Beauty In The Breakdown
Chapter One: Imagine
Oh my goodness, I'm writing another fic. Gasp and for shame, when my other FFX-2 fic languishes in disrepair. I know, I'm sad and pathetic. However. No worries. I just want to churn out this Crimson Squad era mini-epic, and do my usual. Mm hmm, original character time. I know...Sueism threatens. We'll see. I don't plan on romance, due to what I have planned, so we will see what we see, yes? Anyway, basic summary: A friend of Rikku's, a young half-Al Bhed, wants to try out for the Crimson Squad, being turned away by the Crusaders as "not eligible" for her Al Bhed blood. One problem. The Crimson Squad only takes on male cadets. Females are made into recorders, and that is CERTAINLY not how she wants to go about it. What's a girl to do? As long as she doesn't mind lying through her teeth, anything she wants. Oh, and look at her teammates. Aren't they a rag tag bunch of miscreants? Lovely!
Disclaimer: I don't own FFX-2, Gippal, Nooj, Paine, Baralai, Rikku, Maester Kinoc, or anything else in Spira. Alas, I am pathetic and poor, and Squenix is a real bitch about sharing. So, no suing or I sic my evil cat named Nooj on you.
Aritia returned to Home, not two weeks after she had left to sign up for the Crusaders. She was still angry with what she had been told, finding it unfair, biased, and bigoted. Not eligible, indeed. All because her father happened to be Al Bhed. She remembered the shocked look on her father's face when she'd walked into their living quarters, her sword still slung over her back, her clothes still dusty from the trail. And then his outrage, because the Al Bhed weren't wanted in helping to protect Spira from Sin.
That had been a week ago, and she was still miffed over the refusal. To fight her dark feelings, and ease the boredom of being back Home, she often went out with the scavenger crews, acting as a guard while they dug up forgotten machina, lost among the sands of Bikinel. Not that she wasn't absolutely nuts over machina, but she's rather see more action than a bundle of metal parts and wires could bring sometimes. And she rarely spoke to her friends and family, being ashamed of having to come Home after making such a big deal over going to help save Spira from Sin.
It was on one of the slow days that one of the said friends cornered her in the oasis, making sure she had nowhere to run. Rikku had snuck up on her like a thief, which she was, and stood over where Aritia brooded darkly under a palm tree, cleaning her gun and sword, glaring at her.
"Ed'c desa oui tet cusadrehk! Oui'ja paah hudrehk pid uha pek knisb cehla oui kud pylg. Cu fryd ev dra Crusaders yna pekudat? Pek cinbneca! Cu veht cusadrehk amca dryd oui lyh ku kad ouincamv gemmat tuehk." Rikku gave a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes, flopping down in the grass, waving her arms. "Eh vyld, E ryja dra banvald drehk!"
Aritia arched a brow testily, lifting her sword to check the blade for nicks. "Ur, oayr? Mega fryd, cxiyddan suhgao?" She peered at Rikku curiously a moment, before setting her sword aside. "Drana'c hud yhodrehk mavd. E kiacc ev E fyhd du ramb, E'mm ryja du kad yh Al Bhed pyht dukadran, yht fa'mm bnudald dra ecmyht."
Rikku shook her head, her two braids flying comically about her face. "Oui ghuf dryd kio E fyc dammehk oui ypuid? Gippal? Ra'c dnoehk uid vun cusadrehk lymmat dra Crimson Squad...Un cusadrehk mega dryd. Ra cyoc drao dyga Al Bhed, hu xiacdeuhc." Then she remembered the rest, and groaned. Oops. ""Ur. E vunkud. Ra cyet drao uhmo dyga kioc."
Aritia snorted loudly, shaking her head and leaning against the palm tree. "Figures," she muttered darkly in Common. "Guess if they'll take you for being Al Bhed, they don't want you for being female." She put her arms behind her head and squinted up at the sky, giving a small sigh. "I guess I'm doomed to stay here...Forever."
Rikku frowned, and thought a long moment, a finger coming up to scratch her chin. Then, her face broke into a wide grin, and she jumped up and grabbed Aritia's arm. "I've got the perfect idea!" she squealed, also switching to Common. She tugged Aritia to her feet, and bounced excitedly a minute, hardly refraining from clapping with glee. "We'll make you look like a guy! And then you can go sign up!"
"But...Rikku..." Aritia picked up her sword, strapping it to her back, before shoving her gun into its holster. "That means I'll be stuck being a guy for a really long time. Besides," she said, gesturing to herself. "I'm too small to be a guy. They'll see right through me."
None of the arguements had worked, and Aritia found herself strapping her breasts down, glaring at her own reflection. It was probably good that she wasn't more than average in the looks, and less than average in female charms, or this idea really wouldn't work. Once she'd flattened her chest as much as she could, she slipped on the shirt, holding up her hair to get the full effect. Hmm. Not too shabby. She just looked a little small framed, and short, but otherwise like every other guy out there. Rikku might be on to something. She let her hair drop, and started buckling all the straps that stretched across the shirt and pants, before lugging on the heavy boots, scanning her appearance in the mirror once more. Her hair. A hand came up to touch it, and she sighed sadly. It was her best feature, and she knew it, but it had to go, if this was to work. She snatched the dagger from the hip sheath and hesitated, before gathering her hair in the other hand and pulling the sharp edge of the blade through it. A few more swipes, and it even had some semblance of a shaggy male style, and she shook her head a moment, before dropping the thick locks she still held to the floor.
Not bad. Really not bad. She stood before the mirror, taking on a slightly more aggressive pose, and then grinned. Just like any other guy. Rikku had been right, no one would be the wiser. With a silent laugh at the young man that stared back at her from the mirror, she turned and left the room, going to find Rikku for the thumbs up.
She found Rikku talking with her father, and at first, Rikku just looked her over like a prospective date, turning back to Cid before her eyes went wide and she looked to Aritia once more, her mouth hanging open. "A...Aritia?" Cid turned and looked her over as well, a brow raising. He really didn't want to know. Mumbling something under his breath, he turned and walked away, rubbing his bald pate.
Aritia nodded and grinned, resheathing the dagger she still held. "How do I look?" She turned in a full circle, letting Rikku get the full effect, before crossing her arms over her chest, her grin stretching wider.
"I thought you were a guy!" Rikku bounced a moment, pawing at the air. "You look...Awesome! Score one for Rikku, idea master extroidinaire!" She stuffed a fist in the air, crooking a knee. "No one's ever gonna know!"
No one's gonna know... That thought echoed through Aritia's head as she waited in line to put her name down for becoming a cadet. Or, rather, Turik's name. After all, she couldn't go by Aritia anymore. She shifted her weight to one foot, crossing her arms, before going on tip toe to see over the guy in front of her's shoulder. This was taking too long. Her sword was starting to grow heavy, and the guy behind her kept bumping into her. She turned and glared at him over her shoulder, eyes narrowing. Hmph. He didn't look like he'd last two seconds into training. Besides, who had white hair? He looked up, seeing her glare, and his eyes went wide.
"I'm terribly sorry."
"Right." She turned around, facing the front again, before there was a hesitant tap at her shoulder, and she gave an annoyed sigh, turning once more. "What?"
"I just wanted to say hello. My name's Baralai. I'm from Bevelle. And you?" He smiled, and Aritia felt her resistance start to melt. He was kind of cute. For a guy from Bevelle. And then she remembered that she was supposed to be a man, as well.
"A..." She caught herself and cleared her throat, forcing her voice as low as it would go without sounding odd. "Turik. From Bikinel." She nodded her head once, starting to face front once more.
"But I thought...I thought only the Al Bhed lived here on Bikinel." Aritia snorted, recognizing that tone. Here was someone who held prejudice for the Al Bhed.
"We do." She looked him straight in the eyes, letting him see her own. There was nothing remarkable in the color, just a nice brownish-hazel, but her pupils were as spiraled as a full-blooded Al bhed. "And yes, they all have blonde hair. Except for the half breeds." She looked him over a long moment, frowning. "And here I thought all Yevonites came equipped with a stick up their asses."
Baralai flushed deeply in embarrassment, and he bowed his head a moment. "I meant no disrespect." Aritia waved him off, turning her back firmly to him and squared her shoulders, relieved the line was finally moving. In fact, it already had, a good deal, while she'd chatted with the Yevonite....No, with Baralai, behind her. She strode forward, in as manly a gait as possible, realizing she was almost at the front of the line. Her stomach gave a little flutter, and she firmly quelled it. She kept her mouth shut as person after person signed their names down and were directed into a large tent, and soon she was staring a bland-faced officer in the eyes, a pen being stuffed in her hand. Without hesitation, she signed her new name twice. Once in Common, once in Al Bhed. The man looked up at her again as she handed the pen back, raising an eyebrow. "You don't look Al Bhed."
"Half breed," she answered. He nodded at her and nodded his head toward the tent, and she turned, deciding to be nice and waving to Baralai casually over her shoulder as she walked toward it. He looked up from signing his own name and waved back, and she sighed, stepping into the large structure, pulling the flap aside as she did so. Oh boy. Looks like they were being seperated into squads already. She fell into step by a very tall individual, glancing sideways at him. Hmm. Stern expression, glasses, one wild crazy mop of hair the same color as her own...And a machina arm and leg. This guy had already seen combat, apparently.
They were being counted off in fours, and she soon realized she was going to end up on machina man's, and now Baralai's, team. Interesting. The officer doing the counting grouped the three of them, along with another man who'd entered, another Al Bhed whom Aritia vaguely recognized together, and sent them off to the next stop, a third of the way down the tent's length. There she was given, like her "teammates", a pack full of supplies, only to be shuttled off again. She walked behind the tallest of the other three, the man with the machina limbs, keeping her tread slow so that she didn't step on the back of his good heel. He seemed to get around alright, even with that cane, and as long as he was good with some kind of weapon, who cared?
Baralai fell into step beside her and grinned. "We are to be teammates, then." Aritia gave him a curt nod, hoping he'd shut up, to no avail. "Well, at least I know one of you, now. Are you excited? I am, very much so."
"You don't shut up, do you?" She raised an eyebrow, shooting him a look, feeling a traitorous grin pull at her mouth. The Al Bhed fell in step on her left, giving Baralai a very rude once over, before nudging her. "Hysa'c Gippal. Oui vnus Home?"
She nodded. "Turik." They stopped once more, and were given instructions to meet outside for their first assignments. First assignments? But...They'd just gotten here. Aritia frowned to herself, but went along with the others anyway. Who knew? Maybe they'd get off of this forsaken island and see the world.
No such luck. Aritia found herself crouched in the dunes, gun in hand, her sword strapped tightly to her back, wincing at the cannonfire. They'd met up with someone else, a "recorder" assigned to track their progress through the missions, who was, of course, female. She looked interesting enough, but now was not the time to make new friends.
Baralai eyed the area around them warily, frowning at the sound of gunfire. "This is rough."
"Isn't team three getting a little carried away? I thought this was supposed to be a drill," Gippal grumbled, shifting slightly. Aritia snorted, agreeing whole heartedly. It seemed as though they intended on killing the very sand, with all the weapon fire coming from their direction. There was an explosion, cannonfire hitting close behind them, and Aritia felt herself get flung forward before something heavy and squirmy landed on her back, pressing her face deeper in the sand. The weight lifted, and she was hauled to her feet, already getting ready to swing. Gippal let go of her arm and turned, getting his gun ready, eyeing the dunes for some sign of fiend activity, not even acknowledging that he'd nearly suffocated her.
Baralai picked himself up, shaking of the sand, and moved closer to stand next to Aritia. He looked to Gippal a long moment, and then said, "Hey, aren't you an Al Bhed? Why are you trying out for the Crimson Squad?"
Gippal shrugged, looking to Aritia a moment before replying. "Hey, the the Al Bhed wanna protect Spira, too. I wanted to be a Crusader, but apparently, we're, uh, 'not eligible.'" He aimed off a moment through the gun's sight, and then looked back to Baralai. "Besides. No one can handle these babies like an Al Bhed can, right, Turik?" He grinned easily, and everything came together in Aritia's head. The guy Rikku was talking about. This was him. Huh, small world.
Aritia nodded, turning to grin at Baralai. "Really. They must have known you'd need help, putting two Al Bhed in your team."
Baralai gave them a sour look, and then looked at his own gun apprehensively. "Machina. Even if the Maester's ok with it, what about everyone else?"
The man with the machina limbs, having been silent from the start, glared at Baralai. "Shut up. We'll get reported." He started moving away, toward a sand dune, his stride hitching in an obvious limp. In truth, Aritia kind of felt sorry for him, and then a cold stab of fear. She'd been so blind, wanting to fight for Spira, and had never stopped to consider what war did to people.
Apparently, Baralai was one of those guys who couldn't take a hint. Either he was just a really nice person, or he was a bumbling idiot. After hearing the taller man's tone of voice, she was leaning toward the latter. "My name's Baralai. I'm from Bevelle. You?" The taller man didn't bother turning around, and Aritia exchanged a look with their recorder, before shaking her head.
"I've seen this a hundred times," Gippal muttered in a voice only she could hear. Louder, and directed toward the taller man's back, he said, "Yup, a lot of people'd sooner shoot an Al Bhed than tell 'em their name."
The man's back stiffened, and he sent them a look over his shoulder. "It's Nooj."
Low and behold, Baralai looked like a kid getting his first visit from the sand fairy. "THE Nooj?" he exclaimed, his eyes going wide. Aritia frowned, wondering if she should know who this guy was. The name Nooj wasn't ringing any bells. She looked to Gippal, who gave her a shrug, before putting his hands on his hips.
"Hey, uh, Nooj? My name is Gippal." No, that couldn't be a sarcastic edge to Gippal's voice. She'd already learned that Gippal was a right little hellraiser. At least...At least it would feel like a piece of Home was here, being with another Al Bhed. Even if he did have a mouth on him.
She saw Nooj's gaze stop on her, and she gave him a nod. "Turik." He nodded back, and then went back to scanning their surroundings, the gunfire growing distant. She grinned inwardly. This was going to be easier than she'd thought. No one suspected a thing.
Baralai, realizing Nooj wasn't much for words, turned to their recorder, giving her a nod. "And you?" Crimson eyes widened over the sphere, and her weight shifted to one foot.
"Paine." Her gaze shifted to Aritia, and then to the sword against her back, and she nodded at it. "You any good?"
"Tolerable." Aritia turned back to watching the dunes, seeing one of the officers stop at Nooj. Hmph. Who declared him leader. They spoke in quiet voices a moment, before Nooj saluted. The officer returned it, and moved on, apparently making for the next team along this little stretch of sand. Nooj started back down the mound of sand, coming to stand before them, leaning on his cane.
"We're to camp here tonight. Tomorrow, they say, we'll be expected to start crossing the island on foot, in no less than two months. We'll meet boats at the end of the training, and be taken to our next mission." Nooj looked pointedly at Aritia and Gippal a moment, frowning. "I'm sure you know the layout of the land better than anyone. What can we do for food and firewood here?"
Aritia shrugged and pointed to the brush around them. "The plants will be dry enough for fire. As for food? You hunt it down." She looked to Gippal, who nodded, and checked his gun, patting for extra ammo in his pocket. "We'll find something edible. I suggest you send Bevelle Boy over there for firewood, and then we'll see about bunking down. It's bright now, but sunset on Bikinel comes quick."
Nooj nodded. "Alright, I'll leave the food to you two. You probably have a better idea as to what's edible and what's not." He ignored Baralai's muttered complaining, and turned to him. "You and...Paine, was it? Go and gather firewood. I'll start camp."
Paine turned off her sphere and stuck it in her pack, walking past Baralai. "Come on, Bevelle Boy. Muttering like that won't get a fire started." Baralai gave an annoyed sigh, and trailed behind, looking like a wounded puppy. Aritia shook her head and started in the other direction, nudging Gippal's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get this over with."
Two hours later, she and Gippal came up upon their "camp", the sky starting to grow dark, the first stars appearing. They both had taken down a lupine, and had managed to raid a few outposts for things like extra water and Al Bhed potions, bitter to the taste but known for their healing abilities. The three gathered around the fire looked up as they approached, and Aritia flopped down close to the fire, sighing in exhaustion. "Lupine. Kinda stringy, but one you get past that, it's pretty good."
Gippal nodded, dropping to the sand next to her. "Many a night I've had to make due on it." He pulled out a wickedly long knife from his boot, dragging the lupine closer. He started gutting it, making quick, clean cuts in the underbelly, somehow managing to remove the entrails in one piece, before starting to skin it. Aritia became absorbed in watching him, before a throat was cleared, and she shook her head, dragging the other fiend close, starting to do the same. She wasn't as neat, but got the job done, and before long both skinned, headless, and gutted bodies were roasting over the fire, and they were passing around a canteen.
"So..." Baralai began, obviously uncomfortable with the silence. "I suppose...We're a team now." He pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his chin against them, his arms loosely wrapped around his shins. He gave a small shiver and frowned, scooting closer to the fire. "I didn't expect it to be so cold."
Gippal gave a sigh, leaning back on his hands, one leg crooked, the other straight. He wiggled his foot a moment, and then raised a brow at Baralai. "Yeah. Desert nights get pretty chilly. But you'll get used to it. It's not so bad."
Aritia said nothing, realizing she missed her nice warm bed in the nice, wonderfully temperature controlled Home. And her father. And even Rikku. And everything familiar. She shook her head, trying to snap out of it. After all, it was only their first night of a mission, and there was no reason to be homesick. After all, she was still on Bikinel. She glanced up, and started when her gaze met Nooj's. He frowned at her a long moment before looking away, and she shrugged, stretching out before the fire. It was kinda peaceful here, even if she didn't really know these people. That would change, she hoped.
She must have dozed off, because someone shook her roughly by the shoulder, and she cracked an eye, seeing Gippal's amused smirk come into focus. "Ugh...Sorry 'bout that." She sat up and ran a hand through her shorn locks, still shocked at the non-existant length of the back.
Gippal gave a chuckle, handing her a plate of lupine and gravy that someone had been smart enough to whip up. She nodded and started eating, thoughtfully chewing each mouthful, not realizing how...Feminine she was being, taking small bites as she always had. She looked up, realizing the four were staring at her, and cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
Baralai shook his head. "Oh! Nothing." He dug into his own, ruining that good Yevonite boy image by making a complete pig of himself, and Aritia's stomach twisted slightly. Ugh. She shook her head, catching the first smirk on Nooj's face yet, and rolled her eyes, going back to eating.
"I didn't expect a surly one like you to have good table manners," Nooj said on a chuckle, setting his own plate aside. Aritia sent him a glare, purposely taking a bigger bite, leaving a splotch of gravy and meat bits on her face. His chuckle grew a bit more audible, and he shook his head.
"Not surly," she said around a mouthful, determined to keep acting the man even if it killed her. "Quiet. There's a difference."
"What's the saying?" Paine asked, picking at her own. "Still waters run deep?"
Aritia wiped her face with the back of a gloved hand, snatching up her canteen and taking a drink of water. "Haha, very funny." She caught Gippal grinning and scooped gravy onto her finger, flinging it in his direction. "Watch it, meddma puo. You wouldn't want to make me angry."
Gippal's brows shot to his hairline. "Meddma puo? I'm taller than you." He ducked the gravy, still grinning. "Keep flinging that. You'll be complaining when there's nothing left." The others laughed, and Aritia felt a flush heat her face.
"Right. Perhaps in body, and in ego. Not in intelligence," she retorted. She kicked herself. That sounded an awful lot like flirting. Changing the subject, she said, "So, you know Rikku?"
"Cid's kid? Yeah. She's got the hots for me."
You have no idea. "Just wondering. She mentioned you when she told me about trying out for the Crimson Squad. Think it's kinda funny we ended up on the same team."
It looked like everyone was finished eating, and with good reason, as there really was nothing left, and Nooj climbed to his feet. "Alright, time to set up night watch. Any volunteers?" When no one answered, he gave a snort. "Fine, I'll take first watch. Turik? I'll wake you for second, and tonight, Gippal can have third. We'll switch off every night, so that someone can sleep while Baralai takes their shift. Agreed?" The others mumbled in agreement, and he nodded. "Alright, lights out."
Aritia dragged herself to her feet, her body aching from the long day, and pulled out her sleeping back, laying it close to the fire. She kicked off her boots and pulled off her gloves, ignoring everyone else, and climbed in, staring up at the stars. You did it, kid. One day down, two months to go. In minutes, she was out like a light.
Yeah, it's kinda choppy. I'm having to make the switch from rping to writing again, so it may take a chapter or two to get back in the swing. Never fear, this shall be updated soon. And see that button down there? The one that says review? You know you want to click it. :P