Shattered Soul

Chapter Six - Confrontation

Author - Pilotslover )

Disclaimer - I don't own FF IX, Vivi'd be the main character if I did. I do own the concept, and the names of Vivi's sons, so please ask if you want to use this fic or anything within it, I also own any new characters.

Response to reviewers:

LottiRebel - any more lollipop's and I'll get fat! I'm sorry you've got to wait so long for Eiko, but I think you can understand where I'm coming from with this, and the chapters she is in will hopefully make it more obvious. (Eiko's in it in 'Part two' Chapter ... 12 I think, I've not started writing part two yet, Well I kinda have.)

Niara - Oh gosh, stopping now? How unthinkable! No, I wouldn't do that to you all, it's mean. I've written until the end of 'Part one' so to speak, so you'll at least get to that.

SSS

Tot had decided from the start not to deal with Vivi's case himself, he was far too connected to the mage as a person to be able to work objectively with him; he was also conscious of the fact that he had been there when the last four of Vivi's son's had died. In his place, he trusted a young woman named Ellisa; she was only 17 but had a good logical head on her shoulders. She knew what she needed to do, taking lessons in caring for stitched wounds from Tot, who had learnt all he needed from an ancient book.

It had been two weeks since Vivi had been found, stubbornly he refused to talk to most people and Ellisa was no exception. It always hurt her to deal with him because she could sense something in him beyond the pain he felt at present; she had not known he before and had paid little attention to the excitement caused by the hero's return to Alexandria.

She was slim, standing at the right height for her age; her eyes were turquoise in colour and her rich brown hair was always neatly tied behind her head. She wore a white mage robe when she was doing her duties, the fringe marked in red, the hood pulled up over her head to keep anything unpleasant out of her hair. She knocked on the door before entering, Ellisa was not entirely sure why she continued to do so, Vivi never granted her entrée but somehow it seemed more polite. "Hello Master Orunitia," She greeted warmly, her warmth had been artificial at first but it was slowly becoming more real. "According to Tot's research we can remove your stitches today."

There was no reply from the mage, who sat in a chair by the window; he was there every time she visited him and she doubted he moved very far during the day. "As chatty as always I see," She could not help but tease, knowing all too well that she would gain no reply. "I don't want to have to remove your coat for you, take it off will you." She dragged a small table towards his chair, setting a bowl of ice down on it, the things she would need to remove the stitches, and a roll of clean bandage onto it.

Having learnt that Ellisa would forcefully remove his coat from him the hard way, Vivi did as she told him to, leaving it behind himself. "I think I can trust you to remove a bandage by yourself," she said as she moved to open the window, bright light streaming in through it; a slight breeze plucked at the curtains like Wraiths. "You've watched me do it every day of the past two weeks," She scrubbed her hands in a bowl of soapy water, watching him unwrap the covering from the corner of her eyes. "Hold your arm out like this," She held her arm out in front of herself, underside up; he matched her gesture. Ellisa tenderly took his hand, resting the arm on top of a cloth on the chair arm.

She folded a thin cloth around a chunk of ice, "This is going to be uncomfortable, in the past there was an herb that could numb wounded areas but the art was lost when people started relying on white magic. So, I'm going to numb it with some ice instead." She smiled slightly, "I've never done this before. The book said that it doesn't hurt a lot but Tot thought it was best to reduce the risk." Ellisa held the ice to the messy stitching, careful to not press too hard.

Without telling him first, she removed the ice and cut through the knot in the stitching; carefully tugging the single stitch loose, more from the shock of not being told what she was doing Vivi tugged his arm back. "Done, I think we'll let that breathe for a few minutes." Ellisa moved to a second bowl of water, scrubbing her hands again. When this was done, she pulled a stool into the range of the light from the window, leaning out of it. "What a sunny day," She said enthusiastically. "All bright and cheerful, when I was a kid we used to -"

"Why do you do that?" The voice was tiny as it spoke; Ellisa took a few moments to work out who had spoken, pulling herself in from the window to look at the mage. She smiled slightly, whilst it was merely a shadow of his voice before, he had at least spoken to her.

"Do what, Master Orunitia?"

She sat on the stool facing him, but he refused to look at her. "Talk to me," He mumbled, it would be some time before Vivi would have the strength to master much more then that.

"I'm trying to be friendly; plus, I like the sound of people talking and I doubt you're going to talk to me, so I talk to myself."

With a half-hidden chuckle, Ellisa stood, "And I'll continue talking to myself; come sit over here, I need to clean your cut before I can bind it again." She motioned the stool with a jerk of her head. She took the bowls that she had washed her hands in to the small sink in his room; emptying, cleaning and refilling them.

When she returned, Vivi had not moved from his seat, his small form still huddled in the armchair, "Back to being awkward again then?" She referred to the first week she had dealt with him, when it had been a battle to clean his wound; against a weakened opponent, Ellisa had won every time, but now it seemed that he was willing to try fighting her again.

"I thought we were past this point Vivi, sorry Master Orunitia." She caught her own error quickly; as someone who did not really know him, she was required by castle etiquette to call him by his surname. Since he was technically a lord, this requirement was even greater. "I am under the direct order of the crown to ensure that your wound heals; I'll make sure it will by any means possible."

A flash of silver caught her eyes causing a sense of panic to well in her chest. "I don't think 'the crown' will be pleased to know you left scissors around me." Vivi said, part of his tone mocking what she had said. His eyes caught hers for a brief second; sharp shocks of grief clear in the dull yellow ovals.

"I doubt it," Ellisa partially mused, in the past she would not have dreamt of leaving something sharp around him, somehow she was not concerned this time. "They're still over there though; you've barely moved a muscle since I got here." She pointed out, smiling to herself when she realised how important this was. "I doubt you'd try again with me in the same room. I could be wrong of course and one day I'll come in and find you laying on the floor in a pool of blood."

"Now, are you coming to sit over here or am I going to have to come and get you?"

Shakily he pushed himself up and moved to sit on the stool. "Thanks, I don't like being bossy and forcing you to do things." She admitted softly; this broke through some of the contempt he felt towards her but not enough of it for there to be any real change clear in how he was with her. "You don't mind if I call you by your first name do you? I didn't mean too before but it seems nicer somehow." She sat down on the opposite side of the table to him, preparing herself to clean up his arm. "Plus, I get the feeling I say Orunitia wrong."

"You do, I don't care what you call me."

'Maybe I preferred it when he was silent,' Ellisa thought, before she shook her head, 'No, this is better, it means he's noticed I've been here everyday.' "Alright, Vivi it is then. Arm on the table, cut side up please." Mechanically he did as he was told; at times Ellisa had noticed that he would just shut himself off from the outside world. 'I guess it's just his way of dealing with things,' Her eyes went to the area she was about to clean but she did not start to do so. 'His better way of dealing, everyone has their own ways I guess.'

SSS

Zidane burst into the room without knocking; he was breathing heavily, his forehead beaded with sweat. Vivi was sat on a stool by the window, his jacket untidily lying in a nearby chair; a plain, cream-colored short-sleeved shirt was clear, as was the mages black skin. An old, slightly bloodied bandage littered the table on which Vivi's arm was rested; it was the first time Zidane had seen what his friend had done to himself and he was marginally shocked by what he saw. The wound was larder and more obvious then the Genome had expected, running all the way across the wrist just beneath the bottom of Vivi's glove.

It was wider at the end nearest Vivi's little finger; due to the stitching, the wound was inflamed and looked uncomfortable. It was difficult to ignore the multitude of smaller scratches but Zidane hastily did so. Vivi just looked at him, making no effort to hide his arm, almost as if to say 'This is what I did, Zidane. This pain is part of what I am.' The Genome turned his gaze on the White mage, "Ellisa, Tot sent me to fetch you."

The young woman looked towards him, "I have to bathe and dress Master Orunitia's wound before I do anything else, your highness." She told him, now fully awake from her near daydream. "What is it that he wants me for?"

"Some woman in the city is in labour; all the other mages are busy."

Ellisa nodded, "Alright sir, if he co-operates with me fully I can have Master Orunitia's arm ready in very little time." She turned her eyes on the Black Mage, catching a slight nod of his head. An awkward silence fell as the woman bathed Vivi's wound; he winced slightly, or so Zidane assumed from the slight jerk in his shoulders but the mage did not pull away completely.

After a while, she let go of Vivi's arm handing him a towel; she turned her attention to cleaning up the things she had been using as Vivi patted the wound dry. Zidane tried to focus his attention on Ellisa but his gaze fell on Vivi's arm instead; small pale scars interlaced one another, a criss-cross of visible wounds for the emotional ones that he had hidden away, none of them were as obvious as the one of his wrist. They ran all the way to his elbow, they were not confined to the underside alone and marked both of his arms.

With the uttermost care, Ellisa slowly bound the wrist; fresh white fabric shining in the light. She tested for any damage to the nerves but it was limited; with one of the most genuine smiles Zidane had ever seen, she plucked Vivi's coat from the chair and handed it to him. This done, she turned to Zidane, "Before we go into the city, I must change my robe sir." She told him simply, tugging off the one she wore; beneath it she wore a plain shirt and a dull green pair of trousers. "I'll be back in two days, Master Orunitia." She told the mage, who was tugging on his jacket. "You be sure to rest that arm of yours, Vivi."

Zidane ignored her using Vivi's first name, he did not mind this disregard of court etiquette as much as Steiner or Garnet would, and it was good to see that Ellisa was trying to connect with the mage. The Genome nodded to the White mage, as she moved to the door, he had been charged by Tot to make sure that she reached the house she was supposed to reach. Vivi did not watch them leave; his dull eyes falling instead on the table where Ellisa had left the scissors, partly wondering why he had left them there.

SSS

Authors note: Minds in turmoil, hearts in a mess, can Zidane and Vivi ever repair a friendship torn apart by the stains of grief? Find out next time in 'Shattered Soul'.

PL says: I had a great time writing this, and I hope your enjoying reading it, please leave a review and tell me what you think.