they weren't even the thieves! The one the hippo should have been after was.. um, in some water. Somewhere. Yeah, Vanessa didn't really trouble herself to find out the details. She had a more important matter at hand.
"Sanctuary!!" Vanessa panted, losing her energy. She had been running much too long, I mean, come on! Her hair HAD to have been messed up by now! "Where's... the... sanctuary... we need?!"
"Th-there's a church!" For once, Vanessa actually listened to the boy she had first thought was a demon. And yes, sure enough, ahead was a church! Now, just to duck into it...
"COME BACK!"
Not on his life! Vanessa had reached the steepled building now, and swung into it. She dropped the shy kid and looked around, panicking, wondering if the signmaker would find them. Well, he hadn't been too far behind...
"What you doing, kupo?"
"Name's Vanessa, silly!" Although out of breath, Vanessa certainly wasn't out of hot air. Wait a minute, what WAS THAT THING?! It looked sort of like a white rabbit-gopher-mole-bear thing with one antenna and a red tomato squashed into where it's nose was supposed to be. Another lookalike tomato dangled from the top of its lone antler. Two purple bat wings fluttered as the furry monster waddled towards her.
"Name's Kupo, not silly! Oh, by the way," the strange animal pointed to the book it was carrying, "let me explain to you the wonders of saving-"
"WHATEVER!! SAVE, OKAY?! I GOTTA GO!!!"
"But I haven't told you about Mognet yet!" Vanessa had already disappeared up the ladder in the back of the room, along with her stolen prize and the silent boy.
An angry carpenter burst into the sacred room, startling a very confused Kupo.
"Hey, moogle!! Ya see a snobby girl and a black mage just now?!"
"..yeah, up the ladder.. kupo."
"Like, what are we going to do?!" Vanessa tried to smooth out the awful wrinkles in her apron. It was no use; nothing is, when an axe murderer is chasing you!
"Follow m-me," the boy picked up the ladder that had been thrown down in a panic.
"Where?!" Vanessa angrily looked at him. Back down? As if! They were at the top of a church steeple, with gaping windows all around and no doors to exit. The only place they could get to was, "The roof?! Are you CRAZY?!"
The boy ignored her babble and hopped out the window with the ladder. Vanessa stared blankly after him.
"Like, are you sure that's safe??" she watched as he stopped before an enormous gap between the church and the building across from it. There was a board over this gap.
"I-I think it'll work for you, too." Without another pause for Vanessa to ask what it was he was talking about, the little creature gathered up his courage and bolted across the pathway. From there, he yelled for her to follow, holding the ladder above his head. "Please! T-This way!
What choice did she have? Vanessa wondered if she should turn back, but an enraged bellow coming from the tunnel that led up to the church's room encouraged her to... "JUUUMP!"
Vanessa fell with a hard thump, and tried to stand up. She had landed on the other side of the board, on the house across from the 'sanctuary'. It was then that she saw the hippo.
"I am Dante the Signmaker! Hear me roar!"
"Whoa!" Jeremy's pupils dilated. "What a sweeeet game!! I wonder if I get to chop this boss's head off..."
He smiled, anticipating a big battle, as the small characters cowered in front of the mad carpenter. The girl took a step backwards...
Snobby Girl
"If you want us..."
"Come and, like, GET US!"
He watched as she and the boy with ?????? for a name scrambled across the next roof and came to a halt before another board-bridge. They seemed hesitant.
"COME ON! You freaks, COME ON!!"
"Jeremy!" His mother's angry voice came through the bedroom floor. "No yelling unless you want to go outside!"
"..come on!..."
"You can do it, sweetie!" Vanessa's eyes bugged out at herself. Yuck! She was starting to sound like her mom.. but if the boy didn't cross, then she certainly wouldn't.
"O-Okay..."
"Hurry! He's coming!" Vanessa pointed to Dante, the hippo, as he started to cross the ladder just behind them. She turned back around when a crack and the sound of wood hitting the cobblestone below rang in her ears. "Wh-what?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" The boy peeked over the edge. "I barely made it, and had to jump .. and.. b-broke the board.."
The carpenter was now upon Vanessa.
"You know what I do to thieves, little girl?-"
"U-um," Vanessa now seemed to be the one stuttering. Oh, game-over sign, please pop up NOW! "I... I..."
"Miss Lady, j-just jump!"
"Jump?"
"-I grind their bones-"
"JUMP!" The boy hopped up and down. Vanessa looked horrified.
"JUMP??"
"-to make my bread!"
"JUMP!!!" The boy pulled his hat down in frustration, stamping his feet and looking as if he would burst.
"Juuuuuuuuump!" Vanessa found herself frozen in the air, hovering between the worlds she knew, breaking into this new feeling. It was the feeling she would have for the rest of her life.
"How overdramatic," Jeremy squinted, tipping his head back and emptying the last of the Coke in the can. He slammed the empty container down, just as the Snobby Girl's feet slammed into the other roof.
It seemed Dante the Signmaker was foiled... for now.
Vanessa cried out, in a dizzy stagger, wishing that the rest of the 'game' would be easier. "Hey.."
The boy helped her up as the hippo swore at them. "Good j-job!"
"Hey.." Vanessa repeated, ignoring the world around her. She turned a smudged face to the boy. "..You. You're pretty brave.. but you could use some mascara..."
"What??" The shadow boy looked at his delirious.. friend? Was she a friend? An ally, at the least.. He steadied her as the hippo dejectly made his way back to the belltower.
"My name's Vanessa Katrina Morrison.. what is yours?"
A controller dropped to the floor. Jeremy's heart was pounding. Vanessa...? In this game...?
Suddenly, he broke into laughter. Of course! She probably had to name the girl in her game! It all made sense... ah, but Jeremy wasn't about to name anyone original names, as the boy's gray name selection window popped on the screen. Too confusing.
He selected the confirm name option before he could find out that he couldn't have changed the name of the boy if he had wanted to.
The boy looked happy, even though you couldn't see his face or any of the features that would normally tell you. It was a sort of aura floating around him, and even though Vanessa couldn't understand why, she knew that he would finally give in and tell.
"I'm Vivi. P-pleased to meet you, ma'am.."
Vanessa snapped up. "Vivi?! What a weird name!"
Vivi faltered, but soon regained his usual composure when Vanessa smiled and said-
"Just kidding!"
"R-right," Vivi started to walk along, Vanessa following him.
As they walked along the rooftops, they hit many dead ends and managed to scrape some rusty gil our of cracks in the crumbling chimneys and such.. don't ask how the money got there! But finally, with Vivi still carrying the ladder, the final destination was reached.
Another longer gap stretched out before them, this time between the house they were standing on, and platform by the castle wall. The only barrier between them and the show was just that there was no board joining the two buildings this time! But now Vanessa understood why the mouse had wanted the ladder...
"Lay the ladder across it."
"Across.. what?"
"The space.. here," Vanessa lifted the burden off Vivi's shoulders and put it down strategically. "This is probably why that kid wanted it so bad, you know?"
"Y-yeah," Vivi led the way across the ladder, wobbling but confident.
Vanessa wiped the sweat from her brow. Nothing scared her anymore! She put one foot on the ladder.. easy as pie. ... Pie?! Her stomach growled. Oh, how she wanted some pie right then! Perhaps strawberry, no.. blueberry was her favorite. Although every other day her mother would order a French Silk pie.. oh, banana cream was good, too!
"I would like the coconut pie, please!"
"What are you doing?!" Vivi's voice broke through Vanessa's daydream in the bakery.
Reality pulled down hard on her in the form of gravity. She looked down and realized she had stopped dead in the middle of her way across the ladder! "Oh, my!" She leaped as the ladder creaked beneath the strain and broke, falling to the earth below. She landed for the third time in safety. Vivi looked at her, wondering if he should just leave her. Nah.. who knows? She might be useful some day..
"Um, we'd better go inside..." Vivi looked on.
"I can see the theatre ship!" And so, Vanessa led Vivi over the wall...
Jeremy sighed as the screen faded. He paused, remembering something. He had to go to the bathroom!!
"Well," he promised the PlayStation and the world that lived in it, "I'll be right back!"
---
A/N: REVIEW PLEASE! I hate to say REVIEW, so I add the PLEASE! I hope I don't sound too demanding.. but I'm sure you understand!! And for a reward, for reviewing...
ALL REVIEWERS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED!!!!!
Reviewer Thanks:
Quistis88 You're back!! Remember the Ditto episode and Adelbert-thing? ROTFLOL!!! Okay.. well, I'll catch you on chat and we'll talk then. Thanks for reviewing all of my stuff!! Awesome!
winky golden ^^ Thanks for reviewing and the compliment! And yes, funny characteristics is a good way to describe Vanessa.. but you write much more sophisticatedly and English is your second language.. that is awesome! I'll be waiting for more of your story...
MiyokoTribal Your fiction is really FUNNY!! LOL! I wish it could be updated soon..? Well, it will be, I'm sure.. ^^ I'll read and review, too! Thanks for the reviews!
soCCer_Rules What is that email?! J/K Yes, it is a ditz story and we both know ditzes.. hehe, SOCCER RULES YEAH!!!!
Lorelei Valentine ^^ Worse people than Vanessa?! No, never! J/k I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.. write on! And thanks so much for reviewing!
Elyon and Amarant Heh heh.. now you must think I'm really weird.. Vanessa AND my twisted pairing! ^^ You've always been there.. thank you thank you thank you!! You know girls like that? Yeah, I'll keep writing.. for a LONG time if you keep reviewing! Wow! Thanks!!!
Akira-Chan the Vivi Freak Did you change your name to Aya instead of Akira? Sorry, I don't know.. ^^ FAVORITES!!! YESAYESAYES!! ::dances, as always, when added to favorites:: I will keep writing so long as you keep reading! Thanks for the review so much!!!
AgentMKB Cool, like, name, like like! Like, really? I, like, couldn't, like, stop smiling, like like like, when you reviewed! Like, thanks! Uh uh, like, you know?? ^^ Sorry .. that's fun, isn't it? Thanks for the hilarious review! Love ya! Like, PLEASE READ MORE!! Hehe.. like.
chimera8 EMAIL ME PLEASE!!! It would be so awesome to get to know such an awesome fan! You review my lyrics, my story.. ::smiles broadly:: And I would love to find out YOUR couple, as well as you may want to find out mine.. LOL you'll hate me! LOL!! You're not enthused? That's okay, sickness does that.. hope you're feeling better! And I hope you liked this chapter as well as the last.. ^^ Thanks for reviewing! My email's thingbling@yahoo.com .. email??
TO BE CONTINUED, if you review! I like writing it for readers, so I need to know if there are readers out there! Please review, and thank you for sparing the time! And of course you've read the acknowledgements..
A/N Teasers: Vanessa tries to obey the law, gains a few partners in crime, learns a new name, dreams of pies, and "almost dies"... all in one day! ... all in one hour O.o!
Like, Final Fantasy IX - by ThingBling
Chapter III: Juuuuump!
"Where's Vanessa?" Jeremy sat down, ignoring his balding father's question. The table was set with forks, spoons, knives, and (most importantly) enough food for the four Morrison family members. But the fourth person wasn't there. "Young man..."
Jeremy looked up from his plate, which he was already piling the food onto. "Huh?"
His mother looked toward the stairs. "Is she still in her room? Well??"
"Oh, Vanessa. Nah, didn't see her there!"
"Did you check to see if she was in the bathroom, brushing her hair like she sometimes does?" Mr. Morrison was helping himself to the overwhelming lump of potatoes in front of him.
"Hmm," Jeremy paused, dropping a fork into his chicken. "No, but I'm pretty sure we'd hear her trying to sing-"
"Jeremy!"
"What?!" He looked at his mother and father. A shade of red slowly filled up both their faces.
"Don't ever question the Morrison family's ability to sing! By the way, Largo," Mrs. Morrison looked at her husband, watching as he inhaled a spoonful of peas, "I think she mentioned something about going to a friend's house... so..."
"Ah! Yes, I do remember now," Mr. Morrison thoughtfully poured himself another glass of milk. He sipped, and nearly spluttered as he remembered something else. "She was going to spend two weeks with her before she moved! Wasn't she? Wasn't she, dearie??"
Jeremy shuddered as the two agreed and called eachother lovey-dovie and honey-nut and, "Ugh! I mean, may I be excused?"
"What?" His mother looked at him strangely. "No dessert tonight?"
"Heh.. NO," he said, almost too eagerly. He risked a glance at the misshapen cake in the center of the table. "I think I'll go upstairs and.. uh, you know..."
"What?" His father looked confused, but Jeremy was already gone. "What's he going to do?? Maureen...?"
The boy shook his head and continued walking. Vanessa bounded after him, deeper into the crevices of the city's alley-ways. "So, um, are you going to see the play?"
"..." The boy refused to stop and talk, obviously pressed for time. "...I-I almost got to. But then-"
He was interrupted by a swishing sound and a pair of rat feet covering the distance between the next corner and the ladder that the signmaker had left behind. A rat boy turned around to look at them.
"Hey, you! Shrimp and pretty-face!" He was an interesting youth with a small red cap on. Vanessa thought it looked a little like an acorn (Ooh, bad memories..), and the overalls he was wearing stopped a few inches short of his feet. Overall, kind of...
"Ratty," Vanessa murmured, finding herself grading the Rodent's fashion sense.
"Hey, whatever! So, shrimp, you're the one with the phony ticket, aintcha?" The furry youth folded his arms as Vanessa looked at the dark boy pull down his hat. "I saw the guy tell you it was fake!"
"Y-Yeah, it's fake," the insecure shadow looked down. Vanessa didn't get it.
"I'll let you see the show if you become my slave!" She was horrified! THERE'S SLAVERY IN THIS GAME?!
"Like, hold on a second, mister!"
"Oh, yeah, you can be my slave, too! Well, whaddya say?"
"No!!" Vanessa looked at this spoiled rat. Why in this world would he want slaves? And just to get into some dumb.. wait a minute.. "Actually, yes!"
The rat looked at her oddly, then looked at the boy under the pointed hat. He was still thinking, but if the big, brunette girl thought it was a good idea, then...
"Alright."
"Awesome! Now for your first assignment! .. Uh, shrimp: go over by the square's entrance, and you, Powder-puff: over by the theatre," the little rascal's eyes darted around, making sure no eavesdroppers were about. "See if anyone's comin'!"
"Why?" Vanessa automatically responded.
"Because I said so! Sheesh!" The rat kicked Vanessa in the shins. He didn't wait for her to stop hopping in pain before starting the 'mission'. He hurried over to Vanessa's post as Vivi took a place in view of the Villiage square. Vanessa stopped her little dance.
"I don't get this-"
"All clear?" The rat child interrupted, looking behind himself at Vivi. Vanessa fumed.
"I think someone's coming..." Vivi looked pleased with his report. Not for long.
"You 'think'?! I wanna know!" The rudeness of this rat popped the shy one's ego a little, but he was soon back to looking out.
"Yeah, it's clear." He pulled his blue coat tighter around himself.
"Clear? What are you going to do? .. ?!" Vanessa's eyes widened. "You aren't, like, going to do drugs?!"
"What's that?" The two boys looked quizzically at her.
"...never mind," Vanessa twitched nervously. What a relief! She didn't mess up anyone's mind this time!
"Well, awesome job anyway! Engage according to mission parameters!" The rat hurdled over to the ladder and ripped it away from the wall as fast as he could. With a grunt, he hoisted the ladder above his head.
"Hey!" Vanessa suddenly screeched.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
"...yeees?"
"Wasn't that, like, the hippo's ladder?" Vanessa asked curtly. She eyed the small, furry boy as he rotated towards her.
"...if it was...?"
A hand with pink fingernails gripped the edge of the wooden climbing tool. "I think we should put it back."
"No, we shouldn't.." With a pained expression, the rat tried to tug the ladder away from Vanessa's clutches. No such luck!
"Should."
"Shouldn't."
"Should!"
"Shouldn't!
"SHOULD!"
"SHOULDN'T!!" The ladder was now between the feuding children, swaying this way and that with each word. The boy with the blue coat staggered backwards as Vanessa exclaimed her last disagreement.
"U-um, guys!" The small boy looked around nervously. Was it footsteps he was hearing behind his two angry accomplices?
"...SHOULD!!!" Vanessa ignored the warning, and with one last desparate heave of strength, the ladder swung above her head, the rat still attached to it. "Wha-?"
"Yaaaaah!" Before anything could be done, the rat child lost his grip and sailed away, over the rooftops. A splash could be heard.
The shadow boy and Vanessa looked at eachother. It was a very, very uncomfortable silence that followed. Unfortunately, the silence was broken even more uncomfortably be a harsh voice.
"Hey, you kids! What do you think you're doing with my ladder?!" The hippo had returned, looking more furious than ever. With a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he started to charge towards them. "THIEVES!!!"
It was then Vanessa remembered... Hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa.
Eyes wide, Vanessa grabbed the boy, and the ladder, and ran. What else was she to do? It was a bad day for her already, let me tell you, and she doubted that she'd ever rent this game out again if given the chance! Not that she WOULD get the chance: the Hippo was catching up! He would kill her and the poor kid that just happened to get caught in that scene! ... and to think of it, they weren't even the thieves! The one the hippo should have been after was.. um, in some water. Somewhere. Yeah, Vanessa didn't really trouble herself to find out the details. She had a more important matter at hand.
"Sanctuary!!" Vanessa panted, losing her energy. She had been running much too long, I mean, come on! Her hair HAD to have been messed up by now! "Where's... the... sanctuary... we need?!"
"Th-there's a church!" For once, Vanessa actually listened to the boy she had first thought was a demon. And yes, sure enough, ahead was a church! Now, just to duck into it...
"COME BACK!"
Not on his life! Vanessa had reached the steepled building now, and swung into it. She dropped the shy kid and looked around, panicking, wondering if the signmaker would find them. Well, he hadn't been too far behind...
"What you doing, kupo?"
"Name's Vanessa, silly!" Although out of breath, Vanessa certainly wasn't out of hot air. Wait a minute, what WAS THAT THING?! It looked sort of like a white rabbit-gopher-mole-bear thing with one antenna and a red tomato squashed into where it's nose was supposed to be. Another lookalike tomato dangled from the top of its lone antler. Two purple bat wings fluttered as the furry monster waddled towards her.
"Name's Kupo, not silly! Oh, by the way," the strange animal pointed to the book it was carrying, "let me explain to you the wonders of saving-"
"WHATEVER!! SAVE, OKAY?! I GOTTA GO!!!"
"But I haven't told you about Mognet yet!" Vanessa had already disappeared up the ladder in the back of the room, along with her stolen prize and the silent boy.
An angry carpenter burst into the sacred room, startling a very confused Kupo.
"Hey, moogle!! Ya see a snobby girl and a black mage just now?!"
"..yeah, up the ladder.. kupo."
"Like, what are we going to do?!" Vanessa tried to smooth out the awful wrinkles in her apron. It was no use; nothing is, when an axe murderer is chasing you!
"Follow m-me," the boy picked up the ladder that had been thrown down in a panic.
"Where?!" Vanessa angrily looked at him. Back down? As if! They were at the top of a church steeple, with gaping windows all around and no doors to exit. The only place they could get to was, "The roof?! Are you CRAZY?!"
The boy ignored her babble and hopped out the window with the ladder. Vanessa stared blankly after him.
"Like, are you sure that's safe??" she watched as he stopped before an enormous gap between the church and the building across from it. There was a board over this gap.
"I-I think it'll work for you, too." Without another pause for Vanessa to ask what it was he was talking about, the little creature gathered up his courage and bolted across the pathway. From there, he yelled for her to follow, holding the ladder above his head. "Please! T-This way!
What choice did she have? Vanessa wondered if she should turn back, but an enraged bellow coming from the tunnel that led up to the church's room encouraged her to... "JUUUMP!"
Vanessa fell with a hard thump, and tried to stand up. She had landed on the other side of the board, on the house across from the 'sanctuary'. It was then that she saw the hippo.
"I am Dante the Signmaker! Hear me roar!"
"Whoa!" Jeremy's pupils dilated. "What a sweeeet game!! I wonder if I get to chop this boss's head off..."
He smiled, anticipating a big battle, as the small characters cowered in front of the mad carpenter. The girl took a step backwards...
Snobby Girl
"If you want us..."
"Come and, like, GET US!"
He watched as she and the boy with ?????? for a name scrambled across the next roof and came to a halt before another board-bridge. They seemed hesitant.
"COME ON! You freaks, COME ON!!"
"Jeremy!" His mother's angry voice came through the bedroom floor. "No yelling unless you want to go outside!"
"..come on!..."
"You can do it, sweetie!" Vanessa's eyes bugged out at herself. Yuck! She was starting to sound like her mom.. but if the boy didn't cross, then she certainly wouldn't.
"O-Okay..."
"Hurry! He's coming!" Vanessa pointed to Dante, the hippo, as he started to cross the ladder just behind them. She turned back around when a crack and the sound of wood hitting the cobblestone below rang in her ears. "Wh-what?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" The boy peeked over the edge. "I barely made it, and had to jump .. and.. b-broke the board.."
The carpenter was now upon Vanessa.
"You know what I do to thieves, little girl?-"
"U-um," Vanessa now seemed to be the one stuttering. Oh, game-over sign, please pop up NOW! "I... I..."
"Miss Lady, j-just jump!"
"Jump?"
"-I grind their bones-"
"JUMP!" The boy hopped up and down. Vanessa looked horrified.
"JUMP??"
"-to make my bread!"
"JUMP!!!" The boy pulled his hat down in frustration, stamping his feet and looking as if he would burst.
"Juuuuuuuuump!" Vanessa found herself frozen in the air, hovering between the worlds she knew, breaking into this new feeling. It was the feeling she would have for the rest of her life.
"How overdramatic," Jeremy squinted, tipping his head back and emptying the last of the Coke in the can. He slammed the empty container down, just as the Snobby Girl's feet slammed into the other roof.
It seemed Dante the Signmaker was foiled... for now.
Vanessa cried out, in a dizzy stagger, wishing that the rest of the 'game' would be easier. "Hey.."
The boy helped her up as the hippo swore at them. "Good j-job!"
"Hey.." Vanessa repeated, ignoring the world around her. She turned a smudged face to the boy. "..You. You're pretty brave.. but you could use some mascara..."
"What??" The shadow boy looked at his delirious.. friend? Was she a friend? An ally, at the least.. He steadied her as the hippo dejectly made his way back to the belltower.
"My name's Vanessa Katrina Morrison.. what is yours?"
A controller dropped to the floor. Jeremy's heart was pounding. Vanessa...? In this game...?
Suddenly, he broke into laughter. Of course! She probably had to name the girl in her game! It all made sense... ah, but Jeremy wasn't about to name anyone original names, as the boy's gray name selection window popped on the screen. Too confusing.
He selected the confirm name option before he could find out that he couldn't have changed the name of the boy if he had wanted to.
The boy looked happy, even though you couldn't see his face or any of the features that would normally tell you. It was a sort of aura floating around him, and even though Vanessa couldn't understand why, she knew that he would finally give in and tell.
"I'm Vivi. P-pleased to meet you, ma'am.."
Vanessa snapped up. "Vivi?! What a weird name!"
Vivi faltered, but soon regained his usual composure when Vanessa smiled and said-
"Just kidding!"
"R-right," Vivi started to walk along, Vanessa following him.
As they walked along the rooftops, they hit many dead ends and managed to scrape some rusty gil our of cracks in the crumbling chimneys and such.. don't ask how the money got there! But finally, with Vivi still carrying the ladder, the final destination was reached.
Another longer gap stretched out before them, this time between the house they were standing on, and platform by the castle wall. The only barrier between them and the show was just that there was no board joining the two buildings this time! But now Vanessa understood why the mouse had wanted the ladder...
"Lay the ladder across it."
"Across.. what?"
"The space.. here," Vanessa lifted the burden off Vivi's shoulders and put it down strategically. "This is probably why that kid wanted it so bad, you know?"
"Y-yeah," Vivi led the way across the ladder, wobbling but confident.
Vanessa wiped the sweat from her brow. Nothing scared her anymore! She put one foot on the ladder.. easy as pie. ... Pie?! Her stomach growled. Oh, how she wanted some pie right then! Perhaps strawberry, no.. blueberry was her favorite. Although every other day her mother would order a French Silk pie.. oh, banana cream was good, too!
"I would like the coconut pie, please!"
"What are you doing?!" Vivi's voice broke through Vanessa's daydream in the bakery.
Reality pulled down hard on her in the form of gravity. She looked down and realized she had stopped dead in the middle of her way across the ladder! "Oh, my!" She leaped as the ladder creaked beneath the strain and broke, falling to the earth below. She landed for the third time in safety. Vivi looked at her, wondering if he should just leave her. Nah.. who knows? She might be useful some day..
"Um, we'd better go inside..." Vivi looked on.
"I can see the theatre ship!" And so, Vanessa led Vivi over the wall...
Jeremy sighed as the screen faded. He paused, remembering something. He had to go to the bathroom!!
"Well," he promised the PlayStation and the world that lived in it, "I'll be right back!"
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A/N: REVIEW PLEASE! I hate to say REVIEW, so I add the PLEASE! I hope I don't sound too demanding.. but I'm sure you understand!! And for a reward, for reviewing...
ALL REVIEWERS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED!!!!!
Reviewer Thanks:
Quistis88 You're back!! Remember the Ditto episode and Adelbert-thing? ROTFLOL!!! Okay.. well, I'll catch you on chat and we'll talk then. Thanks for reviewing all of my stuff!! Awesome!
winky golden ^^ Thanks for reviewing and the compliment! And yes, funny characteristics is a good way to describe Vanessa.. but you write much more sophisticatedly and English is your second language.. that is awesome! I'll be waiting for more of your story...
MiyokoTribal Your fiction is really FUNNY!! LOL! I wish it could be updated soon..? Well, it will be, I'm sure.. ^^ I'll read and review, too! Thanks for the reviews!
soCCer_Rules What is that email?! J/K Yes, it is a ditz story and we both know ditzes.. hehe, SOCCER RULES YEAH!!!!
Lorelei Valentine ^^ Worse people than Vanessa?! No, never! J/k I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.. write on! And thanks so much for reviewing!
Elyon and Amarant Heh heh.. now you must think I'm really weird.. Vanessa AND my twisted pairing! ^^ You've always been there.. thank you thank you thank you!! You know girls like that? Yeah, I'll keep writing.. for a LONG time if you keep reviewing! Wow! Thanks!!!
Akira-Chan the Vivi Freak Did you change your name to Aya instead of Akira? Sorry, I don't know.. ^^ FAVORITES!!! YESAYESAYES!! ::dances, as always, when added to favorites:: I will keep writing so long as you keep reading! Thanks for the review so much!!!
AgentMKB Cool, like, name, like like! Like, really? I, like, couldn't, like, stop smiling, like like like, when you reviewed! Like, thanks! Uh uh, like, you know?? ^^ Sorry .. that's fun, isn't it? Thanks for the hilarious review! Love ya! Like, PLEASE READ MORE!! Hehe.. like.
chimera8 EMAIL ME PLEASE!!! It would be so awesome to get to know such an awesome fan! You review my lyrics, my story.. ::smiles broadly:: And I would love to find out YOUR couple, as well as you may want to find out mine.. LOL you'll hate me! LOL!! You're not enthused? That's okay, sickness does that.. hope you're feeling better! And I hope you liked this chapter as well as the last.. ^^ Thanks for reviewing! My email's thingbling@yahoo.com .. email??
TO BE CONTINUED, if you review! I like writing it for readers, so I need to know if there are readers out there! Please review, and thank you for sparing the time! And of course you've read the acknowledgements..
