And I have decided upon a Shadow/Hotaru fic... -smiles- because I think that'd be shibby.
Ages (Once again, just guessing):
Hotaru - 18
Edgar - 21
Terra - 19
Locke - 20
Celes - 19
Cyan - 27
Sabin - 20
Gau - 19
Setzer - 24
Relm - 13
Shadow - 22
Is Relm's grandfather's name Stratgo? Or Strago... Stragos... something like that? Anyone remember?
Hotaru Goes to Figaro
Chapter Three
By:
Vale (Saturn Angels)
Hotaru stumbled onto the hot desert sand, by now she could see the city up close-- it was still about a 40 meters away... but she was almost there. And from what she could see it wasn't a city at all, but a castle.
She gasped, looking behind her, monsters-- youma had attacked her upon more than one occasion and by now she was even more tired than before. The sand had clung to her wet pants and shoes and by now had tried, some had gotten into her socks and were creating an annoying itching sensation.
She sighed, resting her face against the dirt, her cardigan still thrown over her head, she coughed weakly, feeling as if she was dying of thirst.
She licked her lips before making spitting sounds as she tried to get the dust from her mouth, "Ugh..." she groaned as she forced herself to stand and continue her journey to the castle, her feet sinking into the sand each time she stepped making her feet very hard to lift up.
She hummed a song she had heard once from an American CD that her friend had burned for her, the lyrics came back to her somewhat hazily and she sang the parts she remembered and hummed the parts she couldn't.
"People are strange, when you're a stranger... .... women seem wicked, when you're unwanted, streets are uneven when you're down. When you're strange... ..." she hummed the rest, occasionally singing the chorus a couple more times, she continued singing the song longer than it was meant to be sang and she was able to reach the castle just as she finished the last lines.
"When you're... strange..." she mumbled quietly to herself, she was surprised she hadn't died of a heat stroke by now.
She made it close to the castle, looking up at the thing she was to call her savior for the rest of her life. Before collapsing in its shadow thankful that she had at least made it there alive, and perhaps a little regretful that she didn't think what kind of people could be there.
Perhaps monsters? Cannibals? There really was no telling in these sort of remote continents...
-Three hours later-
Hotaru stirred slightly, her skin feeling rejuvenated, not at all as tight or as heated... in fact her entire body felt refreshed... she could tell she was lying in a bed, the sheets felt cool around her...
So, she was in a bed... was it her own bed? Had she just dreamt up the whole nightmare?
She sighed blissfully, opening her eyes to see a completely foreign room around her.
It was high-ceilinged, stone-walled, and almost empty save for three other beds that occupied the same room she was in. She seemed to be in a hospital of some sort... up in one of the corners of the room was a table and two chairs, most likely for patients who couldn't move around enough to eat in the main hall.
But other than noticing her surroundings all she could really think about at the moment was how it wasn't a dream, and she had to somehow find her way home, she had to somehow contact the other senshi.
"Excuse me?" she asked, sitting up in her bed, looking down at the nightgown they had clothed her in rather than her dirty clothes-- it was probably a hygiene issue.
A nurse immediately made her way towards Hotaru, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders as she smiled congenially, "Hello there, I'm glad to see you've woken up! It took many potions and even remedies to get you back into your natural state of health. What happened to you dear?"
"I... my plane, it crashed in the ocean... do you have a phone I can use?" Hotaru asked sullenly, "And on a second note, where am I?"
The nurse stared at her blankly, blinking her big hazel eyes before trying to answer everything, "Plane? You mean airship, dear? Yes, those things can be very dangerous. It's a lucky thing you made it out. You're in the Castle of Figaro, run by Edgar..." she sighed wistfully, "He flirts with all the women, so be mindful."
Hotaru nodded slightly, not really caring at the moment or really even paying attention to the woman's advice, "Ma'am, do you have a phone I can use?"
"Phone?" she questioned, "What in the world is that dear?"
Hotaru gaped at the woman, before she recalled where the woman said they were, "Figaro... where is that located?"
"Oh fiddlesticks..." the woman replied with a giggle, "You know how I can never remember the names of countries, I just know city names and Gaia." she said with a smile.
"Gaia?" Hotaru asked, her skin becoming paler than usual.
The woman laughed outright, "My, it's refreshing to have someone even more clueless than me in the world. Gaia is of course the name of this great earth..." she said with a smile, "I'm sure you're just having a memory lapse-- it often happens with patients who were near death."
Hotaru began zoning out slightly, Gaia? So... was she on another planet, or were these people just sincerely completely out of it and isolated from soceity? Yes, that was the only plausible thing... everyone here was out of their minds.
But if they had no phones then she wouldn't be able to contact the senshi...
She had to get off this island... and find a phone somewhere, and get in touch with everyone, let them know that she was okay.
"Hey, Leila..." called another servant woman, entering the room but simply sticking her head through the door to give her message, "As soon as the patient wakes up he wants to see her in the throne room."
"Well she's up so I'll send her right over just let me check a few more things."
The servant nodded and walked out, the door shutting behind her on its own due to the heaviness of the metal used to make it.
Hotaru looked over to the girl, Leila, and blinked waiting for her to escort her to the throne room.
"Well, you heard her didn't you?" Leila asked, "Go to the throne room, up out of bed now-- you've had your rest, it's already the evening."
Hotaru was practically throne out of the infirmary, not quite sure of which direction to head in before she figured that it was probably the highest place in the castle, so she walked up the steps and through random doors and amazingly enough, she did find her way to the correct place.
She walked up to the throne, feeling somewhat awkward at having him just sit there and watch her as he waited for her to get close enough to speak to.
She was unsure of what to do so she bowed slightly, "Ah... they informed me that you wanted to see me?"
"The nightgown suits you." he said, motioning for her to stand.
There was an intake of breath as she blushed fervently which sounded a bit like 'Hii!' before she cleared her throat and regain her composure, "I-I was w-wondering what you n-needed to see me for..." she stammered.
"Well naturally I need to know who you are and where you came from... though I already know the answer to the second question."
Hotaru looked up at this 'Edgar' surprisedly, his blue eyes seemed to show no mischief... and what beautiful eyes he had. "What?"
"Heaven." he answered with a gallant smile.
Hotaru blinked, not the answer she was expecting. And she wasn't sure if he was just flirting or if he was actually serious-- after all weren't they all insane?
"But really, down to business-- what is your name, and how did you wind up here?" he asked, his gaze once more serious and direct.
"Ah, umm... my name is Tomoe Hotaru, my surname being Tomoe and my first name Hotaru... umm, I- my plane crashed in the ocean on my way to America from Japan and I fell asleep, in the ocean, and woke up on a shore... and made my way to your castle, sir. Your majesty." Hotaru said, stumbling over her words.
"America? Japan?" Edgar asked, his brows furrowing as he tried to digest all of the information given to him, "...you're from a place called Japan?"
Hotaru nodded.
"Is.. it part of the Empire run by Kefka?" he asked suddenly.
Hotaru shook her head, "No, your majesty."
"Please call me Edgar."
Hotaru nodded slightly making a mental note to remember his name.
"...hmm... one moment." he clapped his hands and immediately a servant walked briskly through the doors and carried on in a quieted voice to speak with Edgar before nodding.
There were a few moments of awkward silence, Hotaru feeling Edgar watching her intently-- but not in a perverted sense... it seemed he had become suspicious of her after she had told him the name of her home country.
Seconds later the same servant reappeared, handing Edgar a map.
"This is the map of the world-- show me where your city is located..." Edgar said, beckoning Hotaru to come closer, at her reluctance to do so he grinned sultrily and said, "Don't worry-- I don't bite."
Hotaru blinked and looked at him through glaring eyes, "Don't mess with me, I've heard of your reputation."
"Girls in the hospital wing speaking too much as per usual I should imagine..." he said trailing off with a light-hearted shrug, "Oh well! Come on, just show me where it is on the map."
Hotaru made her way to the left of Edgar gazing at the map with confusion clearly written on her face as she stared at the foreign shapes of the continents, "This... it isn't on here."
"Oh? Is it an uncharted island of some sort?" Edgar asked, "It would explain your foreign clothing and name..."
Hotaru tried to swallow the uneasy feeling she had, tried to convince herself that everyone was just insane and a child must have drawn that map...
But this Figaro place wasn't listed on a normal map, anywhere back at home, and such a place would be easily found, it was rather large... and none of the continents on their map looked remotely like the ones she'd seen.
And the name of their planet, the monsters that ran rampant throughout the desert, airships, lack of phones...
Hotaru gasped, trying to fight off the realization, trying to convince herself that she hadn't figured it out yet-- anything to postpone it, "I'm... in a completely different world." she whispered, more to herself than to the king who was seated in his throne to the right of her.
"I'm in a different world..." she thought to herself shaking her head, "but that can't be-- how could it have happened?"
"Are you feeling alright Hotaru?" Edgar asked, standing from his seat and setting down the map, "You look faint-- do you need to sit down?"
"I.. I want to go home." she uttered, looking confusedly around, she began clutching her stomach and gasping for air, "I want to go home! Don't touch me!" she shouted as Edgar tried to help her steady herself, she promptly fell onto the floor, where she curled into a tight protective ball.
Edgar immediately called for help that the girl be taken back to the medical ward, it was quite obvious that she wasn't well: she was even muttering things about different worlds and saying things in a language he didn't quite recognize.
"Take me home!" she cried out as a couple of nurses picked her up and carried her struggling self to the infirmary.
Edgar blinked looking out in the direction they had taken her, tilting his head to the side a bit.
"...Odd girl." was all that he said before going back to study the map to try and locate the 'Japan' that the girl was talking about.
Only he didn't know at the time that he would never be able to find it on any map...
--End Chapter Three--
Vale: Sorry it took so long to update! But there will be another update soon...
Arnvid: Was there something after the soon?
Vale: ...soon-ish. Demmit Arnvid! You're supposed to help me not feed me to them on a silver platter!
Arnvid: Gold my dear, gold.
Vale: ...-twitch- it's your fault you evil muse! You're not doing your job! You're not inspiring me like you should be!
Arnvid: I inspire everyone.
Vale: ... except me?
Arnvid: ...-grin- exactly.
Jewel: Thanks! :)
Dee-Chan: I know! Amazing isn't it? heehee
(blank): Indeed-- but speaking as one who lives in a desert-- you can feel the heat being absorbed and though your skin feels cooler, it's absolutely horrible to actually feel. It's all hot and ugh...
Tenshi Cat: Thanks :) I know! -huggles the Locke- isn't he the best?
Black Aura-Sama: Yup, FF6 is the playstation version of FF3, which is why it's bs that my friend says her cousin has FF3 on PS -mutter mutter-
(blank): Thankies
Kagami3: Yesh, treasure hunter hehe
saa4: well...a year and something months isn't exactly soon... but I hope you're still interested in this!
lilbirdy: With Final Fantasy 6 silly, tis a video game.
Seishi Sairensuno: Changing votes eh? Everyone seems to go for Locke... but okily-dokily
Platerair Queen: I really really really like your idea and want to do it but I need fan support for that. who votes for a Shadow/Hotaru fic??? see? That might draw attention to it -grin-
firefly emi-chan: How can Edgar scare you? He's like, the best. hehe
Locke gets me mad -sniffle- choosing Celes over Terra-- what's up with that!?!? All right enough of my rant... doo doo doo, on to the polls.
Hotaru/Edgar = 2
Hotaru/Locke = 4
Hotaru/Shadow = 2 (because my vote counts, nyaaah)