Howdy. Just a quick note, I was listening to scary music when I wrote this chapter, so it inspired me in that kind of way... then I listened to happy&romantic music..(that is WAY out of character for my music taste..) and that inspired me too. Enjoy!
Chpt 8 : True Colours on Berkmea
"Ohhhh... my ankles hurt!" Dagger whined for the seventh time. The rest of the group tried not to explode because of her whining. "Ohh, my ank..." Dagger never finished her sentence.
"For Terra's Grace!!! Would you stop whining woman!!" Iifa snapped before lifting her into a piggyback to stop her cries of defeat. Sarah began to feel uncomfortable. She hated Iifa and Dagger being close. The top was near, it had been a painful three hour's climb to the entrance of the South Gate, and Dagger had started whining in the first 15 minutes.
"Thank gods, the top!" Mariah gasped. Everybody quickened their pace a little until they were eventually stopped by the entrance guards at the Port Cullis. To avoid suspicion, Tei, Sarah and Dagger had put cloaks on, with hoods covering their heads.
"Hello, we were wondering if we could go past the pedestrian path of South Gate?" Mariah said politely.
"Okay, ma'am. Let me check your luggage, then you can pass. Rules and regulations, y'know." The guard said automatically. He had obviously had to say that line thousands of times.
"Of course.." Mariah let them check her cloak, and so did the others. They were clear to go.
"Okay, here's your gate pass. It's for 5 people." The guard handed her a nice looking card with intricate designs on it.
"Thankyou very much." Mariah led the way into the port cullis and to the Berkmea Station.
"Aww, it's late..." Tei noticed a large Berkmea-tram space in the station.
"I guess we just wait then.." Sarah sat down on the spot and stretched her legs, everyone else followed suit. Iifa just roughly let go of Dagger, who nearly fell on her back. Sarah looked around at her new environment, it was well kept and it seemed to have rained recently as-well. As she turned her eyes back to the group, Iifa had his hand on her forehead quicker than she could see him.
"You've been real silent lately, Sarah, do you have a fever or something?" Iifa took his hand off her forehead when she shook her head whilst blushing. "Yeah, there is defiantly something wrong with you, you always start flushing, do you feel hot, or cold?" Iifa looked really concerned. Sarah felt guilty for why she was so silent, in truth, she just wanted to shout out to Gaia; --"I'm in love with you, Iifa! But I don't want that snotty princess to get in our way!!"-- Like that was going to happen.
"Well, Sarah. If there's anything you want to tell me, don't hesitate to call." He pointed a thumb at his chest and grinned at her. She felt like hugging him. The group's rest-break was broken when the chugging and whirring sound of the Berkmea Tram approached.
"That's our call everyone!" Mariah said cheerfully. But everyone else was too tired to notice her enthusiasm.
************************
The soft blue light penetrated throughout the gigantic ship, and Eiko found herself being dwarfed by everything around her. The sound of Mikoto's footsteps broke her awe.
"Eiko Carol, meet my Master..." Mikoto stepped to one side, revealing a man, clad head to foot in black. His old eyes showing wisdom and knowledge.
"I am Garland, and I have been looking for someone like you for a long time, Eiko Carol." His voice boomed so majestically that she thought he were an Eidolon for a moment.
"So..umm. (gulp) W-w-what can I do for you, M-m-mr. Garland?" Eiko stammered.
"Show me where Kuja is."
************************
"Wowww! Look at the mountains! It looks like it's been snowing up there for months!" Tei craned her head even further out the window. "Hey, even South Gate is covered in snow! Wait a minute, it's starting to snow really heavy even now!" Tei withdrew from the window, closing it behind her. Everyone glanced at the window, it was now snowing so heavily that only white could be seen outside.
"I don't know about you, but Isn't snow dangerous to trams like this?" Mariah spoke. Everyone looked at her with a face of impending doom. Just to justify her, the tram suddenly halted to a stop.
"Sorry everyone, but going any further could be dangerous." The engineer announced.
"Well, how far is it to the summit?" Iifa asked. "Can't we walk to the top?"
"Gods, no! When it snows on South Gate mountain, the snow is so thick that it is impossible to see in! Plus, these creatures have started to appear in the snow recently, and the last five people who walked to the top when it snowed like this, where found disembowled not far from here." The engineer trailed off in worry.
"Disembowled?! What the hell are they?!" Sarah panicked.
"They say the creatures hunt in packs on these mountains, they can see in the snow, so they usually catch their victims around here. They look like grotesque rodents of some kind, but we should be safe if we stay in the tram until it stops snowing.." The engineer was shaking. He had obviously heard too many stories, or too much of the truth...
"Well, let's just wait until.." Dagger was interrupted by a large impact on her side of the tram, followed by scratching noises and then a nerve-testing silence.
"W-w-what in Ifrit's name was that..!?" Sarah was trembling in Iifa's arms, everyone had moved to the other side of the cabin.
"W-W-WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! JUST LIKE THE LAST FIVE!!!" The engineer snapped, he was like a helpless child on the floor. Another quick impact was given on the side everyone had moved too. Several other girls on the tram that had got on with them screamed and held each other, shivering with fear.
"Iifa.. I'm scared..." Sarah held onto his shirt while leaning her head on his chest, in turn he held her more tightly. She saw that he was not frightened, just concerned about protecting her.
"Can they get in?!" Mariah asked the deranged engineer while holding Dagger for support.
"I-I-I-I don't know.." He was beyond reason through fear. Everyone seemed to be.
"I wanna go home..." Tei whispered between sobs. Sarah outstretched her hand to Tei, who took it and too was held by Iifa for support. Suddenly a window at the front of the tram smashed in, and everyone jumped, then waited for whatever that smashed it to enter. Nothing.
"No... It's a trap.." Iifa realised too late, as the back windows were smashed in and one of the other girls had been dragged out while everyone had their faces forwards.
"MY GODS!! SUZANNA!!! SUUUZZAANNNAA!!!!" One of her friends screamed.
"Get back!" Iifa dragged the too girls from the back window and to the middle of the tram.
"Where is she?! My Gods, what happened to her!?" The other cried. Too late. A blood-curdling scream was heard outside followed by the ripping of skin. Silence.
"SSSUUUZZANNNAAA!!! OH MY GODS!!!" Her friends screamed together. The moment they heard the obvious sound of her death, everyone felt like hell had come to earth.
"No... We can't get away!" Sarah backed against one of the tram windows at the side. Two more windows smashed in unison, and Sarah was dragged out into thick whiteness.
"SARAH!!" Iifa climbed out into the snow in pursuit. Leaving everyone else holding everyone else in fear of another attack.
************************
Sarah felt herself being dragged off the trackline by an invisible enemy, who had bitten into her leg. She felt the white hot pain of the teeth in her calf muscle, but she couldn't do anything about it. Suddenly she saw the Exploda whirl above her head and crimson fluid spat from her attacker. It looked like a large rat, covered in white fur and scales. The head was like a monkey's except with gruesome teeth and bulbous eyes. Sarah screamed in agony and fear.
"Sarah! Are you okay?!" Iifa held her towards him, though his face was only partially visible through the thick snow.
"IIFA!!!" She hugged him hard, but something moved in the corner of her eye.
"Iifa! Watch out!" He was quick to respond, the enemy was not. Another one of the creatures fell the the ground, only visible through it's outline in it's own blood.
"We're surrounded!" Sarah panicked. She held onto Iifa tightly, knowing that even her summons could not help her now. She could almost see her end as the partially visible creatures surrounded them. Through her fear she noticed that Iifa's clothes had become softer, and feather like. She looked at his chest that she'd been leaning on. It was covered in Black and silver feathers. She then looked at his face. His hair was black and silver like the feathers that covered him, and his eyes were glowing cerulean. She held her breath, this was the creature that had shielded her body on Alexandria bay. This was the creature that had killed the guards in her town, and the creature that had broken Darson's arm in the dark of the Iifa tree. This creature was Iifa. Iifa transformed. As if on cue two giant feathered wings sprung from his back, they were of the same colour as his feathers and gave him somewhat of a Dark Angel look. She was too awed to notice the danger. Iifa closed his eyes and grinned evilly, showing off his new animal like teeth, the canines larger than the rest. She knew that that was the grin of evil, hate and malice he had shown Darson, and she was terrified.
"I-I-Iifa?!" She almost choked out.
"~This...This, is the end..~" He hissed in the Terran language that only she could understand.
"Oh no..." She whispered to herself as she sunk to the floor, knowing that merciless carnage was about to meet her vision. And she was too right. Iifa sprang upward, slashing every one of the creatures as if he could see them by day, blood spilled, poured and spat from all directions as the creatures, one by one, were ripped down into pieces of flesh. Sarah looked around as the eerie silence and truly horrifying scene met her face. The bodies of the snow-creatures were barely more than sliced up organs, flesh and skin. She wanted to be sick. She then started to make out Iifa's transformed figure in the snow. He stood as if wallowing in his brutal victory.
"~Sarah... Come here..~" He said in a hissing tone. She pulled herself up painfully and walked with fear towards him. As she got closer, she could see he was covered in blood and he was doing his signature evil grin. She got about three feet from him then stopped, shivering in the cold and in pain. He approached her and picked her up into his arms, she putting her arms around his now feathered neck.
"~Don't be afraid of me when I turn like this.. I do it to protect you..~" He said in a deep, hissing voice. Obviously the transformation had him a new voice to go with that appearance.
"~Okay.. It's just that you turn so vicious.. that frightens me..~"
"~Just relax about it...I've done this before..~" He began to walk towards the little tram again, where everyone inside looked very puzzled over the sounds they had just heard.
"AHHH!! Another demon!!!" The engineer screamed from inside the tram when he saw Iifa approach.
"~Fool... Shall I dispose of him?~" Iifa asked the girl in his arms. She shook her head in disapproval. It hit her. He only recognised her as something to protect, everyone else was his prey unless she said so.. he was a killing machine..just like he was made for..
************************
The decimated Berkmea tram chugged its way to the top of South Gate summit, where day to day workers gathered round to see the snow, blood and ice covered tram stop at the station. The passengers who exited included two girls, shaking and wide eyed, the engineer - still trying to smile, two pretty young girls, with one that bore a resemblance to Alexandria's princess Garnet, a small cloaked girl with white hair and what seemed like yellow eyes, and finally, two teenagers; a boy with a tail and a girl with a horn. The girl seemed to be attached to the boy like her life was in danger. Out of the whole of them, only the boy seemed calm. The group of passengers made their way slowly past the crowd and into the rest stop, where everyone ordered South Gate Bundt cake.
"I-I know this isn't exactly the best time to ask you about this; Iifa.." Mariah started, as everyone at their table looked at her. "But what happened to you in the snow? You looked like a demon.."
"It's called 'The Last Defence', Mariah. Even you have it." Iifa corrected.
"Even I have it? You mean I can turn into a de.."
"No! Everyone has something in them that helps them if their life is at risk. In my case I take my true form of the Iifa Tree's incarnation of the Angel of Death... Yours would be summoning even if you had no power.."
"So you ARE the new Angel of Death!! I knew it! Ever since Kuja told me that Garland had created the new Angel of Death by simply manifesting the Iifa Tree into a moveable being, I knew there was trouble!" Mariah complained.
"You're the Angel of Death?! How can this be?!" Dagger cried.
"Get over it, Dagger! It's just the way it is.." Iifa silenced her. "My Master will be arriving shortly. There is NOTHING you can do about it.." Everyone on their table retreated into their own thoughts. No-one was sure what to do anymore.
Mariah: (" I wonder where Kuja is... will he save me from this? I knew this day would come... Iifa is going to use me as bait for Kuja, and then Garland will destroy Gaia, and Terra will be in it's place.. What will become of all of us? When Iifa and the Tree finally meet again, gods know what will happen, he won;t give a damn about anyone, he'll just destroy.."
Iifa: ("~Not long to go now.. I will fulfil my purpose.. finally.. But when I destroy Gaia, what will happen to Sarah and little Tei? I can't just leave them... Try not to think about it.. Just concentrate on getting back to Terra through the spirit road..~")
Tei: (" I wonder where my tribe has got to now? I let them go on the cargo ship back to the Forgotten Continent, I hope they got there safely. What about me and Sarah? Will Iifa spare us? I hope so.. I'm also getting sick of this love triangle that's developing between Iifa, Sarah and Dagger. I want Iifa and Sarah to get together, I know she is in love with him, it's obvious. But I'm gonna do everything in my power to stop Dagger getting Iifa!!")
Sarah: (" Iifa transformed into his true form to protect me... Am I the only person he sees as worth protecting in that form? What about Tei? He can't kill Tei.. the poor little girl.. I'm gonna talk more in Terran to him, so Dagger can't understand us. That way she can't get him. Why am I thinking this now? Have I come this possessive over him? He doesn't even know I like him in that way.. But I don't want him to start liking Dagger...")
Dagger: ("The first time I looked at him, I liked him. But he's the Angel of Death? This is the worst thing that has happened to me... and that Sarah girl keeps getting in the way of us. She likes him like I do, I know it.. But I don't even know he likes me back.. He's been evading me for some time.. What do I do?")
The thinking fest was interrupted by the main ordinator's voice on the intercom.
"It has stopped snowing, and the cab to Lindblum has arrived. The time is 2:15pm." The group got up from the table without uttering a word, and departed for Lindblum on the new tram.
************************
Darson looked around the dark tunnels he was travelling in, the Gargant above him kept making annoying chirpy noises. He remembered the lady at the bar had told him that a little girl with purple hair had been taken by the hand away from the pub by a lady with a black cloak on. He cringed at the thought that his only source of tracking Sarah down had been thwarted. He remembered his group giving up on trying to find Eiko and had used the Gargant tunnels to travel to Lindblum. Being the biggest city, she was bound to be there. Maybe Sarah was there too..
************************
"Okay, I've been to Lindblum before, and it's best to hold to everyone else, just incase we get separated." Mariah announced as they got inside the Falcon Gate.
"Aren't you and Dagger going to go to the castle? I don't know about you, but one of my tribe said they'd meet me in the Doom CafŽ." Tei itched one of her wolf ears.
"Can I come and meet them?" Sarah asked the little wolf hybrid.
"Of course, Sarah! You can come too, Iifa!" Tei nudged her in the ribs. "How about it?"
"Sorry, Tei. I got business to take care of." Iifa smiled faintly at Tei.
"~Business?~" Sarah spoke in Terran to Iifa.
"~Yeah, I feel the presence of my other body.~" Iifa mentioned. Mariah, (who could understand Terran due to her relationship with Kuja) looked concerned and gave an evil eye to Iifa. When they got to the square outside the business district, Mariah and Dagger left for the castle, Tei and Sarah left for the Doom CafŽ in the Industrial district, and Iifa headed for the Theatre District, following his faint sense of his other body's presence.
~~* In the Doom CafŽ *~~
"This Soupe de Silence is great!" Sarah sipped her soup cup again. "This is even better than my mother's cooking!"
"I know, I think the specials in this pub are great!" Tei shuffled in her seat. "I wonder where my cousin is.." Sarah's eyes looked around for a look-alike of Tei in the murky pub, but saw something much less favourable instead.
"Darson!!!" She whispered to Tei hoarsely. "Nononono!!" She then placed her chair behind Tei so she couldn't be seen from the direction he was sitting in. A whole group of summoners and Darson were sitting in the corner of the room, all with drinks. Sarah pulled her hood over her head just incase her giveaway horn was seen.
"Isn't he the guy that had is arm and stuff broken by Iifa?" Tei whispered in return.
"Uh-huh... Where is Iifa when you need him!?"
~~* In the Theatre District *~~
("~For the first time in my life I don't know what to do... I felt the presence of an Iifa root, but I guess my sense was wrong..~") Iifa sat on a roof by the clock tower in the Theatre centre of Lindblum. It was the perfect opportunity to clear his head.
("~Should I even go after Kuja? Now I think of it, he has done nothing to me, except seal me in my own body.. how ironic.. But what about Mariah? I can't be bothered to make a hostage of her, and I've become much more layed back since I got to the Mist Continent, maybe it's all this mist.. Wait a minute, I make the mist myself.. Why should it bother me?~") Iifa laughed outloud at himself. It was the first time he had laughed in ages, since his mood had gone so downhill. ("~ I want to remember Terra.. All I can remember is Kuja taking me to his room and trying to get me to protect Mariah... but I guess I have someone more important to protect now..~") Iifa reminisced on all the times he had spent with Sarah. She had gone as quiet as he had as soon as Dagger joined the group. ("~I'll have to ask her about it.. but Dagger might get in the way.. Okay, I admit that I like Sarah, she's pretty and everything.. but what if I can't save her from the assimilation? Oh gods, what do I do?! Since when have I had a weakness for a Gaian?!~") Iifa stood up from his sitting place and clutched his head in confusion. He couldn't take his future path..
"~WHAT DO I DO?! TELL ME, TERRA!!! HOW DO I SAVE THE GIRL I LOVE?!?!~" He yelled outloud in Terran. Several people on the street looked at him strangely, they had never seen such an outburst, especially on the roof of the clocktower. Iifa sank back down to the roof tiles.
("~Did I just say that? So, now I've become a victim to my emotions.. But I am the Angel of Death! I can do what I wish, even if it means falling in love with a Gaian!~") An expression of determination swept onto his face. ("~ That's right! I am Iifa, I control this planet with my vines and roots, I am Zidane, holy eidolon of the summoner tribe, and I am the new Angel of Death! My will is my own, and no-one can stop me!!~") Iifa grinned as his new way of thinking had now given him a brand new option.
("~ Haha! I can still destroy Gaia, I'll just take Sarah with me to Terra! She doesn't have to die!!~") His string of plots collapsed when something else came to mind. ("~ ..Iifa you idiot.. What if she wants to stay on Gaia? What if she wants to take someone with her? What about little Tei? She certainly doesn't deserve to die...and what about Tei's tribe?! Damn it..~") Iifa rubbed his temples in frustration.
("~ Wait... I can take Sarah with me to Terra as a special request... Master will probably want to use her eidolons to help destroy Gaia... he can accept her.. Tei and her tribe could also help with their dark-wolf magic.. and Garland loves new species.. so it's sorted!!~") Iifa came to his final decision. ("~ Sarah, Tei and her tribe will be spared to help us assimilate Gaia!~")
"~ So long, Kuja! I'll see you in hell!~" Iifa laughed outloud. "~You and your precious Mariah better start enjoying the last of your days!!~"
~~* In Lindblum Grand Castle *~~
"I see.. I suspected for some time that your mother was brewing a war.." The regent Cid paced up and down infront of his niece, princess Garnet and her best friend Mariah. "So, Mariah, she was planning to take your eidolons? Have you any idea why?"
"No, your highness. The only people who know why are down town at the moment."
"What are their names?" The regent enquired.
"Zidane Tribal, he has blonde hair, cerulean eyes, and a tail. The other is my childhood friend, Sarah Tresilian. She has a horn with shoulder length black hair. Sarah should be in the Industrial District and who knows where Zidane is.." Mariah shrugged her shoulders.
"Minister Artania!" The regent called.
"Yes, regent?" The minister stepped forwards from his side.
"Go find the people of that description."
"Yes, sire."
************************
"Haha! I knew that if I looked hard enough I'd find you, Sarah!" Darson was refusing to let go of her arm. The bartender had told them to take it outside, so the summoner gang had grabbed Sarah by the arm and dragged her into the street, silently thanking the gods that their journey was over and they could go home. But Darson wanted to intimidate Sarah for all she had put him through, he was finding this difficult though, as Sarah was struggling and hitting him, and a little wolf girl who Sarah called 'Tei' was hanging onto his legs to stop him from dragging Sarah off. The rest of the summoners had tried to pry her off his leg, but she had a healthy grip and refused to let go.
"Let go of Sarah, you complete MORON!!" Tei yelled, exhausted from the effort of trying to hold on to Darson's leg, being pulled off in several directions.
"Darson, I'm not going back! You can't make me!!" Sarah kicked his shin, but to no avail.
"Hey Darson, the wolf girl has a real grip!" One of his summoner companions tried pulling her a little harder.
"I don't care about her grip, just get her off me!" Darson shouted. Tei knew she couldn't hold on much more, so she used her last option.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!" Darson screamed as Tei sank her teeth into his leg, letting go of Sarah in the process. Tei used the opportunity to her advantage, she kicked back off his leg with amazing agility, and used the last of her strength to transform into her Dark Wolf form that Sarah had only seen in the Conde Piete army base.
"DEAR GODS, WHAT IS THAT?!" One of the summoners cried as Tei in her giant wolf form roared and snarled at anyone who came close enough. Sarah was stunned for words, but she ran towards Wolf-Tei, knowing what she was planning.
"Get on, Sarah!" Wolf-Tei snarled in a deep voice. Sarah complied quickly and hopped apon the wolf's back.
"It's a shame your not strong enough to catch me, Darson!" Sarah laughed as Wolf-Tei ran at top speed down the street, people ducking and running as the four legged white-bullet passed.
"Thanks, Tei! I owe you one!" Sarah stroked the horse-sized wolf's ears as the wind rushed through her hair.
"Perfectly welcome, Sarah! I didn't like that guy from the moment I saw him!" Wolf-Tei growled. "Once we get round this corner, I changing back again.. I can feel my energy running out."
"Okay, Tei." Sarah jumped off Wolf-Tei's back once the corner was reached. Tei was enveloped in a bright light, and the cute, but shoulder height human form Tei was left.
"That was fun.." Tei said before fainting of exhaustion. Sarah quickly caught her before she hit the floor.
"Oh Tei..." Sarah shook her head.
"Excuse me, but would you be Miss. Tresilian?" A voice from behind asked. Sarah turned to see a Lindblum guard.
"Yes, I am Sarah Tresilian.." She said, unsure of what his intentions were.
"The regent has requested your and Mr. Tribal's presence for questioning. You know some things about the princess, do you not?"
"Yes, that is correct." Sarah stood up, still supporting Tei.
"Would you follow me to the castle? I will carry your friend." He pointed at Tei before putting her into a fireman's lift over his shoulder.
"Have you found Iif..I mean Zidane yet?" Sarah started walking with the guard.
"Yes, he is currently at the castle. We found him on a roof in the theatre district, very strange.." The guard muttered. Sarah was relieved she was going to the castle, that meant Darson couldn't follow her anymore.
************************
"Zidane knows everything on why Brahne is starting a war, don't you, Zidane?" Mariah forcefully asked.
"She's starting a war because she's greedy. End of story." Zidane put blankly.
"I'm sorry, regent, he's being vague again. He's always like this.." Mariah bowed in apology.
"You really want me to say why?" Iifa gave her an evil stare. Mariah seems to reconsider, after all, telling the regent the end of the world was near would only make him more hysterical.
"Well, if he won't tell us, then you better let him rest to think over it. Go to the guest rooms, all of you. You should get some sleep."
************************
Princess Garnet had stayed up to talk to Regent Cid a little more, leaving the others to sleep in the guest room. Mariah was fast asleep, and so was Tei. Sarah couldn't sleep, and from a few glances at Iifa, he couldn't sleep either. She decided that she should talk to him, she owed it to herself.
"~Iifa? You awake?~"
"~Yeah.. looks like you can't sleep either..~"
"~Uh-huh. It must be the air pressure, you know they say it affects your sleep or something like that...~" Sarah got off her bed and sat on Iifa's. He was sitting in his normal clothes, wide awake.
"~Where are you going after we leave Lindblum?~" Iifa questioned.
"~I don't know.. You mind if I tag along with you?~"
"~I'd like that...~" Iifa said softly. Sarah pondered over his reply.
"~So where are you going..?~" She finally said.
"~I'm going to go to Oeilvert. I have to talk to the elders there.~"
"~Where's that?~"
"~ On the Forbidden Continent. It's quite a trip from here.~" He sighed.
"~.....Iifa.. Are you really going to destroy this world?~" Sarah moved and sat closer to him.
"~.. Yes. It will be replaced with Terra.~"
"~.. Don't get me wrong, Iifa.. I hate this world as much as you do. But I feel for all the innocent people who will perish, you know what I mean? People like Tei, who are only living their lives out..~"
"~Tei doesn't have to worry about the assimilation, nor does her tribe.~"
"~Huh? Why not?~" Sarah said confused.
"~That is why I am going to the elders in Oeilvert, to see if I can spare a handful of people.~"
"~Will Mariah and Dagger be spared?~"
"~No. I couldn't care less about Kuja's lover and a snotty princess.~" Iifa set his eyes into Sarah's
"~Will you spare me, Iifa?~" Sarah looked down at the blankets, only to feel his hand lift her chin so their eyes made direct contact.
"~I would rather give up all of my powers and soul, than to see you die, Sarah.~" He whispered truthfully.
"~..Iifa...I..I..~" Their faces inched towards each other, until their noses were nearly touching. Sarah closed her eyes as she felt her lips touch his... The lights suddenly blared on in the guest room.
"Uncle Cid says that you have to talk to him more at dawn, Zidane...Zidane?" Dagger entered exactly at the crucial moment. Iifa and Sarah leapt apart and Sarah blushed hard. It was the second time they'd been interrupted in a romantic moment.
"I see... I'm sorry I ever came in!" Garnet cried as she ran out and slammed the door behind her. Sarah continued looking at her hands in her lap, she wasn't blushing as hard as she was when Dagger had come in, but still blushing, nevertheless. Iifa looked extremely agitated.
"~You better go to bed, Sarah..~" He said solemnly.
"~Okay.. goodnight, Iifa..~"
"~Goodnight, Sarah.~"
My god that was long..... Did you like the gore in the beginning? Was there too much? Too less? Did you like Iifa and Sarah not quite getting there? Please let me know!! Thankyou!
Chpt 8 : True Colours on Berkmea
"Ohhhh... my ankles hurt!" Dagger whined for the seventh time. The rest of the group tried not to explode because of her whining. "Ohh, my ank..." Dagger never finished her sentence.
"For Terra's Grace!!! Would you stop whining woman!!" Iifa snapped before lifting her into a piggyback to stop her cries of defeat. Sarah began to feel uncomfortable. She hated Iifa and Dagger being close. The top was near, it had been a painful three hour's climb to the entrance of the South Gate, and Dagger had started whining in the first 15 minutes.
"Thank gods, the top!" Mariah gasped. Everybody quickened their pace a little until they were eventually stopped by the entrance guards at the Port Cullis. To avoid suspicion, Tei, Sarah and Dagger had put cloaks on, with hoods covering their heads.
"Hello, we were wondering if we could go past the pedestrian path of South Gate?" Mariah said politely.
"Okay, ma'am. Let me check your luggage, then you can pass. Rules and regulations, y'know." The guard said automatically. He had obviously had to say that line thousands of times.
"Of course.." Mariah let them check her cloak, and so did the others. They were clear to go.
"Okay, here's your gate pass. It's for 5 people." The guard handed her a nice looking card with intricate designs on it.
"Thankyou very much." Mariah led the way into the port cullis and to the Berkmea Station.
"Aww, it's late..." Tei noticed a large Berkmea-tram space in the station.
"I guess we just wait then.." Sarah sat down on the spot and stretched her legs, everyone else followed suit. Iifa just roughly let go of Dagger, who nearly fell on her back. Sarah looked around at her new environment, it was well kept and it seemed to have rained recently as-well. As she turned her eyes back to the group, Iifa had his hand on her forehead quicker than she could see him.
"You've been real silent lately, Sarah, do you have a fever or something?" Iifa took his hand off her forehead when she shook her head whilst blushing. "Yeah, there is defiantly something wrong with you, you always start flushing, do you feel hot, or cold?" Iifa looked really concerned. Sarah felt guilty for why she was so silent, in truth, she just wanted to shout out to Gaia; --"I'm in love with you, Iifa! But I don't want that snotty princess to get in our way!!"-- Like that was going to happen.
"Well, Sarah. If there's anything you want to tell me, don't hesitate to call." He pointed a thumb at his chest and grinned at her. She felt like hugging him. The group's rest-break was broken when the chugging and whirring sound of the Berkmea Tram approached.
"That's our call everyone!" Mariah said cheerfully. But everyone else was too tired to notice her enthusiasm.
************************
The soft blue light penetrated throughout the gigantic ship, and Eiko found herself being dwarfed by everything around her. The sound of Mikoto's footsteps broke her awe.
"Eiko Carol, meet my Master..." Mikoto stepped to one side, revealing a man, clad head to foot in black. His old eyes showing wisdom and knowledge.
"I am Garland, and I have been looking for someone like you for a long time, Eiko Carol." His voice boomed so majestically that she thought he were an Eidolon for a moment.
"So..umm. (gulp) W-w-what can I do for you, M-m-mr. Garland?" Eiko stammered.
"Show me where Kuja is."
************************
"Wowww! Look at the mountains! It looks like it's been snowing up there for months!" Tei craned her head even further out the window. "Hey, even South Gate is covered in snow! Wait a minute, it's starting to snow really heavy even now!" Tei withdrew from the window, closing it behind her. Everyone glanced at the window, it was now snowing so heavily that only white could be seen outside.
"I don't know about you, but Isn't snow dangerous to trams like this?" Mariah spoke. Everyone looked at her with a face of impending doom. Just to justify her, the tram suddenly halted to a stop.
"Sorry everyone, but going any further could be dangerous." The engineer announced.
"Well, how far is it to the summit?" Iifa asked. "Can't we walk to the top?"
"Gods, no! When it snows on South Gate mountain, the snow is so thick that it is impossible to see in! Plus, these creatures have started to appear in the snow recently, and the last five people who walked to the top when it snowed like this, where found disembowled not far from here." The engineer trailed off in worry.
"Disembowled?! What the hell are they?!" Sarah panicked.
"They say the creatures hunt in packs on these mountains, they can see in the snow, so they usually catch their victims around here. They look like grotesque rodents of some kind, but we should be safe if we stay in the tram until it stops snowing.." The engineer was shaking. He had obviously heard too many stories, or too much of the truth...
"Well, let's just wait until.." Dagger was interrupted by a large impact on her side of the tram, followed by scratching noises and then a nerve-testing silence.
"W-w-what in Ifrit's name was that..!?" Sarah was trembling in Iifa's arms, everyone had moved to the other side of the cabin.
"W-W-WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! JUST LIKE THE LAST FIVE!!!" The engineer snapped, he was like a helpless child on the floor. Another quick impact was given on the side everyone had moved too. Several other girls on the tram that had got on with them screamed and held each other, shivering with fear.
"Iifa.. I'm scared..." Sarah held onto his shirt while leaning her head on his chest, in turn he held her more tightly. She saw that he was not frightened, just concerned about protecting her.
"Can they get in?!" Mariah asked the deranged engineer while holding Dagger for support.
"I-I-I-I don't know.." He was beyond reason through fear. Everyone seemed to be.
"I wanna go home..." Tei whispered between sobs. Sarah outstretched her hand to Tei, who took it and too was held by Iifa for support. Suddenly a window at the front of the tram smashed in, and everyone jumped, then waited for whatever that smashed it to enter. Nothing.
"No... It's a trap.." Iifa realised too late, as the back windows were smashed in and one of the other girls had been dragged out while everyone had their faces forwards.
"MY GODS!! SUZANNA!!! SUUUZZAANNNAA!!!!" One of her friends screamed.
"Get back!" Iifa dragged the too girls from the back window and to the middle of the tram.
"Where is she?! My Gods, what happened to her!?" The other cried. Too late. A blood-curdling scream was heard outside followed by the ripping of skin. Silence.
"SSSUUUZZANNNAAA!!! OH MY GODS!!!" Her friends screamed together. The moment they heard the obvious sound of her death, everyone felt like hell had come to earth.
"No... We can't get away!" Sarah backed against one of the tram windows at the side. Two more windows smashed in unison, and Sarah was dragged out into thick whiteness.
"SARAH!!" Iifa climbed out into the snow in pursuit. Leaving everyone else holding everyone else in fear of another attack.
************************
Sarah felt herself being dragged off the trackline by an invisible enemy, who had bitten into her leg. She felt the white hot pain of the teeth in her calf muscle, but she couldn't do anything about it. Suddenly she saw the Exploda whirl above her head and crimson fluid spat from her attacker. It looked like a large rat, covered in white fur and scales. The head was like a monkey's except with gruesome teeth and bulbous eyes. Sarah screamed in agony and fear.
"Sarah! Are you okay?!" Iifa held her towards him, though his face was only partially visible through the thick snow.
"IIFA!!!" She hugged him hard, but something moved in the corner of her eye.
"Iifa! Watch out!" He was quick to respond, the enemy was not. Another one of the creatures fell the the ground, only visible through it's outline in it's own blood.
"We're surrounded!" Sarah panicked. She held onto Iifa tightly, knowing that even her summons could not help her now. She could almost see her end as the partially visible creatures surrounded them. Through her fear she noticed that Iifa's clothes had become softer, and feather like. She looked at his chest that she'd been leaning on. It was covered in Black and silver feathers. She then looked at his face. His hair was black and silver like the feathers that covered him, and his eyes were glowing cerulean. She held her breath, this was the creature that had shielded her body on Alexandria bay. This was the creature that had killed the guards in her town, and the creature that had broken Darson's arm in the dark of the Iifa tree. This creature was Iifa. Iifa transformed. As if on cue two giant feathered wings sprung from his back, they were of the same colour as his feathers and gave him somewhat of a Dark Angel look. She was too awed to notice the danger. Iifa closed his eyes and grinned evilly, showing off his new animal like teeth, the canines larger than the rest. She knew that that was the grin of evil, hate and malice he had shown Darson, and she was terrified.
"I-I-Iifa?!" She almost choked out.
"~This...This, is the end..~" He hissed in the Terran language that only she could understand.
"Oh no..." She whispered to herself as she sunk to the floor, knowing that merciless carnage was about to meet her vision. And she was too right. Iifa sprang upward, slashing every one of the creatures as if he could see them by day, blood spilled, poured and spat from all directions as the creatures, one by one, were ripped down into pieces of flesh. Sarah looked around as the eerie silence and truly horrifying scene met her face. The bodies of the snow-creatures were barely more than sliced up organs, flesh and skin. She wanted to be sick. She then started to make out Iifa's transformed figure in the snow. He stood as if wallowing in his brutal victory.
"~Sarah... Come here..~" He said in a hissing tone. She pulled herself up painfully and walked with fear towards him. As she got closer, she could see he was covered in blood and he was doing his signature evil grin. She got about three feet from him then stopped, shivering in the cold and in pain. He approached her and picked her up into his arms, she putting her arms around his now feathered neck.
"~Don't be afraid of me when I turn like this.. I do it to protect you..~" He said in a deep, hissing voice. Obviously the transformation had him a new voice to go with that appearance.
"~Okay.. It's just that you turn so vicious.. that frightens me..~"
"~Just relax about it...I've done this before..~" He began to walk towards the little tram again, where everyone inside looked very puzzled over the sounds they had just heard.
"AHHH!! Another demon!!!" The engineer screamed from inside the tram when he saw Iifa approach.
"~Fool... Shall I dispose of him?~" Iifa asked the girl in his arms. She shook her head in disapproval. It hit her. He only recognised her as something to protect, everyone else was his prey unless she said so.. he was a killing machine..just like he was made for..
************************
The decimated Berkmea tram chugged its way to the top of South Gate summit, where day to day workers gathered round to see the snow, blood and ice covered tram stop at the station. The passengers who exited included two girls, shaking and wide eyed, the engineer - still trying to smile, two pretty young girls, with one that bore a resemblance to Alexandria's princess Garnet, a small cloaked girl with white hair and what seemed like yellow eyes, and finally, two teenagers; a boy with a tail and a girl with a horn. The girl seemed to be attached to the boy like her life was in danger. Out of the whole of them, only the boy seemed calm. The group of passengers made their way slowly past the crowd and into the rest stop, where everyone ordered South Gate Bundt cake.
"I-I know this isn't exactly the best time to ask you about this; Iifa.." Mariah started, as everyone at their table looked at her. "But what happened to you in the snow? You looked like a demon.."
"It's called 'The Last Defence', Mariah. Even you have it." Iifa corrected.
"Even I have it? You mean I can turn into a de.."
"No! Everyone has something in them that helps them if their life is at risk. In my case I take my true form of the Iifa Tree's incarnation of the Angel of Death... Yours would be summoning even if you had no power.."
"So you ARE the new Angel of Death!! I knew it! Ever since Kuja told me that Garland had created the new Angel of Death by simply manifesting the Iifa Tree into a moveable being, I knew there was trouble!" Mariah complained.
"You're the Angel of Death?! How can this be?!" Dagger cried.
"Get over it, Dagger! It's just the way it is.." Iifa silenced her. "My Master will be arriving shortly. There is NOTHING you can do about it.." Everyone on their table retreated into their own thoughts. No-one was sure what to do anymore.
Mariah: (" I wonder where Kuja is... will he save me from this? I knew this day would come... Iifa is going to use me as bait for Kuja, and then Garland will destroy Gaia, and Terra will be in it's place.. What will become of all of us? When Iifa and the Tree finally meet again, gods know what will happen, he won;t give a damn about anyone, he'll just destroy.."
Iifa: ("~Not long to go now.. I will fulfil my purpose.. finally.. But when I destroy Gaia, what will happen to Sarah and little Tei? I can't just leave them... Try not to think about it.. Just concentrate on getting back to Terra through the spirit road..~")
Tei: (" I wonder where my tribe has got to now? I let them go on the cargo ship back to the Forgotten Continent, I hope they got there safely. What about me and Sarah? Will Iifa spare us? I hope so.. I'm also getting sick of this love triangle that's developing between Iifa, Sarah and Dagger. I want Iifa and Sarah to get together, I know she is in love with him, it's obvious. But I'm gonna do everything in my power to stop Dagger getting Iifa!!")
Sarah: (" Iifa transformed into his true form to protect me... Am I the only person he sees as worth protecting in that form? What about Tei? He can't kill Tei.. the poor little girl.. I'm gonna talk more in Terran to him, so Dagger can't understand us. That way she can't get him. Why am I thinking this now? Have I come this possessive over him? He doesn't even know I like him in that way.. But I don't want him to start liking Dagger...")
Dagger: ("The first time I looked at him, I liked him. But he's the Angel of Death? This is the worst thing that has happened to me... and that Sarah girl keeps getting in the way of us. She likes him like I do, I know it.. But I don't even know he likes me back.. He's been evading me for some time.. What do I do?")
The thinking fest was interrupted by the main ordinator's voice on the intercom.
"It has stopped snowing, and the cab to Lindblum has arrived. The time is 2:15pm." The group got up from the table without uttering a word, and departed for Lindblum on the new tram.
************************
Darson looked around the dark tunnels he was travelling in, the Gargant above him kept making annoying chirpy noises. He remembered the lady at the bar had told him that a little girl with purple hair had been taken by the hand away from the pub by a lady with a black cloak on. He cringed at the thought that his only source of tracking Sarah down had been thwarted. He remembered his group giving up on trying to find Eiko and had used the Gargant tunnels to travel to Lindblum. Being the biggest city, she was bound to be there. Maybe Sarah was there too..
************************
"Okay, I've been to Lindblum before, and it's best to hold to everyone else, just incase we get separated." Mariah announced as they got inside the Falcon Gate.
"Aren't you and Dagger going to go to the castle? I don't know about you, but one of my tribe said they'd meet me in the Doom CafŽ." Tei itched one of her wolf ears.
"Can I come and meet them?" Sarah asked the little wolf hybrid.
"Of course, Sarah! You can come too, Iifa!" Tei nudged her in the ribs. "How about it?"
"Sorry, Tei. I got business to take care of." Iifa smiled faintly at Tei.
"~Business?~" Sarah spoke in Terran to Iifa.
"~Yeah, I feel the presence of my other body.~" Iifa mentioned. Mariah, (who could understand Terran due to her relationship with Kuja) looked concerned and gave an evil eye to Iifa. When they got to the square outside the business district, Mariah and Dagger left for the castle, Tei and Sarah left for the Doom CafŽ in the Industrial district, and Iifa headed for the Theatre District, following his faint sense of his other body's presence.
~~* In the Doom CafŽ *~~
"This Soupe de Silence is great!" Sarah sipped her soup cup again. "This is even better than my mother's cooking!"
"I know, I think the specials in this pub are great!" Tei shuffled in her seat. "I wonder where my cousin is.." Sarah's eyes looked around for a look-alike of Tei in the murky pub, but saw something much less favourable instead.
"Darson!!!" She whispered to Tei hoarsely. "Nononono!!" She then placed her chair behind Tei so she couldn't be seen from the direction he was sitting in. A whole group of summoners and Darson were sitting in the corner of the room, all with drinks. Sarah pulled her hood over her head just incase her giveaway horn was seen.
"Isn't he the guy that had is arm and stuff broken by Iifa?" Tei whispered in return.
"Uh-huh... Where is Iifa when you need him!?"
~~* In the Theatre District *~~
("~For the first time in my life I don't know what to do... I felt the presence of an Iifa root, but I guess my sense was wrong..~") Iifa sat on a roof by the clock tower in the Theatre centre of Lindblum. It was the perfect opportunity to clear his head.
("~Should I even go after Kuja? Now I think of it, he has done nothing to me, except seal me in my own body.. how ironic.. But what about Mariah? I can't be bothered to make a hostage of her, and I've become much more layed back since I got to the Mist Continent, maybe it's all this mist.. Wait a minute, I make the mist myself.. Why should it bother me?~") Iifa laughed outloud at himself. It was the first time he had laughed in ages, since his mood had gone so downhill. ("~ I want to remember Terra.. All I can remember is Kuja taking me to his room and trying to get me to protect Mariah... but I guess I have someone more important to protect now..~") Iifa reminisced on all the times he had spent with Sarah. She had gone as quiet as he had as soon as Dagger joined the group. ("~I'll have to ask her about it.. but Dagger might get in the way.. Okay, I admit that I like Sarah, she's pretty and everything.. but what if I can't save her from the assimilation? Oh gods, what do I do?! Since when have I had a weakness for a Gaian?!~") Iifa stood up from his sitting place and clutched his head in confusion. He couldn't take his future path..
"~WHAT DO I DO?! TELL ME, TERRA!!! HOW DO I SAVE THE GIRL I LOVE?!?!~" He yelled outloud in Terran. Several people on the street looked at him strangely, they had never seen such an outburst, especially on the roof of the clocktower. Iifa sank back down to the roof tiles.
("~Did I just say that? So, now I've become a victim to my emotions.. But I am the Angel of Death! I can do what I wish, even if it means falling in love with a Gaian!~") An expression of determination swept onto his face. ("~ That's right! I am Iifa, I control this planet with my vines and roots, I am Zidane, holy eidolon of the summoner tribe, and I am the new Angel of Death! My will is my own, and no-one can stop me!!~") Iifa grinned as his new way of thinking had now given him a brand new option.
("~ Haha! I can still destroy Gaia, I'll just take Sarah with me to Terra! She doesn't have to die!!~") His string of plots collapsed when something else came to mind. ("~ ..Iifa you idiot.. What if she wants to stay on Gaia? What if she wants to take someone with her? What about little Tei? She certainly doesn't deserve to die...and what about Tei's tribe?! Damn it..~") Iifa rubbed his temples in frustration.
("~ Wait... I can take Sarah with me to Terra as a special request... Master will probably want to use her eidolons to help destroy Gaia... he can accept her.. Tei and her tribe could also help with their dark-wolf magic.. and Garland loves new species.. so it's sorted!!~") Iifa came to his final decision. ("~ Sarah, Tei and her tribe will be spared to help us assimilate Gaia!~")
"~ So long, Kuja! I'll see you in hell!~" Iifa laughed outloud. "~You and your precious Mariah better start enjoying the last of your days!!~"
~~* In Lindblum Grand Castle *~~
"I see.. I suspected for some time that your mother was brewing a war.." The regent Cid paced up and down infront of his niece, princess Garnet and her best friend Mariah. "So, Mariah, she was planning to take your eidolons? Have you any idea why?"
"No, your highness. The only people who know why are down town at the moment."
"What are their names?" The regent enquired.
"Zidane Tribal, he has blonde hair, cerulean eyes, and a tail. The other is my childhood friend, Sarah Tresilian. She has a horn with shoulder length black hair. Sarah should be in the Industrial District and who knows where Zidane is.." Mariah shrugged her shoulders.
"Minister Artania!" The regent called.
"Yes, regent?" The minister stepped forwards from his side.
"Go find the people of that description."
"Yes, sire."
************************
"Haha! I knew that if I looked hard enough I'd find you, Sarah!" Darson was refusing to let go of her arm. The bartender had told them to take it outside, so the summoner gang had grabbed Sarah by the arm and dragged her into the street, silently thanking the gods that their journey was over and they could go home. But Darson wanted to intimidate Sarah for all she had put him through, he was finding this difficult though, as Sarah was struggling and hitting him, and a little wolf girl who Sarah called 'Tei' was hanging onto his legs to stop him from dragging Sarah off. The rest of the summoners had tried to pry her off his leg, but she had a healthy grip and refused to let go.
"Let go of Sarah, you complete MORON!!" Tei yelled, exhausted from the effort of trying to hold on to Darson's leg, being pulled off in several directions.
"Darson, I'm not going back! You can't make me!!" Sarah kicked his shin, but to no avail.
"Hey Darson, the wolf girl has a real grip!" One of his summoner companions tried pulling her a little harder.
"I don't care about her grip, just get her off me!" Darson shouted. Tei knew she couldn't hold on much more, so she used her last option.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!" Darson screamed as Tei sank her teeth into his leg, letting go of Sarah in the process. Tei used the opportunity to her advantage, she kicked back off his leg with amazing agility, and used the last of her strength to transform into her Dark Wolf form that Sarah had only seen in the Conde Piete army base.
"DEAR GODS, WHAT IS THAT?!" One of the summoners cried as Tei in her giant wolf form roared and snarled at anyone who came close enough. Sarah was stunned for words, but she ran towards Wolf-Tei, knowing what she was planning.
"Get on, Sarah!" Wolf-Tei snarled in a deep voice. Sarah complied quickly and hopped apon the wolf's back.
"It's a shame your not strong enough to catch me, Darson!" Sarah laughed as Wolf-Tei ran at top speed down the street, people ducking and running as the four legged white-bullet passed.
"Thanks, Tei! I owe you one!" Sarah stroked the horse-sized wolf's ears as the wind rushed through her hair.
"Perfectly welcome, Sarah! I didn't like that guy from the moment I saw him!" Wolf-Tei growled. "Once we get round this corner, I changing back again.. I can feel my energy running out."
"Okay, Tei." Sarah jumped off Wolf-Tei's back once the corner was reached. Tei was enveloped in a bright light, and the cute, but shoulder height human form Tei was left.
"That was fun.." Tei said before fainting of exhaustion. Sarah quickly caught her before she hit the floor.
"Oh Tei..." Sarah shook her head.
"Excuse me, but would you be Miss. Tresilian?" A voice from behind asked. Sarah turned to see a Lindblum guard.
"Yes, I am Sarah Tresilian.." She said, unsure of what his intentions were.
"The regent has requested your and Mr. Tribal's presence for questioning. You know some things about the princess, do you not?"
"Yes, that is correct." Sarah stood up, still supporting Tei.
"Would you follow me to the castle? I will carry your friend." He pointed at Tei before putting her into a fireman's lift over his shoulder.
"Have you found Iif..I mean Zidane yet?" Sarah started walking with the guard.
"Yes, he is currently at the castle. We found him on a roof in the theatre district, very strange.." The guard muttered. Sarah was relieved she was going to the castle, that meant Darson couldn't follow her anymore.
************************
"Zidane knows everything on why Brahne is starting a war, don't you, Zidane?" Mariah forcefully asked.
"She's starting a war because she's greedy. End of story." Zidane put blankly.
"I'm sorry, regent, he's being vague again. He's always like this.." Mariah bowed in apology.
"You really want me to say why?" Iifa gave her an evil stare. Mariah seems to reconsider, after all, telling the regent the end of the world was near would only make him more hysterical.
"Well, if he won't tell us, then you better let him rest to think over it. Go to the guest rooms, all of you. You should get some sleep."
************************
Princess Garnet had stayed up to talk to Regent Cid a little more, leaving the others to sleep in the guest room. Mariah was fast asleep, and so was Tei. Sarah couldn't sleep, and from a few glances at Iifa, he couldn't sleep either. She decided that she should talk to him, she owed it to herself.
"~Iifa? You awake?~"
"~Yeah.. looks like you can't sleep either..~"
"~Uh-huh. It must be the air pressure, you know they say it affects your sleep or something like that...~" Sarah got off her bed and sat on Iifa's. He was sitting in his normal clothes, wide awake.
"~Where are you going after we leave Lindblum?~" Iifa questioned.
"~I don't know.. You mind if I tag along with you?~"
"~I'd like that...~" Iifa said softly. Sarah pondered over his reply.
"~So where are you going..?~" She finally said.
"~I'm going to go to Oeilvert. I have to talk to the elders there.~"
"~Where's that?~"
"~ On the Forbidden Continent. It's quite a trip from here.~" He sighed.
"~.....Iifa.. Are you really going to destroy this world?~" Sarah moved and sat closer to him.
"~.. Yes. It will be replaced with Terra.~"
"~.. Don't get me wrong, Iifa.. I hate this world as much as you do. But I feel for all the innocent people who will perish, you know what I mean? People like Tei, who are only living their lives out..~"
"~Tei doesn't have to worry about the assimilation, nor does her tribe.~"
"~Huh? Why not?~" Sarah said confused.
"~That is why I am going to the elders in Oeilvert, to see if I can spare a handful of people.~"
"~Will Mariah and Dagger be spared?~"
"~No. I couldn't care less about Kuja's lover and a snotty princess.~" Iifa set his eyes into Sarah's
"~Will you spare me, Iifa?~" Sarah looked down at the blankets, only to feel his hand lift her chin so their eyes made direct contact.
"~I would rather give up all of my powers and soul, than to see you die, Sarah.~" He whispered truthfully.
"~..Iifa...I..I..~" Their faces inched towards each other, until their noses were nearly touching. Sarah closed her eyes as she felt her lips touch his... The lights suddenly blared on in the guest room.
"Uncle Cid says that you have to talk to him more at dawn, Zidane...Zidane?" Dagger entered exactly at the crucial moment. Iifa and Sarah leapt apart and Sarah blushed hard. It was the second time they'd been interrupted in a romantic moment.
"I see... I'm sorry I ever came in!" Garnet cried as she ran out and slammed the door behind her. Sarah continued looking at her hands in her lap, she wasn't blushing as hard as she was when Dagger had come in, but still blushing, nevertheless. Iifa looked extremely agitated.
"~You better go to bed, Sarah..~" He said solemnly.
"~Okay.. goodnight, Iifa..~"
"~Goodnight, Sarah.~"
My god that was long..... Did you like the gore in the beginning? Was there too much? Too less? Did you like Iifa and Sarah not quite getting there? Please let me know!! Thankyou!