Shana: (skipping around) WHOO-HOO!!! REVIEWS!!!
Demon: (frowns, holding ears) CAN YOU TURN DOWN THAT MUSIC!!!!????
Shana: NO!!!!!!! (is blasting Simple and Clean from Kingdom Hearts)
Demon: (faints due to sensitive hearing and loud music)
Shana: (singing) Simple and clean is the way that you're makin' feel tonight.
Saint: (is back) (turns off music)
Shana: (sighs) Well, anyway, thank you Kingpin!! . And thank you too, RefugeofSouls!! It's okay that you've been away from a computer. You're my most faithful reviewer!! Since that makes three reviews for me, I'll make this a long chap!! .
Saint: (ignores the review comments) Where's Ramza??
Shana: (sighs again) I beat the game again and he vanished. It's not my fault he leaves at the end.
Saint: Then why did you do it?
Shana: My brother bribed me with candy so he could see the ending. (perks up) Good candy though.
Saint: ???
Shana: Anyway, someone else is here. Someone cool!!
Saint: (nods, disinterested) Uh-huh.
Shana: (hugs newcomer)
Sora: Hey everyone!!
Shana: (hugs tighter)
Shana: (adds) I don't own anything FFIX except Mikane or anything Kingdom Hearts, though I wish I owned Sora.
Sora: (grins) To the fic.
&&&&&&
"Hehehe!" I laughed triumphantly, looking at our handiwork, "Finished changing, Mikane?"
Mikane frowned, "Yeah, but this helmet…It kinda smells…"
She had the offending part of the armor we had stolen from the unconscious knights in her hand.
"What are you talkin' about!?" I demanded, "My helmet totally reeks! My armor's way too big…And my back is real itchy…The boots are wet…My gloves are all slimy…There's cookie crumbs in my pockets…"
Mikane burst out laughing.
"Okay, I get the picture…" She chuckled, "But I'm still not wearing the helmet."
She threw it away.
"Ah, fine…You still have the package, right?" I asked.
"Of course. Don't worry. I won't screw up."
The moment she said that, an oglop escaped from the bag. She caught it, sheepishly.
I shook my head, smiling. "Anyway, I'll go pour some sleep potion into Princess Garnet's teacup."
"And I've got something for the…er, lovely queen!" Mikane grinned evilly.
I examined the unconscious knights.
"Hehehe! They're sleeping soundly!" I commented.
Mikane and I headed out of the small side room into the main first floor.
"According to the recon…the royal seats should be right above these stairs!" I remembered.
"Got it!" Mikane waved her hand dismissively.
Cheering from the stage filled the air.
"Uh-oh! The scene where Marcus sneaks into Cornelia's chamber is about to start! Let's get this over with before the finale, okay?"
Mikane shrugged, "Sure."
I walked up the stairs. A girl in a white robe came out of a room at the top. Hm, she sure is dressed funny, I thought to myself.
"Um…" The girl's face was hooded so I couldn't see her face, "Would you let me pass?"
"Mhm." I stood aside.
Suddenly, a suspicion struck me. I blocked her path again.
"Wait! Hold on!"
I tried to think of a way to stall her. Finally, the stupidest words blurted out of my mouth.
"Haven't we met before?" I winked slyly.
The girl seemed insulted.
"No, I do not know you." She said coolly.
I forced myself to continue the charade.
"Hm…Maybe you're right…I'd never let someone as pretty as you get away."
I walked around her, checking her up and down. She tugged on her hood, pulling it lower. She couldn't be who I thought she was…
I had to see. "Say…you wouldn't—"
Mikane came running up the stairs.
"Hey, what's takin' you so long, Blank!?"
At the appearance of another "knight," the girl spooked and pushed past me.
"I-I must go!!" she exclaimed and knocked Mikane out of the way too.
I leapt up. I had gotten a glimpse of her face. I couldn't believe it!!
"Who the heck was that!?" asked Mikane, dizzily.
"Get up, Mikane!!! That was Princess Garnet!!!" I yelled.
"WHAT!!!???" came from the very shocked Mikane. "YOU CAN"T BE SERIOUS!!!"
"I am! We have to get her or all of our planning will be for nothing!"
I ran down the stairs. Mikane hastily followed.
"I'll check this way!" she told me, running down the corridor.
Meanwhile, I checked the tower. I saw a flash of white dashing up the stairs. Not willing to desist, I rushed up there. At the very top, there she was. I blocked off the entrance and started chasing her around and around the small top of the tower. I swiped, almost getting her. In the corner of my eye, I saw a knight in rusty armor jumping up and down in anger. Blank caught the last part of what he was saying.
"Fear not, princess! Your knight is coming!" the rusty knight hollered.
Suddenly, the girl in white grabbed a streamer and jumped off the tower. I froze in shock. Was she trying to kill herself?? Nerve shaken, I gripped one too and followed. I felt like I'd regret this.
The princess landed on the airship with me close behind. Unfortunately, where as she landed on her feet…I landed on my head. I was sort of disoriented. I stumbled over to a door on deck and went inside. Ruby was there, along with the girl.
Ruby saw me first.
"Hey, Blank! Did you see the way she hit me!? This cowgirl's wilder than a buckin' bronco!" she complained.
"Stop her, Ruby!" I exclaimed.
"Come again, pardner!? Did you hear what I was sayin'!?" Ruby demanded.
The girl ran again. I sighed in frustration.
"Hey! Ruby!" I tried to get her attention as she ranted about how no one listened to her.
I gave up and ran past her.
"Ruby! We'll talk later!" I called back.
"Of all the rude—" I heard Ruby growl.
There'd be hell to pay later. But I was able to stop the hooded girl.
"Why-Why don't you stop running now?" I panted from the chase.
Inside, I was cheering. It didn't happen anything like the plan, but we got her.
"Do you... do you work on this theater ship?" she suddenly asked.
I stared at her in surprise. Where had that question come from?
"As you have no doubt suspected...the truth is that...I am actually...Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, heir to the throne of Alexandria." She lowered her hood.
"I have a favor I wish to ask of you..." she continued, "I wish to be kidnapped right away."
I gaped. That was why we had come to get her in the first place. This…This was becoming too easy!!
"Princess! Where are you!?" called someone from outside.
"Please... They've come for me!" pleaded Garnet.
I grinned and kneeled, "Alright then, Your Highness! I shall hereby kidnap you!"
She seemed wholly relieved. "Thank you. You have my gratitude."
Cinna walked into the room, drinking some coffee. Seeing Princess Garnet, he spit it out. She screamed. I winced at the sound.
"This is my friend, Cinna, Your Highness. He also works here on the airship." I tried to calm her down, at the same time trying to clue Cinna in.
He got the message.
"Oh…I'm sorry. You just startled me." Garnet blushed.
I made the attempt to put her at ease by making a joke at my friend's expense. "Yeah, well, with a face like his, I'd be pretty shocked too!!" I laughed, quoting what Mikane had said once.
Cinna grimaced, "Man, that hurts! I wash every morning, you know!"
"Princess!?" yelled someone from right outside the door.
"Cinna, I promised her Highness that I'd kidnap her. Will you help?" I said quickly.
He nodded, "This way!"
"Follow him!" I told Garnet, running into the next room.
I had Cinna take her ahead, while a watched through a slit in the door to see who came into the room after we left.
It was that knight in rusty armor.
"Princess? Princess…Princess! Princess…? PRINCESS!!!? Princess?" He called, looking around.
Another knight ran into the room.
"Where have you been!?" exclaimed the rusty knight angrily.
"Sir! I'm sorry, sir!" the knight saluted.
I recognized it was Mikane. I felt relieved. She'd make sure we would get away.
"Princess!" called the rusty knight.
I slipped away from to the hole, sneaking down the corridor where Cinna had taken the princess. When I reached the meeting room, I stared. This was a dead end!
"What's the big idea Cinna?" I demanded.
Cinna just laughed.
"You see, I thought something like this might happen…so I set up this escape hatch!" he explained, "Open! Sesame!"
The table opened at his words. It was indeed a escape hatch.
"Princess!" came the frantic yelling of the rusty knight.
"Jump in." Cinna commanded.
Garnet went first, with Cinna following, and me last. Once we had slid to the bottom, I listened to the conversation going up above.
"The princess must be down there!" That must have been the rusty knight.
"I'll go down first, sir!" Mikane answered.
Then I heard more of the knight's yelling.
"Captain, sir! I-I think I'm stuck, sir!" exclaimed Mikane.
"What!!?? What do you mean you think you're stuck!!??" yelled the knight.
"I can't get out, sir!!" Mikane sounded like she was panicking, but I knew how good she was at feigning emotions.
"Grr!! Blast it!! I will just have to find another way!!!" hollered the knight, charging out of the room.
I heard a snicker and stepped back. Mikane came sliding out of the passage.
"What a fool!" she laughed, tail waving with mirth.
I agreed, and ran a hand through my hair. Then I realizing I had lost the helmet somewhere along the way. Oh well. Like it mattered. We continued onto the pole room. We had almost made it to the door when the rusty knight slide down the pole.
"Aha! Princess! I, Steiner, have come to your rescue!!" he brandished his sword.
"You needn't worry, Your Highness," Mikane bowed to her.
"Good work! This will be remembered as the Pluto Knights' finest hour!" Steiner shouted gleefully.
"Heh! Just relax, Princess. We'll get you outta here!" grinned Mikane.
"WHAT!!!? You're not one of my knights!" exclaimed Steiner, figuring it out.
"Took ya long enough," muttered Mikane.
"You can just leave the princess to us!!" Cinna, Mikane, and I smirked.
I pulled out a dagger, Mikane pulled out two, and Cinna readied his hammer. We fought rust-head. He stood no chance.
"I-I will not give up!" Steiner growled.
He swung his sword with all his remaining strength and struck Mikane's stolen armor. It shattered, ripping open the oglop package in the process.
"N-NO!!! I HATE OGLOPS!!!!" Steiner ran around the room in fear.
Cinna and Mikane did the same thing, yelling. Oglops bounced all over the place. I wasn't bothered and, it seemed, neither was Garnet. I pulled her into the next room. There was several platforms among the floor, but other then that, the room was a dead end.
"What now? We can't go any further!" Garnet said hopelessly.
I paused, thinking. This didn't seem good. Who knew how long the oglops would stop that idiotic, but persistent rusty knight. Cinna ran to join us.
"Blank," he wheezed, "U-Use lift Number Two."
"Okay," I nodded.
I dragged Princess Garnet to that particular lift. We started going up when Steiner dashed into the room, closely followed by Mikane.
"Stop, thieves!!" huffed the rust-head.
He pushed Cinna off, knocking him into Mikane. She snarled, tail swishing in anger. She didn't like it that Steiner was trying to foil the plan. In fact, I don't think she liked him much at all. The lift continued to rise, and, suddenly, we were on stage. Close to us was Baku and Marcus who both muttered in surprise. I quietly told everyone to just improvise. Marcus, understand, broke free from the grips of the guards, Zenero and Benero. He rushed over to Princess Garnet.
"Cornelia!!" he cried dramatically.
Garnet stared at him, clearly hesitant. I whispered to her that Cornelia is Marcus's lover.
"Oh, Marcus!" she answered him lovingly.
I was impressed. She was okay, for a princess. She sensed my look and murmured that she had studied drama. Ah. So that was why.
Princess Garnet, playing as Cornelia, embraced Marcus.
"Oh, Marcus! I missed you so! I wish never to leave thy side! Prithee, lead me from this place!" She smiled.
I almost gaped but stopped myself in time. How could she know the exact line? Geez, she must've studied hard. Thinking about lines made me realize Mikane's line as "Kane" had come up. I'd say it in stead and hope no one in the audience knew his character wasn't supposed to say this line. But, as if she knew it was her turn, Mikane strolled onto stage, all pieces of the shattered armor gone.
"See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!" Mikane as Kane told him.
"Never!" Baku exclaimed, "Never leave his side, thou sayest? Foolish banter! I'll not allow it! Cornelia shall marry none other than this man-Prince Schneider! If that not so, Prince Schneider?"
"King Leo" addressed Captain Steiner. Steiner froze, then shook, finally seeing the audience.
"M-Marry the princess!? Me!?" he managed to squeak out.
"Aye!" affirmed King Leo, "And this traitorous crew, I will put them to death!"
Mikane and Marcus punched the guards who ran away yelling, "Too many of them!" and "Run away!"
"Pray, sweet daughter, come home to the castle with me," coaxed King Leo.
Cornelia shook her head. "Nay, Father! I shan't return!"
King Leo tried a different tactic. "Cornelia... Trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own welfare. Be mindful of that."
"Not if I can help it!!!" shouted Marcus, "Now is my moment of vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia...I shall cut thee down!
Marcus drew his sword. He swung his sword towards King Leo. Cornelia dashed to block the way and took the thrust.
"Ngh!" she gasped.
"Mar...cus, forgive me. I still love my father..." Cornelia whispered, yet was loud enough for the audience to hear.
"Cornelia!" King Leo bellowed.
"Princess!" shouted Steiner.
"Prithee, forgive my selfishness, Father, and spare my sweet Marcus..." she continued.
Elegantly she fell to the floor, dead. I knew that Marcus was the expert at fake killing strokes and that she was really perfectly fine. I had to admit, she had talent.
"What have I done!?" said Marcus in a hollow voice, "Am I never to hear her loving voice again!? Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch!? O, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all I treasure!"
Marcus drove the sword into his own body.
"Ngah!" he moaned.
"Marcus!" yelled Kane.
King Leo dropped to his knees, tears running down his face.
"Forgive me!" he sobbed to Cornelia.
Steiner, meanwhile, was white-faced.
"Princess…" he gasped.
Suddenly a small boy wearing a large floppy hat ran onto stage, chased by knights.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted.
"Stop! Come back here!" the knights ordered in the same manner as Steiner.
"D-Don't come any closer!!" he stuttered.
The knights came closer anyway. Surprising me, the young boy held up his hands and cast a Fire spell at them. Unfortunately, it missed and hit Princess Garnet. She leapt up, throwing off her white robe.
"Ow! That's too hot!" she exclaimed.
"Blank, Mikane, Marcus," grunted Baku, "It's time!"
I grinned. Finally.
"Princess Garnet! Let's get outta here!" I told her.
Steiner stood watching it all, dumbstruck.
"What... What is going on!?" he demanded.
"Steiner! Don't follow me anymore!" the princess commanded.
The two knights that had chased the boy turned to Steiner and saluted.
"Captain, sir! We await your orders, sir!" said one of them.
"Hmmm... Well... Umm... Errr... Princess! I'm afraid I cannot comply!" Steiner decided.
"Stubborn as always, aren't you?" Garnet frowned.
"Come on, Princess. Let's ditch Sir Rustalot and get outta here!" Mikane exclaimed, grinning.
"Princess, wait!" ordered Steiner.
Mikane laughed, "Rusty, you can't order the prin-"
She cut off, noticing the small boy laying on the ground.
"Hey, kid... You okay?" She asked gently.
"Y-Yeah. I just tripped, that's all..." The boy sniffed, holding in tears.
"Princess, I cannot allow you to go!" Steiner said like we cared what he thought, "Seize them at once!"
There was a quick battle. Which ended with Steiner defeated.
"Bah! Only a flesh wound!" he declared.
Ignoring him, Cinna, Baku, and I went inside the airship. I ran to check the engines. They were running smoothly. I rushed back.
"Stabilizers configured!" Cinna said.
"Good!" growled Baku, "Blank, the engines!?"
"Engine room is good to go!" I reported.
"Alright! We're movin' out!" Baku gruffly laughed.
"Roger that!" nodded Cinna.
I sighed gratefully.
"It's about time!" I commented.
The ship shook as it took off. I went back onto the deck. The castle was in turmoil. Seems the queen knew exactly who was with us. Soldiers was called to fire harpoons to stop us from leaving. I almost rolled my eyes. That was typical. But then, to my shock, they fired a Bomb at us. Steiner yelled his challenge to us again.
"Hey, Rusty, there's something behind you I think you should—" Mikane shakily said.
"Nonsense! How would I fall for such an old trick! There's nothing behind me!" interrupted Steiner.
It was official. Steiner is an idiot.
"R-Really, Steiner, there—" stammered Garnet.
Steiner laughed. "Not you too, Princess! I am not so dumb as to fall for that trick!"
Suddenly, the fire monster exploded right behind him. Steiner was blasted to the floor and the ship suffered as well. It was on fire! Cinna came running out of the control room.
"We're gonna crash!!!" he yelled.
The ship rocked wildly as it soared away from Alexandria. But, besides losing speed, it was falling. Something whacked my head and everything went black.
&&&&&&
Shana: Cliffhanger!!! Sorry, RefugeofSouls, but after having that torture done to me when I'm reading fics, now I get to do it! It's too hard to resist the temptation to do them.
Sora: CHOCOLATE!!!!!!! (grins his silly-looking grin)
Shana: Yes, Sora, chocolate for everyone!! (throws out chocolate to all her reviewers)
Sora: Chocolate for me!!! (eats some)
Shana: (watches him, drooling)
Demon: (looks at her)
Shana: …Uh…. (nervously) I'm gonna eat chocolate too!
Saint: (is a chibi and handing the chocolate to everyone)
Demon: (is suddenly a chibi) Wocolate!!! (eats some cutely)
Chibi Saint: (has chocolate on his little face) Weview?? Pwease???