Author's Note: Not much to say. Please review and feel free to give suggestions!
Rikku took in the vast arena that was spread out before her. The Gullwings stood at the top of Mt. Gagazet, with Leblanc and a group of her Syndicate on the opposite side. "Gullwings, I'd like you to meet my elite Syndicate. These are the best of the bunch." She gestured towards the 15 men and women in uniform behind her. Ormi and Logos stood off to the side, watching their troops.
"Enough talk, more fight," Paine demanded impatiently. Her hand moved instinctively to the hilt of her sword.
"So testy, aren't you, love?" With a flick of her wrist a fan snapped open, and Leblanc posed momentarily with it hiding all of her face save her eyes, which gazed up sensually. She sauntered out to the middle of the platform and held said fan aloft. "Barrel, Corin, Jetta. You're up. Make me proud." She blew a kiss in her Syndicate's direction and brought the fan down like a flag, signaling the beginning of the fight. Two men and one woman ran out to meet the Gullwings, who charged towards the center of the arena.
Like a wave crashing against the shore the two groups collided and began throwing a series of punches and stabs. Rikku spun in the air and sliced her two hand-daggers at the nearest Syndicate, sending him to his knees before he had the chance to grab his sword. Paine swung her leg into the air, smacking the female Syndicate in the face and slicing the woman's side with her sword. The woman could only cast one spell before she was beaten. The third went down just as quickly and cleanly as the first two, and in a moment the fight had ebbed.
Fauna was entranced by the spry movements Rikku made; it was almost as if she was dancing.
Leblanc growled, clenching her fists. "Ajint, Pearl, Mork!" She snapped, furious at how quickly she had been defeated. "Get out there now! I want some fried Gullwings, pronto!" Three more Syndicate dispatched onto the field, and all three fell in turn. This time, however, they lasted longer. Leblanc fired off more names and two more groups were sent out before Yuna was almost done for. The other two Gullwings, however, were still standing strong.
"Miles, Bastion, Fauna!" Fauna broke away from her enamored, light-headed state and snapped back to reality. It was her turn to go against the Gulls. "Finish them off," Leblanc yelled. But even Leblanc's loud voice was only a distant echo in Fauna's mind, which was paralyzed with fear. A cold sweat broke out under her tight suit. She glanced at the last two Syndicate, her teammates: Miles and Bastion, the three nodded to one another and headed out to the fight.
Relying on her training, Fauna set into action and threw a Firaga spell at Paine. Paine ignored this and went immediately for Miles, and Yuna for Bastion. Which left only one for Fauna to fight…
Despite her loyalty to Leblanc, she tried desperately to avoid Rikku, who seemed intent upon attacking her. The two tumbled into cartwheels and twirls as Rikku swung at the dodging Fauna. A dagger came inches from Fauna's face as the two tumbled through the air. The blade snagged on her mask, stripping her of her head-gear.
Rikku watched as long, thick red curls spilled like water from the mask. A fair-skinned woman fell to her unsteady feet; Rikku noticed her abundance of freckles. Pine green eyes probed for pity deep into Rikku's mind; they were dewy and empathetic. Rikku had never bothered to picture what a Syndicate might look like without a mask, and she certainly never expected them to be… well… beautiful.
The girl stood still as stone as though she somehow lost her strength now that she had been unmasked, face naked and exposed. For a moment, Rikku stayed still as well. The world seemed to dim around her and a silence swept over the arena.
Paine shouted Rikku's name, brining her back to the fight at hand. She gathered her thoughts and sank to a crouched position, extending one leg and swinging it under the Syndicate to trip her. The woman came tumbling down, unresisting, and Rikku threw a punch, breaking the woman's nose. The Syndicate slumped to the ground.
Everything went black for Fauna. She felt a hot, numb sensation spread over her nose as blood trickled from it. The last thing she saw was Rikku, her eyes filled with an almost apologetic expression.