Standard disclaimers apply.
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Chaos times seven
Chapter eight
By; Kissa-chan
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As a father, he was angry, no, wait; he was furious. He only daughter had run off with some boy and allowed him to get her pregnant. What made things worse was that she hadn't even bothered to tell him or seek his advice in any way.
He had always tried to be a good father, although he was adequately aware of his failings. Keyakku, his oldest son, had died during the Guado assault on Home. He felt that Brother and Rikku held him responsible for their brother's death, but more than that, he held himself responsible.
He sighed heavily. He just wasn't kind enough as a father. He was harsh and abrupt. Maybe.... there was a reason for Seven....
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"There is absolutely no point to this!" Rikki exclaimed.
"Shut up!" Rikk counter-snapped. "Rikku and Rikku-chan contacted me while you were gallivanting around on the ship and said that they would meet us here. We're going to wait until they arrive before we move out."
"You're not the leader!" Rikki shot back, feeling flustered again. She soothed down the canary yellow silk of her skirt and readjusted her breasts in her top. Absently, she reached up to flip her hair. "You didn't have to cut my hair," she added softly.
"Sure, I did," Rikk answered harshly. "Honestly, you whine more than Rikku-chan does... and she's supposed to be the teary one!"
Both girls were seated in a motel room. Both girls felt that the room was too small for the both of them. Both girls refused to let the other leave, so they were stuck, sitting across from each other and glaring.
"I hope Rikku shows up soon!" Rikki exclaimed randomly. Then, abruptly, her bad mood faded away. "Sa~y, Rikk," she purred.
"What?" Rikk asked suspiciously.
"There's a bath in this room..." Rikki murmured.
"So?"
"Ta," Rikki translated to the sarcastic girl. She stood up in a graceful motion and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
Rikk flopped back onto the bed. "Give me a break!" she exclaimed quietly. "You would think that there were better ways to spend your time." She rolled onto her side, looking at the small clock, and waiting for the water to stop running.
"Rikki!" she shouted.
"Mmh?" Rikki asked languidly from the bathroom.
"I'm going out!"
"All right," Rikki murmured sleepily, relaxing herself into her bathwater more.
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"Shuyin just said, 'There's a fiend coming up rapidly behind you,' what should we do?" Rikku-chan asked Rikku nervously.
"FIGHT!" Rikku exclaimed, spinning around and whipping her crimson daggers from their sheaths on her thighs. "Learn to have a bit of fun!"
"Can't we just run?" Rikku-chan begged.
"What kind of fiend?" Rikku offered. "If it's one of those big, take-forever-to-destroy-with-very-few-rewards-monsters, then I suppose we could shaky-shaky our ways away before it catches up, you know!"
"It's just a Dual Horn," Shuyin informed Rikku-chan. "They're not that hard to beat." And then, to stall her from breaking into any type of tears, he said; "I'll start you on learning Battle Dance, ne?"
Rikku-chan turned towards Rikku. "He says he's going to show me a new dance that will help when fighting Akira."
"Kay!" Rikku said enthusiastically. "One question, are you sure that Shuyin is... trustworthy. He does have a questionable past, you know."
Rikku-chan smiled slightly. "Yeah, he's trustworthy. Besides, he is really helpful in combat... he helps me keep focused and not cry."
Rikku shrugged. "Sounds good to me!" she said happily.
Seconds later the Dual Horn attacked. The monstrous gray fiend snarled at the two Al Bhed girls, stamping at the worn path with one large hoof.
In Rikku-chan's head, Shuyin started listing steps for the young girl to take. While the teary girl was dancing, Rikku laid waste to the Dual Horn, freeing him first of his items and gil.
"Another fiend heading broke to the Farplane!" she called out brightly as it dissolved into pyreflies.
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The wooden streets made a dull clanking noise as many people ran or walked across them. The noise was, at best, random; however, there was one footfall that was falling rhythmically behind Rikk, shadowing her every move.
"All right, fine," she finally murmured to herself. "Let's see who the fsck you are." She didn't alter her pace by speeding up or slowing down. Instead, she weaved her way towards the gates leading to Kilika Temple.
"Rikku," a cold woman's voice reached out from the crowd, brining the Al Bhed to a halt.
She turned slowly, eyes scanning the crowd for whoever had been following her. No one looked suspicious, so she turned her attention to the ex-Summoner standing a couple feet away. "Dona," she acknowledged with a slight inclination of her head. "It has been a while. Are you and Bartello still seeing each other?"
Dona waved the personal question off. "I was wondering if you had any information on the whereabouts of Meyven Nooj. He went up to the temple a couple of days ago... then New Yevon cut off access to the building claiming an internal problem. There's been no sign of the Meyven since then."
Rikk appraised the dark woman coldly. "So you presume that New Yevon is not to be trusted again?" she asked in glacial tones.
"That's not what I said," Dona responded quickly. Her dark eyes narrowed in surprise at Rikk's comment. It didn't seem to be a typical 'Rikku' thing to say. "They may have accidentally harmed the Meyven and are now afraid to -"
"Excuse me, Dona?" a voice behind the ex-Summoner called out. "I have an invitation from LeBlanc for you."
Rikk recognized Rikku-sama's reasonable tones and cursed. She suddenly had a bit of an idea of how panicked Rikki must have gotten with Paine floating around. Silently vowing to go easier on the sexy girl for her abuses during that episode, she dove off the pier, vanishing under the water.
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Rikku-sama had checked the list a couple of times. "Yep, Dona's the only name left!" she exclaimed brightly. "So, do you want to take it, or should I?"
Ri hadn't answered, electing to instead sit on the dock wearing her Mascot dressphere.
So there she was, approaching Dona. She called out to the ex-Summoner, hoping to catch her attention before the other woman moved out of sight.
Dona turned to see her and... frowned. "Weren't you...?" she questioned, then shook her head. "You changed," she said flatly.
Rikku-sama's face remained pleasantly blank. "What?" she asked. "Never mind. I brought an invitation from LeBlanc."
"Don't talk to me about that woman!" Dona exclaimed. She glanced behind her again, searching for any sign that she had been talking to someone else. "In fact," she said shrewdly, "Why don't you tell me about your hair."
"My hair?" Rikku-sama asked.
"Yes, can you explain how when you got off the Youth League boat yesterday you had short hair, and yet, when I was talking to you a couple of moments ago you had your hair in a single high ponytail and now you're back to the braids and beads look."
"Sure, it figures that someone like you wouldn't grasp the complexities of hair and clothing changes," Rikku-sama said quickly. She kept a calm exterior expression, but inside, her mind was racing. Obviously Dona was the suspicious type and the matter of hair styles should have been dealt with before they drew unwanted attention.
"Meaning?" Dona fumed. She took a step forward, one hand resting on her hip.
"Well, how can I explain this so you'll understand....?" Rikku-sama murmured, voice trailing off. The answer came to her in a burst of creativity. "You know about the dresspheres, right?"
Dona nodded her head.
"Well, since we - the Gullwings, that is," she corrected quickly, "-can change clothes and abilities with Garment Grids, I thought that I would experiments a little bit." She nodded her head slightly. "You see, changes inflicted upon the physical self while in certain dresspheres seem to carry over into others. For example in one dressphere, my hair might be short, but in another, it might be long and in braids or even just loose."
"Really?" Dona asked.
"Yep!" Rikku-sama said, proud of her deduction. "Unlike some people, I believe in changing - hair, clothes, and heck, maybe even attitudes if the mood strikes me!" She shoved an invitation into Dona's hands. "See you at the wedding!" she called out cheerfully and vanished into the crowd.
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Rikku-san sighed. She had gotten to Kilika and was now looking for herself reluctantly. She was not going to stay and baby-sit on board the Celsius a moment longer, but that didn't mean that she wanted to track herself down and work to find Nooj either!
"Midori," a handsome man with waist length green and black hair said softly. "Just one of you today?" he chided. "Your powers are stronger when they are united."
"Wrong girl," Rikku-san said with a yawn. "My name is Rikku. Get it? Got it? Now go!" It was as short as she could make the conversation and still not be completely silent - although that might have been the more polite course of action.
Akira's eyes narrowed in fury. "I shall never forget your cursed face, Midori," he spat, fury making his eyes blaze. "You may call yourself 'Rikku' but that will not hide who you are - High Summoner!"
"Do you actually know how much work that would take?" Rikku-san asked. she kept her voice bored, but inside she was gearing up towards battle. Her opponent was Unsent, which meant he probably had some sort of grievance with someone else. That meant reasoning with him was probably pointless.
She was backing away from him slightly, hands resting lightly on the handles for her twin guns.
"Midori, I know that you think Shuyin is going to save you, but he can't," Akira snapped. "Now grant me your help... or you will suffer."
"Shuyin? Why should I want him to save me? (Besides the fact that I wouldn't have to do it myself...)," she added in softer tones.
"Why wouldn't you want your darling, dammed brother to save you?" Akira sneered. He pulled his twin swords. "He's dead and Sent. There's no way that he can come back anymore. You cannot -"
Rikku-san had had enough. She raised both guns and started pulling the trigger, causing a commotion as she executed the move 'Trigger Happy.'
If anything, Akira seemed furious. "How could you attack me?" he demanded and attacked her. "Midori, don't you love me anymore!" he shouted as she moved away from his attack. "Don't you care about what we've been through!"
"Like I ever loved you," Rikku-san muttered. "I ain't your Midori!"
He only heard what he already knew to be true. "Oh, you didn't love me, but you would have been better off if you did."
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Ri stood up when the gunfire started. Kilika's citizens were fleeing from the fight, whimpering in fear or with mingled curses. The shy girl made her way slowly towards the fighting zone and spotted Rikku-san engaged in combat with the stranger.
Determined to help, she leapt into the fray, attacking Akira in her Mascot costume.
"You stay out of this!" Akira snarled. "You dumb animal! This is between me and -" He stopped talking suddenly. And seemed to vanish. Seconds later, he appeared in front of Ri, pulling her mask off and baring her face. "Midori...?" he questioned. He wrapped one hand around her neck, tightening slowly. "What have you done to yourself?"
Ri didn't have time to be embarrassed. She was gasping for breath, still trying to figure out how he had gotten so close so soon. But it was no use, she felt her mind start to cloud with darkness and passed out amid the screams of the retreating villagers.
Just before unconsciousness claimed her fully, she caught sight of a couple of blond girls rapidly approaching the fighting grounds.
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The Unsent warrior Akira was fighting five different versions of Rikku. The fight had moved into the woods and had stepped up a couple of notches. In spite of being outnumbered, he clearly had the advantage in sheer power... his only problem was that they kept bringing themselves back to consciousness and then chipping away at his life.
He struck, blade ripping into Rikku-sama's arm. Rikki and Rikk attacked him from behind at the same moment. Ri, who had been revived by Rikki, cast Cura on Rikku-sama seconds later, rendering his attack futile.
He pulled back, evaluating them for the eighth time. "Midori, this is pointless. I too can heal -"
In response, he got blasted full of bullets from Rikku-san and Rikku-sama. Rikki also slashed him using a fan, although he wasn't sure how that attack kept working. Ri started casting protection spells on the party and Rikk used her spare time to sphere-change from warrior to Dark Knight. Once there, she started summoning the attack 'Dark Sky'.
"Fine, you asked for it -" he snapped. He crossed his swords in front of his chest and started to chant softly.
Feeling soft feminine hands slipping away from him, he stopped, turning to look at the disturbance.
'Midori' met his turbulent gaze with an impatient grin. She was holding up something of his... a green marble... and dressed different then the other girls.
"Rikku, watch out, he's fast!" Rikku-sama shouted from across the clearing.
"So am I!" the blond responded. Akira's foot caught her in the stomach seconds later and knocked her into Rikk.
"Quick to be kicked," Rikk snapped. She turned her head upwards, regaining her focus for the attack.
Akira did the same, resuming chanting. There were now six girls who looked like Midori. It made things confusing. His initial thought had been that Midori had used the Lunar Crystal... but then there would have to be Seven. Since there wasn't, he was dealing with unfamiliar magic.
Midori had been a talented Summoner with strong magic. He couldn't put things past her to split herself into six different parts. In fact, she had probably done it to weaken his Spell of Obedience on her. She should have responded to every order he gave, instead, she was responding to none. Her talents were blossoming with incredible speed... and yet, she was weaker than before.
Last time it had been nearly impossible to cast the Obedience spell. This time, she wasn't even trying to stop him. He smiled slowly. His first order would be for her to proclaim that she loved him - as it had been in the past. Then... it was time to become-
"That's enough, Akira," Shuyin's voice slipped across the forest. "I don't think that spell should be used."
Akira turned. "Shuyin," he noted coldly, missing Rikku-chan completely.
The spirit-like figure nodded slightly. "This isn't Midori, so you're spell won't work, you know," he said disdainfully.
"I've incorporated her 'new name' into the spell. I have her blood on my sword and on my body. And...." He held up a fistful of blond hair. "I even have a hair sample."
Rikki rubbed her head lightly, tuning Shuyin out. "You ready to hit him yet?" she asked Rikk. Because I'm turning it into a chain-attack."
"Almost, but what's Shuyin doing here. Isn't he -" Rikk asked.
Then they attacked each other. Shuyin moved almost at the same exact time that Akira did. Three sword clashed in the middle of the clearing and then broke apart again.
Two minutes of intense fighting later, Shuyin dropped to one knee, breathing hard and bleeding openly.
Akira was bleeding too. He was breathing heavy from the engagement and feeling worn out in more ways than one. Overhead, the sky darkened, alerting him to Rikk's barely restrained attack. Meteors slammed into his battered body, followed by slashes of wind across his back, as Rikki chained her attack to that of the Dark Knight's.
Rikku-san was shooting him with Trigger Happy again and somewhere in the chaos, he had gotten hit with a Cluster Bomb thrown by Rikku-sama, and a Holy spell cast by Rikku-chan in the bushes.
A clawed foot smashing into his back marked the last straw. He dropped to a knee, glaring at the six girls through vibrant eyes. "You will not get away so easily next time. Shuyin will not be able to save you..." He stood up and started walking backwards. None of the girls tried to stop him, and he vanished into the darkness of the woods.
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Ri hadn't attacked Akira in the last blast. Instead, she had knelt down beside the fallen form of Shuyin. He was breathing hard, his face soaked with sweat, blood, and dirt. She wasn't sure how to treat him.
As far as she knew, he had been Sent, or rather chosen to Fade on his own. There was no way that he should have even had a physical, let alone a spirit form in Spira anymore. And yet, the glowing of his skin had faded and he didn't look different at all. He just looked unconscious and broken - the same as any other human, ronso, or guado who had lost a fight to a fiend.
"How is he?" Rikku-chan asked nervously.
"It's kinda hard to say at this point," Ri murmured. "I'm going to treat him like I'd treat Baralai," she added. She cast Full Life and was awarded with Shuyin's ocean blue eyes meeting hers.
"You're back," he murmured. "Back in the -" his voice died abruptly as he looked around. "Wha?" he managed, and then passed out / fainted.
"That made sense," Rikku-sama said heavily.
"It did!" Rikku exclaimed in surprise. She poked him with her toe and glanced at the smart girl curiously.
"That's called 'sarcasm', you know," Rikk said with a frown. "You should get used to it."
"Oh..." Rikku said. "That's not very nice... Is he... you know, Unsent?"
"No," Rikku-chan announced. "I think he's just here."
"How?" Rikku-san asked. "Wait, hold that thought. I got a better question that has more pressing concerns. Who's Midori, and who attacked us, and more important, why?"
"Midori is Shuyin's sister. She became a Fayth. Akira is the guy that attacked us. He's Unsent. And he thinks that we're Midori and that she can help him or something, so that's why he attacked us." Rikku bounced up and down as she gave her explanation. "Shuyin said he was going to protect Rikku-chan for helping with Lenne and he saved her back at the Thunder Plains too!"
"Yay! That makes tons of sense!" Rikk muttered.
"Ahem," Rikku-sama cleared her voice. "I would also like to point out that we still have to get Nooj. And deal with the matter of haircuts. I don't think we can do anything about Shuyin until he wakes up. Then we can pump him for information."
"So we should get to the temple and get him in a room?" Rikku-chan hiccuped.
"Basically. Take things one step at a time," Rikku-san agreed.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Rikku exclaimed.
"Good, I can take a bath once we get there. It'll be easier to think when my beauty isn't covered by dirt," Rikki purred.
"I got dibs on Nooj's problem," Rikk said with a shrug. "That way I can get some action in."
"We're not going to be staying in the same room as Shuyin, are we?" Ri whispered with a furious blush staining her face.
No one answered. Instead, Rikk and Rikku hoisted Shuyin up by his arms and legs and started carrying him towards the temple.
"Hey, will a couple of you carry me?" Rikku-san asked after a couple of minutes. "That fight sure wore me out!"
"NO!" came the forceful and prompt response from the other girls.
"You're ruining my reputation," Rikku added.
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Author's notes; I hope the fight with Akira was okay. I'm not the best with writing 'fight scenes' although I suppose through practice I'll get better. Anyway, Shuyin is pretty much alive and Unsent now. There will be a sound reason behind this, although I'm not sure when I'm going to add it. I am debating if I should also bring Lenne along or just leave her tucked away in the Farplane. Opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Next Chapter; Six out of seven girls get into an argument over their love life and if they were ever in love with Auron. Nooj is found. And Akira shows up. He proves to be more than a match for the girls, forcing them to retreat further and further into Kilika Temple. Will they get away? Find out in the next chapter of CHAOS OF SEVEN!
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
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Chaos times seven
Chapter eight
By; Kissa-chan
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As a father, he was angry, no, wait; he was furious. He only daughter had run off with some boy and allowed him to get her pregnant. What made things worse was that she hadn't even bothered to tell him or seek his advice in any way.
He had always tried to be a good father, although he was adequately aware of his failings. Keyakku, his oldest son, had died during the Guado assault on Home. He felt that Brother and Rikku held him responsible for their brother's death, but more than that, he held himself responsible.
He sighed heavily. He just wasn't kind enough as a father. He was harsh and abrupt. Maybe.... there was a reason for Seven....
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"There is absolutely no point to this!" Rikki exclaimed.
"Shut up!" Rikk counter-snapped. "Rikku and Rikku-chan contacted me while you were gallivanting around on the ship and said that they would meet us here. We're going to wait until they arrive before we move out."
"You're not the leader!" Rikki shot back, feeling flustered again. She soothed down the canary yellow silk of her skirt and readjusted her breasts in her top. Absently, she reached up to flip her hair. "You didn't have to cut my hair," she added softly.
"Sure, I did," Rikk answered harshly. "Honestly, you whine more than Rikku-chan does... and she's supposed to be the teary one!"
Both girls were seated in a motel room. Both girls felt that the room was too small for the both of them. Both girls refused to let the other leave, so they were stuck, sitting across from each other and glaring.
"I hope Rikku shows up soon!" Rikki exclaimed randomly. Then, abruptly, her bad mood faded away. "Sa~y, Rikk," she purred.
"What?" Rikk asked suspiciously.
"There's a bath in this room..." Rikki murmured.
"So?"
"Ta," Rikki translated to the sarcastic girl. She stood up in a graceful motion and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
Rikk flopped back onto the bed. "Give me a break!" she exclaimed quietly. "You would think that there were better ways to spend your time." She rolled onto her side, looking at the small clock, and waiting for the water to stop running.
"Rikki!" she shouted.
"Mmh?" Rikki asked languidly from the bathroom.
"I'm going out!"
"All right," Rikki murmured sleepily, relaxing herself into her bathwater more.
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"Shuyin just said, 'There's a fiend coming up rapidly behind you,' what should we do?" Rikku-chan asked Rikku nervously.
"FIGHT!" Rikku exclaimed, spinning around and whipping her crimson daggers from their sheaths on her thighs. "Learn to have a bit of fun!"
"Can't we just run?" Rikku-chan begged.
"What kind of fiend?" Rikku offered. "If it's one of those big, take-forever-to-destroy-with-very-few-rewards-monsters, then I suppose we could shaky-shaky our ways away before it catches up, you know!"
"It's just a Dual Horn," Shuyin informed Rikku-chan. "They're not that hard to beat." And then, to stall her from breaking into any type of tears, he said; "I'll start you on learning Battle Dance, ne?"
Rikku-chan turned towards Rikku. "He says he's going to show me a new dance that will help when fighting Akira."
"Kay!" Rikku said enthusiastically. "One question, are you sure that Shuyin is... trustworthy. He does have a questionable past, you know."
Rikku-chan smiled slightly. "Yeah, he's trustworthy. Besides, he is really helpful in combat... he helps me keep focused and not cry."
Rikku shrugged. "Sounds good to me!" she said happily.
Seconds later the Dual Horn attacked. The monstrous gray fiend snarled at the two Al Bhed girls, stamping at the worn path with one large hoof.
In Rikku-chan's head, Shuyin started listing steps for the young girl to take. While the teary girl was dancing, Rikku laid waste to the Dual Horn, freeing him first of his items and gil.
"Another fiend heading broke to the Farplane!" she called out brightly as it dissolved into pyreflies.
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The wooden streets made a dull clanking noise as many people ran or walked across them. The noise was, at best, random; however, there was one footfall that was falling rhythmically behind Rikk, shadowing her every move.
"All right, fine," she finally murmured to herself. "Let's see who the fsck you are." She didn't alter her pace by speeding up or slowing down. Instead, she weaved her way towards the gates leading to Kilika Temple.
"Rikku," a cold woman's voice reached out from the crowd, brining the Al Bhed to a halt.
She turned slowly, eyes scanning the crowd for whoever had been following her. No one looked suspicious, so she turned her attention to the ex-Summoner standing a couple feet away. "Dona," she acknowledged with a slight inclination of her head. "It has been a while. Are you and Bartello still seeing each other?"
Dona waved the personal question off. "I was wondering if you had any information on the whereabouts of Meyven Nooj. He went up to the temple a couple of days ago... then New Yevon cut off access to the building claiming an internal problem. There's been no sign of the Meyven since then."
Rikk appraised the dark woman coldly. "So you presume that New Yevon is not to be trusted again?" she asked in glacial tones.
"That's not what I said," Dona responded quickly. Her dark eyes narrowed in surprise at Rikk's comment. It didn't seem to be a typical 'Rikku' thing to say. "They may have accidentally harmed the Meyven and are now afraid to -"
"Excuse me, Dona?" a voice behind the ex-Summoner called out. "I have an invitation from LeBlanc for you."
Rikk recognized Rikku-sama's reasonable tones and cursed. She suddenly had a bit of an idea of how panicked Rikki must have gotten with Paine floating around. Silently vowing to go easier on the sexy girl for her abuses during that episode, she dove off the pier, vanishing under the water.
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Rikku-sama had checked the list a couple of times. "Yep, Dona's the only name left!" she exclaimed brightly. "So, do you want to take it, or should I?"
Ri hadn't answered, electing to instead sit on the dock wearing her Mascot dressphere.
So there she was, approaching Dona. She called out to the ex-Summoner, hoping to catch her attention before the other woman moved out of sight.
Dona turned to see her and... frowned. "Weren't you...?" she questioned, then shook her head. "You changed," she said flatly.
Rikku-sama's face remained pleasantly blank. "What?" she asked. "Never mind. I brought an invitation from LeBlanc."
"Don't talk to me about that woman!" Dona exclaimed. She glanced behind her again, searching for any sign that she had been talking to someone else. "In fact," she said shrewdly, "Why don't you tell me about your hair."
"My hair?" Rikku-sama asked.
"Yes, can you explain how when you got off the Youth League boat yesterday you had short hair, and yet, when I was talking to you a couple of moments ago you had your hair in a single high ponytail and now you're back to the braids and beads look."
"Sure, it figures that someone like you wouldn't grasp the complexities of hair and clothing changes," Rikku-sama said quickly. She kept a calm exterior expression, but inside, her mind was racing. Obviously Dona was the suspicious type and the matter of hair styles should have been dealt with before they drew unwanted attention.
"Meaning?" Dona fumed. She took a step forward, one hand resting on her hip.
"Well, how can I explain this so you'll understand....?" Rikku-sama murmured, voice trailing off. The answer came to her in a burst of creativity. "You know about the dresspheres, right?"
Dona nodded her head.
"Well, since we - the Gullwings, that is," she corrected quickly, "-can change clothes and abilities with Garment Grids, I thought that I would experiments a little bit." She nodded her head slightly. "You see, changes inflicted upon the physical self while in certain dresspheres seem to carry over into others. For example in one dressphere, my hair might be short, but in another, it might be long and in braids or even just loose."
"Really?" Dona asked.
"Yep!" Rikku-sama said, proud of her deduction. "Unlike some people, I believe in changing - hair, clothes, and heck, maybe even attitudes if the mood strikes me!" She shoved an invitation into Dona's hands. "See you at the wedding!" she called out cheerfully and vanished into the crowd.
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Rikku-san sighed. She had gotten to Kilika and was now looking for herself reluctantly. She was not going to stay and baby-sit on board the Celsius a moment longer, but that didn't mean that she wanted to track herself down and work to find Nooj either!
"Midori," a handsome man with waist length green and black hair said softly. "Just one of you today?" he chided. "Your powers are stronger when they are united."
"Wrong girl," Rikku-san said with a yawn. "My name is Rikku. Get it? Got it? Now go!" It was as short as she could make the conversation and still not be completely silent - although that might have been the more polite course of action.
Akira's eyes narrowed in fury. "I shall never forget your cursed face, Midori," he spat, fury making his eyes blaze. "You may call yourself 'Rikku' but that will not hide who you are - High Summoner!"
"Do you actually know how much work that would take?" Rikku-san asked. she kept her voice bored, but inside she was gearing up towards battle. Her opponent was Unsent, which meant he probably had some sort of grievance with someone else. That meant reasoning with him was probably pointless.
She was backing away from him slightly, hands resting lightly on the handles for her twin guns.
"Midori, I know that you think Shuyin is going to save you, but he can't," Akira snapped. "Now grant me your help... or you will suffer."
"Shuyin? Why should I want him to save me? (Besides the fact that I wouldn't have to do it myself...)," she added in softer tones.
"Why wouldn't you want your darling, dammed brother to save you?" Akira sneered. He pulled his twin swords. "He's dead and Sent. There's no way that he can come back anymore. You cannot -"
Rikku-san had had enough. She raised both guns and started pulling the trigger, causing a commotion as she executed the move 'Trigger Happy.'
If anything, Akira seemed furious. "How could you attack me?" he demanded and attacked her. "Midori, don't you love me anymore!" he shouted as she moved away from his attack. "Don't you care about what we've been through!"
"Like I ever loved you," Rikku-san muttered. "I ain't your Midori!"
He only heard what he already knew to be true. "Oh, you didn't love me, but you would have been better off if you did."
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Ri stood up when the gunfire started. Kilika's citizens were fleeing from the fight, whimpering in fear or with mingled curses. The shy girl made her way slowly towards the fighting zone and spotted Rikku-san engaged in combat with the stranger.
Determined to help, she leapt into the fray, attacking Akira in her Mascot costume.
"You stay out of this!" Akira snarled. "You dumb animal! This is between me and -" He stopped talking suddenly. And seemed to vanish. Seconds later, he appeared in front of Ri, pulling her mask off and baring her face. "Midori...?" he questioned. He wrapped one hand around her neck, tightening slowly. "What have you done to yourself?"
Ri didn't have time to be embarrassed. She was gasping for breath, still trying to figure out how he had gotten so close so soon. But it was no use, she felt her mind start to cloud with darkness and passed out amid the screams of the retreating villagers.
Just before unconsciousness claimed her fully, she caught sight of a couple of blond girls rapidly approaching the fighting grounds.
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The Unsent warrior Akira was fighting five different versions of Rikku. The fight had moved into the woods and had stepped up a couple of notches. In spite of being outnumbered, he clearly had the advantage in sheer power... his only problem was that they kept bringing themselves back to consciousness and then chipping away at his life.
He struck, blade ripping into Rikku-sama's arm. Rikki and Rikk attacked him from behind at the same moment. Ri, who had been revived by Rikki, cast Cura on Rikku-sama seconds later, rendering his attack futile.
He pulled back, evaluating them for the eighth time. "Midori, this is pointless. I too can heal -"
In response, he got blasted full of bullets from Rikku-san and Rikku-sama. Rikki also slashed him using a fan, although he wasn't sure how that attack kept working. Ri started casting protection spells on the party and Rikk used her spare time to sphere-change from warrior to Dark Knight. Once there, she started summoning the attack 'Dark Sky'.
"Fine, you asked for it -" he snapped. He crossed his swords in front of his chest and started to chant softly.
Feeling soft feminine hands slipping away from him, he stopped, turning to look at the disturbance.
'Midori' met his turbulent gaze with an impatient grin. She was holding up something of his... a green marble... and dressed different then the other girls.
"Rikku, watch out, he's fast!" Rikku-sama shouted from across the clearing.
"So am I!" the blond responded. Akira's foot caught her in the stomach seconds later and knocked her into Rikk.
"Quick to be kicked," Rikk snapped. She turned her head upwards, regaining her focus for the attack.
Akira did the same, resuming chanting. There were now six girls who looked like Midori. It made things confusing. His initial thought had been that Midori had used the Lunar Crystal... but then there would have to be Seven. Since there wasn't, he was dealing with unfamiliar magic.
Midori had been a talented Summoner with strong magic. He couldn't put things past her to split herself into six different parts. In fact, she had probably done it to weaken his Spell of Obedience on her. She should have responded to every order he gave, instead, she was responding to none. Her talents were blossoming with incredible speed... and yet, she was weaker than before.
Last time it had been nearly impossible to cast the Obedience spell. This time, she wasn't even trying to stop him. He smiled slowly. His first order would be for her to proclaim that she loved him - as it had been in the past. Then... it was time to become-
"That's enough, Akira," Shuyin's voice slipped across the forest. "I don't think that spell should be used."
Akira turned. "Shuyin," he noted coldly, missing Rikku-chan completely.
The spirit-like figure nodded slightly. "This isn't Midori, so you're spell won't work, you know," he said disdainfully.
"I've incorporated her 'new name' into the spell. I have her blood on my sword and on my body. And...." He held up a fistful of blond hair. "I even have a hair sample."
Rikki rubbed her head lightly, tuning Shuyin out. "You ready to hit him yet?" she asked Rikk. Because I'm turning it into a chain-attack."
"Almost, but what's Shuyin doing here. Isn't he -" Rikk asked.
Then they attacked each other. Shuyin moved almost at the same exact time that Akira did. Three sword clashed in the middle of the clearing and then broke apart again.
Two minutes of intense fighting later, Shuyin dropped to one knee, breathing hard and bleeding openly.
Akira was bleeding too. He was breathing heavy from the engagement and feeling worn out in more ways than one. Overhead, the sky darkened, alerting him to Rikk's barely restrained attack. Meteors slammed into his battered body, followed by slashes of wind across his back, as Rikki chained her attack to that of the Dark Knight's.
Rikku-san was shooting him with Trigger Happy again and somewhere in the chaos, he had gotten hit with a Cluster Bomb thrown by Rikku-sama, and a Holy spell cast by Rikku-chan in the bushes.
A clawed foot smashing into his back marked the last straw. He dropped to a knee, glaring at the six girls through vibrant eyes. "You will not get away so easily next time. Shuyin will not be able to save you..." He stood up and started walking backwards. None of the girls tried to stop him, and he vanished into the darkness of the woods.
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Ri hadn't attacked Akira in the last blast. Instead, she had knelt down beside the fallen form of Shuyin. He was breathing hard, his face soaked with sweat, blood, and dirt. She wasn't sure how to treat him.
As far as she knew, he had been Sent, or rather chosen to Fade on his own. There was no way that he should have even had a physical, let alone a spirit form in Spira anymore. And yet, the glowing of his skin had faded and he didn't look different at all. He just looked unconscious and broken - the same as any other human, ronso, or guado who had lost a fight to a fiend.
"How is he?" Rikku-chan asked nervously.
"It's kinda hard to say at this point," Ri murmured. "I'm going to treat him like I'd treat Baralai," she added. She cast Full Life and was awarded with Shuyin's ocean blue eyes meeting hers.
"You're back," he murmured. "Back in the -" his voice died abruptly as he looked around. "Wha?" he managed, and then passed out / fainted.
"That made sense," Rikku-sama said heavily.
"It did!" Rikku exclaimed in surprise. She poked him with her toe and glanced at the smart girl curiously.
"That's called 'sarcasm', you know," Rikk said with a frown. "You should get used to it."
"Oh..." Rikku said. "That's not very nice... Is he... you know, Unsent?"
"No," Rikku-chan announced. "I think he's just here."
"How?" Rikku-san asked. "Wait, hold that thought. I got a better question that has more pressing concerns. Who's Midori, and who attacked us, and more important, why?"
"Midori is Shuyin's sister. She became a Fayth. Akira is the guy that attacked us. He's Unsent. And he thinks that we're Midori and that she can help him or something, so that's why he attacked us." Rikku bounced up and down as she gave her explanation. "Shuyin said he was going to protect Rikku-chan for helping with Lenne and he saved her back at the Thunder Plains too!"
"Yay! That makes tons of sense!" Rikk muttered.
"Ahem," Rikku-sama cleared her voice. "I would also like to point out that we still have to get Nooj. And deal with the matter of haircuts. I don't think we can do anything about Shuyin until he wakes up. Then we can pump him for information."
"So we should get to the temple and get him in a room?" Rikku-chan hiccuped.
"Basically. Take things one step at a time," Rikku-san agreed.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Rikku exclaimed.
"Good, I can take a bath once we get there. It'll be easier to think when my beauty isn't covered by dirt," Rikki purred.
"I got dibs on Nooj's problem," Rikk said with a shrug. "That way I can get some action in."
"We're not going to be staying in the same room as Shuyin, are we?" Ri whispered with a furious blush staining her face.
No one answered. Instead, Rikk and Rikku hoisted Shuyin up by his arms and legs and started carrying him towards the temple.
"Hey, will a couple of you carry me?" Rikku-san asked after a couple of minutes. "That fight sure wore me out!"
"NO!" came the forceful and prompt response from the other girls.
"You're ruining my reputation," Rikku added.
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Author's notes; I hope the fight with Akira was okay. I'm not the best with writing 'fight scenes' although I suppose through practice I'll get better. Anyway, Shuyin is pretty much alive and Unsent now. There will be a sound reason behind this, although I'm not sure when I'm going to add it. I am debating if I should also bring Lenne along or just leave her tucked away in the Farplane. Opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Next Chapter; Six out of seven girls get into an argument over their love life and if they were ever in love with Auron. Nooj is found. And Akira shows up. He proves to be more than a match for the girls, forcing them to retreat further and further into Kilika Temple. Will they get away? Find out in the next chapter of CHAOS OF SEVEN!
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan