Standard disclaimers apply.
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Chaos Of Seven
Chapter Nineteen
By; Kissa-chan
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They stood poised for battle. As long as either could remember being apart, they hadn't really liked each other. They had always been quarreling... fighting.
"There's something wrong with you," Rikk said coldly.
"No there isn't," Rikki answered hotly. She glanced towards Tammurin's still form. "There's nothing wrong with me. You're the one who didn't get a heart."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rikk snapped.
Rikki didn't glance back at the sarcastic version of herself. In fact, she wasn't even considering her appearence at the moment, which was a big deal for her. "Some things... are greater... more important. Some battles shouldn't be fought no matter what the stakes."
"Excuse me; with my life at stake I believe that any battle should be fought!" Rikk shot back.
"What if it was you... and you were fighting Auron?" Rikki demanded, head snapping into place.
Rikk snorted. "For one thing, Auron was on our side. He wasn't all wishy-washy like you are."
"But he could have been Sin just as easy as Jecht was... He could have given his soul up to the be the Fayth for the Final Summoning. He could have been the bad guy -"
"Rikki, you're really messed up," Rikk interrupted.
"You're the one that's completely messed up," Rikki murmured. "You shouldn't have to fight the one that you -"
"Love? Is that what you're going to say?" Rikk demanded. "Well think about this, Miss Love-Villian! That loser tried to kill Shiroi. He said he was going to slaughter us; remember?"
Rikki didn't answer. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. "You don't understand anything..." she sobbed. She adjusted her grip on the crimson blades and leaned foreward, ready for combat.
"I understand how to fight. And how not to betray my own allies!" Rikk answered.
They both started towards each other, leaning into their first steps.
Laughter stopped both of them cold. "Do you, Rikk?" Rikku-san chuckled. "Well, I'd say that attacking Rikki isn't betraying your allies... it's attacking with deadly intent."
"Where did you come from?" Rikk asked, lowering her sword. She frowned at the sleepy girl, demanding an answer with her eyes.
Rikku-san pointed towards her cell. "I fell asleep during the fight... naturally."
"You slept through that fight?" Rikk asked in amazement.
"Yep!"
"Did I actually detect a hint of pride in that statement?" Rikk added in even more incredulous tones.
"Probably. Where'd everyone go?" Rikku-san asked.
Rikk glanced back towards Rikki, spotting the other girl sinking to the floor and pressing her hand to Tammurin's chest. She licked her lips, resisting the urge to shout and curse at her. "Yunie was taken. Tidus and everyone else went after her."
Rikku-san nodded. "Rikki, catch up when you feel a little better," she called out to the crying girl. She caught Rikk by her arm and hauled her towards the stairs.
"What about -"
"Well... I'm not sure what happened... but she looks like she needs some time right now," Rikku-san answered.
"Won't she need help if she's attacked?" Rikk asked in concern.
"Hello, you were just attacking her... or getting ready to anyway..."
"Dammit! I can't help it if she says stupid stuff that -"
"Get over it."
Rikk didn't answer this time. She stopped walking and turned back, heading down the stairs. Teammates... especially ones that were actually the same person, needed to stick together. Even though she didn't understand it, it seemed that she'd have to keep an eye on Rikki until she was feeling better.
Rikku-san didn't bother asking her where she was going. She continued towards the sounds of the others.
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She knelt down beside him, touching his cheek lightly. He wasn't dead yet. She felt a swell of relief course through her body. "Tammurin... I'm going to use a healing potion, okay?"
She fumbled with the small vial, checking and re-checking to make sure that it was the proper product. "One Hi-Potion to start with..." she murmured, regreting that she didn't have any of the more potent potions with her. An elixar, for example, would have been ideal.
She poured the potion over his head, letting the small amount of liquid splatter across his pain-streaked face. A shower of glittery light swept across his body and he blinked his eyes open.
Rikki breathed a sigh of relief. "You're going to be okay!" she exclaimed softly, putting one hand to his chest. Hot, sticky blood seeped between her fingers, startling her from saying anything else. She glanced down her arm, seeing the jagged wound in his stomach still wide open... still bleeding.
The potion hadn't worked at all.
"I... don't understand," she murmured. "I must have used the wrong... potion." She pulled another and poured it over him, eyes wide with tears. "Come on... WORK!" she shouted in fustration as potion after potion remainded useless.
Tammurin was having a hard time focusing on her. He could see a glimmer of blond hair and puffy eyes... He could hear her shouting in fustration. And he knew her as his enemy. He wasn't dead; he was dying.
He came to his feet, reclaiming his weapons in the process. "Foolish..." he rasped.
Rikki blinked. "No, stay down. You're injured. I'll heal you." She sphere-changed to the hated White Mage outfit and started to cast Curaga on him.
"Save your magic..." Tammuring breathed, readjusting himself to a state of mind where he didn't have to worry about his injuries.
"I'm going to save you!" Rikki answered.
"Wounds caused by Lost Nightmare don't heal," Tammurin heard himself explain.
"That's... that can't be true," Rikki murmured. She walked towards him slowly, one hand outstrechted. "Please... let me help. Lay down. I'll find a way to save you."
"Die," Tammurin answered. He slashed out with his sword, watching as droplets of blood flew from the back of his hand. He kept his dagger hand pressed over his bleeding stomach, and he could feel the blood pouring from the wound. A crimson wave blured his vision for a moment and he spit blood.
He had to 'slaughter' her quickly.
Rikki didn't... couldn't even think about moving away from his blade. She stepped foreward, letting the blade bite into her arm. "We don't have to fight," she whispered. "At least let me help you first."
Tammurin lashed out, not hearing her words. His body was attacking while his mind kept replaying Shiroi's attack. If he hadn't stopped, he would have killed her while she killed him. It would have been another pointless death for both of them.
"I love her," he choked past bloody lips.
He felt a hand on his cheek. "I know," Rikki sobbed. "That's why... you didn't kill her. Because you're a good person..." She wiped bloody tears away from his eyes.
"Who..." he managed to gasp out. He finally dropped his sword, letting it clatter to the floor at his feet. Swaying violently, he clutched at the girl standing inside his guard, inside his arms.
He could sense her presence now that he was searching. He could hear her thoughts racing through her head and stumbling over her own grief. She kept thinking that she had to save him... That she had to keep him from dying. She kept thinking that everything was unfair. How could he be expected to fight the one that he loved?
"Get... away," he breathed. "I have to... I have to kill you."
"I won't leave you," Rikki replied softly. She moved in closer to him, pressing her hands against his wound. "I won't abandon you to die alone thinking of lost love." She choked on her words. "Thinking of the love that you never got back."
Tammurin closed his eyes. "I will kill you."
"So... I'm not leaving." She couldn't bring herself to leave. It wouldn't be right to leave him in his dying moments. And she would save him...
"You'd stay and face death..." Tammurin demanded haltingly. He leaned against her slender body, confusion washing through him. "But why..." As the words slipped past his lips, he drew his dagger away from their bodies and angled it towards her back.
One quick thrust would end her life.
"Beacuse it hurts to be alone in love..." Rikki murmured. "It hurts to be all alone. I know, I've been there."
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Rikk reached the arena that Shiroi and Tammurin had battled in moments before. What she saw sent a chorus of shock sizzling through her body. "Rikki, watch out!" she screamed, racing down the steps.
The dagger held in Tammurin's trembling hand was poised and ready to strike. Even as she raced towards them, it started it's decent.
"Riiiiiiikkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiii!" she shrieked in a surprisingly uncharacteristic voice.
The world slowed to a crawl. She felt like she had no time left and yet could see everything plunging ahead at full speed. The jagged blade slammed slowly into Rikki's back and crimson blood spurted away from the penetration point.
Tammurin threw his head back, screaming and fell to his knees, taking Rikki down to the ground with him.
Rikk had stopped cold. "Rikki..." she breathed. "Oh... please no..."
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The Maester stood gloating over Yuna's bound form. "I suppose you don't remember me, filthy little bitch!" he cackled.
Yuna frowned at him, racking her brain for his identity. "I -"
"Of course you don't. I was never in my true form when you were around... although you may remember my armor.... SIN!"
"Yu Yevon!" Yuna gasped. "But I Sent you!"
Yu Yevon rubbed his hands together gleefully. "You most certainly did," he agreed. "But you'll find that I'm a lot more resourceful than a pitiful Summoner like you could ever imagine."
Yuna shook her head furiously. "NO! You can't come back! We all fought too hard... Too many people died to Send you to the Farplane. The price was too much -"
"Silence!" Yu Yevon snarled, carelessly smacking his hand across her face. "You were supposed to die, bitch."
This time she didn't respond.
"Oooh, gonna give me the silent treatment now?" Yu Yevon demanded. "Go ahead. Soon you'll beg for me to kill you. Now that SRC's dreams are finally coming true."
"What dreams are those?" Yuna demanded.
"To revive Sin, naturally," he smirked. "And guess who gets to be the Final Fayth." He caught her chin and tilted her head upwards. "You..."
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Rikku-chan stumbled without cause, falling heavily against Shuyin's back. "Somethings wrong..." she breathed. She gasped heavily, trying to draw air into her lungs. The coppery taste of blood welled up in her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Shuyin demanded, coming to a halt instantly. He braced her and tried to get a good look at her face. She was too pale for comfort and had started trembling.
"I taste blood. There's blood... in my mouth," she stammered.
Shuyin pushed his fingers into her mouth. "No, there isn't. There's not a mark on you..."
"I feel like somethings pinned in my chest. I feel like I'm dying!" the tearful girl exclaimed.
"You'll be all right," Shuyin soothed, checking her over for injuries. "You'll be just fine..."
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Rikku stumbled and Rikku-sama braced her. Then they both stumbled.
"What's wrong?" Baralai asked, spinning around quickly.
"Blood!" Rikku gasped.
"I can't breath!" Rikku-sama agreed.
"Why not?" Shiroi asked. "It's not like you're injured or anything."
Rikku-san stumbled into sight. She was bracing her side and taking slow breaths. "One of us... is dying," she announced softly. "This pain is passing. As it ebbs, so does her life."
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Author's notes; Heh, heh... This chapter is kinda short. Now, I suppose that most of you are upset about Rikki getting stabbed in the back and all. Just keep in mind that she wasn't stabbed with Lost Nightmare, so she can be healed. And Rikk is only a couple of feet away. (Not saying that's what's going to happen, but I'm not going to kill her.)
Speaking of Lost Nightmare. It's wounds can be healed at a normal pace; however, since healing potions and spells don't work, the wounds are often lethal.
On to Yu Yevon... err... there's not really much to say there, is there? So I guess it's on with the next chapter.
Next Chapter; With Rikki dying in the distance, Yuna is helpless in the hands of Yu Yevon... And he wants her to be the new SIN! He's going to try to turn her into a Fayth, but will the others get there in time to save her..? Find out in the next exciting chapter of CHAOS OF SEVEN!
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
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Chaos Of Seven
Chapter Nineteen
By; Kissa-chan
================================================================
They stood poised for battle. As long as either could remember being apart, they hadn't really liked each other. They had always been quarreling... fighting.
"There's something wrong with you," Rikk said coldly.
"No there isn't," Rikki answered hotly. She glanced towards Tammurin's still form. "There's nothing wrong with me. You're the one who didn't get a heart."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rikk snapped.
Rikki didn't glance back at the sarcastic version of herself. In fact, she wasn't even considering her appearence at the moment, which was a big deal for her. "Some things... are greater... more important. Some battles shouldn't be fought no matter what the stakes."
"Excuse me; with my life at stake I believe that any battle should be fought!" Rikk shot back.
"What if it was you... and you were fighting Auron?" Rikki demanded, head snapping into place.
Rikk snorted. "For one thing, Auron was on our side. He wasn't all wishy-washy like you are."
"But he could have been Sin just as easy as Jecht was... He could have given his soul up to the be the Fayth for the Final Summoning. He could have been the bad guy -"
"Rikki, you're really messed up," Rikk interrupted.
"You're the one that's completely messed up," Rikki murmured. "You shouldn't have to fight the one that you -"
"Love? Is that what you're going to say?" Rikk demanded. "Well think about this, Miss Love-Villian! That loser tried to kill Shiroi. He said he was going to slaughter us; remember?"
Rikki didn't answer. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. "You don't understand anything..." she sobbed. She adjusted her grip on the crimson blades and leaned foreward, ready for combat.
"I understand how to fight. And how not to betray my own allies!" Rikk answered.
They both started towards each other, leaning into their first steps.
Laughter stopped both of them cold. "Do you, Rikk?" Rikku-san chuckled. "Well, I'd say that attacking Rikki isn't betraying your allies... it's attacking with deadly intent."
"Where did you come from?" Rikk asked, lowering her sword. She frowned at the sleepy girl, demanding an answer with her eyes.
Rikku-san pointed towards her cell. "I fell asleep during the fight... naturally."
"You slept through that fight?" Rikk asked in amazement.
"Yep!"
"Did I actually detect a hint of pride in that statement?" Rikk added in even more incredulous tones.
"Probably. Where'd everyone go?" Rikku-san asked.
Rikk glanced back towards Rikki, spotting the other girl sinking to the floor and pressing her hand to Tammurin's chest. She licked her lips, resisting the urge to shout and curse at her. "Yunie was taken. Tidus and everyone else went after her."
Rikku-san nodded. "Rikki, catch up when you feel a little better," she called out to the crying girl. She caught Rikk by her arm and hauled her towards the stairs.
"What about -"
"Well... I'm not sure what happened... but she looks like she needs some time right now," Rikku-san answered.
"Won't she need help if she's attacked?" Rikk asked in concern.
"Hello, you were just attacking her... or getting ready to anyway..."
"Dammit! I can't help it if she says stupid stuff that -"
"Get over it."
Rikk didn't answer this time. She stopped walking and turned back, heading down the stairs. Teammates... especially ones that were actually the same person, needed to stick together. Even though she didn't understand it, it seemed that she'd have to keep an eye on Rikki until she was feeling better.
Rikku-san didn't bother asking her where she was going. She continued towards the sounds of the others.
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She knelt down beside him, touching his cheek lightly. He wasn't dead yet. She felt a swell of relief course through her body. "Tammurin... I'm going to use a healing potion, okay?"
She fumbled with the small vial, checking and re-checking to make sure that it was the proper product. "One Hi-Potion to start with..." she murmured, regreting that she didn't have any of the more potent potions with her. An elixar, for example, would have been ideal.
She poured the potion over his head, letting the small amount of liquid splatter across his pain-streaked face. A shower of glittery light swept across his body and he blinked his eyes open.
Rikki breathed a sigh of relief. "You're going to be okay!" she exclaimed softly, putting one hand to his chest. Hot, sticky blood seeped between her fingers, startling her from saying anything else. She glanced down her arm, seeing the jagged wound in his stomach still wide open... still bleeding.
The potion hadn't worked at all.
"I... don't understand," she murmured. "I must have used the wrong... potion." She pulled another and poured it over him, eyes wide with tears. "Come on... WORK!" she shouted in fustration as potion after potion remainded useless.
Tammurin was having a hard time focusing on her. He could see a glimmer of blond hair and puffy eyes... He could hear her shouting in fustration. And he knew her as his enemy. He wasn't dead; he was dying.
He came to his feet, reclaiming his weapons in the process. "Foolish..." he rasped.
Rikki blinked. "No, stay down. You're injured. I'll heal you." She sphere-changed to the hated White Mage outfit and started to cast Curaga on him.
"Save your magic..." Tammuring breathed, readjusting himself to a state of mind where he didn't have to worry about his injuries.
"I'm going to save you!" Rikki answered.
"Wounds caused by Lost Nightmare don't heal," Tammurin heard himself explain.
"That's... that can't be true," Rikki murmured. She walked towards him slowly, one hand outstrechted. "Please... let me help. Lay down. I'll find a way to save you."
"Die," Tammurin answered. He slashed out with his sword, watching as droplets of blood flew from the back of his hand. He kept his dagger hand pressed over his bleeding stomach, and he could feel the blood pouring from the wound. A crimson wave blured his vision for a moment and he spit blood.
He had to 'slaughter' her quickly.
Rikki didn't... couldn't even think about moving away from his blade. She stepped foreward, letting the blade bite into her arm. "We don't have to fight," she whispered. "At least let me help you first."
Tammurin lashed out, not hearing her words. His body was attacking while his mind kept replaying Shiroi's attack. If he hadn't stopped, he would have killed her while she killed him. It would have been another pointless death for both of them.
"I love her," he choked past bloody lips.
He felt a hand on his cheek. "I know," Rikki sobbed. "That's why... you didn't kill her. Because you're a good person..." She wiped bloody tears away from his eyes.
"Who..." he managed to gasp out. He finally dropped his sword, letting it clatter to the floor at his feet. Swaying violently, he clutched at the girl standing inside his guard, inside his arms.
He could sense her presence now that he was searching. He could hear her thoughts racing through her head and stumbling over her own grief. She kept thinking that she had to save him... That she had to keep him from dying. She kept thinking that everything was unfair. How could he be expected to fight the one that he loved?
"Get... away," he breathed. "I have to... I have to kill you."
"I won't leave you," Rikki replied softly. She moved in closer to him, pressing her hands against his wound. "I won't abandon you to die alone thinking of lost love." She choked on her words. "Thinking of the love that you never got back."
Tammurin closed his eyes. "I will kill you."
"So... I'm not leaving." She couldn't bring herself to leave. It wouldn't be right to leave him in his dying moments. And she would save him...
"You'd stay and face death..." Tammurin demanded haltingly. He leaned against her slender body, confusion washing through him. "But why..." As the words slipped past his lips, he drew his dagger away from their bodies and angled it towards her back.
One quick thrust would end her life.
"Beacuse it hurts to be alone in love..." Rikki murmured. "It hurts to be all alone. I know, I've been there."
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Rikk reached the arena that Shiroi and Tammurin had battled in moments before. What she saw sent a chorus of shock sizzling through her body. "Rikki, watch out!" she screamed, racing down the steps.
The dagger held in Tammurin's trembling hand was poised and ready to strike. Even as she raced towards them, it started it's decent.
"Riiiiiiikkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiii!" she shrieked in a surprisingly uncharacteristic voice.
The world slowed to a crawl. She felt like she had no time left and yet could see everything plunging ahead at full speed. The jagged blade slammed slowly into Rikki's back and crimson blood spurted away from the penetration point.
Tammurin threw his head back, screaming and fell to his knees, taking Rikki down to the ground with him.
Rikk had stopped cold. "Rikki..." she breathed. "Oh... please no..."
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The Maester stood gloating over Yuna's bound form. "I suppose you don't remember me, filthy little bitch!" he cackled.
Yuna frowned at him, racking her brain for his identity. "I -"
"Of course you don't. I was never in my true form when you were around... although you may remember my armor.... SIN!"
"Yu Yevon!" Yuna gasped. "But I Sent you!"
Yu Yevon rubbed his hands together gleefully. "You most certainly did," he agreed. "But you'll find that I'm a lot more resourceful than a pitiful Summoner like you could ever imagine."
Yuna shook her head furiously. "NO! You can't come back! We all fought too hard... Too many people died to Send you to the Farplane. The price was too much -"
"Silence!" Yu Yevon snarled, carelessly smacking his hand across her face. "You were supposed to die, bitch."
This time she didn't respond.
"Oooh, gonna give me the silent treatment now?" Yu Yevon demanded. "Go ahead. Soon you'll beg for me to kill you. Now that SRC's dreams are finally coming true."
"What dreams are those?" Yuna demanded.
"To revive Sin, naturally," he smirked. "And guess who gets to be the Final Fayth." He caught her chin and tilted her head upwards. "You..."
================================================================
Rikku-chan stumbled without cause, falling heavily against Shuyin's back. "Somethings wrong..." she breathed. She gasped heavily, trying to draw air into her lungs. The coppery taste of blood welled up in her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Shuyin demanded, coming to a halt instantly. He braced her and tried to get a good look at her face. She was too pale for comfort and had started trembling.
"I taste blood. There's blood... in my mouth," she stammered.
Shuyin pushed his fingers into her mouth. "No, there isn't. There's not a mark on you..."
"I feel like somethings pinned in my chest. I feel like I'm dying!" the tearful girl exclaimed.
"You'll be all right," Shuyin soothed, checking her over for injuries. "You'll be just fine..."
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Rikku stumbled and Rikku-sama braced her. Then they both stumbled.
"What's wrong?" Baralai asked, spinning around quickly.
"Blood!" Rikku gasped.
"I can't breath!" Rikku-sama agreed.
"Why not?" Shiroi asked. "It's not like you're injured or anything."
Rikku-san stumbled into sight. She was bracing her side and taking slow breaths. "One of us... is dying," she announced softly. "This pain is passing. As it ebbs, so does her life."
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Author's notes; Heh, heh... This chapter is kinda short. Now, I suppose that most of you are upset about Rikki getting stabbed in the back and all. Just keep in mind that she wasn't stabbed with Lost Nightmare, so she can be healed. And Rikk is only a couple of feet away. (Not saying that's what's going to happen, but I'm not going to kill her.)
Speaking of Lost Nightmare. It's wounds can be healed at a normal pace; however, since healing potions and spells don't work, the wounds are often lethal.
On to Yu Yevon... err... there's not really much to say there, is there? So I guess it's on with the next chapter.
Next Chapter; With Rikki dying in the distance, Yuna is helpless in the hands of Yu Yevon... And he wants her to be the new SIN! He's going to try to turn her into a Fayth, but will the others get there in time to save her..? Find out in the next exciting chapter of CHAOS OF SEVEN!
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan