I was waiting for a cross-town train
In the London underground when it struck me
That I've been waiting since birth to find a love
That would look and sound like a movie
So I changed my plans, I rented a camera and a van
And then I called you
"I need you to pretend that we are in love again,"
And you agreed to
-Clark Gable by The Postal Service
I left Mr. Thinks-He's-Way-Too-Cool miles behind me as I blazed past the group, dust clouds covering my trail.
"Rikku, what's the rush, ya?" Wakka called out.
"I'm just scouting ahead," I called out behind me.
Now, I'm sure that everyone realizes that wasn't my real reason. The real rush was that after being so frusterated over my so called "lack of focus," I thought I should probably prove how wonderful of a guardian I really could be.
How, you might ask, was I to do that?
I was going to find the biggest fiend in existance, and give it a piece of my mind.
"Focus? I'll show you focus, buddy," I mumbled as I stomped along the trail to Guadosalam. The leaves from the trees made a beautiful canapy of leaves above me, and the shade seemed to cool down my boiling nerves. "Just one fiend... Just one to finally prove to them that I can do this."
Luckily for me, that fiend was waiting for me just a few yards ahead, where the path curved just enough to make me be out of sight of the rest of the party, licking it's lips on all of it's heads in anticipation for our little duel.
I turned that corner with as much speed and determination that my small frame would allow me. But then, I realized what lovely fiend I had to tangle with.
Of course, of all things to be sent to me, a Chimera had to be the one.
Now, I could tell you a huge, epic tale of how I totally whooped on this Chimera's head and never even got a scratch. I could flex my muscles and you could "oooh" and "ahhh" with appreciation. And maybe, finally, I could get the respect that I deserve.
Then again, maybe I don't deserve that respect, considering I froze faster than machina breaks. My feet stopped without barely any warning to my brain, and I pitched forward, nearly coliding into the lovely brown dirt that made up the path that I was walking on.
Wakka would say that I deserve it, for being a low down, dirty, no good, Al Bhed.
Personally, I just think it's bad timing on my part.
ANYWAY, I saw every one of my fifteen years of life flash in the many eyes of this dear little fiend, and I couldn't breathe.
It really did figure that the second I finally stopped focusing on Sir Auron the Almighty and started focusing on something really pertinant to my own existance, it had to be when there was no one else to realize that. Then again, maybe I should stop focusing on Sir Auron anyway, considering he's way older than me and has a lousy, stuffy sense of humor, and... well, the man is kind of cute, isn't he?
WHOA, no. Not even going to go there. At least not now, while my life is in danger. Maybe I could tackle that little disturbing thought with a counseler at a later point in my life, when this whole misrable experience is behind me.
But for now, I've got some fiend to fry.
My right hand started to twitch back to life, and moving very slowly, I reached back and searched my pouches on my belt for some type of spiffy weapon, or maybe some ingredients that could make a big KABOOM and scare this bad boy away. Preferably a million of this ingredients, considering I'm not exactly the strongest girl around. My fingers brushed something, and breathing a sigh of relief, I yanked it out.
Three granades and a potion.
Wow. I should last about ten seconds.
The Chimira snorted a bit, laughing at my petty potion. It was probably thinking, "Mwa haha, little girl, you'll need more than that to protect you when I'm done with you."
So, deciding to buy for some more time, I did something that I wouldn't recommend for those of you at home. I started to have a bit of a conversation with it.
"Um... Hello there, Chimmy." The Chimira stepped closer to me. "Chimmy the Chimera, get it?" I took a few steps back, and felt myself run into something solid.
I turned, sighing with relief. "Thank goodness you guys are..."
It was a tree. Now I really knew I was in trouble.
I whipped my head back and saw four glowing pairs of eyes very close to my face. I scrambled for something, anything to say to let me live for a few seconds longer.
"You know, I know a perfectly good doctor to help you out with that little head problem you have..."
Wrong move, obviously.
All of the heads reared back, and a foot that I didn't even know existed came up and kicked me in my stomach. I doubled over, gasping for air. Then, one of it's heads came down, bit my shirt, and used it to catapult me twenty feet in the opposite direction.
And out of no where, the thunder spells came. I screamed bloody murder and covered my battered and bruised face with my hands, trying to curl myself into as small of a ball as possible. The world was spinning in fifteen different directions and every thing seemed to be hazy and green. I rolled over and tried to stand up, maybe crawl to safety, but that wasn't a good plan. I felt my stomach tumble, and decided that it would probably just be wise for me to lay down and shut up. Maybe catch a few lost minutes of shut eye. I started to close my eyes...
"Rikku!" Yuna screamed from far away. I smiled at the sound of her voice, but didn't move an inch. Sorry, but I felt rather cosy on the hard, packed in dirt. I was starting to feel myself pass out when I felt someone swiftly kneel down next to me and touch my face.
I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't see anything but a dark blur. But, the blur smiled at my effort. "Don't worry, Rikku... I'll protect you," they said gruffly.
That sound was the last thing I remembered before I drifted away.
