Disclaimer: All characters and locations from Final Fantasy IX are the
copyright of Squaresoft. The original or made-up characters portrayed in
this fanfiction are the collective creations of me and some of my friends
who have requested that their characters be used. The concepts and events
mentioned in this fanfiction are entirely fictitious and a number of them
are, by the known laws of physics as applied on the planet earth,
undeniably impossible. Do enjoy the fanfic!
Author's Notes: This fanfiction is collaboration on the part of myself (Crystal Mizuka) and my friend, and fellow ff.net writer, Jake Yoshimatto. Those of you who know us well enough know exactly what this means, but those of you who don't know what to expect of us will probably end-up shocked and amazed or greatly disturbed by just how strange it is when something irrationally confusing suddenly decides to make sense.
SPOILER WARNING!: This fanfiction is written under the basis that it takes place 20 years after the end of Final Fantasy IX.
------Key------
"......"-speaking
~......~-thinking
{......}-telepathy
|......|-dreaming
**......**-exaggerated sound or action
[......]-author's notes
------Ice and Fire------
Crystal had quite easily guided herself and Shiro out of Evil Forest. However, she had indirectly started moving away from Alexandria Castle. She had reached the conclusion that going back would only cause trouble for her, but for Shiro simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So, instead of returning to the castle, Crystal had led the way to the entrance of the Ice Cavern. Shiro had said nothing as he walked along with Crystal, occasionally tightening the arm guards of his armor along with his gloves.
Crystal stopped a short distance from the entrance to the Ice Cavern, "We should camp out here for the rest of the night. It would be foolish to travel through this place in the cold of night."
Shiro nodded lightly, shivering, "Yeah.. sleep would be a good thing."
After a few minutes of examining the area outside of the cavern, Crystal had a small campfire going and was already on her back with her arms folded behind her head. She looked up into the sky and thought about the strange events that had occurred over the last few hours. It couldn't have just been an accident that a strange light in the sky had lured her into Evil Forest to find a strange, injured boy about to be attacked by a green dragon. And then there was the emerald coin she had received after the dragon was destroyed. She was certain this was not just a coincidence.
Shiro sat near the fire to keep warm. He could not sleep. The thought of nearly being attacked by a dragon when he was still weakened and unable to defend himself had frightened him. He could remember the demon dragons he had face in some earlier battles of the war from his world, and shuddered involuntarily.
Crystal took notice of the fact that Shiro didn't seem like he would be going to sleep any time soon. She wasn't in any kind of hurry to get to sleep herself, but she was entirely against the idea of traveling through the Ice Cavern at night. Without moving from the comfortable position she had found to look up at the stars, Crystal decide to start some conversation, "That was the first time I've used an Eidolon in a real battle."
Shiro blinked, looking to Crystal's form as he sat there. He was obviously getting curious about it now, "Oh? I take it you're not a fighter much, are you?"
Crystal thought the question over and replied, "Like I said before, this world has been at peace for the last twenty years. There hasn't been any need for fighters, but I've been training myself anyway... just incase the darkness ever resurfaces."
Shiro nodded lightly while looking into the fire. He remembered his past fights, "Well.. as I said before.. I know of them as Shoukanjuu.. and they're summoned from what is called the Demon Gun." He lifted up his right arm, which appeared to be covered by a large golden casing.
Crystal closed her eyes, realizing that she was much more tired than she originally believe she was. Before drifting off into sleep, she spoke once again, "The circumstances are strange, but I believe that it is no accident that we met this night."
Shiro looked down a bit. He curled up tighter, the vivid image of that demon dragon still fresh in his mind. He shuddered in fear and decided to stay awake, mostly to keep watch.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|Crystal stood quietly in the middle of a forest clearing. Ahead of her was a tall cliff-face with a waterfall in the center flowing down into a large, bowl-like pond. Floating above the pond was an eerie glowing figure. Anyone who had seen this figure while he was still living would have known that he was Kuja. This did not apply to Crystal.
"In such a short time, you have grown quite powerful young Princess," the figure spoke to Crystal in such a way that she knew the voice could not possibly be speaking to anyone else.
Crystal found that somehow she felt comforted by this voice rather than frightened by it, even though the figure that spoke to her was noticeably transparent. She nodded, "I do not know the reasons why, but I feel that I must strengthen myself and be prepared for the worst."
"Wise sentiments," replied the figure in that same voice that seemed to speak directly to Crystal and to no one else. "From the surface the problem is invisible, barely a threat, and so no one notices. However, there are some that have taken notice of the strange shadows that are beginning to form over the world once again."
Crystal was not surprised that this figure would know that such things had happened in the past. She spoke again, "What is my role in all of this?"
"You may not believe you are worthy of your title as Princess, however many will see you as a powerful leader. There are powerful allies out there who will follow you into oblivion itself, because they believe in you and your cause," answered the figure.
"How will I know what path to take?" asked Crystal.
The figure spoke once more, "You will not know the correct path to take, but you will do what you believe is right. Until we meet again, farewell."|
Crystal felt the sunlight streaming down on her and slowly sat up as she opened her eyes. She looked around to gain some grounds on where she was, and remembering the events of the night before was not surprised to find that she was still outside of the Ice Cavern.
Shiro looked to the awake Crystal, smiling gently, "Morning." He used a simple spell to douse the fire before standing up and looking to the entrance of the Ice Cavern, frowning slightly.
Crystal got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head, draining the last traces of sleep from her system. She looked to the ominous entrance to the Ice Cavern, "It should only take about an hour to travel through here and when we reach the other side we'll be close to the town of Dali. Maybe we can find out more about where you came from and how you got here."
Shiro nodded while drawing the Demon Sword from his back. It turned a glowing red color as it changed into its full form, ready for use as a normal weapon under the fire element, "Of course."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
They were about halfway through the Ice Cavern when Crystal noticed a strange outline in one of the ice walls. As she traced the outline with her eyes, Crystal realized that it was a dragon that was sealed within the ice wall. The reason it was difficult to notice at first was because the dragon was almost the same color as the ice. Crystal stopped walking and decided to point out her discovery to Shiro. She traced the outline by pointing with her finger as she spoke, "Take a look at that. There's a dragon frozen in the ice wall."
Shiro blinked as he looked to the wall. Then he also noticed the dragon outline, "I think.. we best hurry along.." He quickly started walking again. His face was pale, not from the cold, but mostly from fear.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
They were finally through the Ice Cavern. Out on the mountain peak, outside of the frozen cavern, the sun shined brightly. Crystal took in the sunlight and looked into the distance, spotting the town in question with ease. She was about to point it out to Shiro when a small shape dropped down from somewhere behind and above them.
The shape was certainly human, but it was moving too quickly to be identified and it was certainly smaller than Crystal. The shaped zoomed by nabbed something from Crystal's pocket and took off down the mountain path toward Dali. Without a second thought, Crystal took off after the shape, "Come back here you thief!"
Shiro blinked and followed after Crystal. Even though he held his sword in one hand, he was not weighted down in the least and was easily able to maintain his full speed.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Crystal skidded to a halt as she entered the small town of Dali and lost sight of the thief that she was chasing down. She reached into her pocket to see what was actually missing and found that the emerald coin was still perfectly safe, but half of her Gil was missing.
"Gr... I'll catch you, just wait and see," Crystal cracked her knuckles and waited for Shiro to catch up with her.
It didn't take long for Shiro to catch up. He might have been scrawny for a warrior, but he was quick on his feet. The Demon Gun and Demon Sword converted into two large, green orbs and Shiro connected them to one of his arm guards, "Much better."
Crystal started scanning the town with her eyes, trying to find the thief again, but she didn't have any luck. She frowned slightly and turned to Shiro, "I don't suppose you're up to searching the town for that thief?"
Shiro had obviously been searching as well. He looked straight at a pipe, "What's that?" He walked over to inspect it more closely.
Crystal followed after Shiro and looked it over as well. She nodded to herself, "I've heard rumors that there's a hidden, underground factory that used to produce Black Mages in this town. I wonder if the stories are true... if they are, I bet that's the perfect spot for thieves to hideout."
Shiro nodded as he looked around again. He thought for a second, "Problem.. where's the entrance?" He was considering using a Mini spell to slide down the pipe.
Crystal thought about the problem for a second and spoke up again, "I've heard that there's a hidden door in the building behind the Mayor's House that's supposed to lead into the factory... that's if it ever actually existed in the first place."
Shiro glanced around a bit and finally spotted the Mayor's place. He quickly walked over and after giving it some thought, "Uh.. I think you should ask first.."
Crystal went passed Shiro and toward the building behind the Mayor's place. She smirked slightly as she opened the door, "This is just the windmill maintenance building. Anyone can go inside." With that said, she stepped inside.
Shiro sweatdropped and quietly followed. He glanced around, not really taking anything in. He started searching for the hidden doorway.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
What used to be the Underground Black Mage Factory was now mostly just a bunch of broken machinery and conveyor belts along with rooms filled with piles of wooden boxes. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. On top of one of the large stacks of boxes was the thief in question.
She was a twelve year old wearing a pair of navy blue shorts with a baggy, long-sleeved, dark green tunic with numerous pockets. She also wore leather traveler's boots and gloves. Her dark blond hair was cut in such a way that it was difficult to tell if she was a boy or a girl. Her hazel eyes were presently counting the Gil she had stolen from Crystal.
"Another job well done," the girl congratulated herself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal stepped off of the small elevator platform and looked around the narrow underground path that basically led straight to what had once been a very productive, if not built for the wrong reasons, factory. She had to admit, the place certainly was real. Then she spotted the obvious footprints that must have been recently left in the dust on the floor.
"And our thief is about to get caught," Crystal concluded quietly.
Shiro chuckled when he stepped off behind Crystal. He looked around and nodded, "Nice and dark. Yup. It'd be a good place for monsters or thieves to hide."
Crystal started down the path into the next room. This was when one of the wooden boxes shouted down at her and Shiro, "What do ya think yer doing in my house?!"
Crystal was forced to sweatdrop and broke down laughing when she realized the voice was actually coming from the girl on top of the pile of boxes. She had just pocketed a nice sum of Gil and seemed to be debating whether she should run or not.
Shiro glanced at the boxes and saw the little girl on top of them. He just facevaulted, "A kid?"
The girl jumped down from her perch on top of the boxes. At some point she had clipped a set of metallic claws and armor to the back of her right arm and hand. She spoke defiantly to Shiro's comment, "I'll have you know I'm twelve years old."
Crystal stopped laughing, "You really aren't a very good thief."
"I'm still in the learning stages," the girl replied attempting to glare at Shiro and Crystal, but failed to look intimidating.
Shiro rolled his eyes, while tapping one of the orbs on his arm guard. His Demon Sword, which looked like a long arm blade pointed at the girl, his penetrating stare showing defiantly, "So, you choose to fight rather than admit being wrong to steal?"
"If you wanna make something of it," the girl crossed her arms, "then I'll have no choice. Don't expect me to go easy on you though."
Crystal sweatdropped and stepped between the both of them, "That's quite enough. Reiya, your manners really haven't improved since the last time we met."
Shiro sweatdropped, before turning the arm blade back into an orb on the arm guard. He glanced between Crystal and Reiya, "You know this kid?"
Reiya gave Shiro another glare, "The name is Reiya Yoruhonou! I'll kick yer arse if you don't stop calling me a kid!"
Crystal shook her head, "You were still training to be a thief a year ago, although you don't really steal from anyone except for the monsters that lurk around the town... and me to say hello when you know I'm going to be in the area."
Reiya reached into one of her numerous pockets and handed Crystal back the Gil she had stolen, "Yeah, you know word travels pretty fast when it is considered important. Everyone panicked when they realized you weren't at the castle, so I figured you were probably going to make your way here."
Shiro snorted, while looking away. A sharp chill suddenly ran down his spine, though it clearly wasn't cold. He was getting one of his infamous bad feelings. He was partly known in his world for predicting when things were about to get worse, a lot worse. He simply didn't say anything, though his face went quite pale.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A tall figure with massive, leathery wings stood beside the ice wall within the Ice Cavern. Long black hair down to his shoulders came from all around. In the hand of a very muscular arm was a sword with a blade that seemed to glow crimson. He lunged the blade into the ice wall and the ice quickly melted away. The figure spoke, "Awaken great dragon of ice and destroyed the village that should fear your might."
The dragon stretched its wings and let out a loud roar before ascending into the sky. The figure vanished completely.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal looked to Shiro, "Are you alright?"
There was a loud crash from up above and bits of the ceiling crashed downward, narrowly missing the three of them. Reiya started toward the small elevator platform, "We better get out of here."
Shiro followed, shuddering again as he glanced upward, "... this.. gods.. why do I get the feeling something bad just happened?"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Reiya was the first one step out the door of the windmill maintenance building and was nearly stepped on by the massive taloned foot of the Ice Dragon. She quickly stepped back inside, "Uh... there's a dragon out there..."
An arrow-pointed tail sliced through the wall and knocked the door clean off its hinges. Crystal nabbed Reiya and fell back into Shiro, "Yes, there is a dragon outside."
Shiro caught both of them and helped them back to their feet. Then he detached one of the orbs, causing it to shine and transform back into the Demon Gun casing. He sighed and shook his head, "I'll take this one." He twitched slightly, the image of the demon dragon that had nearly killed him was still stuck in his mind. The blood of the dragon had fallen over him on that battlefield and ever since that time, he wasn't sure why, but he felt different.
Crystal and Reiya quickly move to the opposite wall of the building and ducked down to stay as well out of blast range as they could manage. Crystal shouted, "We're rooting for ya Shiro!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shiro went outside and ducked under the dragon, "Hey Scaleface, come and get me!" He took off in a different direction. The Demon Gun began to glow with an ominous black aura. His own eyes shifted to pure black pits. His energy formed a massive spike of power, although he had yet to actually tap into that power.
The dragon twisted around and came after Shiro. It reared back its head as it sucked in a large quantity of air and exhaled a steady stream of cold blue fire in Shiro's direction. At the same time, the dragon let out another icy roar.
Shiro ran quickly. He avoided the icy breath and got a safe distance away from Dali. A mask came down over his face, covering the lower part of his face as he turned to the dragon. His energy spiked even more as he stood there, "Scaleface, you can do better than that!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal and Reiya quietly slid out from the cover of the windmill maintenance building. It was easy to figure out where the battle was headed, considering the large footprints the dragon was leaving behind with each ground-shaking step it took.
"Do you think Shiro can handle that thing?" asked Reiya.
Crystal nodded, "If the Shoukanjuu from the Demon Gun are anything like the Eidolons I use, we're in for quite a show."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Spikes from the Ice Dragon's shoulders shot into the ground and formed a massive, hollow pillar of ice around Shiro. The Ice Dragon inhaled another large quantity of air and exhaled, filling the pillar with its cold blue fire.
Shiro let himself become encased in the pillar of ice and nearly frozen by the cold fire. His energy never diminished, although he seemed to be asking the bitter coldness to burn on his open skin. Then he shouted loudly, "SOIL.. BE MY STRENGTH!" All of the ice around him shattered. The gale winds of darkness formed around him as he held out his right arm and a drill came out of the elbow joint of the golden casing. 4 fan-like blades shot out around the drill, causing the energy to spiral into a massive vortex around himself and the dragon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal and Reiya watched from a safe distance. They had climbed onto the roof of the Dali Inn, which was still perfectly intact despite the fact that a dragon had rampaged through the town.
"I'm glad we aren't in the middle of that," said Reiya uneasily.
Crystal nodded, "That dragon isn't going to know what hit it."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The icy blue dragon tried to suck in another large breath of air to breath another blast of cold fire, but it was as though the air around the dragon and Shiro had become hollow of anything useful to the dragon.
Shiro's eyes pulsated with a purple hue as he swung his arm out into a position as though he were holding a gun. The casing around his arm broke apart into several smaller pieces, swirling around his arm as energy surged around them. The pieces slowly crumbled together to form a massive gun with a crystal-like orb in part of it. Within the orb was something black that appeared to be beating like a heart. The chamber finished constructing around Shiro's arm while the drill and fan blades continued to spin. The heart of the Demon Gun pumped at a normal rate as Shiro spoke in a darker voice, "Ma Ga, Kaitou." The winds dispersed around Shiro, making the Demon Gun gleam in the air, although the air around him and the dragon was still void of anything with elemental properties.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"He's radiating so much power already... and he hasn't even attacked yet," Reiya was looking thoroughly impressed by Shiro's display of power.
Crystal was at a loss for words and simply nodded in agreement.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The dragon dug its claws into the ground, bracing itself for whatever attack this mere human was preparing to throw at it. The dragon let out a low hissing growl of anger.
Shiro hissed right back at the dragon. His aura projected wide enough to make his face look like a dragon's, black in color, although his face was just as normal as ever. His aura flared as he pointed at the Ice Dragon as if he were speaking as Death himself, "I have chosen the appropriate Soil for the likes of you..." The hand reached down for one of the bullets at his belt. He pulled the bullet out quickly, and held it in his hand like he was about to flip a coin, "Origin of All, MOTHER BLACK!" He flicked the bullet into the air like a coin, and twitched his arm. The bullet landed in the left module, the shutter closing quickly and locking into place. Shockwaves sparked around the surrounding area.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I think I understand why he decided to lure the dragon out of town," noted Crystal.
Reiya nodded, "I don't think there's going to be much left standing after he fires that thing."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The dragon dug its claws into the ground more tightly and pulled back its neck and head. The dragon folded its wings in front of itself, forming a shield in an attempt to protect itself from the energy shockwaves.
Shiro continued to glare at the dragon with his black pit eyes. He pulled up the second bullet, this one looking as bright as a dark flame, "One that Burns Everything, FIRE RED!" He flicked the bullet in his fingers, holding it straight up on the tip of his thumb. Then he inserted the bullet into the right barrel, causing another shockwave of energy to form. Shiro glanced about, hoping he was far enough from the town.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A slight breeze seemed to blow into Dali, but aside from that it was hard to tell that there was anything explosive going on nearby. Crystal and Reiya were still on the Dali Inn roof, watching the action from their safe spot.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The dragon folded its wings more tightly in front of it and ducked its head down to further protect itself from the shockwaves of energy that were spiking up around it.
Shiro narrowed his eyes to near slits as he harshly thumbed the third bullet, a golden one that shined bright as the sun. He shouted out in a voice that sounded like a mix between a dragonic voice and his own, "And the Breaking Point of All, BURNING GOLD!" The bullet fell into the bottom slot and the wind began to pick up around everything. The void formed once again as the drill began spinning rapidly. The heart of the Demon Gun began to pump faster and faster. The Demon Gun began to glow with an ominous purple light as well as shining with a golden color as Shiro cried out in a voice close to a roar, "BURN, SHOUKANJUU, PHOENIX!!!" He pulled the trigger of the Demon Gun, causing it to go off with a burst of smoke. Shiro didn't move as the smoke began to spiral around like a tornado as three pulsating beams of energy shot out of the smoke tunnel. They spiraled right toward the dragon without changing their speed. The energy continued to rise as it approached the dragon.
The three energy beams came right up to the Ice Dragon's wings and seemed to vanish from existence. The dragon raised its head and looked around for the explosion that had not yet come and found nothing except for Shiro in front of itself. Then, without warning, the dragon expanded outward, inflating like a balloon. When the dragon had expanded to maximum capacity, it burst into flames and exploded outward across the battlefield, dissolving into warm pools of water. From the ruins of the dragon's body appeared a beautiful, flaming bird: the Phoenix. With the dragon destroyed, the Phoenix flew upward into the sky. A few seconds later, the Phoenix flew through the sky, causing it to shatter like glass and continued onward into space. The sky repaired itself and the Phoenix was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After watching the exciting end of the battle, Crystal and Reiya climbed down from the roof of the Dali Inn and waited for Shiro to return from the battlefield.
"So, what inspired the Princess of Alexandria Castle to come to Dali of all places?" asked Reiya.
Crystal sighed, "First of all, Shiro doesn't know I'm a princess. Secondly, when I left the castle I wasn't exactly prepared to find him in the middle of Evil Forest. And thirdly, I couldn't very well take him back to Alexandria with me, because the guards would mistake it for a kidnapping and then he'd be locked up for doing nothing. So, I decided to come here instead until things have quieted down a bit and the search isn't as exaggerated."
"Not that it's likely to happen with Set in charge of the Knights of Pluto these days," noted Reiya.
Crystal sweatdropped, "I hadn't really thought about that..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shiro quickly fell to one knee. He clutched his arm as he winced. The golden casing reappeared and steam hissed out of it. The casing then changed back into an orb, which he quickly put back into the empty slot on his arm guard. He looked to the smoldering remains of where the dragon had been, though he saw the colors in reverse because his eyes hadn't changed back from black pits just yet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Reiya asked, "Do you plan on returning to the castle?"
"It would be better if I went back sooner than later and sorted this mess out," answered Crystal sounding unsure of herself. "Still, there are times when I'd rather just travel like this and have a certain sense of freedom about what I'm doing."
"Even if it's dangerous?" asked Reiya.
Crystal nodded, "I feel more alive when I don't have to be bound by the rules of royal living."
Reiya said, "Well there is an Airship leaving for Alexandria tomorrow morning."
"How do you know that?" asked Crystal.
"Well, it's going to Lindblum afterward and I'm going there to hook up with my sister," replied Reiya. "So, I had to find out the fastest way to get there.. I can get you and your thoroughly misplaced friend onboard if you like."
"Maybe," agreed Crystal.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shiro finally stood up, ignoring the numbness in his arm. He walked over the smoldering ruins, looking around, although his eyes weren't returning to normal ~Aw hell.. they warned me that if I used it too often my eyes will either go blind or so weirdly wrong, as in reversed colors, permanently..~ He tried to fan off the smoke with his arms.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: This fanfiction is collaboration on the part of myself (Crystal Mizuka) and my friend, and fellow ff.net writer, Jake Yoshimatto. Those of you who know us well enough know exactly what this means, but those of you who don't know what to expect of us will probably end-up shocked and amazed or greatly disturbed by just how strange it is when something irrationally confusing suddenly decides to make sense.
SPOILER WARNING!: This fanfiction is written under the basis that it takes place 20 years after the end of Final Fantasy IX.
------Key------
"......"-speaking
~......~-thinking
{......}-telepathy
|......|-dreaming
**......**-exaggerated sound or action
[......]-author's notes
------Ice and Fire------
Crystal had quite easily guided herself and Shiro out of Evil Forest. However, she had indirectly started moving away from Alexandria Castle. She had reached the conclusion that going back would only cause trouble for her, but for Shiro simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So, instead of returning to the castle, Crystal had led the way to the entrance of the Ice Cavern. Shiro had said nothing as he walked along with Crystal, occasionally tightening the arm guards of his armor along with his gloves.
Crystal stopped a short distance from the entrance to the Ice Cavern, "We should camp out here for the rest of the night. It would be foolish to travel through this place in the cold of night."
Shiro nodded lightly, shivering, "Yeah.. sleep would be a good thing."
After a few minutes of examining the area outside of the cavern, Crystal had a small campfire going and was already on her back with her arms folded behind her head. She looked up into the sky and thought about the strange events that had occurred over the last few hours. It couldn't have just been an accident that a strange light in the sky had lured her into Evil Forest to find a strange, injured boy about to be attacked by a green dragon. And then there was the emerald coin she had received after the dragon was destroyed. She was certain this was not just a coincidence.
Shiro sat near the fire to keep warm. He could not sleep. The thought of nearly being attacked by a dragon when he was still weakened and unable to defend himself had frightened him. He could remember the demon dragons he had face in some earlier battles of the war from his world, and shuddered involuntarily.
Crystal took notice of the fact that Shiro didn't seem like he would be going to sleep any time soon. She wasn't in any kind of hurry to get to sleep herself, but she was entirely against the idea of traveling through the Ice Cavern at night. Without moving from the comfortable position she had found to look up at the stars, Crystal decide to start some conversation, "That was the first time I've used an Eidolon in a real battle."
Shiro blinked, looking to Crystal's form as he sat there. He was obviously getting curious about it now, "Oh? I take it you're not a fighter much, are you?"
Crystal thought the question over and replied, "Like I said before, this world has been at peace for the last twenty years. There hasn't been any need for fighters, but I've been training myself anyway... just incase the darkness ever resurfaces."
Shiro nodded lightly while looking into the fire. He remembered his past fights, "Well.. as I said before.. I know of them as Shoukanjuu.. and they're summoned from what is called the Demon Gun." He lifted up his right arm, which appeared to be covered by a large golden casing.
Crystal closed her eyes, realizing that she was much more tired than she originally believe she was. Before drifting off into sleep, she spoke once again, "The circumstances are strange, but I believe that it is no accident that we met this night."
Shiro looked down a bit. He curled up tighter, the vivid image of that demon dragon still fresh in his mind. He shuddered in fear and decided to stay awake, mostly to keep watch.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|Crystal stood quietly in the middle of a forest clearing. Ahead of her was a tall cliff-face with a waterfall in the center flowing down into a large, bowl-like pond. Floating above the pond was an eerie glowing figure. Anyone who had seen this figure while he was still living would have known that he was Kuja. This did not apply to Crystal.
"In such a short time, you have grown quite powerful young Princess," the figure spoke to Crystal in such a way that she knew the voice could not possibly be speaking to anyone else.
Crystal found that somehow she felt comforted by this voice rather than frightened by it, even though the figure that spoke to her was noticeably transparent. She nodded, "I do not know the reasons why, but I feel that I must strengthen myself and be prepared for the worst."
"Wise sentiments," replied the figure in that same voice that seemed to speak directly to Crystal and to no one else. "From the surface the problem is invisible, barely a threat, and so no one notices. However, there are some that have taken notice of the strange shadows that are beginning to form over the world once again."
Crystal was not surprised that this figure would know that such things had happened in the past. She spoke again, "What is my role in all of this?"
"You may not believe you are worthy of your title as Princess, however many will see you as a powerful leader. There are powerful allies out there who will follow you into oblivion itself, because they believe in you and your cause," answered the figure.
"How will I know what path to take?" asked Crystal.
The figure spoke once more, "You will not know the correct path to take, but you will do what you believe is right. Until we meet again, farewell."|
Crystal felt the sunlight streaming down on her and slowly sat up as she opened her eyes. She looked around to gain some grounds on where she was, and remembering the events of the night before was not surprised to find that she was still outside of the Ice Cavern.
Shiro looked to the awake Crystal, smiling gently, "Morning." He used a simple spell to douse the fire before standing up and looking to the entrance of the Ice Cavern, frowning slightly.
Crystal got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head, draining the last traces of sleep from her system. She looked to the ominous entrance to the Ice Cavern, "It should only take about an hour to travel through here and when we reach the other side we'll be close to the town of Dali. Maybe we can find out more about where you came from and how you got here."
Shiro nodded while drawing the Demon Sword from his back. It turned a glowing red color as it changed into its full form, ready for use as a normal weapon under the fire element, "Of course."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
They were about halfway through the Ice Cavern when Crystal noticed a strange outline in one of the ice walls. As she traced the outline with her eyes, Crystal realized that it was a dragon that was sealed within the ice wall. The reason it was difficult to notice at first was because the dragon was almost the same color as the ice. Crystal stopped walking and decided to point out her discovery to Shiro. She traced the outline by pointing with her finger as she spoke, "Take a look at that. There's a dragon frozen in the ice wall."
Shiro blinked as he looked to the wall. Then he also noticed the dragon outline, "I think.. we best hurry along.." He quickly started walking again. His face was pale, not from the cold, but mostly from fear.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
They were finally through the Ice Cavern. Out on the mountain peak, outside of the frozen cavern, the sun shined brightly. Crystal took in the sunlight and looked into the distance, spotting the town in question with ease. She was about to point it out to Shiro when a small shape dropped down from somewhere behind and above them.
The shape was certainly human, but it was moving too quickly to be identified and it was certainly smaller than Crystal. The shaped zoomed by nabbed something from Crystal's pocket and took off down the mountain path toward Dali. Without a second thought, Crystal took off after the shape, "Come back here you thief!"
Shiro blinked and followed after Crystal. Even though he held his sword in one hand, he was not weighted down in the least and was easily able to maintain his full speed.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Crystal skidded to a halt as she entered the small town of Dali and lost sight of the thief that she was chasing down. She reached into her pocket to see what was actually missing and found that the emerald coin was still perfectly safe, but half of her Gil was missing.
"Gr... I'll catch you, just wait and see," Crystal cracked her knuckles and waited for Shiro to catch up with her.
It didn't take long for Shiro to catch up. He might have been scrawny for a warrior, but he was quick on his feet. The Demon Gun and Demon Sword converted into two large, green orbs and Shiro connected them to one of his arm guards, "Much better."
Crystal started scanning the town with her eyes, trying to find the thief again, but she didn't have any luck. She frowned slightly and turned to Shiro, "I don't suppose you're up to searching the town for that thief?"
Shiro had obviously been searching as well. He looked straight at a pipe, "What's that?" He walked over to inspect it more closely.
Crystal followed after Shiro and looked it over as well. She nodded to herself, "I've heard rumors that there's a hidden, underground factory that used to produce Black Mages in this town. I wonder if the stories are true... if they are, I bet that's the perfect spot for thieves to hideout."
Shiro nodded as he looked around again. He thought for a second, "Problem.. where's the entrance?" He was considering using a Mini spell to slide down the pipe.
Crystal thought about the problem for a second and spoke up again, "I've heard that there's a hidden door in the building behind the Mayor's House that's supposed to lead into the factory... that's if it ever actually existed in the first place."
Shiro glanced around a bit and finally spotted the Mayor's place. He quickly walked over and after giving it some thought, "Uh.. I think you should ask first.."
Crystal went passed Shiro and toward the building behind the Mayor's place. She smirked slightly as she opened the door, "This is just the windmill maintenance building. Anyone can go inside." With that said, she stepped inside.
Shiro sweatdropped and quietly followed. He glanced around, not really taking anything in. He started searching for the hidden doorway.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
What used to be the Underground Black Mage Factory was now mostly just a bunch of broken machinery and conveyor belts along with rooms filled with piles of wooden boxes. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. On top of one of the large stacks of boxes was the thief in question.
She was a twelve year old wearing a pair of navy blue shorts with a baggy, long-sleeved, dark green tunic with numerous pockets. She also wore leather traveler's boots and gloves. Her dark blond hair was cut in such a way that it was difficult to tell if she was a boy or a girl. Her hazel eyes were presently counting the Gil she had stolen from Crystal.
"Another job well done," the girl congratulated herself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal stepped off of the small elevator platform and looked around the narrow underground path that basically led straight to what had once been a very productive, if not built for the wrong reasons, factory. She had to admit, the place certainly was real. Then she spotted the obvious footprints that must have been recently left in the dust on the floor.
"And our thief is about to get caught," Crystal concluded quietly.
Shiro chuckled when he stepped off behind Crystal. He looked around and nodded, "Nice and dark. Yup. It'd be a good place for monsters or thieves to hide."
Crystal started down the path into the next room. This was when one of the wooden boxes shouted down at her and Shiro, "What do ya think yer doing in my house?!"
Crystal was forced to sweatdrop and broke down laughing when she realized the voice was actually coming from the girl on top of the pile of boxes. She had just pocketed a nice sum of Gil and seemed to be debating whether she should run or not.
Shiro glanced at the boxes and saw the little girl on top of them. He just facevaulted, "A kid?"
The girl jumped down from her perch on top of the boxes. At some point she had clipped a set of metallic claws and armor to the back of her right arm and hand. She spoke defiantly to Shiro's comment, "I'll have you know I'm twelve years old."
Crystal stopped laughing, "You really aren't a very good thief."
"I'm still in the learning stages," the girl replied attempting to glare at Shiro and Crystal, but failed to look intimidating.
Shiro rolled his eyes, while tapping one of the orbs on his arm guard. His Demon Sword, which looked like a long arm blade pointed at the girl, his penetrating stare showing defiantly, "So, you choose to fight rather than admit being wrong to steal?"
"If you wanna make something of it," the girl crossed her arms, "then I'll have no choice. Don't expect me to go easy on you though."
Crystal sweatdropped and stepped between the both of them, "That's quite enough. Reiya, your manners really haven't improved since the last time we met."
Shiro sweatdropped, before turning the arm blade back into an orb on the arm guard. He glanced between Crystal and Reiya, "You know this kid?"
Reiya gave Shiro another glare, "The name is Reiya Yoruhonou! I'll kick yer arse if you don't stop calling me a kid!"
Crystal shook her head, "You were still training to be a thief a year ago, although you don't really steal from anyone except for the monsters that lurk around the town... and me to say hello when you know I'm going to be in the area."
Reiya reached into one of her numerous pockets and handed Crystal back the Gil she had stolen, "Yeah, you know word travels pretty fast when it is considered important. Everyone panicked when they realized you weren't at the castle, so I figured you were probably going to make your way here."
Shiro snorted, while looking away. A sharp chill suddenly ran down his spine, though it clearly wasn't cold. He was getting one of his infamous bad feelings. He was partly known in his world for predicting when things were about to get worse, a lot worse. He simply didn't say anything, though his face went quite pale.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A tall figure with massive, leathery wings stood beside the ice wall within the Ice Cavern. Long black hair down to his shoulders came from all around. In the hand of a very muscular arm was a sword with a blade that seemed to glow crimson. He lunged the blade into the ice wall and the ice quickly melted away. The figure spoke, "Awaken great dragon of ice and destroyed the village that should fear your might."
The dragon stretched its wings and let out a loud roar before ascending into the sky. The figure vanished completely.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal looked to Shiro, "Are you alright?"
There was a loud crash from up above and bits of the ceiling crashed downward, narrowly missing the three of them. Reiya started toward the small elevator platform, "We better get out of here."
Shiro followed, shuddering again as he glanced upward, "... this.. gods.. why do I get the feeling something bad just happened?"
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Reiya was the first one step out the door of the windmill maintenance building and was nearly stepped on by the massive taloned foot of the Ice Dragon. She quickly stepped back inside, "Uh... there's a dragon out there..."
An arrow-pointed tail sliced through the wall and knocked the door clean off its hinges. Crystal nabbed Reiya and fell back into Shiro, "Yes, there is a dragon outside."
Shiro caught both of them and helped them back to their feet. Then he detached one of the orbs, causing it to shine and transform back into the Demon Gun casing. He sighed and shook his head, "I'll take this one." He twitched slightly, the image of the demon dragon that had nearly killed him was still stuck in his mind. The blood of the dragon had fallen over him on that battlefield and ever since that time, he wasn't sure why, but he felt different.
Crystal and Reiya quickly move to the opposite wall of the building and ducked down to stay as well out of blast range as they could manage. Crystal shouted, "We're rooting for ya Shiro!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shiro went outside and ducked under the dragon, "Hey Scaleface, come and get me!" He took off in a different direction. The Demon Gun began to glow with an ominous black aura. His own eyes shifted to pure black pits. His energy formed a massive spike of power, although he had yet to actually tap into that power.
The dragon twisted around and came after Shiro. It reared back its head as it sucked in a large quantity of air and exhaled a steady stream of cold blue fire in Shiro's direction. At the same time, the dragon let out another icy roar.
Shiro ran quickly. He avoided the icy breath and got a safe distance away from Dali. A mask came down over his face, covering the lower part of his face as he turned to the dragon. His energy spiked even more as he stood there, "Scaleface, you can do better than that!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal and Reiya quietly slid out from the cover of the windmill maintenance building. It was easy to figure out where the battle was headed, considering the large footprints the dragon was leaving behind with each ground-shaking step it took.
"Do you think Shiro can handle that thing?" asked Reiya.
Crystal nodded, "If the Shoukanjuu from the Demon Gun are anything like the Eidolons I use, we're in for quite a show."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Spikes from the Ice Dragon's shoulders shot into the ground and formed a massive, hollow pillar of ice around Shiro. The Ice Dragon inhaled another large quantity of air and exhaled, filling the pillar with its cold blue fire.
Shiro let himself become encased in the pillar of ice and nearly frozen by the cold fire. His energy never diminished, although he seemed to be asking the bitter coldness to burn on his open skin. Then he shouted loudly, "SOIL.. BE MY STRENGTH!" All of the ice around him shattered. The gale winds of darkness formed around him as he held out his right arm and a drill came out of the elbow joint of the golden casing. 4 fan-like blades shot out around the drill, causing the energy to spiral into a massive vortex around himself and the dragon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Crystal and Reiya watched from a safe distance. They had climbed onto the roof of the Dali Inn, which was still perfectly intact despite the fact that a dragon had rampaged through the town.
"I'm glad we aren't in the middle of that," said Reiya uneasily.
Crystal nodded, "That dragon isn't going to know what hit it."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The icy blue dragon tried to suck in another large breath of air to breath another blast of cold fire, but it was as though the air around the dragon and Shiro had become hollow of anything useful to the dragon.
Shiro's eyes pulsated with a purple hue as he swung his arm out into a position as though he were holding a gun. The casing around his arm broke apart into several smaller pieces, swirling around his arm as energy surged around them. The pieces slowly crumbled together to form a massive gun with a crystal-like orb in part of it. Within the orb was something black that appeared to be beating like a heart. The chamber finished constructing around Shiro's arm while the drill and fan blades continued to spin. The heart of the Demon Gun pumped at a normal rate as Shiro spoke in a darker voice, "Ma Ga, Kaitou." The winds dispersed around Shiro, making the Demon Gun gleam in the air, although the air around him and the dragon was still void of anything with elemental properties.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"He's radiating so much power already... and he hasn't even attacked yet," Reiya was looking thoroughly impressed by Shiro's display of power.
Crystal was at a loss for words and simply nodded in agreement.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The dragon dug its claws into the ground, bracing itself for whatever attack this mere human was preparing to throw at it. The dragon let out a low hissing growl of anger.
Shiro hissed right back at the dragon. His aura projected wide enough to make his face look like a dragon's, black in color, although his face was just as normal as ever. His aura flared as he pointed at the Ice Dragon as if he were speaking as Death himself, "I have chosen the appropriate Soil for the likes of you..." The hand reached down for one of the bullets at his belt. He pulled the bullet out quickly, and held it in his hand like he was about to flip a coin, "Origin of All, MOTHER BLACK!" He flicked the bullet into the air like a coin, and twitched his arm. The bullet landed in the left module, the shutter closing quickly and locking into place. Shockwaves sparked around the surrounding area.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I think I understand why he decided to lure the dragon out of town," noted Crystal.
Reiya nodded, "I don't think there's going to be much left standing after he fires that thing."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The dragon dug its claws into the ground more tightly and pulled back its neck and head. The dragon folded its wings in front of itself, forming a shield in an attempt to protect itself from the energy shockwaves.
Shiro continued to glare at the dragon with his black pit eyes. He pulled up the second bullet, this one looking as bright as a dark flame, "One that Burns Everything, FIRE RED!" He flicked the bullet in his fingers, holding it straight up on the tip of his thumb. Then he inserted the bullet into the right barrel, causing another shockwave of energy to form. Shiro glanced about, hoping he was far enough from the town.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A slight breeze seemed to blow into Dali, but aside from that it was hard to tell that there was anything explosive going on nearby. Crystal and Reiya were still on the Dali Inn roof, watching the action from their safe spot.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The dragon folded its wings more tightly in front of it and ducked its head down to further protect itself from the shockwaves of energy that were spiking up around it.
Shiro narrowed his eyes to near slits as he harshly thumbed the third bullet, a golden one that shined bright as the sun. He shouted out in a voice that sounded like a mix between a dragonic voice and his own, "And the Breaking Point of All, BURNING GOLD!" The bullet fell into the bottom slot and the wind began to pick up around everything. The void formed once again as the drill began spinning rapidly. The heart of the Demon Gun began to pump faster and faster. The Demon Gun began to glow with an ominous purple light as well as shining with a golden color as Shiro cried out in a voice close to a roar, "BURN, SHOUKANJUU, PHOENIX!!!" He pulled the trigger of the Demon Gun, causing it to go off with a burst of smoke. Shiro didn't move as the smoke began to spiral around like a tornado as three pulsating beams of energy shot out of the smoke tunnel. They spiraled right toward the dragon without changing their speed. The energy continued to rise as it approached the dragon.
The three energy beams came right up to the Ice Dragon's wings and seemed to vanish from existence. The dragon raised its head and looked around for the explosion that had not yet come and found nothing except for Shiro in front of itself. Then, without warning, the dragon expanded outward, inflating like a balloon. When the dragon had expanded to maximum capacity, it burst into flames and exploded outward across the battlefield, dissolving into warm pools of water. From the ruins of the dragon's body appeared a beautiful, flaming bird: the Phoenix. With the dragon destroyed, the Phoenix flew upward into the sky. A few seconds later, the Phoenix flew through the sky, causing it to shatter like glass and continued onward into space. The sky repaired itself and the Phoenix was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After watching the exciting end of the battle, Crystal and Reiya climbed down from the roof of the Dali Inn and waited for Shiro to return from the battlefield.
"So, what inspired the Princess of Alexandria Castle to come to Dali of all places?" asked Reiya.
Crystal sighed, "First of all, Shiro doesn't know I'm a princess. Secondly, when I left the castle I wasn't exactly prepared to find him in the middle of Evil Forest. And thirdly, I couldn't very well take him back to Alexandria with me, because the guards would mistake it for a kidnapping and then he'd be locked up for doing nothing. So, I decided to come here instead until things have quieted down a bit and the search isn't as exaggerated."
"Not that it's likely to happen with Set in charge of the Knights of Pluto these days," noted Reiya.
Crystal sweatdropped, "I hadn't really thought about that..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shiro quickly fell to one knee. He clutched his arm as he winced. The golden casing reappeared and steam hissed out of it. The casing then changed back into an orb, which he quickly put back into the empty slot on his arm guard. He looked to the smoldering remains of where the dragon had been, though he saw the colors in reverse because his eyes hadn't changed back from black pits just yet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Reiya asked, "Do you plan on returning to the castle?"
"It would be better if I went back sooner than later and sorted this mess out," answered Crystal sounding unsure of herself. "Still, there are times when I'd rather just travel like this and have a certain sense of freedom about what I'm doing."
"Even if it's dangerous?" asked Reiya.
Crystal nodded, "I feel more alive when I don't have to be bound by the rules of royal living."
Reiya said, "Well there is an Airship leaving for Alexandria tomorrow morning."
"How do you know that?" asked Crystal.
"Well, it's going to Lindblum afterward and I'm going there to hook up with my sister," replied Reiya. "So, I had to find out the fastest way to get there.. I can get you and your thoroughly misplaced friend onboard if you like."
"Maybe," agreed Crystal.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shiro finally stood up, ignoring the numbness in his arm. He walked over the smoldering ruins, looking around, although his eyes weren't returning to normal ~Aw hell.. they warned me that if I used it too often my eyes will either go blind or so weirdly wrong, as in reversed colors, permanently..~ He tried to fan off the smoke with his arms.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
To Be Continued...