Chapter 26
Cid watched in awe as the teams of dozens of chocobos dragged along an enormous oblong balloon. The H.M.S. Lete has already been towed ashore and was propped up on logs. Several workers were attaching a pair of propellers to the back of the boat. They were connected the main screw by a system of drive belts. A young man in overalls joined her.
"You're a lifesaver Cid. Thanks to you, we can finish the Blood Rose on time."
Cid frowned a bit. "Where's the gondola Kelvin? Didn't you make one?"
Kelvin laughed and scratched his brown hair. "Er, well.our boiler was too big, you see. We couldn't get the airship more than ten feet off the ground. It's much easier to attach your boat to it and use that than saw off your boiler and weld it to our gondola."
Cid laughed a bit. "You should have listened to Professor Donner more."
Kelvin shrugged. "Did you see him there?"
Cid lowered her head. "I didn't go inside. But it was horrible. A lot of people got hurt."
Kelvin stood there in silence. Cid looked up in time to see the balloon stop over her ship and drift slowly down. As it reached the ship, the workers began to bolt the hull in place. Siren walked over to Cid and Kelvin.
"Hi there!" said Kelvin. "My you're looking pretty this morning!"
Siren smiled sweetly at him. "Kelvin dear, could give us a minute?"
Kelvin nodded and ran off to supervise the shipbuilding.
Cid giggled. "I had a puppy like him once."
Siren nodded absently. "Cid, can I ask you something?"
Cid looked at her. "Sure."
"Do you love him?" asked Siren.
"Who?" replied Cid, puzzled.
"Ifrit," said Siren.
Cid sat on a stump and pulled off her gloves nervously. "Why do you want to know?"
Siren looked at the ship. "Do you think a human and an Esper can be together?"
Cid shrugged. "I don't know. But I'll regret it more if I don't try."
"You have to fight if you want to stay with him," said Siren.
Cid smiled and hugged her knees. "I can. Women are like that."
Siren frowned. "Like what?"
Cid looked at her. "Men don't need a reason to fight. They just do. Women fight for someone they love."
"Someone they love?" said Siren in a whisper.
Cid nodded. "Sure, don't you have someone you love?"
Siren looked lost. "I'm not sure."
"Well good luck with Diablos," said Cid happily.
Siren regarded her sharply. "What makes you think he's the one?"
Cid laughed. "Siren, it's obvious to everyone except to you and him."
Siren smiled warily. "I guess so. Well good luck with Ifrit."
"Thanks!" said Cid.
Siren walked over to a small cabin by the shore. She pushed the door open and saw Diablos poring over a map. He didn't look up.
"There you are. We need to move quickly if we want to stop Gaspar," he said.
Siren closed the door quietly behind her. "Why do we need to stop him my Lord? Doesn't he want peace?"
Diablos met her inquiring look. "Never trust the Magus, Siren. He only cares about Doom."
Siren crossed the room and put a hand on his shoulder.
He frowned. "What are you doing?"
She regarded him sadly. "Why did you save me?"
"I don't follow," he said.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she touched his face. "Am I just a weapon in your little war? Is that all you feel for me?"
He grasped her wrist with his hand. "What sort of nonsense has Cid been putting in your head?"
With her free hand Siren smoothly unsheathed his sword from his belt. In an instant she brought the blade against his throat.
Diablos could barely contain his rage. "How dare you betray me!" he sputtered. "I gave you a reason to live!"
Siren started to sniffle but held the blade fast. "What is my purpose? Just to fight and kill?"
Diablos slowly released her wrist. "Of course not! I wanted you to see beyond your own misery. By helping others of your own kind you would be helping yourself."
"And you wanted to help me out of the goodness of your heart?" she demanded.
He sighed, exasperated. "No, I need your help Siren. There will be a war between Espers and humans and I want the Espers to win. And you will help me!" With that he exploded into a cloud of bats that swarmed around the confined space. Siren whipped the sword around but missed them. They flew behind her and she turned in time to see Diablos standing there. With a swipe of his hand he knocked the sword out of her grasp. He grabbed her arms firmly in a viselike grip.
"Don't ever defy me again!" he yelled shaking her.
She nodded meekly. "Yes my Lord."
He grunted and released her. He picked up his sword. "That was a stupid stunt you pulled!" he said angrily, waving the sword at her. "I am prepared to forgive you though. You should thank me." As he turned around she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing their lips together. He was too surprised to react. At the end of the lingering kiss she looked up at him.
"Thank you my Lord," she said softly.
"Siren, I." he began uncertainly. "This is a bad idea."
Tear glistened in the corners of her eyes. "Because of me?"
He shook his head. "Because of me. I'll make you unhappy."
She met his gaze defiantly. "I'll take that risk."
Diablos pushed her away and faced the window. "You haven't seen my true form."
"I want to see it," she replied.
He curled his hands into fists "No! You will not be able to bear it. No one ever has."
She rested her head against the small of his back. "You don't have to be alone Lord Diablos. Let me be with you please."
He turned his head and regarded her. "Fight for me Siren."
She met his gaze. "Why?"
He reached and took her chin into his hand. He used his free hand to wipe away her tears. "Because I promise to give you my love once we win."
She covered his hand with hers. "Do you really mean that?"
He nodded. "I give you my word."
She laughed weakly. "You are such a liar my Lord! But I want to believe you anyway."
He brought her into his arms. "Damn you Siren!"
She closed her eyes and said nothing, just listening to him breathing.
"You will do anything I ask from now on?" he asked.
She nodded. "Anything."
"Good."
Cid watched in awe as the teams of dozens of chocobos dragged along an enormous oblong balloon. The H.M.S. Lete has already been towed ashore and was propped up on logs. Several workers were attaching a pair of propellers to the back of the boat. They were connected the main screw by a system of drive belts. A young man in overalls joined her.
"You're a lifesaver Cid. Thanks to you, we can finish the Blood Rose on time."
Cid frowned a bit. "Where's the gondola Kelvin? Didn't you make one?"
Kelvin laughed and scratched his brown hair. "Er, well.our boiler was too big, you see. We couldn't get the airship more than ten feet off the ground. It's much easier to attach your boat to it and use that than saw off your boiler and weld it to our gondola."
Cid laughed a bit. "You should have listened to Professor Donner more."
Kelvin shrugged. "Did you see him there?"
Cid lowered her head. "I didn't go inside. But it was horrible. A lot of people got hurt."
Kelvin stood there in silence. Cid looked up in time to see the balloon stop over her ship and drift slowly down. As it reached the ship, the workers began to bolt the hull in place. Siren walked over to Cid and Kelvin.
"Hi there!" said Kelvin. "My you're looking pretty this morning!"
Siren smiled sweetly at him. "Kelvin dear, could give us a minute?"
Kelvin nodded and ran off to supervise the shipbuilding.
Cid giggled. "I had a puppy like him once."
Siren nodded absently. "Cid, can I ask you something?"
Cid looked at her. "Sure."
"Do you love him?" asked Siren.
"Who?" replied Cid, puzzled.
"Ifrit," said Siren.
Cid sat on a stump and pulled off her gloves nervously. "Why do you want to know?"
Siren looked at the ship. "Do you think a human and an Esper can be together?"
Cid shrugged. "I don't know. But I'll regret it more if I don't try."
"You have to fight if you want to stay with him," said Siren.
Cid smiled and hugged her knees. "I can. Women are like that."
Siren frowned. "Like what?"
Cid looked at her. "Men don't need a reason to fight. They just do. Women fight for someone they love."
"Someone they love?" said Siren in a whisper.
Cid nodded. "Sure, don't you have someone you love?"
Siren looked lost. "I'm not sure."
"Well good luck with Diablos," said Cid happily.
Siren regarded her sharply. "What makes you think he's the one?"
Cid laughed. "Siren, it's obvious to everyone except to you and him."
Siren smiled warily. "I guess so. Well good luck with Ifrit."
"Thanks!" said Cid.
Siren walked over to a small cabin by the shore. She pushed the door open and saw Diablos poring over a map. He didn't look up.
"There you are. We need to move quickly if we want to stop Gaspar," he said.
Siren closed the door quietly behind her. "Why do we need to stop him my Lord? Doesn't he want peace?"
Diablos met her inquiring look. "Never trust the Magus, Siren. He only cares about Doom."
Siren crossed the room and put a hand on his shoulder.
He frowned. "What are you doing?"
She regarded him sadly. "Why did you save me?"
"I don't follow," he said.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she touched his face. "Am I just a weapon in your little war? Is that all you feel for me?"
He grasped her wrist with his hand. "What sort of nonsense has Cid been putting in your head?"
With her free hand Siren smoothly unsheathed his sword from his belt. In an instant she brought the blade against his throat.
Diablos could barely contain his rage. "How dare you betray me!" he sputtered. "I gave you a reason to live!"
Siren started to sniffle but held the blade fast. "What is my purpose? Just to fight and kill?"
Diablos slowly released her wrist. "Of course not! I wanted you to see beyond your own misery. By helping others of your own kind you would be helping yourself."
"And you wanted to help me out of the goodness of your heart?" she demanded.
He sighed, exasperated. "No, I need your help Siren. There will be a war between Espers and humans and I want the Espers to win. And you will help me!" With that he exploded into a cloud of bats that swarmed around the confined space. Siren whipped the sword around but missed them. They flew behind her and she turned in time to see Diablos standing there. With a swipe of his hand he knocked the sword out of her grasp. He grabbed her arms firmly in a viselike grip.
"Don't ever defy me again!" he yelled shaking her.
She nodded meekly. "Yes my Lord."
He grunted and released her. He picked up his sword. "That was a stupid stunt you pulled!" he said angrily, waving the sword at her. "I am prepared to forgive you though. You should thank me." As he turned around she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing their lips together. He was too surprised to react. At the end of the lingering kiss she looked up at him.
"Thank you my Lord," she said softly.
"Siren, I." he began uncertainly. "This is a bad idea."
Tear glistened in the corners of her eyes. "Because of me?"
He shook his head. "Because of me. I'll make you unhappy."
She met his gaze defiantly. "I'll take that risk."
Diablos pushed her away and faced the window. "You haven't seen my true form."
"I want to see it," she replied.
He curled his hands into fists "No! You will not be able to bear it. No one ever has."
She rested her head against the small of his back. "You don't have to be alone Lord Diablos. Let me be with you please."
He turned his head and regarded her. "Fight for me Siren."
She met his gaze. "Why?"
He reached and took her chin into his hand. He used his free hand to wipe away her tears. "Because I promise to give you my love once we win."
She covered his hand with hers. "Do you really mean that?"
He nodded. "I give you my word."
She laughed weakly. "You are such a liar my Lord! But I want to believe you anyway."
He brought her into his arms. "Damn you Siren!"
She closed her eyes and said nothing, just listening to him breathing.
"You will do anything I ask from now on?" he asked.
She nodded. "Anything."
"Good."