Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
Author's Note: Okay, this is a cutey-wutey chapter, so if the warm fuzzy feelings
and hope for Ipsen are what you've come looking for in this story, this is chapter
you'll find it!
Oh! And The Random Monkey, I have read your fic 'Being' and am looking foward to updates! And to answer your questions! As for the why I still call him Ipsen if he's all....spooky. I dunno! I think it's because I'm too lazy to change my...eh...typingness...that's not even a word. I'm trying to break myself of that adjective habit and I know I should read it over a few times before uploading the chapter. I apologize for that.
As for where Kuja's gettin' everything...eh...a genie! Just kidding. Well, in the game, he's rich and Kuja is a pretty dang detirmine beaver. The black mages came from Dali, as they did in the game. That's why Ipsen had to go back and revive Soul Cage so there would be Mist to make them. Perhaps I'm being over-analytical, but heck, it's over-analyzing that makes this world go round! Or is it good manners?
~NeoNaoNeo
*`*`*`*`*`*`
"I've been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real? Or not?"
Sora, "Kingdom Hearts"
*`*`*`*`*`*`
Chapter 15: Humanity
*`*`*`*`*`*`
The cool summer night's darkness pressed around the soulless army as they
marched over the plains outside Burmecia, all keeping a brisk, uniform pace
despite their wounds and fatigue. Ipsen looked up to the starless, moonless sky
which was overcast from their recent destructive accomplishment.
A cool, refreshing breeze picked up and rustled past them, causing the waltz to
spread his wings longingly. His right wing was hanging pathetically limp on his
side, the wound was swollen and still slightly bleeding, although now it was also
oozing a clear substance, indicating an oncoming infection. Ipsen drew his wings onto his back, the wounded one feeling stiff and sore. As he continued following the others, the waltz stumbled and faltered, feeling lightheaded and hot. He nearly dropped the small mage in his arms, but managed tightened his grip and secure the runt.
"All of you!" Ipsen barked at the mages. "We'll r-rest here until morning."
The black mages broke away from one another and sat down in a disjointed
circle, easily falling asleep. Ipsen adjusted the runt in his arms, accidentally
jarring it awake. The small mage stretched and opened its glowing eyes,
watching Ipsen. It wheezed and coughed, startling its guardian.
"Are you all right, you little runt?" Ipsen said, feeling an uncharacteristic pang of
compassion for the small mage, despite his slight mocking. The small mage
nodded and clung to his shirt. The mage looked away from Ipsen's feathered
collar and to his wing. It pointed, looked up to Ipsen and nodded quizzingly.
"What?" Ipsen asked, feeling woozy and ill.
The small mage gave another cough and pried itself from Ipsen's arms. It then
found a small puddle nearby, rainstorms being common this close to Burmecia
and cupped its hands to scoop up some muddy water. Ipsen continued
watching, consciousness beginning to slip away from him. The small mage gave
a startled noise and splashed the water on Ipsen's face.
The waltz jolted awake, spreading his wings indignantly. "You little, who do you
think you are!?" Ipsen growled, bristling his feathers. The small mage wasn't
intimidated, as he held up two fingers, followed by an eight, then a nine. "Can't
you talk?"
The small mage nodded and began examining Ipsen's bloody wing again. "Well,
why don't you?"
"...it hurts...." the small mage croaked in a high pitched, nearly unintelligible,
voice.
"Why?" Ipsen asked.
The small mage pointed up to the sky and covered his mouth as he gave another
whooping cough. "The sky?" Ipsen asked.
289 shook his head and held out his hand, conjuring a small, cold flame. "Oh, the
smoke." Ipsen nodded.
The small mage nodded weakly. "Are you okay?" he asked.
289 shook his head and lifted up his arm, showing a deep gash. Ipsen looked to
his wound and back to the small mage. "I think there's a river nearby. Come on."
Ipsen propped himself up with his staff and began walking westward, away
from Burmecia. 289 toddled after quickly, tripping over his own feet quite
frequently as Ipsen hobbled along, barely able to support himself. The small
mage tugged on Ipsen's coat and pointed to his wing.
"What is it?" the waltz grumbled, now becoming a little annoyed by the silent
runt's enigmatic attitude. The small mage pointed at Ipsen's wing and cocked his
head to one side. Ipsen shook his head "I don't know what you're trying to say...."
"...I fix....?" the small mage managed to choke out between coughs. Ipsen
chuckled, now slightly shaking from weakness.
"No, I-I think I'll be fine," Ipsen said. "C-come on, the river's this way."
Ipsen continued leading the way, navigating expertly over the plains completely
by instinct, as though he had been there before. No, that's impossible. Isn't it?
Ipsen shook his head. 289 was watching him curiously. Ipsen stumbled again and
nearly fell. The small, shallow stream below ran steadily and quietly. A memory
violently sprung up in the back of Ipsen's mind.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
((one year ago))
Robin sat by the edge of the stream, the white moonlight washing over her face
and short hair, her horn seemed to glow in the outlandish illumination. Ipsen, his
comical, clumsy clothing looked to be a uniform blue, descended his short flight and gracefully landed next to her, his large wings still outspread. Robin giggled and dipped her chocolate brown tail into the stream, the ripples reflecting the dazzling blood red and milky white colors of the twin moons.
"I'm glad we went all this way," Robin said and threw a stone into the stream.
"It's really pretty."
Ipsen nodded. "Yeah, but usually the fireflies are out this time of year." he
admitted and looked about.
Robin sighed and laid down on the pebbly shore. "Hey Ipsen?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you found a girl friend yet?"
Ipsen shook his head.
"Don't tell me you like a girl and are too shy to ask 'er out."
Ipsen bit his lip. "Like father, like son." he chuckled.
"No way, is there someone you like?"
The small waltz shook his head, his floppy hat slipped down his forehead and
over his eyes. "No, not at all."
"Oh right!" Robin laughed and gave him a playful shove. Ipsen returned the
push. Robin giggled and knocked him over, pinning him on the ground.
"No fair!" Ipsen squeaked and desperately flapped his wings against Robin's
weight.
Robin put on a childish grin. "Too bad!"
"Oh yeah!?" Ipsen said. He quickly teleported behind Robin and landed on her
back. She laughed. The poor waltz was no where near heavy nor big enough to
knock Robin over, let alone pin her. But Robin fell to the ground to humor him
and pretended to struggle under Ipsen's light weight.
"You're crushing my lungs!" she joked.
Ipsen laughed and rolled off. "Maybe for our sixteenth birthday, hm?" Ipsen
shrugged.
"Hey, alot stuff can kick in in a year." Robin joked and shook Ipsen playfully by
the shoulder.
"Hm," Ipsen grunted and threw a rock into the water. "Maybe."
The two sighed at the same moment and looked up to the starlit sky. They broke
out into laughter, shouting jinxes on one another between fits of giggles.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
"...wake up...please..." 289 quietly pleaded, nudging Ipsen by the shoulder.
"...ugh..." the waltz moaned and found himself laying on the ground, his cheek
cold from the wet pebbles near the river's edge. He looked to the runt weakly.
"Wha-what happened?"
The runt pointed to Ipsen and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall on the
ground. Ipsen lifted himself up and inspected himself, noticing green fabric
wrapped around his torn wing in a crude bandage. Ipsen looked to 289, feeling a
mixture of anger and embarrassment. A black mage soldier had outlasted him, a
black waltz! Ipsen's feathers once again bristled. A thought to teach it a lesson
crossed his mind and became the predominant notion.
"..please, wait." 289 requested and lifted his hand. Ipsen paused, surprised. The
small mage muttered an incantation and a soothing coolness eased the pain of
his burning wound.
"How did you do that?" the waltz asked, but 289 fell over, exhausted. Ipsen
shook his head and grinned. "Thank you." he muttered somewhat
contemptuously, but still lifted 289 into his lap as he sat by the stream, thinking
about the peculiar dream he had. Ipsen looked at the small mage's arm and drew
back, the deep gash that he had just showed Ipsen was almost completely closed
and rapidly healing.
"A white mage, hm?" Ipsen nodded. "That's useful."
The waltz leaned against a nearby rock, his eyelids growing heavy. Something
about having the small mage curled against his body, both depending on one
another for warmth in the cold night. Ipsen yawned and put his good wing over
shoulder, slightly covering 289. The small mage stirred slightly and clung to his
coat. Ipsen smiled and pulled his hat down.
"Wait 'til tomorrow runt," Ipsen sighed and slipped into an exhausted and
blissful sleep.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
Author's Note: AWWWWW!!!! See, there's hope for Ipsen yet! *huggles Ipsen*
awwww!!!!
Ipsen: Ah! Get her off!
Orko: Oh, jeez. You should see her on Tuesdays!
Randall: Yeah, she's usually knocked up on Cherry Coke, Ice Cream and apple
danishes.
Ipsen: My god!
o_O Eh, yeah. Anyhoo, I really appreciate all the review I've been recently
getting. This is the most reviews I've gotten on any story....well...this is also the
longest story I've ever made and the closest I've ever gotten to the end.
Remember, we hit 25 and I'll type out the little first person rant/jumbled mass of
confused words on my sketchbook having to with this story.
So, have fun!
~NeoNaoNeo
*`*`*`*`*`*`
Author's Note: Okay, this is a cutey-wutey chapter, so if the warm fuzzy feelings
and hope for Ipsen are what you've come looking for in this story, this is chapter
you'll find it!
Oh! And The Random Monkey, I have read your fic 'Being' and am looking foward to updates! And to answer your questions! As for the why I still call him Ipsen if he's all....spooky. I dunno! I think it's because I'm too lazy to change my...eh...typingness...that's not even a word. I'm trying to break myself of that adjective habit and I know I should read it over a few times before uploading the chapter. I apologize for that.
As for where Kuja's gettin' everything...eh...a genie! Just kidding. Well, in the game, he's rich and Kuja is a pretty dang detirmine beaver. The black mages came from Dali, as they did in the game. That's why Ipsen had to go back and revive Soul Cage so there would be Mist to make them. Perhaps I'm being over-analytical, but heck, it's over-analyzing that makes this world go round! Or is it good manners?
~NeoNaoNeo
*`*`*`*`*`*`
"I've been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real? Or not?"
Sora, "Kingdom Hearts"
*`*`*`*`*`*`
Chapter 15: Humanity
*`*`*`*`*`*`
The cool summer night's darkness pressed around the soulless army as they
marched over the plains outside Burmecia, all keeping a brisk, uniform pace
despite their wounds and fatigue. Ipsen looked up to the starless, moonless sky
which was overcast from their recent destructive accomplishment.
A cool, refreshing breeze picked up and rustled past them, causing the waltz to
spread his wings longingly. His right wing was hanging pathetically limp on his
side, the wound was swollen and still slightly bleeding, although now it was also
oozing a clear substance, indicating an oncoming infection. Ipsen drew his wings onto his back, the wounded one feeling stiff and sore. As he continued following the others, the waltz stumbled and faltered, feeling lightheaded and hot. He nearly dropped the small mage in his arms, but managed tightened his grip and secure the runt.
"All of you!" Ipsen barked at the mages. "We'll r-rest here until morning."
The black mages broke away from one another and sat down in a disjointed
circle, easily falling asleep. Ipsen adjusted the runt in his arms, accidentally
jarring it awake. The small mage stretched and opened its glowing eyes,
watching Ipsen. It wheezed and coughed, startling its guardian.
"Are you all right, you little runt?" Ipsen said, feeling an uncharacteristic pang of
compassion for the small mage, despite his slight mocking. The small mage
nodded and clung to his shirt. The mage looked away from Ipsen's feathered
collar and to his wing. It pointed, looked up to Ipsen and nodded quizzingly.
"What?" Ipsen asked, feeling woozy and ill.
The small mage gave another cough and pried itself from Ipsen's arms. It then
found a small puddle nearby, rainstorms being common this close to Burmecia
and cupped its hands to scoop up some muddy water. Ipsen continued
watching, consciousness beginning to slip away from him. The small mage gave
a startled noise and splashed the water on Ipsen's face.
The waltz jolted awake, spreading his wings indignantly. "You little, who do you
think you are!?" Ipsen growled, bristling his feathers. The small mage wasn't
intimidated, as he held up two fingers, followed by an eight, then a nine. "Can't
you talk?"
The small mage nodded and began examining Ipsen's bloody wing again. "Well,
why don't you?"
"...it hurts...." the small mage croaked in a high pitched, nearly unintelligible,
voice.
"Why?" Ipsen asked.
The small mage pointed up to the sky and covered his mouth as he gave another
whooping cough. "The sky?" Ipsen asked.
289 shook his head and held out his hand, conjuring a small, cold flame. "Oh, the
smoke." Ipsen nodded.
The small mage nodded weakly. "Are you okay?" he asked.
289 shook his head and lifted up his arm, showing a deep gash. Ipsen looked to
his wound and back to the small mage. "I think there's a river nearby. Come on."
Ipsen propped himself up with his staff and began walking westward, away
from Burmecia. 289 toddled after quickly, tripping over his own feet quite
frequently as Ipsen hobbled along, barely able to support himself. The small
mage tugged on Ipsen's coat and pointed to his wing.
"What is it?" the waltz grumbled, now becoming a little annoyed by the silent
runt's enigmatic attitude. The small mage pointed at Ipsen's wing and cocked his
head to one side. Ipsen shook his head "I don't know what you're trying to say...."
"...I fix....?" the small mage managed to choke out between coughs. Ipsen
chuckled, now slightly shaking from weakness.
"No, I-I think I'll be fine," Ipsen said. "C-come on, the river's this way."
Ipsen continued leading the way, navigating expertly over the plains completely
by instinct, as though he had been there before. No, that's impossible. Isn't it?
Ipsen shook his head. 289 was watching him curiously. Ipsen stumbled again and
nearly fell. The small, shallow stream below ran steadily and quietly. A memory
violently sprung up in the back of Ipsen's mind.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
((one year ago))
Robin sat by the edge of the stream, the white moonlight washing over her face
and short hair, her horn seemed to glow in the outlandish illumination. Ipsen, his
comical, clumsy clothing looked to be a uniform blue, descended his short flight and gracefully landed next to her, his large wings still outspread. Robin giggled and dipped her chocolate brown tail into the stream, the ripples reflecting the dazzling blood red and milky white colors of the twin moons.
"I'm glad we went all this way," Robin said and threw a stone into the stream.
"It's really pretty."
Ipsen nodded. "Yeah, but usually the fireflies are out this time of year." he
admitted and looked about.
Robin sighed and laid down on the pebbly shore. "Hey Ipsen?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you found a girl friend yet?"
Ipsen shook his head.
"Don't tell me you like a girl and are too shy to ask 'er out."
Ipsen bit his lip. "Like father, like son." he chuckled.
"No way, is there someone you like?"
The small waltz shook his head, his floppy hat slipped down his forehead and
over his eyes. "No, not at all."
"Oh right!" Robin laughed and gave him a playful shove. Ipsen returned the
push. Robin giggled and knocked him over, pinning him on the ground.
"No fair!" Ipsen squeaked and desperately flapped his wings against Robin's
weight.
Robin put on a childish grin. "Too bad!"
"Oh yeah!?" Ipsen said. He quickly teleported behind Robin and landed on her
back. She laughed. The poor waltz was no where near heavy nor big enough to
knock Robin over, let alone pin her. But Robin fell to the ground to humor him
and pretended to struggle under Ipsen's light weight.
"You're crushing my lungs!" she joked.
Ipsen laughed and rolled off. "Maybe for our sixteenth birthday, hm?" Ipsen
shrugged.
"Hey, alot stuff can kick in in a year." Robin joked and shook Ipsen playfully by
the shoulder.
"Hm," Ipsen grunted and threw a rock into the water. "Maybe."
The two sighed at the same moment and looked up to the starlit sky. They broke
out into laughter, shouting jinxes on one another between fits of giggles.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
"...wake up...please..." 289 quietly pleaded, nudging Ipsen by the shoulder.
"...ugh..." the waltz moaned and found himself laying on the ground, his cheek
cold from the wet pebbles near the river's edge. He looked to the runt weakly.
"Wha-what happened?"
The runt pointed to Ipsen and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall on the
ground. Ipsen lifted himself up and inspected himself, noticing green fabric
wrapped around his torn wing in a crude bandage. Ipsen looked to 289, feeling a
mixture of anger and embarrassment. A black mage soldier had outlasted him, a
black waltz! Ipsen's feathers once again bristled. A thought to teach it a lesson
crossed his mind and became the predominant notion.
"..please, wait." 289 requested and lifted his hand. Ipsen paused, surprised. The
small mage muttered an incantation and a soothing coolness eased the pain of
his burning wound.
"How did you do that?" the waltz asked, but 289 fell over, exhausted. Ipsen
shook his head and grinned. "Thank you." he muttered somewhat
contemptuously, but still lifted 289 into his lap as he sat by the stream, thinking
about the peculiar dream he had. Ipsen looked at the small mage's arm and drew
back, the deep gash that he had just showed Ipsen was almost completely closed
and rapidly healing.
"A white mage, hm?" Ipsen nodded. "That's useful."
The waltz leaned against a nearby rock, his eyelids growing heavy. Something
about having the small mage curled against his body, both depending on one
another for warmth in the cold night. Ipsen yawned and put his good wing over
shoulder, slightly covering 289. The small mage stirred slightly and clung to his
coat. Ipsen smiled and pulled his hat down.
"Wait 'til tomorrow runt," Ipsen sighed and slipped into an exhausted and
blissful sleep.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
Author's Note: AWWWWW!!!! See, there's hope for Ipsen yet! *huggles Ipsen*
awwww!!!!
Ipsen: Ah! Get her off!
Orko: Oh, jeez. You should see her on Tuesdays!
Randall: Yeah, she's usually knocked up on Cherry Coke, Ice Cream and apple
danishes.
Ipsen: My god!
o_O Eh, yeah. Anyhoo, I really appreciate all the review I've been recently
getting. This is the most reviews I've gotten on any story....well...this is also the
longest story I've ever made and the closest I've ever gotten to the end.
Remember, we hit 25 and I'll type out the little first person rant/jumbled mass of
confused words on my sketchbook having to with this story.
So, have fun!
~NeoNaoNeo