Return of Light
Crack! Bam! Whoosh!
Chappu slammed backwards onto the floor, gasping for breath. He stared up at a triumphant Tida, who put her gloved hands on her hips and smirked down at him.
"I win!" she said cheerfully.
"You knocked the… breath… out of me… Just let …me catch… my second… wind…" Chappu panted, holding his aching stomach. His lungs felt like they were on fire.
"Chappu, I've kicked your ass in hand to hand three times already. Give it up. Geez!" Tida threw her hands in the air and turned, striding away. She stopped and looked back at him. "These gloves pack a punch. I fight better with them than I did with a sword."
Chappu winced as he pushed himself up. "So I noticed."
Tida rolled her eyes and stepped to him, taking his hand and hauling him to his feet. "Let's face it. I'm way stronger now. These things, like, triple my strength." Tida held up her hands, grinning at the gloves.
"Maybe we should end training now. My ribs ache from your elbows always going between them." Chappu rubbed his ribcage tenderly, grimacing.
"Cry baby," Tida snipped.
"You would be, too," Chappu retorted.
"Should we go destroy some fiends? I need some practice with these babies—to break them in, ya know?" Tida said as they exited the training room.
Chappu grinned. "I know just the place."
—
"Why did I have to come? My powers are perfectly fine!" Zeoron pouted, crossing her arms and sticking out her chin. "Humph!
"We need to get in sync, Zeo. We gotta work together to win. It's all about the teamwork, ya know," Tida explained, rolling her eyes and cocking one hip as her hands rested on them.
"Yeah, yeah," Zeoron said, dismissing Tida's words with a wave of her hand. "Whatever. Let's just find some fiends, dust them, and get back."
"Got plans or something, Zeo?" Chappu teased, brushing by both girls and spinning the Shattered Heart in practice. He glanced around, ignoring the chilly wind of the base of Mt. Gagazet. Chappu narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the area around him. It was kind of quiet, but he knew there was something around. There had to be. Gagazet was practically crawling with fiends and darkfiends and even—though he hoped not to find one—shadowfiends.
"Chappu!"
Flash!
Chappu spun just in time to be blinded by a bright flash of light. Surrounded in darkness, Chappu blinked his eyes and rubbed at them with one hand, furiously straining to see something. He heard Zeoron shout and listened to a loud cry of Tida's followed swiftly by a cracking sound.
"Eye drops, coming up!" Zeoron whispered, flinging a bottle that opened and spewed its contents all over Chappu, who shook his head as he opened his eyes fully.
Tida was fighting off something wolfy-looking, but with gleaming red eyes.
A darkfiend.
Chappu whirled quickly and prepared to fend off the next attacker, a larger fiend, and this one big enough to be a shadowfiend. He parried its first swing at him and then sliced its arm off. He had no idea what it was, only that it was trying to kill him.
Zeoron leapt onto a boulder out of the way and took out flyers with spells of differing elements, gleefully zapping a few of the eyes with lightning.
Tida's arms were a little sore from the beating the muscles were bringing on from the constant punches she threw at oncoming fiends. She was kicking as well, and doing her fair share of the damage. She'd killed three fiends and two darkfiends already. She had yet to summon.
At last, the trio drew back, Tida kneeling in front of her guardians. All three were panting heavily, gasping for air. Zeoron, somehow, had been nicked across one cheek and that cut, though tiny, was streaming blood down the side of her face. Chappu was well off except for the claw mark across his back. Tida herself was perfectly fine; not a mark marred her face or anywhere else for that matter.
But the reason they had drawn back was that they were caught off guard and all were gaping at the warrior now standing in front of them, towering. It was a shock, too true.
"Yojimbo," Tida whispered.
The aeon was standing before them, looking down at them quite coldly. A shiver crawled up Tida's spine. She'd never fought an aeon before. Could she risk fighting aeon against aeon?
"What now?" Zeoron asked breathlessly, trying to conjure up enough energy for some powerful spells.
"I—I don't know. Why is he here? Where did he come from?" Tida said, shaking her head in bewilderment as she gazed at Yojimbo with wide eyes.
Chappu growled in frustration and adjusted his grip on the Shattered Heart. "We've got no choice but to fight him. Save the hows and whys and whats for later."
Tida nodded. "Right. Ready?"
Chappu and Zeoron nodded and Tida hunched a little lower, her eyes steadily darkening shade by shade. She gave a slight jerk of her head.
"Here we go," she hissed coolly.
As if almost in slow motion, Tida rose from her crouch and began running, low to the ground, at Yojimbo. Zeoron raised her hands above her head and closed her eyes, straining for her power force. Chappu went airborne with the Shattered Heart held high and fierce cry accompanying it.
"FLARE!" Zeoron shrieked.
Tida swung her fists just as Chappu brought the Shattered Heart down with all the strength he could muster. Blazing flames leapt around the aeon, which, shockingly, dissipated into thousands of pyreflies.
Tida, Chappu and Zeoron stood in a semi-circle around a few ashes, staring in bafflement down at them. Tida blinked, Chappu ran a hand through his hair, and Zeoron dropped to her knees.
"That was easy," Tida commented, giving a slight shrug of one shoulder.
"Bit odd," Chappu added.
Zeoron sighed. "I cannot believe it. I collected all that energy and this is what I get—three hits—one from each of us—and he's dead." Another sigh. "It's a cruel world."
"Yeah, well." Tida grinned and put one hand on one hip, cocking her head. "It's great to be back in action, ne?"
Zeoron rolled her eyes and Chappu hauled the Mage to her feet. "Let's go, shall we? Before something else happens," he muttered.
—
"OUCH! THAT'S THE ONLY BACK I'VE BLOODY GOT!" Chappu roared, turning his head to glower over his shoulder at Tida, who was repairing the damage the slashing claw had done.
"Oh, stop your whining, you big baby," Tida snapped, but her touch did go a few steps lighter. Tenderly, she cleaned the dirt and dried blood from the three gash marks. Wincing, she pulled out a broken nail and tossed it aside, wrinkling her nose.
Chappu grumbled under his breath and he lay on his stomach, almost hugging the top of the pillow under his bare chest. Tida's touch was light, he knew, but damn it, his back felt like it was on bloody fire and the skin was being peeled away.
Tida pressed a kiss to Chappu's back and raised up, murmuring, "Curaga." Instantly, the slices grew together and repaired themselves, looking like it had never even been open or wounded.
Chappu sighed in relief and laid his head down, closing his eyes. After a moment, he rolled over and put an arm under his head, propping it up enough to gaze at Tida. "Thanks."
Tida looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "You'd better be thanking me."
Chappu saw her eyes flicker over the scar across his eye and he grimaced inwardly. What did she think of it? Did she still think him good-looking?
"I know it's hideous," he said, moving his eyes away from her.
"What? Oh, no, Chappu. It's not hideous. It's just sort of—sort of shocking. But," Tida crept over him and leaned close to his ear, "it is kinda sexy-looking."
Chappu laughed and seized her, wrapping his arms around her and rolling them over so that he was staring down into her colored orbs. "I wish I didn't have it," he said, merely brushing his lips against hers.
Tida brought one hand up and swept a lock of hair out of his face. "Do you want me to make it go away?" she asked, tilting her head as she searched his eyes.
Chappu nodded and Tida pulled her head up to his, kissing him. She ran a fingertip down the scar and Chappu felt it recoil and turn into smooth skin beneath her touch. He smiled as he kissed her back.
"Light, you're so lovable," he murmured.
Disclaimer: All belongs to Square Enix. You people know what's mine, okay?