Disclaimer: If me not owning Final Fantasy IX were strawberries, we'd all have smoothies right now.
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Chapter 9: Sweet Embrace
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"Come on," Robin whined, Ipsen was beginning to lag behind again.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Ipsen said and jogged up the remainder of the marble white spiral staircase, several stuffed animals and toys were floating in mid-air. "This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder."
"Hopefully we're almost out," Robin sighed and opened the next door, revealing pleasant sunshine and a warm breeze. The sky was a brilliant azure over the calm Alexandria fields, a few clouds lazily passed overhead every so often. Ipsen walked through the door, his boot making an imprint in the soft grass when he realized where they were.
"These are the fields we used to play in!" Ipsen said to Robin. The girl stepped out, squinting her eyes and smiled.
They heard a small child shout, his voice high pitched and panting.
"No fair!" the voice called from a tree.
The branches rocked violently as another voice taunted, "All is fair in love and tag!"
Suddenly a girl of about six years old jumped out of the tree, followed by a small winged mage.
Ipsen laughed as he watched the smaller version of himself stumble and falter clumsily as he chased after the six year old Robin.
"That's us! This is too weird," Robin laughed and Ipsen pinned the younger version of herself, shouting triumphantly. The two children continued their tussle, rolling around and laughing gleefully. The scenery around them seemed to fade out to blurry white, no exit or entrance in sight.
"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Robin asked, looking around when a violent shove interupted her thoughts. Ipsen pushed her to the ground with a playful tackle, putting his taloned hands on both her shoulders, keeping her pinned with all his weight. "Ipsen! Get off!"
"Why?" he asked, an impish glint in his eye.
"Because! We have to get out of here!" Robin barked.
"Well, I don't see an exit---" Ipsen said and turned away for a moment, slightly shifting his weight. Robin quickly took advantage of this blind spot and knocked the waltz over with a kick, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him down.
"Hah! I win I win I win!" Robin laughed triumphantly.
"You said we have to get out of here," Ipsen muttered. A door suddenly appeared at the far west border of the scenery, Robin and Ipsen's former selves were gone. "Hey! Come on, there's a door."
"Just say I won," Robin said, applying slight pressure to his shoulders.
"Okay, you win, just let me go..." Ipsen sighed and got up as Robin released her grip on him. The two walked out quickly.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
"Where are we....?" Robin asked and looked around, the clouds above them were slate gray and torrent rains pelted down in fat drops. They were standing on slick stone steps, neither knowing their location.
"I-I don't know," Ipsen said and shook his head. A hooded figure, robes white and red trimmed, sat near a boat, crying softly. Another, clad in armour and a gleaming helmet, stood over her shoulders, whimpering his prayers for the fallen boy.
"Mom!" Robin said and began running down the steps.
"H-hey wait!" Ipsen called and jogged after her. Robin abruptly stopped, staring at the form in the boat. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"
"No..." Robin murmured.
"W-what..." Ipsen asked and caught sight of the body in the boat. Zidane was laying in there, peacefully and calmly, eyes shut and skin pale. A thick wound ran across his throat and clear down to his chest, still open and bloody. Garnet laid down his weapon next to him and broke down into sobs.
"Father!" Robin cried and leapt at the boat, the torrent freezing creek came up in a wave as if to greet the princess.
"Robin, no!" Ipsen said flapped after her, grabbing her about the waist as he jumped and spreading his wings.
"What are you doing!? Let go of me!" she snarled indignantly.
"It's not real! Look!" Ipsen said as the images of her father's funeral disappeared, leaving the gurgling greedy stream froathing in anger and hunger. Robin began crying, the mere thought of her father's death was unbearable. "It's okay....it's not real...."
For the first time since the airship ride to the Ice Cavern, Robin willingly let Ipsen hold her, pushing herself slightly further into his comforting, fond holding. Ipsen pulled her up to her feet and put a wing over her shoulder.
"It's not real, it's okay," he repeated, looking into Robin's face. The girl nodded. "Come on, there's the exit."
Robin broke away from Ipsen's grasp, recovering her independent attitude and ambling ahead at a brisk pace. Ipsen grinned.
*`*`*`*`*`
"Our stream! It's our stream!" Robin said joyfully and looked up to the moonlit Lindblum sky.
"Wow, it's prettier than before," Ipsen said, his voice coming out as high pitched and slightly squeaky. Robin turned to Ipsen.
"You're normal!" Robin said. Ipsen examined himself. No feathers around his neck. His normal blue waistcoat and pinstripe pants. The ground seemed closer up than it had been a few moments before. He turned and looked at his wings, the flight feathers were creamy white instead of the venomous yellow Kuja had made them to be.
"I-I'm normal," he said with a pant, looking at his hands, no longer sharp and dangerous. "I'm normal!"
"Now I'm gonna give you some pay back for that tackle you gave me earlier," Robin chuckled, cracking her knuckles. Ipsen's eyes lit up slightly.
"You forgot one thing," Ipsen retorted.
"Hm?"
Ipsen spread his wings behind him and took a flap away from Robin over the stream with a the same control as he had in the previous realms.
"Oh, no fair!" Robin growled.
"The exit's over here, for real," Ipsen said and landed on the far bank.
"Here, hold on," Robin said and ran down the bank, stopping at a series of stepping stones. She quickly hopped over them with a childish playfulness. Robin jumped off the last stone and looked down at Ipsen, his eyes were slightly paler than usual. "Hey, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now."
Ipsen shook his head.
"Nothing, just...this isn't me," Ipsen muttered.
"What?"
"Nevermind..."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go." Ipsen said as they began to approach a nearby shrine.
*`*`*`*`*`
Chapter 9: Sweet Embrace
*`*`*`*`*`
"Come on," Robin whined, Ipsen was beginning to lag behind again.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Ipsen said and jogged up the remainder of the marble white spiral staircase, several stuffed animals and toys were floating in mid-air. "This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder."
"Hopefully we're almost out," Robin sighed and opened the next door, revealing pleasant sunshine and a warm breeze. The sky was a brilliant azure over the calm Alexandria fields, a few clouds lazily passed overhead every so often. Ipsen walked through the door, his boot making an imprint in the soft grass when he realized where they were.
"These are the fields we used to play in!" Ipsen said to Robin. The girl stepped out, squinting her eyes and smiled.
They heard a small child shout, his voice high pitched and panting.
"No fair!" the voice called from a tree.
The branches rocked violently as another voice taunted, "All is fair in love and tag!"
Suddenly a girl of about six years old jumped out of the tree, followed by a small winged mage.
Ipsen laughed as he watched the smaller version of himself stumble and falter clumsily as he chased after the six year old Robin.
"That's us! This is too weird," Robin laughed and Ipsen pinned the younger version of herself, shouting triumphantly. The two children continued their tussle, rolling around and laughing gleefully. The scenery around them seemed to fade out to blurry white, no exit or entrance in sight.
"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Robin asked, looking around when a violent shove interupted her thoughts. Ipsen pushed her to the ground with a playful tackle, putting his taloned hands on both her shoulders, keeping her pinned with all his weight. "Ipsen! Get off!"
"Why?" he asked, an impish glint in his eye.
"Because! We have to get out of here!" Robin barked.
"Well, I don't see an exit---" Ipsen said and turned away for a moment, slightly shifting his weight. Robin quickly took advantage of this blind spot and knocked the waltz over with a kick, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him down.
"Hah! I win I win I win!" Robin laughed triumphantly.
"You said we have to get out of here," Ipsen muttered. A door suddenly appeared at the far west border of the scenery, Robin and Ipsen's former selves were gone. "Hey! Come on, there's a door."
"Just say I won," Robin said, applying slight pressure to his shoulders.
"Okay, you win, just let me go..." Ipsen sighed and got up as Robin released her grip on him. The two walked out quickly.
*`*`*`*`*`*`
"Where are we....?" Robin asked and looked around, the clouds above them were slate gray and torrent rains pelted down in fat drops. They were standing on slick stone steps, neither knowing their location.
"I-I don't know," Ipsen said and shook his head. A hooded figure, robes white and red trimmed, sat near a boat, crying softly. Another, clad in armour and a gleaming helmet, stood over her shoulders, whimpering his prayers for the fallen boy.
"Mom!" Robin said and began running down the steps.
"H-hey wait!" Ipsen called and jogged after her. Robin abruptly stopped, staring at the form in the boat. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"
"No..." Robin murmured.
"W-what..." Ipsen asked and caught sight of the body in the boat. Zidane was laying in there, peacefully and calmly, eyes shut and skin pale. A thick wound ran across his throat and clear down to his chest, still open and bloody. Garnet laid down his weapon next to him and broke down into sobs.
"Father!" Robin cried and leapt at the boat, the torrent freezing creek came up in a wave as if to greet the princess.
"Robin, no!" Ipsen said flapped after her, grabbing her about the waist as he jumped and spreading his wings.
"What are you doing!? Let go of me!" she snarled indignantly.
"It's not real! Look!" Ipsen said as the images of her father's funeral disappeared, leaving the gurgling greedy stream froathing in anger and hunger. Robin began crying, the mere thought of her father's death was unbearable. "It's okay....it's not real...."
For the first time since the airship ride to the Ice Cavern, Robin willingly let Ipsen hold her, pushing herself slightly further into his comforting, fond holding. Ipsen pulled her up to her feet and put a wing over her shoulder.
"It's not real, it's okay," he repeated, looking into Robin's face. The girl nodded. "Come on, there's the exit."
Robin broke away from Ipsen's grasp, recovering her independent attitude and ambling ahead at a brisk pace. Ipsen grinned.
*`*`*`*`*`
"Our stream! It's our stream!" Robin said joyfully and looked up to the moonlit Lindblum sky.
"Wow, it's prettier than before," Ipsen said, his voice coming out as high pitched and slightly squeaky. Robin turned to Ipsen.
"You're normal!" Robin said. Ipsen examined himself. No feathers around his neck. His normal blue waistcoat and pinstripe pants. The ground seemed closer up than it had been a few moments before. He turned and looked at his wings, the flight feathers were creamy white instead of the venomous yellow Kuja had made them to be.
"I-I'm normal," he said with a pant, looking at his hands, no longer sharp and dangerous. "I'm normal!"
"Now I'm gonna give you some pay back for that tackle you gave me earlier," Robin chuckled, cracking her knuckles. Ipsen's eyes lit up slightly.
"You forgot one thing," Ipsen retorted.
"Hm?"
Ipsen spread his wings behind him and took a flap away from Robin over the stream with a the same control as he had in the previous realms.
"Oh, no fair!" Robin growled.
"The exit's over here, for real," Ipsen said and landed on the far bank.
"Here, hold on," Robin said and ran down the bank, stopping at a series of stepping stones. She quickly hopped over them with a childish playfulness. Robin jumped off the last stone and looked down at Ipsen, his eyes were slightly paler than usual. "Hey, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now."
Ipsen shook his head.
"Nothing, just...this isn't me," Ipsen muttered.
"What?"
"Nevermind..."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go." Ipsen said as they began to approach a nearby shrine.