Chapter 1
"Yunie, come on already!" called a cheerful blond, braids bouncing as she shifted from one foot to another impatiently. A guado gave the group a strange look, waiting by the entrance to the farplanes. The three of them were a strange group. The guard wondered why in the world did the guado ask them in particular for help in the first place.
"I knew we shouldn't have let her have that much sugar for breakfast, a girl dressed in black commented dryly. She looked bored, wondering how the Al Bhed girl could have so much energy. It just wasn't normal.
"Come on Paine," the brunette laughed, following her overeager cousin. "Hurry before Rikku gets too far. Let's just take a quick look around…."
"Quick look and get this over with," Paine finished for her, sighing. She knew she should have just slept in late today, but no, Yuna just had to accept a plea for help when a call came in asking them to check out some disturbances in the farplanes. Did that girl even know how to say no? She'd thought she'd rather spend the day with Tidus like she'd done every day since he returned. Apparently, Yuna just couldn't refuse a cry for help. Sighing, she followed the other two to the gate.
The guard raised an eyebrow, sensing her reluctance. "You three be careful," he warned, stepping aside to open the gate. "People have gone missing while in there. We're hoping you three can find out why."
"Don't worry," Yuna assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The Gullwings are on it!" Giving a confident smile, the group stepped in, immediately surrounded by a swarm of pyreflies.
Catching on in her hands, Rikku looked at it for a moment before letting it go. "Anyone think they're acting a little strange?" she asked, waving a hand in her face as she tried to brush them away to no avail.
"Well, nothing looks wrong here," Paine said with a bored sigh, rolling her eyes as she swatted away one offending pest. "Can we move on already?" Catching pyreflies was a waste of time, and she had better things to do.
Nodding, the group continued on the transparent path, following a trail of pyreflies as they drifted down the path. It was dreadfully quiet save for the soft rumbling of the waterfall flowing under their feet. The three of them looked as if they were walking on air, an entire world under them.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Rikku asked, gazing at the farplane fields below.
"Just keep your eyes open," Yuna asked, a little distracted. Something floated among the vastness of the farplanes. Soft singing that grew steadily louder as if drawing closer. She rubbed her eyes as something moved in the distance. At first, she excused it for a pyrefly playing tricks on her vision, but it was something else.
Ring around a rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes
Ashes
We all fall down!
As the apparition approached, the Gullwings stopped, looking at the translucent figure in confusion. A young girl about four years old skipped toward them, long dark brown hair pulled into two braids and a basket of flowers on her arm. Dancing around the group and dropping flowers on the ground, she giggled, the sound like a faint tinkling of raindrops tapping against glass.
Staring at the little spirit, Rikku backed up, staying close to her companions as she whispered, "Paine? Yunie? Do you see her too?" Yuna just nodded, not saying anything for a moment. This wasn't normal.
Bending down as she held a hand out to the child, she said softly as she tried to keep her voice from wavering, "Hello there, I'm Yuna. What's you're name?" The girl stopped, cocking her head to the side.
"I don't know. But I know your names," she said sweetly, handing her what looked like a rose. As soon as Yuna took it, it shriveled and dried up. She gasped and dropped it the ground. The girl ignored it as she pointed to each of them. "You're Yuna, you're Rikku, and you're Paine!" she announced happily. Giggling again, she said, "Paine! That's a funny name. It's the same as what is coming for all of you!"
A chill ran up her spine as Yuna stood back up, glancing at the others. What did that mean? Who was the girl? Singing again, the little child began her song again.
Ring around a rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes
Ashes-
Looking at them with wide eyes and a happy little smile, she whispered the last line. "And we all fall down." She disappeared in a flash, and immediately, the floor dropped away.
Rikku screamed as Yuna gasped in surprised horror, Paine reaching for her sword. As the ground drew closer, the three of them braced themselves for impact. Instead, they passed right through the ground, falling into another level of the farplanes. It seemed as if the pyreflies were celebrating, twirling around them before vanishing as the three were engulfed in darkness.
Thunder sounded and lighting flashed in the dark sky as their decent finally ended, all of them slamming into the ground. Then it was silent except for the storm above them, their bodies still in the frigid temperatures that accompanied the strange fog rolling along the ground.
Yuna was first to move, groaning as her hand reached out to push herself off the ground. The little girl was right, pain was coming, and it seemed to have found them. She could hardly see through the thick mist, feeling the ground for her companions. Finally, her fingers found something hard and rough. Without thinking, she grabbed for it and brought it closer to examine it. She found herself face to face with the grotesque grin of a skull, the gaping eyeholes staring into her own orbs and strands of blue Guado hair clinging to the bare scalp.
Paine came to her senses as a bloodcurdling scream was heard, grabbing for her blade that had landed next to her. "Yuna! Rikku!" she called, waving a hand through the air as she tried to clear the fog. "Where are you!"
Ignoring the crunch of what she swore sounded like bones, she ran blindly toward the cries until her foot hit something soft. She bent down immediately, finding the unconscious figure of Rikku. Her hand dived into her pocket for the stash of items she kept for emergencies, giving the younger girl a phoenix feather. It didn't take long before it took effect, a soft moan escaping her lips. Grabbing her shoulders, Paine shook her roughly.
"Get up already," she commanded. "Yuna's in trouble." That snapped Rikku out of it immediately, sitting straight up. "Yunie?" she asked, wide eyed in fear. "Where?" Instead of answering, Paine grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet before dragging her toward the sound once more.
The screams quieted to terrified sobs, and the two of them managed to follow it to their friend, kneeling as she cried into her hands. "The ones that disappeared," Yuna made out between cries. "I think they're dead!" She gestured around them as the fog lifted off the ground just for a moment, revealing a graveyard of bodies in various stages of decomposition littering the ground. Most of the grinning skeletons were adorned with tattered remains of Guado robes.
Rikku gave a little shriek, covering her mouth, and Paine looked away for a moment. Too many bodies. How could there be so many? "The question is, what killed them," she said bluntly, going straight for the point.
"I know who did it!" came a familiar sweet little voice. The three turned to find the little girl, smiling innocently behind them as she clutched her basket. "Did you like my song?" she asked, humming it.
"You!" shouted Paine, lunging for her. It was as if she hit an invisible wall, falling the ground again. The little girl just frowned.
"That's not very nice," she scolded with a pout. "You need to learn some manners."
"What killed them?" Paine demanded more than asked, pointing to the dead on the ground. "What did you have to do with them?"
"I didn't do it," she said, looking solemn before a grin broke out on her face. "But I did help!" Her features disappeared as her face became blank, like a piece of flesh colored rubber stretched across it. Only thing that remained was the wide grin, looking much more menacing on the deformed girl.
"What are you?" Rikku trembled, backing up a bit. She grabbed onto Yuna's arm for comfort, her hand reaching for her knives. She needed the comfort of a weapon in her hand.
"Me?" the thing spoke, the voice no longer a little girl's. It echoed and seemed to be a mixture of a hundred sounds a once, making Rikku cringe once more. "You seem scared," it said. The Al Bhed nodded, trembling a little. It didn't help when the monster held out a hand, a large knife appearing in her hand.
"You should stop worrying," it told, pointing the blade at the terrified girl. Yuna wrapped her arms around her protectively as Paine stood in front of them, though by now, she was looking a little pale as well.
"Don't worry about me," the thing repeated once more, grinning madly again. Pointing the knife at the sky, a portal of swirling dark gray clouds appeared at its tip, widening. Something was coming through, a fierce growl emanating from the hole, causing skin on Rikku's arm to prickle. She was sure she didn't want to find out what made the sound. "Worry about him."
Author's notes: Okay, first FFX-2 fic. Actually, this is only the second fic I've ever written in my life. I know it's a little rough, but I plan to be more descriptive in the second chapter. I was a little preoccupied when I was writing it, but I continued anyways cuz I had to get the idea out of my head. Thanks to my friend known as Eki (erm, don't ask) for the idea about the little girl. Actually, the idea came from something happening in an FFX-2 rpg I'm in….well, anyways, hope it's decent. Not sure if I should be sticking with first person perspective writing considering my other story Wilted Rose, so someone please tell me if third person perspective really isn't my thing. Thanks!