Never End...
I OWN NADA! Except Heshen.
LAST TIME
"Heartless?" Gippal asked confusedly. "Sounds like Paine," he muttered under his breath. Rikku smacked him in the back of the head for it.
"Who are the Heartless?" Rikku asked.
Leon reconized the look in her eyes. 'She's hyper... Just like Yuffie... Oh, dear god. Can I deal with someone as hyper as Yuff?'
CHAPTER NINE
"Miss me?" -Yuffie Kisaragi
"Please, Yuffie," Aerith pleaded with the unconscious girl. She looked at Riku, who could not reply, then at Cid, who merely stared at the ground.
"Kairi," Riku said softly. "Did you get it finished?"
"Yeah, but... I dunno if it'll work..."
Aerith took the bowl from the teen and dripped some of its contents into the ninja's mouth. "Bleh, tha tatheth nathy," came her response. The flower girl hugged her friend tightly, glad that she at least woke up. "Air," Yuffie gasped. "Need... Air... Gonna die... From lack... Of oxygen!"
"You're okay!"
"Of course," then ninja replied, cringing at the dull throbbing in her head. She looked past everyone and saw the flutter of a scarlet cape and silently thanked her deceased friends. 'I'll never forget, Vincent... I promise...'
"Eat up," was all she heard when she turned her attention back to the others.
"Huh?"
Kairi giggled. "That stuff in the bowl... It's your medicine. You have to eat it all!"
A green tinge appeared on the eitheen-year-old's face. "You've GOT to be kidding me." They all remained looking at her, honesty etched on all of their faces. "Oh, gross-ness!" She picked up the bowl and toasted them. "Down the hatch!"
"Sounds somewhat like Heshen," Gippal said thoughtfully, sitting in a chair at the cafe. "She showed up about a year ago trying to kill Rikku. Something about the child of Cid and Kliska... Apparently, Rikku's mom trapped Heshen Yevon-knows-how long ago..."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Yevon?"
"A god that me and Yunie and some others proved wrong a couple years ago!" Cloud and Leon exchanged confused glance, causing Rikku to grin wider than before.
"Anyway," Gippal continued, "She warped us here and is now trying to kill Rikku."
Leon and Cloud exchanged glances once again, taking in the information that had been abruptly thrown at them. "Do you know how to kill her?" Cloud asked.
Rikku nodded. "Yeah! But the thing is, we need a Healer and a Princess of the Heart and a woman pure... Or something like that. Them combined with me equals destruction of Heshen!"
Leon looked at Cloud, who nodded in response. "When our friends get back," the blonde swordsman said, "We have a Healer and a Princess of the Heart. We'll talk it over with them."
Rikku jumped up and did a little victory dance. "YES! Woo-hoo!" The ground started to shake and she pulled her twin daggers out quickly. All three men stood and drew their weapons.
"Give me the girl!" Heshen screeched and lashed out, knocking Leon back into the back of the cafe, rendering him useless for the time being.
"Curaga!" Cloud yelled, casting it on Leon, then rushing forward. "OMNI-SLASH!"
Heshen grinned at him, poison dripping from her blood red lips, ivory white fangs protruding from her mouth. "Barrier."
He hit only a wall that surrounded her. Every hit that he tried to take would merely be blocked, rendering him useless except to keep her attention directed elsewhere.
Rikku sneaked up and slashed the woman twice, her daggers not doing much. Gippal shot, but the bullet dissolved when it hit the barrier. Heshen threw the two men backwards into the cafe, knocking them both out. With a new found fury, Rikku rushed forward and sliced the woman. "Firaga!" she shrieked and the woman burst into flames, then disappeared. "That'll keep ya away for awhile."
Yuffie gagged as the gummi ship lurched forward, taking off. "Tranquilizers... Please?" She chugged the chalk-like substance that Aerith gave her in a little blue bottle, then collapsed onto her bed.
"Hey, Yuffie? Wanna play Twister?" Seeing the green tinge to the ninja's face, Kairi backed out of the room, leaving Aerith in there.
"How did you know where to look, Yuffie?" Aerith asked.
Debating on telling the truth and being called a liar or lying and letting Aerith think she was telling the truth, she decided on the truth. "Vincent, Tifa, Rinoa, Quistis, and Seifer told me." Aerith didn't say anything, but nodded with a warm smile on her face. "Aerith?"
"Hmm?"
"When can I take these God forsaken bandages off?"
The flower girl laughed and took Yuffie's hand in hers. She unwrapped the bandages and cast Curaga on the cut and bruised palms. "There's going to be some bruising, but the cuts are healed. They weren't very deep to begin with. I just wrapped them to keep them from getting infected."
The ninja smiled, then gagged. "I'm gonna lay down," she mumbled and fell backwards into the pillows, her eyes closed.
"Okay," Aerith replied. "I'll wake you when we get there."
Leon opened one eye and saw the ceiling of his and Yuffie's room. The smell of oranges filled the air. "Wha-?" He remembered Heshen and sat up to look around. Gippal, Rikku, and Cloud were talking. "What are you three doing in here?"
Cloud tossed a cocky smirk at his young compadre. "Making sure you were going to live. It's a new day, my friend. Rikku, here, kicked Heshen's ass yesterday. You've been out for twenty-four hours."
Leon looked at the girl, who grinned sheepishly. "I just wounded her enough that it may take two or three days for her to reappear."
The Gunblade Master nodded and sat up, his leg throbbing painfully. "Curaga," he muttered and the pain went away. He stretched out the kinks in his back and stood. "So, you need Aerith and Kairi to help kill Heshen, right?"
Rikku looked at Cloud, not knowing their names, and he nodded. "Guess so! Which one's the Healer and which one's the Princess?"
Yuffie bounded out of the gummi ship and into Traverse Town, only to find everythin a mess. "Oh my GAWD! Leon!" She sprinted through First Distric, then into Second District. "LEEEEOOONNN!!!"
She flung open the door to the hotel and ran down the hall toward her room. When she got there, she burst through the door to see Cloud, two people she did not know, and her love. "Leon," she gasped, tackling him to the floor.
"Y-Yuff?"
She grinned down at him. "Miss me?"
He kissed her. "Did I ever!"
Rikku and Gippal looked down at the couple. "Who's that?" she started to ask Cloud, but he was gone.
Leon slowly stood up, his arm around Yuffie's waist. "Rikku, Gippal, this is Yuffie Kisaragi. Yuff, this is Rikku and Gippal."
"Nice ta meetcha!" the girls said at the same time, then blinked at each other.
Gippal groaned. "Rikku in surround sound," Leon heard him say under his breath. He could not help but agree.
"We're just gonna head over to our room," Rikku said, winking at Yuffie and shutting the door behind them.
Leon looked down at his love. "Did you get rid of them, then?"
She nodded and explained about the trip and seeing dead people and everything.
Cloud picked up Aerith and swung her around, her long braid flying about wildly. She laughed, then kissed him. "Wow, I didn't realize that three days would have this much of an effect," she said with a grin.
"Well, I have some bad news," he admitted sheepishly, setting her down on the ground again, but not removing his arms. "We need you and Kairi to help us."
The teen looked up at the mention of her name. "What's wrong?"
"So, that's what happened here," Leon finished explaining. Yuffie nodded, then walked over to the dresser that she and Leon shared. "What are you doing?"
"Getting clothes," she replied, grabbing her shorts and halter. "I'm NOT wearing sweat pants and a baggy tee-shirt to fight in. Too much for an opponent to grab and pull."
He rolled his eyes and she went to change. As he started to sit down, he heard a scream. "Hurry, Yuff!"
"One step ahead of ya!" she hollered back, running out the door clad in her khaki cargo shorts and green halter top, him following. Rikku and Gippal were only a few feet in front of her. "Rikku! Aerith and Kairi should already be in First District!"
The blonde nodded and added and extra burst of speed. The two girls out ran Gippal and Leon easily, making it to First District in time to see Aerith and Kairi running over to them. "What do we need to do?" Kairi asked the blonde.
"Uhmm.. Are you Aerith or Kairi?"
"Kairi, the Princess. Aerith's the Healer."
"Okay," Rikku replied, gasping for breath. "We need a distraction..."
Yuffie nodded. "All me." She tightened her gloves and pulled out a few throwing stars.
"This is what we need to do, then..."
Leon and Gippal ran through First District and were panting for breath as they watched the four girls standing in a line, Riku and Sora on either side of Heshen. "Rikku!" Gippal cried out as a lightning bolt struck the blonde young woman.
"We'll run distraction," Leon told him. "That's the only thing we can do except heal them as they need it."
The blonde teen looked over at his new fighting partner and nodded.
Cloud opened his blue eyes to see Aerith standing face to face with Heshen. "AERITH!"
The Healer put out a hand at the exact same time a shuriken hit Heshen's arm.
She is not scared to die
Best things in life drive her to cry
Crucify then learn
Kairi held her hand out, palm toward Heshen's back. 'I hope this works.. Sora's not here to protect me...' She cast a quick glance at her boyfriend who laid crumpled in the corner, the Key Blade next to him.
{Take so much away from inside you
makes no sense
You know he can't guide you
He's your fuckin' shoulder to lean on
Be strong}
Rikku heard Gippal's gun shots, but could not see him. "Gippal, get back!" she screeched at him, hoping that he would listen for once. If he got hurt... No, she would not think about that. 'Stupid Heshen! I'm gonna fry you!'
Sit and watch me burn
{Take so much away from inside you
Makes no sense
You know he can't guide you
He's your fuckin' shoulder to lean on
Be strong}
Yuffie reached down, only to find that she did not have any more shurikens left. 'Oh, shit...' She looked at the only empty side. It seemed like there should be at least one more woman standing there... 'What the hell...' "Rikku! Do you need someone else?"
The blonde looked thoughtful, then got blasted by a blast of lightning. "Y-Yeah!" she called back wearily.
"Curaga!"
The blonde perked up. "Thanks!"
She's taught to believe that it be ok
Look at your face scarred in dismay
But times have changed and so have you
I think I'd rather crucify than learn
Aerith heard Cloud yelling for her to stop, but that only fueled her to continue to destroy Heshen. 'I'm always the weak one... Just once, I want to help defeat the bad guy.'
{Take so much away from inside you
Makes no sense
You know he can't guide you
He's your fuckin shoulder to lean on
Be strong}
Sit and watch me burn
{Take so much away from inside you
Makes no sense
You know he can't guide you
He's your fuckin shoulder to lean on
Be strong}
As the four girls had their palms toward Heshen, the woman let out an ear splitting scream and erupted into flames that engulfed all four girls. Sora came to and watched in horror as Kairi was surrounded by the green flames. "KAIRI!"
Leon and Gippal stared in horror and disbelief.
"YUFFIE!"
"RIKKU!"
Cloud struggled to his feet. "AERITH!"
I'd like to take you down
And show you deep inside my life
My inner working
To smell and lack of inner pride
To touch upon the surface is not for what it seems
I take away my problems
But only in my dreams
'Where are your knights in shining armor now?' Heshen's voice echoed in their minds.
Kairi shook her head, not wanting to believe that Sora, after all he went through, would let her die because of this witch.
Yuffie felt the heat on her skin. 'Where's his shoulder that I can lean on?'
'Cloud?' Aerith wondered to herself.
"Gippal," Rikku merely called out weakly.
Take so much away from inside you
Makes no sense
You know he can't guide you
He's your fuckin shoulder to lean on
Be strong
YK2: GAH! I'm SO lucky that I could put up this chappie! I use a floppy disc and keep forgetting to take it out of the drive, so my mom's been throwing a fit!
Dracon: And she got threatened that if it was in the drive one more time, it was getting chucked in the trash.
Surka: Luckily, she found it on top of the entertainment center instead!
YK2: ANYwho! I know, it's travelling rather quick, but there's only one more chappie left! I'm working on another squffie, but it's a different matter if I'm gonna post it. One more chappie left, guys! OH! I don't own Brackish... It's by an all-girl heavy metal band named Kittie. Check 'em out, they're awesome! Welp, Till Next Time! AUDI!!!
-Yuffie Kisaragi2, Surka Sokyu, & Dracon Fira-