Disclaimer:
Okay, this sucks like hell.
Final Fantasy IX belongs to SquareSoft and not to me.
I make no money from this fanfic; I'm just a miserable excuse for a living existence who gets creative using Square's FF characters.
So this time it's about Blank, who doesn't belong to me either.
Author's note: I had written many chapters to tell the story of the Blank's childhood, but I noticed that they were all very short, so I threw them all into the one page. So this chapter is like his whole kiddy life in mini chapters rolled into one! Read on!
By QueenQeeko.
The Blank Impression.
Chapter 2 - Blank History.
Blank sat bolt upright in bed the second the desperate shout entered into his dreamless sleep. The boys' bedroom was very dark, it must have been still nighttime. He leapt out of his warm covers and made way over to Zidane's bed, the lower one of the only set of the bunk beds. Marcus was already there, holding the monkey-tailed boy and trying to calm him down. Marcus' hammock still swung from his quick trip across the room. Cinna leaned over from his top bunk, peering down at the other boys, equally concerned about their brother.
"It's okay Zidane, it's okay, only a nightmare, you're still with us at home" Marcus whispered, a little too urgently to comfort the trembling Zidane.
"I hope that didn't wake the Boss" Cinna said, casting a worried look over to the bedroom door. Blank and Marcus exchanged a look of hope that Baku would sleep right through to morning. Blank sat down with Marcus and tried to help calm the distraught boy. In the three years the boys had all lived together, they'd all gotten used to Zidane's nightmares. Sometimes it would be a long time between occurrences, at other times he'd have one nearly every week. Blank had been the first to notice it, a little before Cinna's fourth birthday, and that was as good as two years ago. Now Marcus' eighth was coming the next month. He with Blank at seven, and Zidane and Cinna both at six, they caused some of the worse trouble in all of Lindblum. They were just lucky that few people recognized the four boys as they varied their play tactics. The Business D's Synth shop keeper was one of the few who knew who the boys were, but was too afraid of Baku going through with one of his threats to cause any harm to the boys.
And now they were all together in the middle of the night, all sleep forgotten in their brother's (and not for the last) time of need. Zidane had calmed down considerately, and now sat with his head on Marcus's shoulder, grasping Blank's hand as if for dear life, and his tail wrapped around his own leg defensively.
A loud thump from the next room made all four boys jump. Blank thought it sounded like someone dumping a huge bag of sand on the floor, and in spite of himself chuckled when he heard Baku grumble sleepily, then the creak of a bed under Baku's weight as he climbed back into bed. A minor interruption to the night's tranquil silence. Zidane sighed heavily and sat up straight, his brothers asking if he was all right.
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay now, just got a fright from that dream, that's all" he muttered, then offered an embarrassed "Thanks" to the others. He climbed back under his own blankets.
"You don't want tell us about it?" Blank asked him gently, receiving a "Nah, I'm fine," from Zidane as he buried his face into his pillow. Marcus ruffled the monkey-tailed boy's hair before returning to his hammock, and Cinna withdrew his head from over the bunk edge and resumed slumber underneath the covers. Blank stayed where he sat for a minute longer, and pushed his long reddish hair behind his shoulders. Hearing the regular breathing of the other three boys, Blank decided to go back to sleep. He slipped back under his blanket on his low-to-the-floor bed, and sighed as he watched Zidane.
It remained silent for the rest of the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcus poked his head outside the kitchen door and peered into the small courtyard of the house. In the dim morning light, he could easily make out Blank, sword raised and sweating slightly as he prepared another strike. Marcus shook his head. The upright log Blank had been practicing on was beginning to resemble an apple core. Blank held the sword in both of his hands, the blade's twin still in its leather sheath by the outside wall.
The seven-year-old had left the harness with the sheaths and discarded his blue sleeveless shirt, leaving him bare backed in the cool morning air. The cool temperature unfortunately failed to help. Blank's loose fitting black pants stuck to his mismatched skin from perspiration and his leather sandals were beginning to feel slippery and uncomfortable. His eye patch was also missing, and his hair had been back up into a ponytail. Blank was looking stronger by the month, but it still wasn't enough. The sword was still just that little bit too heavy and too big the hold in one hand, and even if he were getting better with the log, he'd be hopeless in a fight. He needed someone to practice with, and he needed to get faster with his blade.
"Hey".
Blank nearly flipped backwards when Marcus' voice shot through his thoughts. Marcus stood there, leaning against the kitchen doorframe, arms crossed and looking... worried? He still had his nightshirt on, but with his day trousers and leather shoes.
"Yeah hi" Blank answered, letting the tip of the blade rest on the ground and wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.
"Getting better?" Marcus asked. Blank frowned. He couldn't remember for the life of him if Marcus had ever been nice to him before. They never really hit off as friends from the start, and made the best squabbling brothers around. Marcus spent most of his spare time picking at Blank, calling him things like 'stitch-face' and hiding his eye patch so Blank couldn't go out. And now he stood here, genuinely concerned.
"A bit" Blank said, still breathing hard, "Why?"
"Just wondering" Marcus replied, then slipped back inside the house. Blank suddenly lost all interest in training any longer this morning. He sheathed his sword again and sat against the house wall. He could hear Marcus talking to Baku inside.
"How did you sleep?" Blank heard Marcus ask.
"Oh, yeah fine" Baku's voice grumbled, "But I think I fell outta bed sometime last night".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~3 weeks later ~
"Hey look!" Marcus exclaimed, pointing to the poster on the Theatre District's clock wall, "They moved the Festival of the Hunt forward to tomorrow! That's the day before my birthday!"
Zidane rearranged his green scarf. As per usual, Zidane, being the shortest one, had donned a pair of leather boots too big for him in an attempt to make himself look taller. His gray trousers looked a tad too big as well, covering up the mouth of his boots and using a large belt to hold them up. He had no shirt, but had wrapped straps of fabric around his wrists and forearms.
Marcus had his white long sleeve shirt to add to his outfit, and a long length red bandana around his forehead.
Blank had chosen his average get-around-gear today, with added gray gloves. He decided not to wear the eye patch today, and instead had a black scarf tied around his eyes.
Cinna looked very odd, as he had selected an entire get-up of leather clothing. A soft leather shirt, cowhide pants, brown leather shoes and a Mu skin hat.
"It's your birthday in two days? How old are you?" Zidane joked. Marcus pretended to look hurt.
"Aw Zidane! How could you?" he asked the monkey tailed boy.
"Yeah Zidane," Blank joined in, dropping a hand on the boy's shoulder, "How could you forget? Marcus has only been going on about it for the last week's time". Even Marcus was able to laugh at the comment.
"Hey, I heard that the Boss was gonna have a go at the Hunt too," Cinna piped up, studying the poster.
"Really? That means we got the day to ourselves tomorrow!" Marcus announced. The Festival of the Hunt seemed to be more and more popular every year, and by now the boys had gotten used to the routine everyone followed on the day. The Festival of the Hunt generally took two hours to prepare all the beasts in the three respective Districts, and since it was such a huge occasion people often filled the guarded streets and protected walkways long before it started at the hour before midday. Nearly every shop would be barricaded shut to prevent damage to goods, and then the markets would be temporarily abandoned during the time the beasts were loose in the city.
And since this all took place hours before anything was set loose, fortified shops weren't entirely safe…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~The next day. ~
Early morning hours weren't Baku's favorite time of day, but he'd persevere. Baku straightened his belt and scabbard. It was definitely time he did do something a bit more active, and earning a few gil in the process didn't seem like a bad idea either. He was also sure that the boys would be capable of keeping out of trouble for the day. Or at least he hoped so.
"Alright you lot," Baku said as he exited his bedroom, fully fitted for battle, "You be sure to cheer yer Boss on, and don't go causin' no mishaps today, okay?"
"Gotcha Boss!" the four boys answered, saluting in synch with their adoptive father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"C'mon! Hurry up or someone will notice us!" Blank hissed to his brothers across the street, hiding behind some sizable barrels. One by one the boys snuck across, diving behind some half broken crates as three nobles and a group of shopkeepers passed by.
"That was too close, I knew that was too early to move," Zidane frowned at Blank.
"Oh, you moved on time, but you were too slow gettin' across," Blank shot back. Marcus then sneaked a look from out behind their shelter from view.
"Okay everyone, almost the whole city is off waiting for the Festival to start. Crow bars ready?" Marcus asked the group.
"Yeah!" said the other boys.
"Swag sacks?"
"Yeah!"
"Commence thieving!"
Marcus began to jimmy open the shop's side window, thanking the Great Good Lord (if there was one) that the Business District was one of the first to be cleared. Eventually the frame's lock gave away from inside, and the window budged open. Zidane had a lot of trouble getting through the window, and Blank put a hand under Zidane's boot to help him.
"Why am I always helping you?" he muttered. Once inside, they turned around and gaped at the store's contents.
Weapons. Shiny, heavy, decorated, heavenly weapons. Zidane went straight to a wall covered with short swords and daggers, while Cinna browsed around clubs and spears. Marcus engrossed his attention into long swords and broad swords and two-handed swords. It was a haven to the three boys. Zidane picked out a pair of daggers, two different kinds, and hooked their sheaths onto his belt.
"Hey! This must be the hammer the guy uses to forge the weapons," Cinna said, holding the object aloft for all to see.
"So what are you gonna do with it?" Marcus inquired, taking an iron sword off a shelf.
"Swipe it of course!" Cinna announced, thrusting the hammer's handle into his belt, then went on helping himself to other items of interest. Blank on the other hand, found himself a pocketknife and was satisfied with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only an hour to go.
Streets were filled to the limits they could withstand and the arrival of this year's beast challenge was praised. The hulking cage was wheeled in underneath one such walkway for the spectators, and all waited short of patiently for the Festival to begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yet another silent street in the city of Lindblum, and Baku's boys made full use of it. By the time they'd worked their way to the Industrial District, they were significantly weighed down with their new possessions. Not every shop was hit, and nearly every store that had been was left without a single trace of their presence. That is, if one ignored the obvious absence of some valuable items.
"Hey Zidane, where did you get that watch? You didn't have it before," Cinna stated aloud to the monkey-tailed boy, who was examining said watch in one hand, his other arm clutching his load.
"Oh gee, Cinna, maybe the same place he got all his other stuff," Blank laughed, much to the younger boy's embarrassment.
"Shut up! So I didn't see him pocket it, shoot me," Cinna snapped.
"Well, I think we should probably head back now," Marcus suggested, looking up at the sky, "It's gotta be close to midday, so we'd better get outta here before the monsters are on us".
"Relax, we got a whole hour to go before it starts!" Zidane reassured, holding up his watch.
"Hey Zidane, give us a look," Cinna requested, leaping on the other boy and knocking him to the ground. Blank and Marcus laughed full heartily as Zidane and Cinna rolled about, scattering their respective objects all around the pavement. Eventually they broke up the minor scuffle, Zidane tucking the watch into his pocket and gathering up his things.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baku watched as the last of the Fangs was released; it was almost time to begin. With only ten minutes left to wait, Baku strode out with the other Hunters and boarded his Air Car, taking the trip to his designated starting point.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All four boys froze as the Lindblum castle clock tower started tolling.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
……………!!!
…Only eleven tolls! The Festival was starting!
"Zidane, did you read that watch right?!" Blank cried, spinning around on his brother.
"Yeah! I know how to read a clock!" Zidane defended.
"Well check it again!" Marcus shouted, seeing a dozen Mus round the corner. Zidane wrenched out the watch to try and confirm any mistake on the time, his face paling as he looked upon the machine's bronze face.
"Oh crap!" he shouted, "the watch has been smashed; it must have broken when Cinna tackled me!"
The Mus began to close in on the boys, forming a full circle to prevent any escape. Overhead a large number of birds few by, too quick for the children to identify them. An extreme case of panic started to settle in over the boys, having never been surrounded by so many enemies before.
"I thought a Mu would only attack if something else attacked it first!" Cinna squeaked.
Marcus dropped his sack to the ground, "It doesn't matter now".
The other boys released their bags as well, pulling out their weapons and getting ready to fight their way out. The first attack didn't come from one of the Mus, nor did it come from the boys. A huge Fang crashed into the District, then charged at the group of children and beasts alike. Immediately another six Fangs came up behind it, causing half the Mus to flee. Marcus began by swinging his sword out at one of the remaining Mus as the other boys defended themselves from the other blue and brown creatures.
"SCATTER!!!" he shouted, and the boys all took off in different directions, darting around the beasts and eventually making their way towards another District. They continued their flight from the battling beasts just as a Hunter jumped down from above and swung a club at the three Fangs that were following the boys.
"What do you kids think you're doing?! Get the hell out of here NOW!" he ordered just as a Mu leapt on him from an alley to the left. The boys struck out at any monsters that blocked their way, making their escape much slower.
"Dammit! It's all because of this stupid watch!" Zidane yelled, throwing the unlucky object at bird monster that tried to swoop on him.
More Hunters appeared in the District, exchanging blows with the beasts running over the city. The boys stared around them in utter bewilderment, throwing the odd attack out at a monster that came too close. More Fangs began to fill the streets by the minute, and Blank started to wonder why so many had gathered in this District alone. The Hunt was turning into a massive brawl in the city and the boys were stuck in the middle of it.
After efficiently removing the front limb of a Mu with a double handed swing of his sword, Blank found himself bowed over from the left by Marcus as a pack of beasts fled through the District. Zidane had discarded his shoes in order to gain better balance to defend himself, hurling the now useless gear at swooping aerial monsters. He leapt to the side as Marcus shouted something about a mad dash of Fangs, landing in a heap by a shattered barrel. The Hunters and present beasts were almost trampling Cinna already.
In an insane act of speed unusual to the cumbersome boy, Cinna sprang off the pavement and onto the back of a Fang running through the District with the other beasts of its kind. Marcus looked up in alarm as he caught sight of Cinna being carted away by the brown creature, but immediately forgot it as he jumped to he feet and scurried into a side alley as some of the stampeding fiends turned towards him and the boy he held. He left his sword behind. Grasping Blank's hand as tightly as he could, Marcus ran among the trashcans and cardboard boxes carelessly flung into the passage.
Blank had no idea what was going on as he was dragged along. All of his remaining senses were on an overload of confusion as he continued behind Marcus on this desperate path, with the beasts closing in. He could hear panting, screaming, yelling, growls, weapons clanging, racket that overwhelmed him as dizziness swamped him. Feeling the breath of Fang against his shoulder Blank struck out blindly with his sword in one hand. He successfully put a gash into the monster's nose, causing it to back off slightly. Their escape led them to the Air Car station where they first ever met with Zidane years ago. As they approached the familiar wall Marcus swung Blank around and up at the tree's trunk.
"Climb!" he shouted frantically, following as the blind boy shot up in appropriate haste. Once high among the branches, Blank returned his sword to its sheath next to its twin, which by sheer miracle he hadn't lost to the battle. The infuriated monsters snarled at the boys, circling and clawing at the base of the tree. Marcus peered down at the Fangs, hoping against hope that the persistent beasts would give up.
His wish was not granted.
One Fang sat down by the tree's roots protruding from the ground as another slowly climbed upon its back, bringing itself up onto its hind legs. Digging its claws into the tree's wooden skin, it edged its way up the trunk, before quickly picking up the pace of its ascent. The higher the beasts reached up the tree the faster they became, a feeling of dread washing over the two cowering occupants not far above them. Marcus glanced around wildly in his panic, gaze falling on the crack in the Air Car station wall. The hole was still big enough to allow them in, leaving the beasts outside. Marcus snatched Blank's wrist again and threw himself into the wall, just as a Fang came up and swiped a large paw at their retreating forms. The Fang lashed out again at them as they dropped down in the cavity in the wall, catching at Blank's right upper arm and tearing the flesh. Blood sprayed against the interior of the dusty passage.
Poor Blank cried out as the cruel claws passed though his arm, landing next to Marcus and grabbing at the wound in an attempt to stop the pain. Tears streamed down his face as the torture spread through his whole limb, but he gnashed his teeth to prevent any sound from coming out. Marcus cast his eyes above him, his head going cold at the sight of several Fangs clawing and swiping madly in the dank air, trying to gain access to the boys bellow. Eventually they backed away from the opening of the wall, but Marcus could still hear them grunting and sniffing around the top of the tree.
When the last Fang withdrew its paw, Marcus let out the breath he was holding, turning his attention to the other boy next to him. He immediately jumped up upon seeing the blood making its way down Blank's arm. Marcus noticed with some dismay (or maybe it was horror) that the other boy was beginning to look rather pale. The older boy began ripping off his white sleeves in order to bandage up Blank's wounds, at least try and stop the bleeding.
The contact of fabric to raw flesh caused Blank to recoil away from Marcus' makeshift bandages. Marcus knew the pain must have been excruciating, but if he didn't bind the wound, the blood lost would be fatal. So with no other choice, Marcus wrestled Blank to the ground, ultimately pinning the other boy down with his elbow and knees, and thus began to swathe the arm with the detached cotton sleeves.
Blank cringed, unable to fight off the stronger boy in his damaged state. He buried his face away into the compacted dirt floor and swallowed back a scream of pain. Marcus tried to ignore the shaking in Blank's shoulders, and continued to wrap the arm securely, making sure to bind it tightly but without cutting off the circulation altogether. Marcus finally released Blank and sat up, watching as Blank curled slightly into a ball on his side, clutching the bound wound with his left hand. The stinging had subsided now due to lack of air to an opened wound, but instead throbbed as a painful reminder of the injury.
A depressed silence settled in on the scene, and the two boys moved to the opposite walls from each other, waiting for their antagonists above to leave them be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zidane sneaked another look.
He wished he hadn't.
The six-year-old tightened his grip and squeezed his eyes shut. Hanging by all four limbs from some solitary clothesline in-between the high windows of two opposite facing buildings, Zidane wondered what had become of his brothers by now. The eight Fangs below him snapped and snarled, refusing to give the monkey-tailed boy a chance to forget his current predicament.
Zidane sighed, reopening his eyes. He couldn't help but feel partially responsible for this whole mess, and was also feeling both guilty and lucky that he had found this particular place of safety when he did.
Marcus had shouted about Fangs, and Zidane had thrown himself out-of-the-way to safety. As soon as he had landed among the broken pieces of the destroyed barrel, Zidane had curled into a defensive ball, covering his head as Mus ran and leapt over him, fleeing the stampeding Fangs Marcus had just warned him about. When the monkey-tailed boy finally lifted his head he had sprung up in alarm when he saw a huge purplish beast smash into a group of Hunters. The beast tossed its head, flinging hapless monsters aside to clear its path.
Not wanting to suffer a similar fate as the ruined Hunters and creatures cast across the pavement, Zidane had took off down an alley between two stores, hoping his departure had gone unnoticed. An angered roar shattered his hopes, and rapidly the beast came up behind him. The horrible monster butted its enormous head forward, and Zidane was flung into the air.
Zidane's decent ended shortly as he caught with both hands a washing line just as he was passing under it. Built up inertia caused the monkey-tailed boy to spin round the cord in a random arc, before eventually coming to a bouncing halt. The beast bellowed in rage at it's own mistake, for it could not reach the tailed humanoid it wished to feast upon. So with a frustrated stomp of its feet, the beast continued on through the District in search of other creatures.
Zidane heaved a sigh of relief, but then another sigh of exasperation when the pack of Fangs appeared and decided to 'make camp' below him. He had brought his legs up around the thin rope line as well, taking some weight off his arms.
The monkey-tailed boy had hung there for three hours already, and by now he was growing weary. But he dared not let go, and remained clinging to the cord for his life depended on it. Zidane looked around, listening to the chaos of the Festival (Slaughter more like it) of the Hunt all around in the background. He gathered that the two opposite windows on the ends on this clothesline were locked, so it wouldn't be that easy to escape his aerial refuge.
With nothing to do and nowhere to go, Zidane wondered how his brothers had faired.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whaddya mean 'the monsters are outta control?!'" Baku shouted at one of the Lindblum castle soldiers.
Soldiers and Hunters alike were still trying to eliminate the uncontrolled beasts that covered the city. For hours now, as soon as the soldiers were dispatched throughout the Districts, skirmishing and hostility was on a large scale. The monster numbers were too great this year for the Hunters alone, causing extreme anxiety among the citizens.
"Exactly that, Hunter Baku, the monsters are out of control," the soldier replied, cleaning the blood off his spear.
"Well how come we can't get 'em under control?!"
"We are working on that".
Baku grabbed at his pointy ears and stomped around in a frustrated circle, earning a raised eyebrow from the soldier.
"Isn't there anything that could speed up that process?!" Baku lashed out again, "I got four of me kids out there!"
"I understand your concern for your children, but we are doing all we can. Until we have successfully eradicated all of the monsters in the city we cannot afford time to search for missing persons," the soldier reasoned tiredly, "some of my own family are out there too, but I have to wait until there are no more beasts left. If any go unaccounted for, they could do more damage later".
There was really no way Baku could argue with that. The soldier was totally right. Even if Baku did find the boys, the time he used to locate them could be better used to prevent any other casualties.
"Let's get back to it," the soldier said, and placing his spear over his shoulder, he made his way back down the castle stairs to the city.
Baku sighed and drew his sword. He hoped those kids were okay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcus slipped a little as he tried to get up the inner walls of the Air Car station wall. With both feet and hands pressed firmly against the walls he edged his way up, slowly, carefully, until he was high enough to peer out through the wall's large crack. The gradually changing color of the sky was the only thing Marcus could acknowledge before letting himself drop back to the ground, narrowly avoiding the claws that struck out into the wall the minute his head appeared.
"It's gettin' to nighttime, the sky is turning orange," Marcus said to Blank, who was pitifully curled up on the dirt floor. Marcus sighed and picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his trousers and looking back up at the crack. It was apparent that they were going to have to stay in the wall overnight, but at least they were safe from the Fangs. Admittedly, Marcus was scared. He, like any other child his age, was well and truly terrified from what had happened this year with the Festival. However, he also knew they had to be brave to get through it.
"Hey, Marcus".
Upon hearing Blank call his name, Marcus turned around to face the other boy. Blank had changed position. He now sat slumped against the wall, hand sitting loosely around his bandaged wound.
"I never said thanks… for fixing up my arm…" Blank said quietly.
"Yeah, you're welcome," Marcus replied, sitting down next to his 'brother'. "I hope you're okay with sleeping in here. We can't get out right now". Both boys let out a miserable sigh. It was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zidane was bored. He hated being bored. He hated doing nothing. He hated running and hiding from anything. And he especially hated hanging here!
"AAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!!! WON'T YOU JERKS DOWN THERE JUST GET LOST?!!" he shouted furiously, kicking his legs about as the fur on his tail stood up. Zidane had finally had enough, and was openly voicing his irritation to all that could hear him. The resting Fangs below snorted at the monkey-tailed boy's demand, and would pay him no heed until he would decide to simply give up.
"NNNRRGH!!! THIS IS GETTING SOOOOOO ANNOYING!!!" Zidane screamed, thrashing about. He stopped immediately when he heard a loud twang. One Fang fell to the cobblestone ground with a crossbow bolt protruding from the center of its forehead. A second later, and a barrage of deadly arrows, bolts and darts showered upon the whole group of Fangs. Either the darkness was making it somewhat difficult to aim, or the ones firing the metal darts were hopeless shots.
"Hii! Hey!! WAHH!!!" the monkey-tailed boy bounced and swung on the cord, narrowly avoiding random flying missiles. A full minute of this bombardment of shooting projectiles disturbed the early evening peace, before ending abruptly with a shout of "YYEEOOWW!!! You shot me in the foot you idiot!!!"
Zidane, who was scared to look down, did just that. His stomach threatened to bring up his late morning meal of yellow apples (had it really been that long since he'd eaten??), as he looked down at the pile of bleeding Fangs, dead beyond any doubt. Crossbow bolts, and arrows of all sorts, stuck out in all directions from the twitching bodies of the unfortunate creatures. Blood was thick and flowing from wounds, making a rapidly growing pool of the crimson liquid. The metallicky-bloody stench was repulsive.
"Zidane?!" came a desperate and familiar voice from the direction the attack had come from. Zidane's head whipped around toward the darker end of the alleyway.
"Boss?!" he exclaimed, trying to see through the darkness. Baku came running into view towards the massacre below Zidane; revealed by what little moonlight there was. Behind him came a group of Hunters and castle soldiers, one of which was hopping on one foot rather than walking.
"Zidane! Are you okay?!" Baku shouted up at the boy suspended above the bleeding mound of fiends. He stopped at the edge of the blood pool.
"No, I'm NOT okay! You guys almost SHOT me!" the infuriated boy bellowed at the man, "NOW GET ME DDDOOOOOOOWWNNN!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was barely dawn when Blank woke up where he was stretched out on the dirt floor of the wall's interior. He sat up and removing the black scarf, rubbed the sleep out of his 'undamaged' eye. He noticed after a minute that Marcus wasn't near him. The other boy sat dejected under the main crack of the wall. Blank moved over to him, asking what was wrong.
"What isn't wrong?" Marcus griped, bringing his knees up to his chin, "What a rotten way to spend the morning". Blank listened without interrupting the other boy as Marcus complained about everything that was amiss with the last twenty-four hours. The bronze watch leaving them without correct time, being separated from their brothers, chased and trapped in the wall and overnight too. Blank put a hand on Marcus' shoulder, but the troubled boy shrugged it off. Blank didn't attempt anything else, and sat quietly against the inner wall.
He thought about what had happened too. The last day's time had certainly been stressful. He thought of how panicked they'd felt when they realized the monsters were being set loose, and how Marcus had grabbed his hand when they had to flee the group of Fangs. Blank's lack of vision would have cost him dearly if Marcus hadn't helped him, and it was now that the blind boy realized how Marcus had been doing nothing but helping him. He had made totally sure that Blank was out of the way of the Fangs since all the noise was confusing him, and when Blank had been injured, Marcus tore off his sleeves to slow and stop the blood loss. This was very unlike Marcus, as he normally picked fights with Blank. He thought back to two days before, when all four brothers were reading the poster. They were happy, and would have been even happier today if the monsters hadn't outnumbered the Hunters.
'Why would we have been happier today?' Blank asked himself suddenly. Was there something special about today? If there was, Blank had forgotten about it since he had been preoccupied with evading monsters. Was missing out on something today what was making Marcus so sour?
Realization hit Blank like colliding Air Cars.
Marcus' face held a puzzled expression as he watched the younger boy begin wrenching his sword harness off his shoulders and over his head. Laying the equipment out in front of him, Blank started to detach one of the two swords. He always used the one that sat against his right shoulder, and the other was basically box fresh. He removed this sword, scabbard and all, and held it out in front of the bewildered Marcus.
"Wha?" the older boy said, looking back and forth between Blank and the sheathed sword.
"Here, this is for you," Blank said simply.
"Huh?"
"Go on, take it, its yours".
"Wha?" Marcus managed again as Blank dropped it into his uncertain hands.
"Its your birthday present, from me," Blank said, replacing the black scarf around his eyes. Marcus looked down at the sword, drawing it out of the scabbard a short way to examine the blade. The metal was clean and unused, and the handle still gleamed with its last round of polish. Marcus turned to Blank who was waiting for a reaction.
"You've never let anyone go near these, 'sides the Boss," Marcus stated quietly. Blank merely shrugged and kicked the dust up with the heel of his shoe.
"You deserve it," said Blank, turning to the boy whose face he'd never seen, "you aren't so bad, and I've never had that much against you". Marcus smiled at Blank, forgetting any quarrels they'd had since they had first met. He gently placed a hand on Blank's shoulder.
"Thanks Bro".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The early morning clouds lingered darkly as late morning arrived. A breeze was blowing the flowers from the blossoming trees around the District, bringing with them a delightful scent as well as a coincidental destructive uproar. A rolling carriage fortified with iron plates and bars smashed against the tree housing the Fangs, knocking them out of it and onto the ground. A large group Hunters pounced on the pack, and castle soldiers shot the remaining fiends with arrows. Cleanly done, and soon Zidane was climbing up the now crooked tree to peer inside the wall.
"Hullo? Marcus? Blank? You guys in here?" he called, looking all about inside the wall. He never thought to look down and was startled by the sudden shout of "Zidane! What the hell's going on out there?!" Marcus and Blank got to their feet, and edged their way up and out of their temporary prison. The two boys had hardly touched the grassy ground when they were swept up into a suffocating hug from Baku.
"Are you two alright?!" he demanded desperately, noticing the bloodied bandages around Blank's arm. He tried to ask them how long they'd been in there, but was cut short from inquiring about anything when a yelp went up from the team of Hunters and soldiers. Baku and his boys turned around to find most of the group jumping haphazardly out of the way of a high-speed group of Fangs running through the area. Immediately they drew their assorted weapons and were upon the monsters, making sure no creatures survived. One Hunter leapt back as a Fang charged at him, knocking over a barrel standing by a closed food stall.
As the barrel began to roll away, Blank, Marcus and Zidane all demonstrated an anxious look of shock as it emitted a surprised and muffled "AAH!! HELP!!!" The boys recognized the voice instantly.
"That's Cinna!" shouted Blank, racing towards the runaway urn. The barrel made its random route down the paved hill of the streets, bouncing off various things with countless shouts of "OW!" and "DAMMIT!"
"We gotta do something, fast!" Zidane cried, kicking over another arbitrary barrel as he ran. He jumped up onto this new (and already moving) vehicle and rolled it quickly after the other one, gaining speed and proximity to the swift container. Nearing the runaway barrel Zidane leapt upon it, but realized too late he had no idea how to stop it.
"OH CRAP!!!" he yelled, barely keeping up with the tempo of the rotating wood beneath his feet. Marcus cursed a far worse word and pulled his birthday sword out of its scabbard. With as much force as he could muster into the throw, Marcus hurled the weapon way out into the air, where it fell quickly, landed and embedded itself four inches into the pavement. The barrel smashed into the flat of the blade, throwing Zidane off towards the heavens, as the wooden container broke open. Using the time it took for Zidane to return to Gaia, Blank sped down past Marcus' sword and under the falling six-year-old. Blank was knocked down as he caught Zidane, where upon they both tumbled across the cobblestone street.
Never had Blank ever felt so sore and dizzy in his life. He head swam as he and Zidane picked themselves up off the ground and eventually making their unsteady way back up to Marcus. The eldest boy was kneeling over the sprawled Cinna, trying to get any kind of response out of their brother. Cinna wasn't seeing stars, but something very similar as he felt the world spinning around him.
"Oooowww… wha? Where am I now?" Cinna groaned as he stared straight up. The four boys ultimately sat in a circle, not caring about anything except being all together again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baku smiled as he peered down the hill at four boys sitting together in the street.
"Gwahahaha! I sure am glad they're alright!" he laughed, and sat down right where he was. Baku was totally unaware that someone very important had just entered the area. Regent Cid Fabool slowly walked through the crowd, calling out the names of particular Hunters and soldiers.
"Hunter Baku?"
Baku turned around and felt his breath catch in his throat as the Regent of Lindblum strolled up to him.
"I would like to speak with you," the Regent said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Marcus," Zidane said finally, breaking the weary silence, "happy birthday… as happy as it can be… or try to make the rest of it better…" Marcus blinked at the odd well wishing, and then burst into laughter as he thought of how awful it had started out. Blank smiled softly as he listened to the other boys talk about reviving some fun for the day. He was glad things had worked out in the end, and was very joyful himself, for he had gained a real brother out of Marcus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~2 years later.~
Blank woke up with a start as he felt someone shaking him. The morning sun was very bright as he sat up, glancing around to a very anxious looking Marcus. The ten-year-old was currently bare-chested, but was otherwise dressed in the same outfit he had been wearing for years, only a larger version. Blank immediately jumped out of bed, asking, "What's the matter, Marcus?"
"Zidane's gone, Bro," came the answer. Blank thought he'd misheard him.
"What?" he breathed.
"I mean we can't find him anywhere. No one's seen him since last night after the performance," Marcus told him. Blank rubbed his temples and thought for a minute. Yes, the last time he himself saw Zidane was as they were putting their costumes back into the wardrobes. The monkey-tailed boy had waved a lazy goodnight to the others as he went to sit on the roof as he sometimes did after a play. And that was the last he'd seen of him.
"When did you start looking for him?" he asked his fanged brother, tying up his hair. It was getting rather long now. Marcus explained that he himself had been up earlier than usual, finding Zidane's bed empty and un-slept in. He'd searched the house, then the Theatre District while everyone slept, and returned home immensely concerned.
"I've told the Boss, and Cinna is out looking around the Industrial District," he told Blank, sighing exhaustedly. Blank sighed too as he reached for his eye patch. He too kept a common style of dress, but with a gray shirt instead of the blue one he had worn for the last two years. He had also replaced his sandals with a darker pair of boots, right sized for a nine-year-old.
"It's gonna be just like when we first met him," he mumbled, grabbing his sword and strapping it to his back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Days passed and there was no word from Zidane. Baku reluctantly gave in to the boys' suggestion of putting up 'missing person' posters, and continued to ask around the streets himself. As Blank pinned another poster up on a wooden pole, he noticed something jumping up and down somewhere to his left.
"Huh?" Marcus mumbled, looking around to see what had caught Blank's attention. A girl in a short blue dress was intent on leaping as high as she could into the air. Up and down. Up and down. Several times her wide brimmed white hat flew off her head, where after she'd pause momentarily to pick it up again.
"What is she doing?" Blank asked.
"She's just jumpin' up and down, Bro. I think she's trying to read that notice board in the shop window," Marcus answered him, "it seems that way". Blank thought it strange that she simply didn't find a crate or something similar to stand on. Finally having enough of it, he walked up behind her, grabbed the girl around the waist and lifted her higher off the ground than she could jump.
"Is it easier to see now?" Blank asked the girl. He was completely unprepared for the heel that came swinging back to hit him in a tender place unique to the male species. Immediately he let go of the girl and doubled over, instinctively taking hold of himself in reaction to the attack.
"Whut the hell do ya think yer doin'?!" she screamed at Blank, beside herself with anger. Marcus was there by Blank's side instantly, asking what she was yelling about.
"You CREEP!" the girl shrieked, and then tore off down an alleyway.
"Bro, are you okay?" Marcus asked worriedly. He had been watching from a safe distance the whole time, and thought that the kick looked extremely painful. He glanced up at the flyer (the only thing on the notice board) in the window, wondering what the girl was so interested in.
Tempura Cats are looking for new actors.
Auditions and try-outs welcome at anytime.
Find us at the Lyton mini hall in the lower section of the Theatre District and have a go.
Marcus frowned. Those 'Temper-Load-Catfish' were always trying to one-up the Boss.
"Ah, I'm f-fine," Blank hissed as he straightened up, maybe a bit too quickly, "Sheez, did she get mad or what?"
"I'm not even gonna ask," Marcus muttered.
On the way home, Blank couldn't help but say aloud, "I guess I won't try anything like that again".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed and no sign of Zidane. Baku and the boys were beginning to lose hope. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and they were starting think that maybe something had happened to him.
"I wonder where he went," Cinna sighed as he lay on bedroom rug one evening. Marcus shrugged sadly from his hammock, where he lay on his stomach with one arm hanging over the edge. Blank sat upon Zidane's long abandoned bottom bunk, slumped against the wall. Not one of them had had a restful night's sleep since the monkey-tailed boy's disappearance. Blank would sleep fitfully half the night and then often find himself awake, restless and worried for the remainder. He was very weary, but his young mind was filled with too much concern for their brother to let him rest.
"He might never come back…" Marcus mumbled, and with a groan Blank collapsed on his side, squeezing his eyes shut, even though it was a pointless gesture.
'Where did you go, Zidane?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Would you slow down, Marcus!" Blank demanded as his larger brother dragged him along though the Business District.
"I thought I saw someone with a tail!" Marcus exclaimed, tightening the hold on his smaller brother's hand.
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure".
"You've seen two other kid's today with tails: the rat one and the one with big dog-ears. I thought I was suppose to be the blind one".
"This one has a mop of blond hair".
Blank delved into his long lost memory of sight. What was blond again? Oh yes, a yellowy hair color. Marcus finally slowed down, dropping Blank's hand and approaching the young humanoid with high hopes. The person had a darker shade of blond hair, but Marcus guessed that it probably just hadn't been washed in a while.
"Hey, uh, could you, um, could you turn around?" he asked the short stranger, scanning their orange overalls and white T-shirt. Upon turning the face Marcus, the young cat faced girl raised an eyebrow.
"Whaddya want?" she asked. Marcus gulped in embarrassment. Her tail sure looked like a monkey tail. He couldn't see her triangular ears for the mass of hair, not until she shook some hair out of her face and shifted the layers of it.
"Uh, sorry, I thought you were someone else," he apologized. The girl shrugged and with a small smile walked away.
"You really should make an effort to make sure it's not him before asking," Blank sniggered, "I think she likes you".
"God, I hope not," muttered Marcus. He happened to look over Blank's shoulder as he said this, and dropping a hand on said shoulder he twisted his brother around and announced, "but there's some who definitely does NOT like you". Blank felt himself freeze up as he acknowledged the presence of the same girl who had kicked him. As far as he could tell, she was jumping up and down again.
"Hey, Marcus, tell me what she's doing. Why are the other two kids swingin' that rope around her?" he asked Marcus.
"Oh no you don't," Marcus warned, "I'm not gonna let you make a idiot out of yourself again, Bro…you've never heard of jump-rope?"
"Ah, so that's what she's doin'," Blank said to himself, and began to make his way over to her. Marcus ran up behind him and pulled him back.
"What are you gonna do this time?" he inquired suspiciously, "Pull her hair?"
"Look, all I did was try to help her read that leaflet, and she walloped me. I just wanna say sorry," Blank answered him, shaking off Marcus' hand.
"Sorry?"
"Well, she didn't give me a chance last time, did she?"
Defeated thus, Marcus silently accompanied Blank over to the girls. Immediately stiffening on noticing the boys' approach, the girl they'd met with before tripped over the rope.
"Ruby! Are you okay?" one of the other girls asked, letting her end of the jump-rope fall to the ground as she ran over to help her friend up. The girl identified as Ruby kicked the rope away.
"You were doing gweat, just needed thwee more jumps to beat your last score," the other girl said, counting off her fingers, "We need to get better if we wanna go to Alexandwia to play! Momma said she'd take us there!"
"Naw, I don't think I really like jump-rope," Ruby muttered, "I think I act better". She got up and watched the two boys as they stopped and stood in front of her.
"Hey," said Blank. Marcus gave a small wave.
"Howdy," Ruby replied, "wanna talk or sumthang?"
'Cuts right to the chase, she does,' Blank thought, "Yeah, talkin's good".
"See y'all later," Ruby said to the other girls, and silently strolled pass Blank and Marcus. Figuring that she wanted them to follow her, they did just that. She didn't lead them far and the three children eventually ended up outside of a small pub in the Business District. Leaning on the urn displaying that day's specials, Ruby turned to the boys and asked "So, whut did ya wanna talk 'bout?" Up close, she seemed to be around seven years old, and was very pretty too.
"Not much really," Blank shrugged, "I just wanted to say sorry for making you mad that time".
"Yeah, I'm sorry too.You know, fer kickin' ya," Ruby said, blushing very slightly, "but you gave me a mighty big surprise".
"So, your name is Ruby? That sounds kinda nice," Marcus said, trying to make better conversation. Unfortunately, this brought a glare from the girl.
"Whut do you mean, 'kinda', huh?" Ruby questioned, "I think it's just dandy fer a lady like myself".
"Lady? Could've fooled me, what with that brash, outlanderish accent," Blank commented. Marcus had to leap in front of Blank in order to protect him from the full blare of Ruby's renewed rage.
"Is thar sumthang wrong with a different way o' sayin' things?!" she screeched, trying to claw at Blank from over Marcus' broad shoulder.
"Ruby, he didn't mean anything by that, he just sticks his foot in his gob a lot, don't get mad," Marcus reasoned, trying to hold the girl back without angering her further.
"Don't 'get' mad?" Blank repeated sarcastically, "bit late for that". Ruby huffed peevishly and backed off, placing one petite hand on her hip, "Well, I think havin' a lil' accent makes me unique!"
"Oh it does, Ruby!" Marcus agreed without entirely meaning it, "Just like your jump-rope skills and… ah…" He stopped short, realizing he really didn't know anything about her.
"And…?" Ruby prompted.
"A-and your hair color! Yeah!" Marcus blurted, using the first thing that caught his eye. Blank scratched his head.
"Is it some weird color or somethin'?" he asked. Ruby was about to scream at him for the use of 'weird', but then thought a little about what he said.
"Whut are ya talkin' about?" she tapped his eye patch to explain her meaning, "you can see plainly enough that my hair is green. Are ya color-blind or sumthang?" Ruby didn't quite understand why that remark caused both boys to shift and fidget uncomfortably.
"I'm… I'm totally… blind," Blank said quietly. Ruby stared for a minute.
"Then why have ya got only one eye covered up?" she asked.
"I was blind in my right eye from when I was born, so sometimes I couldn't throw a rock properly, or other stuff like that. When I was three, my mom didn't come home once, and I had to look myself after that. When I was four, I tried to steal something to hunt with, but I tripped and did my left eye on somethin' sharp".
"So now yer can't see no more?"
"Yeah. And I keep my left eye covered up because of the scar".
"Sorry ter hear that".
Blank shrugged. Marcus looked back and forth between his brother and the girl, and then slapped a hand to his forehead.
"Holy hell, we haven't even told you our names!" he exclaimed, "Sorry about that! Hey, I'm Marcus!" He held out his hand to Ruby, who shook it with a kind smile on her face.
"And I'm Blank," the other boy said simply, offering a smile but nothing beyond that.
"And as you know, I'm Ruby," Ruby said, straightening her white hat, "so whut were ya doin' chasin' all those tailed peoples fer?"
"You…noticed that huh?" asked Marcus.
"Indeed I did," Ruby replied.
"We were lookin' for someone. He's got floppy blond hair and a monkey tail, and his name is Zidane," Marcus explained.
"Oh, you know Zidane too?" Ruby asked. This rendered the boys dumbstruck.
"You know him? Zidane Tribal?" Blank asked, almost questioned.
"Of course I know 'im. He's real nice to me when he come to talk," Ruby went on, "he says he's part of an actin' group, just like I wanna be". The boys turned this discovery over in their minds and were about to ask when she last saw him, but were cut off.
"Well t'was nice ter meet you boys, but I gots to be on my way now". And with a skip in her run, she took off through the streets.
"Well, Bro, at least you made up with her," Marcus said to his brother. Blank didn't answer. He followed Ruby with his psychic gaze until she was well among other citizens, causing him to lose track of her.
'Yeah, I guess I did smooth it out. But there was somethin' about her. I could feel it. She hasn't completely forgiven me yet'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blank and Marcus returned home to find the place completely locked up. Conveniently, they found a piece of parchment pinned to the heavy wooden front door. This saved them from looking all the way around the house to see why it had been bolted closed. In Baku's crude handwriting, the note said:
Hey Fools!
You're not going to find me here. I've packed up because I'm moving us out of this dump to a place that is free of charge.
Go to the Theatre Clock and you'll see what I'm talking about.
--The Boss.
P.S. leave this note on the door for the others, in case they haven't read it yet.
"Well, I guess we're goin' to the Theatre Clock," Marcus supposed, replacing the parchment on the wood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow Boss! This looks great!" Marcus exclaimed, scanning every inch of the Clock's interior with his eyes. Blank recognized things from home that had been shifted into the Theatre Clock, like the bunk beds, the table, the rugs, the cabinet, lots of things.
"Yeah, I haven't moved all the stuff in 'ere yet, but when I do, this'll be our new hideout!" Baku proclaimed proudly, "This place is actually built wi' other rooms connected to this one, so we can live here permanently".
"How'd you moved all this stuff in one day, Boss?" Blank asked from the doorway. He jumped a foot in the air as a pair of blue bovine-faced people marched pass him, carrying Blank's bed with a number of jars and jugs balanced on top. They moved all the way to the back left corner of the room and disappeared from view through an almost unnoticeable doorway, then returned to stand near Baku.
"These guys are Benero and Zenero, they'll be joining us from now on," Baku introduced the odd looking young men next to him to Marcus and Blank. Both Benero and Zenero sported a pair of metal claws for hands, wearing black leather on their faces and striped linen everywhere else.
"Why'd ya called it our new 'hideout' Boss?" Marcus inquired, after doing the welcoming rounds.
"Because we're gonna gain some respect throughout the Theatre District, boy," Baku said, "I'm expandin' our little family into somethin' more. From now on, we're "Tantalus", theatre group of professional actors! (Not to mention undercover thieves). Now enough of that! I'll talk more about it when Cinna gets here". Blank and Marcus made their way into the room Blank's bed had been carried into as Benero and Zenero went out again to collect more of their belongings.
"Well, this is a big change," Blank said to Marcus.
"No kidding. We should probably start to sort this room out," Marcus suggested.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~The next day. ~
Blank's head snapped up when he heard Baku throw a punch in the next room, it being accompanied by an "Ooft!" and it continued like that several times more.
Wham! "Ooft!"
Pow! "Nrgh!"
Whack! "Ah!"
Bam! "Gaah!"
He and Marcus flew to the doorway of the room where they had been in all morning, only to find a very angry looking Baku with his back to them. And lying on the rug in front of him was Zidane. Marcus had to be very persistent with his grip as he held Blank back, who was struggling to get into the room. The former also had a hand clamped over the latter's mouth, trying not to disturb Baku and Zidane.
"B-bastard..." Zidane muttered, wiping some blood from his cut lip. He was dressed in a completely different outfit, one that looked (in Zidane-clothing-tradition) slightly too big for him. Gray and teal gloves to match teal trousers, a white shirt with a lace collar tied with a blue ribbon, dark teal vest with leather straps and white and brown leather boots. Where had Zidane been only to return clad in that? Zidane forced himself off the floor, glaring hatefully at Baku.
"Is beating the hell outta me gonna fix that I've been gone?!" he shouted, "If I knew you were gonna do that I would never have come back! I just wanted to find out where I really came from! Well I'm back now! And you knock me up?!" Baku snarled and turned to face Zidane, glaring just as hard. Blank stiffened as he felt the atmosphere thicken with anger. And then suddenly, it disappeared.
"W-what?" Zidane whispered, eyes wide with shock.
"Just get outta my face, go find the others," Baku said softly, and then he made his way out of the building. Blank would not be held back any longer. With a final pull he wrenched his arms out of Marcus' grasp and was by Zidane's side in seconds. Zidane grunted as the other boys half dragged half carried him into their new bedroom.
"Are you even gonna tell us where you've been?!" Blank demanded, carefully depositing his brother on his own bed.
"Look, don't go into that now…" Zidane sighed, clutching his bruised sides, "…I'll tell ya later…"
Blank and Marcus left it there, and waited until Zidane was ready to explain why he left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So he came back then?" Ruby asked as she walked with Blank down a cobble-stoned alley, delighted at the return of Zidane.
"Yeah! He came back!" exclaimed Blank, barely containing the joy he felt, "he just walked through the door looking really tired! I don't care anymore where he went, as long as he doesn't leave like that again!"
"I can understand that. Well I'll have ter come 'round and say hi to him sumtime, if that's alright with you guys?" Ruby suggested, fluttering her long lashes. She suddenly remembered he wouldn't have noticed the gesture, but was saved from feeling stupid when Blank simply grinned a broader grin and agreed, "That'd be great! I'm sure the Boss would like to meet you too!"
"Oh? Why's that, partner?" she asked.
"'Cos I've told him about you, and he likes the sound of a brash little girl that bosses us around!" Blank laughed. He was mildly surprised to feel the mood change within his younger friend, and was left scratching his head as she marched away mumbling to herself.
"…one insult after ah-nother,…rrrrmmffrarraa…lousy boys…rarrraaraaa…stupid Blank…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~5 years later.~
Blank sighed and dug around in the chest at the foot of Cinna's bed, looking for another roll of bandages. Finding one, he took this coiled up fabric and returned to Zidane's bedside.
"I thought you would've learned by now that the Boss is gonna beat you up every time you disappear on us like that," he said to his monkey-tailed brother. Zidane merely huffed irritably as Blank began wrapping up his left arm's bruised bicep.
"I'm always helping you," Blank muttered, "dunno why I bother sometimes".
"You got me stumped why you keep doin' this to yourself, Zidane," Cinna added, entering the bedroom with a bowl of cold water and a rag. Marcus followed closely behind, shaking his head at Zidane's damaged state.
"Yeah, whatever…" Zidane scoffed, twitching his tail in Blank's grasp. Blank cursed inwardly. Zidane wasn't making his job any easier as he kept fidgeting and moving around. Marcus rolled his eyes and clapped a hand on the monkey-tailed boy's shoulder.
"C'mon Zidane, how old are you?" he said, "you're thirteen and you act like you're five. Grow up and tell us where you keep goin' or at least why you do it?" He was given no response, and with a sigh, Marcus turned around and walked out again. Cinna watched him go, sighing a little himself. Handing the bowl and rag over to Blank, he took off after their eldest brother. Blank kept silent, concentrating on binding battered limbs. He was angry with Zidane. Everyone really cared about him. He was part of the family, but whenever he would just up and leave them like this, he never told them what, where or why about his absences. And it was hurtful. Blank didn't like feeling as though it was too precious to trust them with. He cared deeply for his brother, and wanted to know why he was being so stubborn. Zidane kept his gaze on the floor, a slightly less bitter expression on his face now.
"I'm sorry that I can't tell you guys…" Zidane mumbled, catching Blank's attention, "…it's just…too personal…" Blank tied the last knot of the bandage on Zidane's shoulder, and then picking up the rag dipped it in the water in the bowl. He began dabbing at the cuts on Zidane's eyebrow and lip. It had taken him ten years, but Blank's lessons in psychic vision had paid off. Small things were obvious to him now, like Zidane's fingers fiddling with his tail, or the way Zidane was looking at the ground shamefully.
"While I forgive you, I wish you'd tell me what it is that compels you to run off the way you do," Blank said softly.
"…I…I-I just…can't, Blank…" Zidane forced out, turning away sharply. Blank dropped the rag back into the bowl where it splashed with a small slosh, and grabbing his brother around the shoulders hugged him from behind.
"Promise me you will someday, " he said, holding Zidane's back against him, "Just promise you will tell me…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcus scratched his head as he looked around the Industrial District. He was used to people rushing around and what not, but not frantically as though they were anticipating some horrid event. He stopped a young man with an artist's hat pulled to the side of his head, and asked what was getting everyone so worked up about.
"A giant purple beast ran through the Air Car stations and their tracks, wrecking heaps of walls and causing loads building to fall!" the man cried, before rushing off the help carry the wounded coming from the Business District. Marcus immediately spun on his heel and bolted back towards the Theatre District.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I couldn't find him," Cinna reported as he entered the bedroom again. Zidane groaned and fell back on his bed, flinging his arms up over his eyes. Blank stood, sighing long and exasperatedly. He grabbed his headband belt from the top of the chest, and flinging his eye patch into the air, placed the belt around his head, cover his eyes.
"I'll try to find him," he said, and made his way out of the room. Blank was about to exit through the doorway, but instead was thrown back suddenly when something large and currently almost panicked burst in through the doorway and knocked him to the ground.
"Geez! I'm sorry, Bro!" Marcus exclaimed, helping Blank up off the floor, "But I've just found out that some big monster thing is runnin' around crashin' into stuff! Heaps of people are hurt and everything!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If anything were going to make your stomach turn, it would probably be the smell of singed flesh. Blank clasped both hands over his nose and mouth as they entered the main shopping street of the Business District, trying to block out the stench. Bodies were scattered randomly along the cobblestones, the odd building had collapsed, and many possessions and stores had been burnt. The District's residents ran back and forth in despair and panic, everyone on an instant reaction to help anyone and everyone in need. Children and women were crying, screams of anguish over a determined loss were heard, orders for more help and instructions for the next action were made. The scene should not have been witnessed by anyone. It shouldn't have happened.
"What kind of nightmare have you brought us to see, Marcus?" Cinna squeaked. Marcus gave him a pained look, and then pointed out into the middle of the street.
"I think it's only logical that help is needed throughout Lindblum," he said, "you can be a coward later, Cinna". Cinna frowned at the comment.
"But where do we start first? Helping the wounded or puttin' out fires?" Blank asked grimly, "Clearin' the streets or finding the damn monster? I'm open to suggestions, because we got one helluva mess to clean up".
"No kidding," Cinna sighed. The boys began to make their way among the flustered crowds, but stopped when they heard Zidane call from behind "Wait for me!"
They turned to see their monkey-tailed brother scrambling past soldiers in a frantic fashion to reach the other teenagers. Zidane came to a dramatic halt in front of them, placing one on his hands on his knee and the other over his bruised sides.
"I-I'm…I'm comin' too. You guys…are gonna need...help," he wheezed. Blank felt like hitting him.
"Forget it. You're banged up bad enough from the beatin' the Boss gave you," Marcus said sternly, "Get home, you can't do anything in your condition".
"Besides hurting yourself some more," Cinna added. Zidane glared at Marcus, defiantly pushing past him, and the latter turned and grabbed former's arm as he went. The monkey-tailed teen winced, and shot another glare at Marcus.
"Go home, now," Marcus ordered, earning a snarl from Zidane. He tried again, twisting Zidane's arm, "Home. Go. Now".
"Hey! Don't make the problem worse, Marcus!" Blank jumped in and loosened Marcus' grip with both hands. Marcus didn't move, but he let his brother go. Zidane stepped back and rubbed his arm.
"At least…go and see how Ruby is doin'" he said. He turned and headed off in the direction of the Tantalus headquarters, leaving the other boys pondering their next move.
"Shit," Blank muttered, "we should have thought of Ruby earlier".
"Wait… which District does she live in again?" Cinna asked, scratching his nose. Marcus hit him upside the head, and made his way toward the Industrial District. Blank and Cinna followed him silently, keeping watch for anything suspicious and purple should it attack again. Every now and then the three teenagers would stop to help someone not capable of performing some task by themselves, piling stones or reassuring the hurt and grieving. Progress was slow; whatever abomination of pain had really caused major damage to the city
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How many fires are throughout the city?!" Regent Cid exclaimed, among other orders he was handing out in the sudden uproar of chaos in Lindblum.
"Eighteen sire, and our water reserves are running low," the soot covered soldier reported grimly, stepping back another group of soldiers trooped past to go down into the city streets.
"Well then don't waste anymore of it!" Regent Cid shouted, then turned and ordered another soldier to take care of wounded coming into the castle, "Round up every Red Mage and soldier possessing magic in the city! I want to see Water spells being cast throughout the Districts with the next twenty minutes!"
"Yes sire!" the soldier saluted and tore off down the hallway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blank spread yet another pile of rubble across the pavement in his desperate search for Ruby. The boys had come into the residential area of the Industrial District, only to find it was by far the worst hit of all the Districts. They were dismayed to find that Ruby's house had been totally leveled. Brick, wood, stone, any building material that was once part of the structure now lingered as individual pieces now.
"Shit, shit, SHIT!!!" Blank shouted, throwing himself to the next heap. He prayed he wouldn't find Ruby under here, that she was already elsewhere and very safe. The last thing he needed was a friend to perish without his knowing about it. A short distance away, Marcus turned an accidental pile of planks over with one shove. The image of Ruby's crushed body flashed across his mind, causing the strong young man to work at a faster pace.
"A-aaaaaaaooohh shit!!!"
They immediately turned at Cinna's scream to see him leap back from a pile he had been digging through. Blank made his way cautiously over to where Cinna stood going paler by the minute, to inspect this find and to see what had startled him.
"Marcus, does Ruby's mother wear a bronze ring?" Blank asked. Marcus sighed and bowed his head.
"No Bro, but her aunty does," he answered gravely, and came around to them and looked down. A single elegant hand had been revealed from under the wreckage. It wasn't crushed, but judging from the thin trail of blood that ran down the arm and wrist, the owner of the on the limb probably had. The blood had caught upon said bronze ring and dripped between the fingers to create a small crimson pool.
"God help us if Ruby is in there," Marcus muttered, and turned away from the dead woman's hand. Blank placed a broken sheet of chiprock wall covering over the limb, and then put a comforting hand on Marcus' shoulder.
"A-aren't we gonna look around for her some more?" Cinna asked worriedly, casting a look back over the debris.
"If you wanna spring back in horror again and again, be my guest," Marcus said bitterly, I don't think I'd handle findin' Ruby lookin' like that". He gestured to the covered hand, and then shoved his own hands into his pockets. Blank sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Why couldn't a tragedy happen to Alexandria for a change? He felt a new body make its appearance at the end of the former residential street, but he was too busy pondering Ruby's location to pay any attention to its presence. Marcus however decided to look in the person's direction as they picked up more momentum, and he felt his heart leap up into his throat.
"That's Ruby!" was all he managed to blurt out before the girl crashed into him, knocking him into the remnants of the building. She jumped up without so much as an apology, and stared horror-struck at the sight before her. Every fragment, every shard, every splinter, not one detail of the destroyed house escaped her mute scrutiny. That included the streams of blood gently flowing from under the wreckage. She spied the trail coming from under the chiprock board, and kicking it over she let her gaze fall upon the intact hand. Tears ran unchecked and without a sound down her cheeks, and not in a lifetime would she be able to sum up the shattered feeling she felt as scene of death upon her doorstep filled her world.
Blank sensed it long before it happened. He leapt forward just as Ruby sank to her knees and screamed all her sorrow out as much as she could in one long angered shriek. She didn't care who heard her; she wanted someone, anyone, EVERYONE to know of her pain. If there was a God, she hoped he heard her. Blank took Ruby by the shoulders and held her tightly as she struggled to break free of his grip, screaming all the while. Marcus knelt down and tried to assist his brother in restraining the hysterical girl. Before long she went from screeching to wailing pitifully, and finally she dissolved into a bout of sobbing, miserably clinging to the two teenage boys that held her. Cinna remained standing as he watched his brothers console the tearful girl, looking lost and defeated at the same time.
By the time Ruby had tired herself into silence, all the fires in the city had been put out, and the beast had been caught near the palace. Cheers and shouts went up in all areas of the city, spreading the news fast. Ruby couldn't have cared less. She had cried all her energy and anger away, and now sat staring dumbly at the dirt covered lace hem of her teal colored dress. She mostly sat across Blank's lap, leaning over and resting her head on Marcus' shoulder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh shit! Ruby, you okay kid? Are ya hurt?" Baku exclaimed as the boys brought her silently into the Tantalus headquarters. Marcus sat down on the old sofa in the planning room, pulling her down next to him. Ruby instantly pressed up against him in an unconscious effort to comfort herself, clutching his vest and staring into space. Zidane's eyes never left her tear stained face as she cried without making the slightest sound, watching her twitch every so often when an uncalled for sob rose up.
"Yo, fools, c'mere," Baku ordered, nodding approval to Marcus whom seemed reluctant to leave Ruby alone, and the large man and the three teenagers left the room.
"Now it's obvious this is the fault of that goddamned monster crashin' about, but I wanna know exactly what you found when yer found her," Baku demanded once they were away from the distraught girl's hearing range.
"Her place was just toasted, Boss," Blank reported solemnly, "everyone was wasted. That simple, that horrific".
"Shit," Zidane swore, running a hand over his forehead and into his bangs.
"Well she'll stay wit' us now," Baku announced, ignoring the unanimous looks of shock the boys displayed, "you boys were practically brothers to her over the last few years anyhows".
"B-boss?" Cinna spoke up, "Do you have any idea about raising a girl?"
"Does it matter?!" Baku fumed, "she's got no where to go, and we're the closing thing she's got as a family now. If you care about her, do the same as me and help her". Baku then stomped off in search of Benero and Zenero.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruby was becoming more aware of her surroundings again by the time the boys were tired enough to go to bed. The first thing she said was that she didn't want to sleep alone. Cinna, being the highest voted idiot of Tantalus, found his offer of company politely declined. Zidane gave Ruby a gentle hug, apologizing that he was too sore to have anyone else sharing his bed. The cause of said injuries were too embarrassing to explain. Marcus' hammock was really only for one person.
"So that leaves my bed, okay Ruby?" Blank said patting the space next to him on his mattress. Marcus blew out the candle lamp as Ruby slipped under the covers next to Blank, reflectively snuggling up to him. Blank petted her head and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her trembling. It would take a long time to heal the mental wounds she had received today.
It was quite a long time before anyone fell asleep, but it would be certain that Blank would be the last one. He stared up at the ceiling thinking of the day's events, berating the creature that had harmed Ruby's life. He felt Ruby stir next to him, and he felt her gaze fall upon his bare face, its scar uncovered.
"Blank?"
"Yeah Ruby?"
"…thank you Blank… fer helpin' me today…"
Next Chapter - Blank Script.
~QueenQeeko