Chapter Four: Why Me?
The next day, Sitaten made her way down the streets of Zanarkand with a bit of 'pep in her step'. Although school yesterday was absolutely dreadful, she found that the queer way that Rikku and herself had become friends so easily was what kept her from crying herself to sleep last night.
Rikku.
That girl sure does need a tranquilizer dart, if any ever did. And although her constant cheeriness and high pitched voice may annoy many, her 'devil-may-care' attitude was so overwhelmingly refreshing that Sitaten could hardly wait to see her again today.
It was odd though, becoming friends so quickly as they did. She tried over and again to summon up any memories of being like that with any girl and failed miserably. Was this part of what she was missing at the temples? She never realized how much she was lacking until she came here. Now she was speaking her mind, talking with girls her age, and shopping! She would not have believed it if someone told her a week ago that she would be doing all of these things.
Now, she wondered what effect her new wardrobe would have on those who she met only yesterday. Of course, she could not expect much. They already knew she was from Bevelle, but maybe they would be a little more comfortable around her without her garb reminding them of it? Nah. But who cares?
"Hey, Rikku!" Sitaten jumped up and down, waving her hands frantically, trying to get the Al Bhed's attention. Rikku, who had agreed to rendezvous in front of the Jecht memorial, sat on the edge of the fountain boarder, searching for her in the crowd. When she spotted her, she grinned and pushed herself up to greet her.
"Hey, lookin' good!" Rikku inspected her. Sitaten decided to go with the white skirt, the indigo tank-top and white sandals.
"It's so weird walking around like this in public." Sitaten whispered and looked around, spotting a guy's gaze lingering on her for a little while, "And people are still staring at me!"
"Trust me, it isn't a bad thing, Sita. I should teach you a few more pointers. You need to exploit what ya got!" Rikku winked. Sitaten feared for what she meant by that.
"Okay, come on!" she dragged her through the halls to their first period class, which happened to be with her, today. The hall of the alchemy class was completely deserted.
"Alchemy is so much fun... it's basically a free period where you get to tinkle with your weapon!" Rikku pulled her into the classroom, which oddly resembled a blacksmith's shop.
With a lone table surrounding by stools that spanned the entire room, some kids were already there, quizzically inspecting their weapons. There was one older woman walking through the room, who seemed a bit pale, watching over everyone. In a simple set of black robes with a neckline so low, her chest was nearly popping out, she snapped her attention over to the odd pair and beckoned them forward.
"Showing our new addition to class, Rikku?" The woman's crimson eyes were warm, despite the empty, hollow sound of her voice.
"Yup! This is..." Rikku started.
"Sitaten, transfer student from Bevelle. Yes, the school is buzzing with the news. You certainly don't look like an acolyte of the Temple." The woman's eyes raked down her body, eliciting a blush from Sitaten.
"Well, we decided it would be nice to change her look, ya know, so people wouldn't be so hostile." Rikku whispered.
"Changing yourself to fit in?" she asked in disapproval.
"No, I left Bevelle because I could no longer hide who I was. I came here hoping that I wouldn't have to do the same. And I won't, because if I do, then I didn't really leave Bevelle at all." Was Sitaten's reply. The raven topped woman watched her eyes for a while, with Sitaten, unabashed, looked directly into hers.
"I like you... I'm Takahashi Lulu, and welcome to Alchemy. I'll would explain everything to you myself, but I'm feeling a little queasy..." Lulu said as she began to sway a bit.
"Are you alright?" Sitaten made to catch her, but the woman steadied herself before she could fall.
"Don't worry... it's just morning sickness. Lulu's pregnant." Rikku said the word as a four year old might say the word 'sex'.
"Oh... congratulations."
"Or something like it," Lulu mumbled, "Ugh, Rikku, could you take over for me?"
"Sure thing, Sensei!" Rikku smiled as Lulu quickly fled from the room.
"Okay, it's really easy. All you have to do is look for something with attributes to modify your weapon, like elixir for example. If you find enough of these it would let you have 'mp stroll' so, if you can't find a place to rest, you can walk around and your magical energy will be restored." Sitaten yawned as Rikku went through various rare and common items that modify weapons. She told her all of the known combinations, but explained that the reason this was a concept class was so that people could try and come up with new effects.
"Hey~ hey! Paine, over here!" Rikku jumped up and down. Sitaten turned around to find Paine casually leaning on the posts of the doorframe, watching the two girls quietly. She did not move when Rikku called, but looked up as Shuyin entered the door.
The two ignored Rikku and walked over to take their seats at the far end of the room, Paine whispering things to Shuyin every once in a while. After about two minutes, 15 more students poured in, including Tidus, who was talking to some girl, Baralai, and Gippal.
"Gippal!" Rikku held her hands onto her cheeks to cover her blush, but in vain.
"Hey~ it's Yuna's cousin." Gippal, who noticed Rikku's small frame jumping up and down in excitement, stepped over, accompanied by the ever placid and calm Baralai.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I have a name?" Rikku whined. Gippal ignored her and stepped over to Sitaten.
"I remember you..." he mussed up her free-flowing hair, "You're Sita... or something, right? You been getting into some trouble, I hear." He flashed her one of those academy-award winning smiles.
"It's Sitaten..." she whispered, but her words were ignored as Baralai forced the attention on himself.
"So I'm chopped liver?"
"Oh, uh...Rikku, this is Baralai; Baralai, Rikku." Gippal introduced. Baralai bowed to her and turned to Sitaten.
"And of course, we've already met, Sita." His eyes raked down her body for a moment.
"Funny...I can't stop imagining you in acolyte robes." Baralai, who was not ashamed of his association with the church, openly gave a clue to Sitaten so that she would not feel uncomfortable around him, as he was sure she felt around others. Sitaten did a double take, narrowing her eyes for a moment, trying to figure why he would admit to anything.
"I haven't gone without them since I left Bevelle." She shrugged. For a moment, it did not matter if anyone picked up on what she said. Baralai smiled. So she was brave.
"So what are we doing today, kids?" Gippal looked around the room and spotted Paine, giving her a quick nod before turning to face Rikku.
"Well, we're using our original alchemy 'recipes' to mod our weapons." Rikku began to teeter on her feet nervously. It was obvious to even Sitaten that she had a little 'crush' on him.
"Yes, do you know how to do it, Baralai?" Sitaten asked, a plan forming in her mind. Rikku furrowed her eyebrows
"Yes, of course."
"Could you help me? I need a little one-on-one tutoring. I've never done a mod before."
"Sure..." he seemed almost hesitant, "what do you need to know?" he asked as Sitaten pulled him off to the side.
"Why did you ask me to help you?" Baralai asked as they chose a seat near the far end of the table.
"Well, because... Rikku wants to talk to Gippal about something."
Well Sitaten knew that it was pretty risky to tell a lie, but it was not exactly a lie, more like a half-truth. Rikku had a crush on Gippal, obviously. And of course she wanted to talk to Gippal about something because she openly engaged in conversation with him. Although her rationalities were seamless, she still felt guilty about not properly answering his question.
"That isn't what I asked." That was the moment that Sitaten knew that she would like Baralai. His perception definitely boosted the image she has of him.
"I need the help, anyway, and I know as a member of the faith you would know a little more about my weapon."
"Well, alright then, let's see it." In a second, light collected in Sitaten's hands and elongated to the point where it was about ¾ her length. It rounded out, and with one minor explosion of mana, it hardened into the staff. The staff itself, silver with gold carvings of ivy down the shaft, was merely three inches in diameter. In the middle was an imperceptible line where it could separate to reveal two katanas. Sitaten outstretched her hands so that Baralai could get a closer look.
"Impressive." Baralai reached out to take receive it.
"You have one just like it, if I recall, Your Highness." So Sitaten recognized him as the High Priest, one step below the Praetor. Of course he possessed a weapon like this, but unfortunately it did not have the ability to change into so many weapons.
Baralai gripped his hands on the shaft and twisted it. From the tightness of the metal, he could discern that the katanas and other options were not as frequently used.
"Before I left Bevelle, my father told me to learn how to use my staff. I'd been training with it all my life, so I wondered exactly what he meant by it. Only while I was on the ship did I realize that it could turn into Katanas as well. Judging by the nature of summoning the weapon, I think it comes with more options." Sitaten watched over his shoulder as he inspected the weapon.
"Yes, it does, one other, but it will not heed your call unless in a dire situation." He absently replied. How on Spira did she ever come to possess such a dangerous weapon? Who would be so careless as to give it to such a shy, quiet, little acolyte?
"Oh... oh, well, I suppose I'll have to stick with what I know best, ne? It doesn't dodge bullets, but a sword won't come near me." she asked, taking the staff back from Baralai's hands. He silently marveled at how easily she maneuvered the shaft, and found joy in knowing that someone else could appreciate the simplicity and advantage at using such a weapon.
"How did you come to possess it?" Baralai found himself asking.
"It belonged to my mother. I don't know much about her for that matter."
"But your mother was a Priestess."
"Yes, my father told me once before, however, that she was...from Besaid, and he was able to convert her to the faith." Sitaten turned away. It obviously brought pain to her.
Paine.
Speaking of Paine, it was she who was boring holes in the back of his head. He thought about how she always had the gift of doing that when he turned to find her unabashedly staring into his eyes. Shuyin was fully engaged as he carefully tinkled with the properties of the Brotherhood.
Baralai knew exactly what her eyes were trying to tell him: do not get attached. It was not as though something were about to happen to the ex- acolyte, but they were to be leaving soon, and making any new friendships would be pointless. Although Baralai reminded himself this as he turned to face the girl again, he found the advice slipping from his mind as soon as she gave him the brightest smile he had seen in a very long time. He only saw smiles like that on little girls.
"What mod items do you have?" he asked. Sitaten frowned and looked down at her feet.
"Sorry, I don't have any. None of the fiends I fought ever dropped anything valuable."
"That's okay, come and sit with me... we'll talk about our weapons instead."
"So what happened, huh? You and Baralai seemed happily engaged!" Rikku bounded up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Look whose talking. I'm surprised your head hasn't exploded from the rush of blood." Rikku blushed again.
"So, spill...what did the two of you talk about?" Rikku asked, trying to turn the spotlight from her.
"Our staffs. His staff has better range, and he possesses greater control. I wish I was as good as he." Sitaten sighed.
"Oh, come on...you don't have to lie to me."
"Really...but he and Paine...they kept giving each other funny looks." Sitaten's eyes glossed over as she examined the image burned into her mind.
"Oh that's because they're best friends. But I think..."
"I think that you should quit while you're ahead, Rikku." Sitaten's ears perked up as they rounded the corner to an empty hallway. Whispered voices reached her ears and she stopped Rikku.
"What is it, Sita?" Rikku whispered.
"Yuna won't stay, and Tidus is egging her on."
"We have to find a way to make her stay."
"You know Yuna- when she gets an idea in her head, that's it."
"We can't let her go."
"That's why we have to follow them. The two of them can't do it alone."
Sitaten and Rikku peeked around the corner to find Paine and Shuyin talking in hushed tones. Paine was flushed with anger, but Shuyin stayed calm and collected, as always. Rikku and Sitaten looked at each other and wondered if they should listen any further. Sitaten wanted to leave, of course, but Rikku shook her head and listened raptly to their words.
"Gippal and Baralai are in. Are you coming, Shuyin?" Paine demanded, in that dead, flat voice of hers. Shuyin did not answer.
"Shuyin, are you going to let go of what happened? Your brother needs you." She repeated.
"You know, I'd expect this of Rikku, but I didn't think of you as the type to eavesdrop," a familiar drawl whispered. Sitaten's eyes grew wide as something with great strength picked her up by the waist of her skirt and stepped out into the hall. Sitaten watched guiltily as Paine and Shuyin's eyes snapped up to the scene before them. Gippal, who held Sitaten up by his waist stood beside Baralai, who had his hold on Rikku as well.
"What is going on?" Paine shifted her weight to one leg and crossed her arms, frowning.
"We've caught two little kittens who let curiosity get the best of them." Gippal righted Sitaten and pushed her forward.
"How much did you hear?" Paine's tone was low and dangerous.
"Not much..." Rikku cringed. An angry Paine was never a harmless Paine.
"Rikku..." Paine's tone was low and dangerous.
"All we heard was that Yuna plans to leave with Tidus and you guys want to follow, that's it... I swear." Rikku let the words flow from her mouth quickly. Guiltily, she looked down at her feet, blushing.
"Twenty-four points left..." Paine turned away from her angrily.
"Aww, but I had forty yesterday!"
"Sitaten," Shuyin called. Sitaten's eyes snapped up at the sound of her name. No one called her by her full name. It reminded her of the times when her father was angry with her. He wore a mask of indifference.
Sitaten moved slowly towards him, all the while dreading what he would say to her. When she was but a foot before him, she looked into his eyes to find them empty, dead.
"How much did you hear?" he repeated Paine's question.
"Exactly what Rikku told you." She shied away from his gaze. He did not reply. She felt his continued gaze and prayed that someone would break the silence.
"What are we to do? Our plan to stage our deaths won't work now that they know." Gippal was the one to speak.
"It will work. They will just have to come with us." Paine said, probably reading Shuyin's thoughts.
"What?" Sitaten exclaimed. "Where to?" Rikku asked, dreading their answer.
"Bevelle."
Okay... That's the end of Chapter Four. I hope you guys like what I'm doing so far. Please review, I need to know what you think. I want to improve my writing and I can't do that without you constructive criticism. Oh yeah,
Terrai- with the word 'terra' as its root, it means earth. So Sitaten Terrai means 'Daughter of Aten on Earth' ( doesn't that just make you wanna do flips, eh?
Ja ne...
Jaia~
The next day, Sitaten made her way down the streets of Zanarkand with a bit of 'pep in her step'. Although school yesterday was absolutely dreadful, she found that the queer way that Rikku and herself had become friends so easily was what kept her from crying herself to sleep last night.
Rikku.
That girl sure does need a tranquilizer dart, if any ever did. And although her constant cheeriness and high pitched voice may annoy many, her 'devil-may-care' attitude was so overwhelmingly refreshing that Sitaten could hardly wait to see her again today.
It was odd though, becoming friends so quickly as they did. She tried over and again to summon up any memories of being like that with any girl and failed miserably. Was this part of what she was missing at the temples? She never realized how much she was lacking until she came here. Now she was speaking her mind, talking with girls her age, and shopping! She would not have believed it if someone told her a week ago that she would be doing all of these things.
Now, she wondered what effect her new wardrobe would have on those who she met only yesterday. Of course, she could not expect much. They already knew she was from Bevelle, but maybe they would be a little more comfortable around her without her garb reminding them of it? Nah. But who cares?
"Hey, Rikku!" Sitaten jumped up and down, waving her hands frantically, trying to get the Al Bhed's attention. Rikku, who had agreed to rendezvous in front of the Jecht memorial, sat on the edge of the fountain boarder, searching for her in the crowd. When she spotted her, she grinned and pushed herself up to greet her.
"Hey, lookin' good!" Rikku inspected her. Sitaten decided to go with the white skirt, the indigo tank-top and white sandals.
"It's so weird walking around like this in public." Sitaten whispered and looked around, spotting a guy's gaze lingering on her for a little while, "And people are still staring at me!"
"Trust me, it isn't a bad thing, Sita. I should teach you a few more pointers. You need to exploit what ya got!" Rikku winked. Sitaten feared for what she meant by that.
"Okay, come on!" she dragged her through the halls to their first period class, which happened to be with her, today. The hall of the alchemy class was completely deserted.
"Alchemy is so much fun... it's basically a free period where you get to tinkle with your weapon!" Rikku pulled her into the classroom, which oddly resembled a blacksmith's shop.
With a lone table surrounding by stools that spanned the entire room, some kids were already there, quizzically inspecting their weapons. There was one older woman walking through the room, who seemed a bit pale, watching over everyone. In a simple set of black robes with a neckline so low, her chest was nearly popping out, she snapped her attention over to the odd pair and beckoned them forward.
"Showing our new addition to class, Rikku?" The woman's crimson eyes were warm, despite the empty, hollow sound of her voice.
"Yup! This is..." Rikku started.
"Sitaten, transfer student from Bevelle. Yes, the school is buzzing with the news. You certainly don't look like an acolyte of the Temple." The woman's eyes raked down her body, eliciting a blush from Sitaten.
"Well, we decided it would be nice to change her look, ya know, so people wouldn't be so hostile." Rikku whispered.
"Changing yourself to fit in?" she asked in disapproval.
"No, I left Bevelle because I could no longer hide who I was. I came here hoping that I wouldn't have to do the same. And I won't, because if I do, then I didn't really leave Bevelle at all." Was Sitaten's reply. The raven topped woman watched her eyes for a while, with Sitaten, unabashed, looked directly into hers.
"I like you... I'm Takahashi Lulu, and welcome to Alchemy. I'll would explain everything to you myself, but I'm feeling a little queasy..." Lulu said as she began to sway a bit.
"Are you alright?" Sitaten made to catch her, but the woman steadied herself before she could fall.
"Don't worry... it's just morning sickness. Lulu's pregnant." Rikku said the word as a four year old might say the word 'sex'.
"Oh... congratulations."
"Or something like it," Lulu mumbled, "Ugh, Rikku, could you take over for me?"
"Sure thing, Sensei!" Rikku smiled as Lulu quickly fled from the room.
"Okay, it's really easy. All you have to do is look for something with attributes to modify your weapon, like elixir for example. If you find enough of these it would let you have 'mp stroll' so, if you can't find a place to rest, you can walk around and your magical energy will be restored." Sitaten yawned as Rikku went through various rare and common items that modify weapons. She told her all of the known combinations, but explained that the reason this was a concept class was so that people could try and come up with new effects.
"Hey~ hey! Paine, over here!" Rikku jumped up and down. Sitaten turned around to find Paine casually leaning on the posts of the doorframe, watching the two girls quietly. She did not move when Rikku called, but looked up as Shuyin entered the door.
The two ignored Rikku and walked over to take their seats at the far end of the room, Paine whispering things to Shuyin every once in a while. After about two minutes, 15 more students poured in, including Tidus, who was talking to some girl, Baralai, and Gippal.
"Gippal!" Rikku held her hands onto her cheeks to cover her blush, but in vain.
"Hey~ it's Yuna's cousin." Gippal, who noticed Rikku's small frame jumping up and down in excitement, stepped over, accompanied by the ever placid and calm Baralai.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I have a name?" Rikku whined. Gippal ignored her and stepped over to Sitaten.
"I remember you..." he mussed up her free-flowing hair, "You're Sita... or something, right? You been getting into some trouble, I hear." He flashed her one of those academy-award winning smiles.
"It's Sitaten..." she whispered, but her words were ignored as Baralai forced the attention on himself.
"So I'm chopped liver?"
"Oh, uh...Rikku, this is Baralai; Baralai, Rikku." Gippal introduced. Baralai bowed to her and turned to Sitaten.
"And of course, we've already met, Sita." His eyes raked down her body for a moment.
"Funny...I can't stop imagining you in acolyte robes." Baralai, who was not ashamed of his association with the church, openly gave a clue to Sitaten so that she would not feel uncomfortable around him, as he was sure she felt around others. Sitaten did a double take, narrowing her eyes for a moment, trying to figure why he would admit to anything.
"I haven't gone without them since I left Bevelle." She shrugged. For a moment, it did not matter if anyone picked up on what she said. Baralai smiled. So she was brave.
"So what are we doing today, kids?" Gippal looked around the room and spotted Paine, giving her a quick nod before turning to face Rikku.
"Well, we're using our original alchemy 'recipes' to mod our weapons." Rikku began to teeter on her feet nervously. It was obvious to even Sitaten that she had a little 'crush' on him.
"Yes, do you know how to do it, Baralai?" Sitaten asked, a plan forming in her mind. Rikku furrowed her eyebrows
"Yes, of course."
"Could you help me? I need a little one-on-one tutoring. I've never done a mod before."
"Sure..." he seemed almost hesitant, "what do you need to know?" he asked as Sitaten pulled him off to the side.
"Why did you ask me to help you?" Baralai asked as they chose a seat near the far end of the table.
"Well, because... Rikku wants to talk to Gippal about something."
Well Sitaten knew that it was pretty risky to tell a lie, but it was not exactly a lie, more like a half-truth. Rikku had a crush on Gippal, obviously. And of course she wanted to talk to Gippal about something because she openly engaged in conversation with him. Although her rationalities were seamless, she still felt guilty about not properly answering his question.
"That isn't what I asked." That was the moment that Sitaten knew that she would like Baralai. His perception definitely boosted the image she has of him.
"I need the help, anyway, and I know as a member of the faith you would know a little more about my weapon."
"Well, alright then, let's see it." In a second, light collected in Sitaten's hands and elongated to the point where it was about ¾ her length. It rounded out, and with one minor explosion of mana, it hardened into the staff. The staff itself, silver with gold carvings of ivy down the shaft, was merely three inches in diameter. In the middle was an imperceptible line where it could separate to reveal two katanas. Sitaten outstretched her hands so that Baralai could get a closer look.
"Impressive." Baralai reached out to take receive it.
"You have one just like it, if I recall, Your Highness." So Sitaten recognized him as the High Priest, one step below the Praetor. Of course he possessed a weapon like this, but unfortunately it did not have the ability to change into so many weapons.
Baralai gripped his hands on the shaft and twisted it. From the tightness of the metal, he could discern that the katanas and other options were not as frequently used.
"Before I left Bevelle, my father told me to learn how to use my staff. I'd been training with it all my life, so I wondered exactly what he meant by it. Only while I was on the ship did I realize that it could turn into Katanas as well. Judging by the nature of summoning the weapon, I think it comes with more options." Sitaten watched over his shoulder as he inspected the weapon.
"Yes, it does, one other, but it will not heed your call unless in a dire situation." He absently replied. How on Spira did she ever come to possess such a dangerous weapon? Who would be so careless as to give it to such a shy, quiet, little acolyte?
"Oh... oh, well, I suppose I'll have to stick with what I know best, ne? It doesn't dodge bullets, but a sword won't come near me." she asked, taking the staff back from Baralai's hands. He silently marveled at how easily she maneuvered the shaft, and found joy in knowing that someone else could appreciate the simplicity and advantage at using such a weapon.
"How did you come to possess it?" Baralai found himself asking.
"It belonged to my mother. I don't know much about her for that matter."
"But your mother was a Priestess."
"Yes, my father told me once before, however, that she was...from Besaid, and he was able to convert her to the faith." Sitaten turned away. It obviously brought pain to her.
Paine.
Speaking of Paine, it was she who was boring holes in the back of his head. He thought about how she always had the gift of doing that when he turned to find her unabashedly staring into his eyes. Shuyin was fully engaged as he carefully tinkled with the properties of the Brotherhood.
Baralai knew exactly what her eyes were trying to tell him: do not get attached. It was not as though something were about to happen to the ex- acolyte, but they were to be leaving soon, and making any new friendships would be pointless. Although Baralai reminded himself this as he turned to face the girl again, he found the advice slipping from his mind as soon as she gave him the brightest smile he had seen in a very long time. He only saw smiles like that on little girls.
"What mod items do you have?" he asked. Sitaten frowned and looked down at her feet.
"Sorry, I don't have any. None of the fiends I fought ever dropped anything valuable."
"That's okay, come and sit with me... we'll talk about our weapons instead."
"So what happened, huh? You and Baralai seemed happily engaged!" Rikku bounded up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Look whose talking. I'm surprised your head hasn't exploded from the rush of blood." Rikku blushed again.
"So, spill...what did the two of you talk about?" Rikku asked, trying to turn the spotlight from her.
"Our staffs. His staff has better range, and he possesses greater control. I wish I was as good as he." Sitaten sighed.
"Oh, come on...you don't have to lie to me."
"Really...but he and Paine...they kept giving each other funny looks." Sitaten's eyes glossed over as she examined the image burned into her mind.
"Oh that's because they're best friends. But I think..."
"I think that you should quit while you're ahead, Rikku." Sitaten's ears perked up as they rounded the corner to an empty hallway. Whispered voices reached her ears and she stopped Rikku.
"What is it, Sita?" Rikku whispered.
"Yuna won't stay, and Tidus is egging her on."
"We have to find a way to make her stay."
"You know Yuna- when she gets an idea in her head, that's it."
"We can't let her go."
"That's why we have to follow them. The two of them can't do it alone."
Sitaten and Rikku peeked around the corner to find Paine and Shuyin talking in hushed tones. Paine was flushed with anger, but Shuyin stayed calm and collected, as always. Rikku and Sitaten looked at each other and wondered if they should listen any further. Sitaten wanted to leave, of course, but Rikku shook her head and listened raptly to their words.
"Gippal and Baralai are in. Are you coming, Shuyin?" Paine demanded, in that dead, flat voice of hers. Shuyin did not answer.
"Shuyin, are you going to let go of what happened? Your brother needs you." She repeated.
"You know, I'd expect this of Rikku, but I didn't think of you as the type to eavesdrop," a familiar drawl whispered. Sitaten's eyes grew wide as something with great strength picked her up by the waist of her skirt and stepped out into the hall. Sitaten watched guiltily as Paine and Shuyin's eyes snapped up to the scene before them. Gippal, who held Sitaten up by his waist stood beside Baralai, who had his hold on Rikku as well.
"What is going on?" Paine shifted her weight to one leg and crossed her arms, frowning.
"We've caught two little kittens who let curiosity get the best of them." Gippal righted Sitaten and pushed her forward.
"How much did you hear?" Paine's tone was low and dangerous.
"Not much..." Rikku cringed. An angry Paine was never a harmless Paine.
"Rikku..." Paine's tone was low and dangerous.
"All we heard was that Yuna plans to leave with Tidus and you guys want to follow, that's it... I swear." Rikku let the words flow from her mouth quickly. Guiltily, she looked down at her feet, blushing.
"Twenty-four points left..." Paine turned away from her angrily.
"Aww, but I had forty yesterday!"
"Sitaten," Shuyin called. Sitaten's eyes snapped up at the sound of her name. No one called her by her full name. It reminded her of the times when her father was angry with her. He wore a mask of indifference.
Sitaten moved slowly towards him, all the while dreading what he would say to her. When she was but a foot before him, she looked into his eyes to find them empty, dead.
"How much did you hear?" he repeated Paine's question.
"Exactly what Rikku told you." She shied away from his gaze. He did not reply. She felt his continued gaze and prayed that someone would break the silence.
"What are we to do? Our plan to stage our deaths won't work now that they know." Gippal was the one to speak.
"It will work. They will just have to come with us." Paine said, probably reading Shuyin's thoughts.
"What?" Sitaten exclaimed. "Where to?" Rikku asked, dreading their answer.
"Bevelle."
Okay... That's the end of Chapter Four. I hope you guys like what I'm doing so far. Please review, I need to know what you think. I want to improve my writing and I can't do that without you constructive criticism. Oh yeah,
Terrai- with the word 'terra' as its root, it means earth. So Sitaten Terrai means 'Daughter of Aten on Earth' ( doesn't that just make you wanna do flips, eh?
Ja ne...
Jaia~