Standard disclaimers apply.
================================================================
Chaos Of Seven
Chapter eighteen
By; Kissa-chan
================================================================
Love triangles never worked. The same was often true for love squares. He loved Shiroi. Shiroi loved Akira. Akira loved Midori. And if the rumours were true, Midori had been in love with him.
None of that really mattered to Tammurin.
Shiroi's blade whirled against his defense in a testing fashion. Her sword cut at his, making a dull, clanking noise whenever it made contact. She smiled grimly, confident in her skill. Before, when she had fought Rikk, she hadn't gotten started. Her hatred burned excedingly hot for Midori; however, she hadn't had any problems with the woman that looked like her.
She didn't have a reason to continue fighting her. She didn't need to fight anyone except Midori.
Tammurin was an exception. Rumor had stated that he had helped in the Sealing of her precious Akira. He had offered up his blood to Yu Yevon in order to banish his own brother from the Farplane and all the planes of reality. He had given blood oath to Akira's enemies and watched his brother become trapped in a mirror for what was supposed to be eternity.
For his part, Tammurin was in shock. He didn't want to fight Shiroi. He didn't want to have to 'slaughter' her. He wanted to hold her... protect her... love her. He also wanted her to feel something other than the hate he could sense in her mind. "What happened to you?" he asked, ignoring one of her feints and responding with a feint of his own.
The Spell of Obidience was complelling him to put crimson slashes against her pale white skin. By parrying and thrusting back towards her, he was delaying it's mind bending grasp.
Shiroi didn't answer his question. She didn't have to. Tammurin didn't need to be a telepath to know that she had changed for love. She had given up her charm and grace for Akira; it had all been for nothing. He hadn't cared that she had changed. He hadn't cared at all.
In the end, he hadn't even remembered her name. She had been, 'That girl I used..." That had been the reason Tammurin had agreed to help Seal his older brother...
A hard look slipped across his face, and he opened a gash on her leg. "Shiroi..." he murmured softly, eyes suddenly fixated on the hot, red blood seeping through her pant leg. He hadn't meant to strike. He didn't want to hurt her...
"FIGHT!" Rikku shouted. "You can do it, Shiroi!"
"Aim for between his eyes!" Rikku-sama added. "And everyone.... THINK!"
Rikki got a pouty expression on her face. "Tammurin... you don't have to fight! Lay down your weapons and let us out!" She bit the inside of her lip, eyes fixated on him.
Tammurin tilted his head backwards. "Don't have to fight?" he repeated. "And I don't want to fight... not Shiroi White... The rest of you... you can rot in hell."
"Kick his arse!" Rikku shouted, pumping her hand into the air, and bouncing slightly.
"Don't be vulgur," Paine answered.
"Let me kiss his ass!" Rikki declared.
"Don't be stupider than you already are," Rikk ridiculed her.
Tammurin launched himself foreward and slammed his foot into Shiroi's ankle. In his mind, he kept trying to stop his attacks... make them less lethal... He swung towards her head as she toppled to one side. He slowed his swing slightly, allowing for just enough time for her to escape unscathed.
However, Shiroi was a lot better than he was giving her credit for. She was already recovering her balance when he began his swing. If it had been coming at a regular speed, she would have just blocked the shot. Since it was coming slower, it seemed like she had all the time in the world to bring the Lost Nightmare in a hideous slash across his stomach.
A look of surprise flittered across his face and she smirked in triumph. He backed away from her slightly, dagger hand pressed against his stomach to try and staunch the bleeding.
Shiroi didn't allow him a chance to recover. She lashed out at him, sending her blade into a fury of thrusts and slashes. None of them seemed to be making adequet contact with her oponent, but then, he wasn't able to do anything but defend, so sooner or later, his defense would slip. Then she would run her blade through his heart and kill him.
He could feel her thoughts, and they burned worse then the bleeding cut across his stomach. "SHIROI!" he shouted in fustration. "I lo -" the words never left his mouth. He still couldn't bring himself to speak the words of love. He couldn't bring himself to face her rejection.
Telepathy has always allowed him to know what she thought of him. She thought little of him except as Akira's brother. Akira's betrayer... Her own enemy now.
Once, she had been... different. The Shiroi he remembered hadn't wanted to hurt anyone. She liked finding non-violent ways to solve things. She liked peace.
He blocked a shot aimed towards his ankles. Then, he stood silently watching her blade twist towards his head. He could sense that it was another feint. Her real target was his sword hand. She intended to cut through the skin and break the bones, destroying any more chances for him to defend himself.
He let the blade connect with his hand, and drove his dagger towards her face. His hand would heal... if he killed her. His dagger could easily slip between her eyes and bring the darkness of death into her hate filled expression.
He missed, allowing the blade to nick a single strand of hair.
"You're aim is leaving something to be desired," Shiroi taunted. She stepped away from him; shaken by the near miss.
"Don't get cocky," Paine urged.
"Remember! He reads minds. Don't think, REACT!" Rikku-sama shouted.
Shiroi turned towards the Splitling of Rikku. "Are you kidding, he's already been injured twice and I have a tiny scratch on my leg -"
Tammurin felt like screaming. She had given him her back. There was no way that he could convince the Spell that her defense was making him cautious anymore. He had a kill shot that not even a fool could miss. 'Oh, please no....' he thought, coiling his legs underneath him.
He sprang, crossing both blades in front of his chest. They would both move together and behead her.
"Tammurin! DON'T!" Rikki shrieked.
Shiroi turned, eyes wide. For a moment, a scared expression flickered through them. She could see her death reflected in the shining steel of his weapons. Then she hardened.
She was dead. Unsent. He could only hurt her. He would never be able to kill her. Sure, she might be knocked out for a moment - lingering between Fading and staying. She had been on the border of the Farplane before. It wasn't that big of an issue. Her love for Akira would keep her from entering.
She let a cruel smile slip across the mouth he loved looking at. She shoved the Lost Nightmare upwards, meaning to strike him using his own momentum. There was no way he could turn back now...
"Shiroi!" Tidus shouted.
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Rikku shouted, punctuating each word with a frantic bounce.
"Tammurin..." Rikki whispered, seconds after her earlier cry.
He heard her shout 'don't'. He twisted his head and shifted his body. Was she free? The question flew through his mind. It didn't matter what the answer was... The main point was that he was distracted. The main thing was that Shiroi would be able to react.
He refocused on the battle and saw her blade thrusting upwards towards his unguarded belly.
"NOOOOO!" Rikki screamed. "Shiroi... he stopped. Please don't!"
Shiroi, unlike Tammurin, wasn't listening to anyone anymore. She had focused herself on the fight. On the dark hair warrior in front of her. He had allowed himself to get distracted... A mistake, he would never be able to correct.
She drove her blade, expecting victory in his death.
================================================================
Gippal twisted around, checking to see if it was Rikku barging through the doors. Lately, he had been especially worried about her. He had heard about Kilika Temple being destroyed and from the sounds of things, the blond Al Bhed girl had been there.
He hadn't heard anything since.
Seeing a breathless Youth Leage messenger, he shook his head wearily. "I'm going to my office," he said tonelessly. "If anyone hears anything about Ri -... err... Cid's little girl... come and get me. Anything else - leave me the fsck alone."
"Gippal!" the messenger shouted. "Wait! I have urgent news!"
Gippal shook his head. He didn't want to hear about it right now. He didn't want to deal with it at all.
He entered his office and started pacing. Then the first explosion rocked the building. Alarmed, he raced out of the room and spotted strange soldiers pouring through the destroyed doors.
"What's going on!" he shouted, weariness gone. He would worry about Rikku later. He would protect his people first. He siezed his gun and aimed and the leader of the charge. One shot took the man out and he fell in a puddle of blood.
Winching, Gippal aimed at the next. It wasn't a pretty bussiness when you had to kill the living. Slaying undead fiends was a different matter. They had already died; they just hadn't continued on.
"Sir... Meyven Nooj and Youth Leage HQ are also being attacked," the messenger shouted.
Gippal rubbed his neck. "All right people, let's get things taken care of, shall we?" He gathered his people together, making sure that everyone could back up everyone else. "Yo, messenger boy, Nooj need any help?"
"No sir," the messenger shouted. "He wanted me to warn you that you were about to be attacked."
"Allrighty then... let's kick some ass. And then go finish off Nooj's enemies!" Gippal drawled, raising his gun into the air.
Alcionne's attack had started.
================================================================
They say a person's life flashes before their eyes right before they die. It was true. Tammurin had died before and it had happened.
He seen his unhappy childhood... passed from one orphenage to another. His older brother's adoption and his own initiation into the life of an assassion. That was his early childhood - from ages 2 or 3 to 15.
Then he had seen her... Shiroi. He had been a killer at that point. A near emotionless puppet for the people in power... She had held out her hand and smiled, melting him with kind words and soft expressions. It had been love at first sight.
He had wanted to protect her. To that end, he redoubled his efforts to be the best. He focused his entire being to her safety...
When he died; he saw her smiling at him over and over. And then, he remembered that she had already been killed. A trip to the Forbidden Continent that had ended with her life. He remembered the grief and guilt that had torn through him. He remembered the nightmare images of her bloody face smiling at him.
And then...
He had died, her name and his proclamation of love remaining on the tip of his tongue. Unrequited love. Pointless deaths...
This time was different. He couldn't see anything but crimson blurring his vision. He could taste the coppery flavor of blood in his mouth. He could feel her sword's hilt digging into his already cut stomach. He could hear her laughing... vaguely.
Shiroi put her foot on his shoulder and shoved him backwards, watching his sprawl on his back. "That's what you deserve, traitor," she spat venomently. She stepped over him and drove her blade towards his heart. "And now... the finish!"
================================================================
Rikki was breathing too hard. She couldn't seem to get enough air. "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" she screamed loudly. Her voice felt rough and raw.
Tammurin hit the ground and the doors in front of her swooshed open. "No more!" she shouted, racing foreward.
Shiroi had stepped over him, raising Lost Nightmare high above her head. "And now... the finish!" she was saying coldly.
Rikki sphere-changed without concious thought. Before she arrived, she was wearing the thief outfit and pulling out her crimson thief blades. In a panicked frenzy, she slammed into Shiroi, knocking her aside and smashing her blades into Lost Nightmare with ever increasing force.
"Rikki!" Rikk shouted, pulling her away from the stunned Unsent.
"What was that for?" Shiroi asked, completely bedazzled by Rikki's attack. "I was saving our lives, in case you hadn't noticed."
"I think," Shuyin said tightly, "that she's a little upset about your malicious glee during the fight."
"Malcious glee?" Rikku inquired. "Sure she was focused... but we're on the same side and that means we should get along...."
"Speak for yourself!" Rikki shouted. She tried to shrug loose from Rikk's grip and failed.
"You're weird, but that doesn't mean I let you attack our allies," Rikk informed her.
"She's got a point," Paine added.
"Thank-you," Rikk said.
"I was talking about Rikki," Paine responded.
Rikk frowned and turned towards Baralai. "Is everyone accounted for?"
He shook his head slightly. "Yuna is missing... Tidus is already heading after her. She was taken during the fight..."
"Why didn't you say so!" Rikku-sama exclaimed.
"I didn't want to distract Lady Shiroi before her fight was finished. Tidus went after her like I already said; however, we should probably hasten to do the same," Baralai answered.
Shiroi nodded. "I'm game. Which way did they go?"
"Up the stairs over there," Shuyin said.
"You saw Yunie get taken too!" Rikku exclaimed. "How come I didn't see anything."
"I saw Tidus run up the stairs when the doors opened," Shuyin answered.
Paine started walking towards the steps. "Hurry up," she called over her shoulder.
"Coming!" Rikku shouted. "Let's go," she added to the Rikku-gumi.
Rikku-sama nodded silently and started walking towards Paine. Rikku-chan was hesitantly following her moments later. "Come on, Shuyin," she called tearfully over her shoulder.
Shuyin and Baralai both started for the steps with Shiroi moments behind them.
"Let's go," Rikk said, tugging Rikki to her feet.
"Fsck that!" Rikki shouted hotly. She tugged herself loose from Rikk and dropped to the floor crying.
"Be that way," Rikk answered, turning away from her. "If you want to act like Wakka, then be my guest."
Rikki shot to her feet, eyes puffy and red from crying. "What's that supposed to mean?" she snarled.
"In case you forgot; he had sympathy for our enemy - SEYMOUR! He was bent out of shape because we killed him when he was attacking us!" Rikk responded.
Rikki started gearing up towards a big fight. She drew the thief blades into a fighting position and glared furiously at Rikk.
For her part, Rikk drew her own weapon and braced herself to fight.
================================================================
Author's notes; Yeeessssh! I can't believe it. I completely forgot to put up a chapter last Tuesday. Here I had this lovely chapter all prepared and ready for everyone and I only put it into my documents folder.
And here I was wondering why no one was reviewing chapter eighteen. Sorry about that....
Regardless, to the issue of there being more than seven Cids, I say... I only know four so I get three orginal Cids for myself. The only Cids from the FF games are Cid Highwind, Regent Cid, Headmaster Cid, and Al Bhed Cid. So.... that's that.
Next Chapter; Rikk and Rikki are set to face off in a battle to the death? Will we be saying good-bye to one of the Rikku-gumi forever? Find out in the next exciting chapter of... CHAOS OF SEVEN!!!
================================================================
Chaos Of Seven
Chapter eighteen
By; Kissa-chan
================================================================
Love triangles never worked. The same was often true for love squares. He loved Shiroi. Shiroi loved Akira. Akira loved Midori. And if the rumours were true, Midori had been in love with him.
None of that really mattered to Tammurin.
Shiroi's blade whirled against his defense in a testing fashion. Her sword cut at his, making a dull, clanking noise whenever it made contact. She smiled grimly, confident in her skill. Before, when she had fought Rikk, she hadn't gotten started. Her hatred burned excedingly hot for Midori; however, she hadn't had any problems with the woman that looked like her.
She didn't have a reason to continue fighting her. She didn't need to fight anyone except Midori.
Tammurin was an exception. Rumor had stated that he had helped in the Sealing of her precious Akira. He had offered up his blood to Yu Yevon in order to banish his own brother from the Farplane and all the planes of reality. He had given blood oath to Akira's enemies and watched his brother become trapped in a mirror for what was supposed to be eternity.
For his part, Tammurin was in shock. He didn't want to fight Shiroi. He didn't want to have to 'slaughter' her. He wanted to hold her... protect her... love her. He also wanted her to feel something other than the hate he could sense in her mind. "What happened to you?" he asked, ignoring one of her feints and responding with a feint of his own.
The Spell of Obidience was complelling him to put crimson slashes against her pale white skin. By parrying and thrusting back towards her, he was delaying it's mind bending grasp.
Shiroi didn't answer his question. She didn't have to. Tammurin didn't need to be a telepath to know that she had changed for love. She had given up her charm and grace for Akira; it had all been for nothing. He hadn't cared that she had changed. He hadn't cared at all.
In the end, he hadn't even remembered her name. She had been, 'That girl I used..." That had been the reason Tammurin had agreed to help Seal his older brother...
A hard look slipped across his face, and he opened a gash on her leg. "Shiroi..." he murmured softly, eyes suddenly fixated on the hot, red blood seeping through her pant leg. He hadn't meant to strike. He didn't want to hurt her...
"FIGHT!" Rikku shouted. "You can do it, Shiroi!"
"Aim for between his eyes!" Rikku-sama added. "And everyone.... THINK!"
Rikki got a pouty expression on her face. "Tammurin... you don't have to fight! Lay down your weapons and let us out!" She bit the inside of her lip, eyes fixated on him.
Tammurin tilted his head backwards. "Don't have to fight?" he repeated. "And I don't want to fight... not Shiroi White... The rest of you... you can rot in hell."
"Kick his arse!" Rikku shouted, pumping her hand into the air, and bouncing slightly.
"Don't be vulgur," Paine answered.
"Let me kiss his ass!" Rikki declared.
"Don't be stupider than you already are," Rikk ridiculed her.
Tammurin launched himself foreward and slammed his foot into Shiroi's ankle. In his mind, he kept trying to stop his attacks... make them less lethal... He swung towards her head as she toppled to one side. He slowed his swing slightly, allowing for just enough time for her to escape unscathed.
However, Shiroi was a lot better than he was giving her credit for. She was already recovering her balance when he began his swing. If it had been coming at a regular speed, she would have just blocked the shot. Since it was coming slower, it seemed like she had all the time in the world to bring the Lost Nightmare in a hideous slash across his stomach.
A look of surprise flittered across his face and she smirked in triumph. He backed away from her slightly, dagger hand pressed against his stomach to try and staunch the bleeding.
Shiroi didn't allow him a chance to recover. She lashed out at him, sending her blade into a fury of thrusts and slashes. None of them seemed to be making adequet contact with her oponent, but then, he wasn't able to do anything but defend, so sooner or later, his defense would slip. Then she would run her blade through his heart and kill him.
He could feel her thoughts, and they burned worse then the bleeding cut across his stomach. "SHIROI!" he shouted in fustration. "I lo -" the words never left his mouth. He still couldn't bring himself to speak the words of love. He couldn't bring himself to face her rejection.
Telepathy has always allowed him to know what she thought of him. She thought little of him except as Akira's brother. Akira's betrayer... Her own enemy now.
Once, she had been... different. The Shiroi he remembered hadn't wanted to hurt anyone. She liked finding non-violent ways to solve things. She liked peace.
He blocked a shot aimed towards his ankles. Then, he stood silently watching her blade twist towards his head. He could sense that it was another feint. Her real target was his sword hand. She intended to cut through the skin and break the bones, destroying any more chances for him to defend himself.
He let the blade connect with his hand, and drove his dagger towards her face. His hand would heal... if he killed her. His dagger could easily slip between her eyes and bring the darkness of death into her hate filled expression.
He missed, allowing the blade to nick a single strand of hair.
"You're aim is leaving something to be desired," Shiroi taunted. She stepped away from him; shaken by the near miss.
"Don't get cocky," Paine urged.
"Remember! He reads minds. Don't think, REACT!" Rikku-sama shouted.
Shiroi turned towards the Splitling of Rikku. "Are you kidding, he's already been injured twice and I have a tiny scratch on my leg -"
Tammurin felt like screaming. She had given him her back. There was no way that he could convince the Spell that her defense was making him cautious anymore. He had a kill shot that not even a fool could miss. 'Oh, please no....' he thought, coiling his legs underneath him.
He sprang, crossing both blades in front of his chest. They would both move together and behead her.
"Tammurin! DON'T!" Rikki shrieked.
Shiroi turned, eyes wide. For a moment, a scared expression flickered through them. She could see her death reflected in the shining steel of his weapons. Then she hardened.
She was dead. Unsent. He could only hurt her. He would never be able to kill her. Sure, she might be knocked out for a moment - lingering between Fading and staying. She had been on the border of the Farplane before. It wasn't that big of an issue. Her love for Akira would keep her from entering.
She let a cruel smile slip across the mouth he loved looking at. She shoved the Lost Nightmare upwards, meaning to strike him using his own momentum. There was no way he could turn back now...
"Shiroi!" Tidus shouted.
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Rikku shouted, punctuating each word with a frantic bounce.
"Tammurin..." Rikki whispered, seconds after her earlier cry.
He heard her shout 'don't'. He twisted his head and shifted his body. Was she free? The question flew through his mind. It didn't matter what the answer was... The main point was that he was distracted. The main thing was that Shiroi would be able to react.
He refocused on the battle and saw her blade thrusting upwards towards his unguarded belly.
"NOOOOO!" Rikki screamed. "Shiroi... he stopped. Please don't!"
Shiroi, unlike Tammurin, wasn't listening to anyone anymore. She had focused herself on the fight. On the dark hair warrior in front of her. He had allowed himself to get distracted... A mistake, he would never be able to correct.
She drove her blade, expecting victory in his death.
================================================================
Gippal twisted around, checking to see if it was Rikku barging through the doors. Lately, he had been especially worried about her. He had heard about Kilika Temple being destroyed and from the sounds of things, the blond Al Bhed girl had been there.
He hadn't heard anything since.
Seeing a breathless Youth Leage messenger, he shook his head wearily. "I'm going to my office," he said tonelessly. "If anyone hears anything about Ri -... err... Cid's little girl... come and get me. Anything else - leave me the fsck alone."
"Gippal!" the messenger shouted. "Wait! I have urgent news!"
Gippal shook his head. He didn't want to hear about it right now. He didn't want to deal with it at all.
He entered his office and started pacing. Then the first explosion rocked the building. Alarmed, he raced out of the room and spotted strange soldiers pouring through the destroyed doors.
"What's going on!" he shouted, weariness gone. He would worry about Rikku later. He would protect his people first. He siezed his gun and aimed and the leader of the charge. One shot took the man out and he fell in a puddle of blood.
Winching, Gippal aimed at the next. It wasn't a pretty bussiness when you had to kill the living. Slaying undead fiends was a different matter. They had already died; they just hadn't continued on.
"Sir... Meyven Nooj and Youth Leage HQ are also being attacked," the messenger shouted.
Gippal rubbed his neck. "All right people, let's get things taken care of, shall we?" He gathered his people together, making sure that everyone could back up everyone else. "Yo, messenger boy, Nooj need any help?"
"No sir," the messenger shouted. "He wanted me to warn you that you were about to be attacked."
"Allrighty then... let's kick some ass. And then go finish off Nooj's enemies!" Gippal drawled, raising his gun into the air.
Alcionne's attack had started.
================================================================
They say a person's life flashes before their eyes right before they die. It was true. Tammurin had died before and it had happened.
He seen his unhappy childhood... passed from one orphenage to another. His older brother's adoption and his own initiation into the life of an assassion. That was his early childhood - from ages 2 or 3 to 15.
Then he had seen her... Shiroi. He had been a killer at that point. A near emotionless puppet for the people in power... She had held out her hand and smiled, melting him with kind words and soft expressions. It had been love at first sight.
He had wanted to protect her. To that end, he redoubled his efforts to be the best. He focused his entire being to her safety...
When he died; he saw her smiling at him over and over. And then, he remembered that she had already been killed. A trip to the Forbidden Continent that had ended with her life. He remembered the grief and guilt that had torn through him. He remembered the nightmare images of her bloody face smiling at him.
And then...
He had died, her name and his proclamation of love remaining on the tip of his tongue. Unrequited love. Pointless deaths...
This time was different. He couldn't see anything but crimson blurring his vision. He could taste the coppery flavor of blood in his mouth. He could feel her sword's hilt digging into his already cut stomach. He could hear her laughing... vaguely.
Shiroi put her foot on his shoulder and shoved him backwards, watching his sprawl on his back. "That's what you deserve, traitor," she spat venomently. She stepped over him and drove her blade towards his heart. "And now... the finish!"
================================================================
Rikki was breathing too hard. She couldn't seem to get enough air. "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" she screamed loudly. Her voice felt rough and raw.
Tammurin hit the ground and the doors in front of her swooshed open. "No more!" she shouted, racing foreward.
Shiroi had stepped over him, raising Lost Nightmare high above her head. "And now... the finish!" she was saying coldly.
Rikki sphere-changed without concious thought. Before she arrived, she was wearing the thief outfit and pulling out her crimson thief blades. In a panicked frenzy, she slammed into Shiroi, knocking her aside and smashing her blades into Lost Nightmare with ever increasing force.
"Rikki!" Rikk shouted, pulling her away from the stunned Unsent.
"What was that for?" Shiroi asked, completely bedazzled by Rikki's attack. "I was saving our lives, in case you hadn't noticed."
"I think," Shuyin said tightly, "that she's a little upset about your malicious glee during the fight."
"Malcious glee?" Rikku inquired. "Sure she was focused... but we're on the same side and that means we should get along...."
"Speak for yourself!" Rikki shouted. She tried to shrug loose from Rikk's grip and failed.
"You're weird, but that doesn't mean I let you attack our allies," Rikk informed her.
"She's got a point," Paine added.
"Thank-you," Rikk said.
"I was talking about Rikki," Paine responded.
Rikk frowned and turned towards Baralai. "Is everyone accounted for?"
He shook his head slightly. "Yuna is missing... Tidus is already heading after her. She was taken during the fight..."
"Why didn't you say so!" Rikku-sama exclaimed.
"I didn't want to distract Lady Shiroi before her fight was finished. Tidus went after her like I already said; however, we should probably hasten to do the same," Baralai answered.
Shiroi nodded. "I'm game. Which way did they go?"
"Up the stairs over there," Shuyin said.
"You saw Yunie get taken too!" Rikku exclaimed. "How come I didn't see anything."
"I saw Tidus run up the stairs when the doors opened," Shuyin answered.
Paine started walking towards the steps. "Hurry up," she called over her shoulder.
"Coming!" Rikku shouted. "Let's go," she added to the Rikku-gumi.
Rikku-sama nodded silently and started walking towards Paine. Rikku-chan was hesitantly following her moments later. "Come on, Shuyin," she called tearfully over her shoulder.
Shuyin and Baralai both started for the steps with Shiroi moments behind them.
"Let's go," Rikk said, tugging Rikki to her feet.
"Fsck that!" Rikki shouted hotly. She tugged herself loose from Rikk and dropped to the floor crying.
"Be that way," Rikk answered, turning away from her. "If you want to act like Wakka, then be my guest."
Rikki shot to her feet, eyes puffy and red from crying. "What's that supposed to mean?" she snarled.
"In case you forgot; he had sympathy for our enemy - SEYMOUR! He was bent out of shape because we killed him when he was attacking us!" Rikk responded.
Rikki started gearing up towards a big fight. She drew the thief blades into a fighting position and glared furiously at Rikk.
For her part, Rikk drew her own weapon and braced herself to fight.
================================================================
Author's notes; Yeeessssh! I can't believe it. I completely forgot to put up a chapter last Tuesday. Here I had this lovely chapter all prepared and ready for everyone and I only put it into my documents folder.
And here I was wondering why no one was reviewing chapter eighteen. Sorry about that....
Regardless, to the issue of there being more than seven Cids, I say... I only know four so I get three orginal Cids for myself. The only Cids from the FF games are Cid Highwind, Regent Cid, Headmaster Cid, and Al Bhed Cid. So.... that's that.
Next Chapter; Rikk and Rikki are set to face off in a battle to the death? Will we be saying good-bye to one of the Rikku-gumi forever? Find out in the next exciting chapter of... CHAOS OF SEVEN!!!