Dancing All Around Me
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A / N : Oh my, Tierce! You're such a smart person! Yes, "Teyha" is actually Al Bhed for Diane, which is my name, but I am in no way similar to her in terms of personality! I have black hair like she does and I like the color purple, but that's about it, lol. I only used my Al Bhed name because I couldn't think of anything else, and it sounded pretty fitting for the character, so… yeah. But congrats on figuring that out, Tierce! I was wondering when someone would mention that… Anyway, on with the 'fic! I'm writing this at 2 in the morning, so don't expect it to be perfect! I do, however, have something very special planned ahead for our adoring couple in the next few chapters! So stay tuned, my loyal readers!
Disclaimer : I claim no ownership whatsoever of Final Fantasy X-2 characters, concepts, or trademarks; they are the property of Square-Enix. However, any original characters (including Aure, Teyha, Deorc, the Boss, Desta, Thora, Kaewr, etc.) in this work belong to me.
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CHAPTER TWELVE : Kaewr's Prophecy
The lights were dim within the confinements of the hospital infirmary of Guadosalam. Silence reigned king of the small hospital room in which our heroes occupied. Teyha was lying unconscious for the moment upon the single bed that took up most of the space in the already cramped-up room. Gippal sat in a chair by the bed's side, silently watching and waiting for the Black Mage to reawaken (which was most likely soon, seeing as how the doctor had given her magical medication that called for quick recovery). Aure and Rikku flanked Gippal's chair, anxious, too, to have Teyha open her eyes.
The crimson-haired warrior eyed the Black Mage's staff resting on two empty chairs in the hospital ward. It still disturbed her how strange it had felt in her hands… almost as if it was just a plain object, without any magical powers. It just didn't feel right, and this could only further heighten her suspicions of the seemingly innocent Black Mage. She turned back to Teyha, still unconscious.
It wasn't long, however, before the blond Al Bhed girl broke the silence, telling Gippal and Aure that she would be taking a walk around the town to amuse herself. That was only partially true; she wanted to get away from Teyha and Gippal for the time being. Seeing him with her, caring so much about her, was making Rikku slightly sick. Plus, the hospital room was hideously stuffy, and she hated infirmaries with a certain passion. Just the smell of it all was enough to bring her to death, if not close to it.
Once outside, Rikku breathed a deep breath. She felt a little better, though her mind was still plagued with the nagging vision of Gippal at Teyha's side. Shaking her thoughts off, she peered around, scanning over the residents that shuffled around the dark, cave-like town. Guadosalam still possessed the eerie blue-green appearance, and the stores and buildings were built into the mold of the seemingly underground city. Plastering a cheesy grin on her face, Rikku walked off in the general direction toward the Syndicate Headquarters, where she knew LeBlanc would be. She had to see a different, familiar face for once.
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When the perky Al Bhed thief approached the headquarters' double doors, the guards at the gate recognized her and allowed her to enter. As Rikku watched the ornate doors open before her, she grinned again. Ahh… it's good to be a little famous and have all these connections. Turning to one of the guards, she patted him on the head (even though she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach high enough), cheerfully uttering a "Thanks, porkchop!" before skittering through the gates.
Once inside, Rikku paused in the vast foyer, taking in the oh-so-familiar sight. She never thought that she would've been able to see this place again. Humming a tune to herself, she skipped over to one of the two staircases that lead up to LeBlanc's room. Reaching the doors, she politely knocked a couple times, awaiting an answer.
After a few minutes, when there wasn't a response, Rikku knocked again; this time, harder than before. A few more moments elapsed before loud muttering was heard (in which there was presumably a few curses), and a muffled and slightly irritated voice sounded through the oaken doors.
"Aghh, who is it?"
"It's me!" Rikku mirthfully piped.
"Who?"
"Rikku!"
A bit of shuffling, something falling against something else with a thud, footsteps sounding upon the hard floor, and seconds later, the doors opened to reveal a somewhat disheveled LeBlanc on the other side. The outgoing diva was clad in a loose pink nightgown, which was still fitting enough to licentiously expose some of the femme's skin, and her hair was down instead of in the usual fashion she wore out in public. Once she saw the blond Al Bhed girl standing outside her room, she smiled. "Well, hey there, Rikku! I didn't quite expect you to visit, but come in anyhow!"
Rikku grinned and accepted LeBlanc's welcome, stepping into the room before the doors closed behind her.
"I hope I didn't disturb you—"
"Oh no, dear, you didn't. I was just taking a daytime nap, that's all." LeBlanc motioned to the tea table that now sat in her room, to which Rikku went and sat. The pink-clad woman joined her, crossing her legs as she placed her elbows on the table's surface, eyeing the blond Al Bhed thief sitting across from her.
"I didn't see Logos or Ormi when I was coming in," Rikku started.
"Ah, those two," LeBlanc swiped her hand down in a feminine fashion. "They're out doing some sort of business of their own."
Rikku blinked at the woman. "You mean you fired them?"
"Oh no," LeBlanc hastily responded. "They're just out on 'breaks,' you know. I figured that they needed a little time to themselves. They'll be back shortly."
Rikku gave a little "Oh" in understanding, lowering her gaze to the table's surface.
"You haven't changed much, dear," LeBlanc stated, surveying Rikku's face. To this, Rikku laughed a little. "That's good, though. I wouldn't want you changing into someone you're not, you know? You're unique as a person; there's no one else out there like you, Rikku."
"Um… thank you… I guess." Rikku smiled. "You're still pretty much the same, too… Oh, and how's Nooj?"
LeBlanc's face brightened at the mentioning of her beloved's name. "Oh, Noojie-Woojie? He's just fine, dear, thank you for asking. We're still together, but he's often at work, so I don't get to see him too much. But when we do spend time together, it's just too precious."
Rikku nodded, smiling. "Yeah…" Her thoughts couldn't help but wander to Gippal. Would she ever get to spend "precious" time with him?
"What about you? How are things between you and… you know?"
The blond Al Bhed girl snapped from her reverie and looked at LeBlanc. "Me and…?"
"Don't play dumb, girl," LeBlanc said. "You and Gippal. How are you two doing?"
"Ahh…" Rikku didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words at the moment. What could she say? "We're… uh… we're doing… fine."
LeBlanc could see through her clearly; she knew that they really weren't doing "fine." The girl's response was all too unconvincing.
"Mm. Doesn't seem so 'fine' to me, dear. But I'm not getting involved in your matters. I do know a good person in town to go to for advice, though."
Interested somewhat, Rikku eyed LeBlanc.
"She's in the eastern part of the city. In a small, sort of secluded part of the town. There's a small house tucked in that one corner, by the light. There's a sign by her door that reads, 'Thora Nyrn.' You can't miss it."
Rikku smiled and nodded. "Thanks, LeBlanc."
"Don't sweat it, dear. It's the least I can do after all we've been through together as friends."
The blond Al Bhed girl rose from her seat. "Well, I guess I'll be going now. I'll stop by again whenever I get the chance."
Rising, too, LeBlanc agreed. "Oh, please do. It gets rather boring without company these days."
"Good luck with Nooj, and take good care of him, okay? Tell him I said hey, too, if you wouldn't mind."
LeBlanc smiled. "Of course." She walked with Rikku to the door, personally escorting her out the front gates. After waving goodbye and such, Rikku turned and headed for this advice-giving person LeBlanc had pointed out. It was worth a shot, and she had nothing else to do, anyway. She certainly didn't want to return to the infirmary.
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Upon finding the aforementioned adviser's home, Rikku pressed the doorbell and waited on the steps. As LeBlanc had said, the home was indeed small and unnoticed in this part of the city; it was any wonder if this Thora lady got customers at all.
Almost immediately after pressing the doorbell, the door jerked open with alarming speed, and a small, frail-looking woman with graying hair stared up at Rikku. The Al Bhed girl opened her mouth to greet her, but was beat to it by the old lady.
"Come on in, young one, come on in."
Doing so, Rikku entered a dark, dimly lit room (Oh, why do all of these places have to be so dark?). Once her eyes adjusted to what little light was present, she noticed shelves upon shelves of books, ranging from small ones to enormous, ancient-looking ones. Additionally, there were tables piled with bottles and instruments of sorts. Apparently, this woman also did some sort of magical potion-making or something along those lines.
The small woman gestured to a cushioned chair—one of the few that decorated the quaint home—at an empty table. Rikku obediently sat down. The woman sat opposite her, in another chair. Clasping her hands on the tabletop, the elderly woman eyed the blond Al Bhed girl from across the table.
After a few moments, the woman spoke. "I am Thora Nyrn. As you can tell, I am not a Guado, though I do possess a bit of Guado blood. My great-grandmother was a Guado, and she married a human, and they had my father. He, in turn, married my mother, who was human; and afterwards, they had me."
Rikku blinked at Thora. What the old woman's family history had to do with anything was beyond her.
"But I know you are not here to listen to me blabber about my ancestors and whatnot. What is your name?"
Rikku nodded. "I'm Rikku. And yeah… a friend referred me to you, saying that you give good advice…"
Thora agreed. "Yes, I am known in this town to be a good adviser, on any subject and any thing you need advice on. Is there something you would like to know?"
Lost in her own thoughts, Rikku was silent for a few minutes. Looking back at Thora, she was hesitant in asking the next question. "… Do you… can you… by any chance… tell the future?" She felt a little odd in asking such a question; she only assumed that this Thora lady possessed some sort of psychic ability, what with the strange items around the house and all the tomes lining the shelves. Besides, the very atmosphere itself seemed mystical.
The old lady eyed Rikku. "… Perhaps. Why do you need to know about the future?"
To this, Rikku averted her gaze elsewhere, unsure of how to respond. "Because… well, I don't really know why…"
"Does this have to do with love? If so, I'm not going to forecast your future, because doing so is a waste of time and magic. I don't do such silly things."
Though Rikku was rather interested in what her love life would be in the future, she hastily protested. "Oh no, of course not, Lady Thora. I was just wondering…" She suddenly remembered the dream she had had back at Mi'ihen, and it struck her thoughts to ask about it. "See, I had this dream just recently, and it really disturbed me."
Thora was slightly interested. Tilting her small head a little to the side, she motioned for Rikku to continue.
"I was in complete darkness… I couldn't see anyone or anything. My heart felt heavy, as if someone was squeezing it painfully, and all I could feel was hurt. I tried screaming and shouting, but I didn't have my voice… then someone spoke—it was a man's voice, I think—and he said that he would meet me in the battlefield and that I was the 'One,' or something like that…"
The elderly lady had been listening intently, and when Rikku mentioned the last part, regarding "the One," her gray eyes widened.
"… And that's all that happened. I woke up after that." The girl looked back at Thora and was startled to find that the old woman held a look of something bordering on disbelief and shock.
"What is it, Lady Thora? Did I say something wrong?" Rikku was worried, to say the least. What did all this mean, if it could evoke such a reaction from someone she didn't know? Evidently, it was more than just a dream, and she had to find out its significance.
The old woman gradually recomposed herself, rising from her chair and walking over to one of the shelves containing her many books. She searched for a few minutes before finally finding the one she wanted, which had been tucked in the uppermost left corner, clearly an unused and ancient volume. Bringing it back to the table, Thora sat back down. At a closer look, Rikku could see that the book was rather huge, with a worn-down cover adorned in intricate gold designs. Along the spine, the words, "A Complete History of Spira and the Ages Before Sin," were inscribed in fancy gold lettering.
Brushing off some of the dust that layered the tome's thick cover, Thora slowly opened the book, flipping through the stained and equally deteriorated pages to somewhere in the middle. Upon reaching the page she was looking for, Thora looked back up to Rikku. The expression the elderly woman had on her face was one of utter seriousness; Rikku was almost afraid to breathe, for fear that Thora would lunge out and strike her if she did.
"Ages ago in the young world of Spira, long before the time of Sin, there lived a prophet, renowned for his ability to accurately predict the events of the future. He never told anyone what his real name was, but people called him Kaewr, and he was seen as a powerful, respected man.
"Kaewr even came to predict the coming of Sin, and the continual of Spira's sacrifice generation after generation to defeat the evil, only to have it return with no apparent end. Little did Spira know that Kaewr also predicted the permanent defeat of Sin—this, as you well know, came during your generation. The prophet also often wrote prophecies and recorded them in this tome resting here on the table. For years, the prophecies he wrote eventually came to be fulfilled, one by one, and they were always true.
"However, Kaewr wrote one such prophecy early on in his life, one that survived through the centuries and has never been mentioned or fulfilled. It goes like this…" Thora looked down at the pages sitting before her, automatically moving her fingers to the words as she read them aloud:
"'In a time when the dove embraces Spira, when the world is wrapped in deceit, there will come a dreaded Reawakening.
An Evil which has threatened young Spira in ages past will seek to break the bonds and release Itself forth into the newer world.
Only the One will be able to bring the Atrocity down, a true-hearted being free of wrongdoing and hateful intentions.
The One will step forth in a time when the Light is fading and the spirit of the Forgotten is emerging into knowledge.
Sacrifice has always been the price to everything, and the good will only triumph over the Evil if this is accepted.
Guided by the words of the Forgotten, the One will succeed in banishing this Evil from Spira's loving breast and freeing her from danger.
However, Time will be a cruel friend, and should the One fail to know the Way of Truth within boundaries, Spira will fall to the devastating hands of the Evil.
Without the Way of Truth, the One will lose everything, including life, only to have the Evil free Itself from Time's constraints.
It is up to the One whether Spira lives or falls; a war of Revelation is at hand.'"
Finishing, Thora slowly lifted her gaze from the worn page to Rikku's face, which harbored an expression of overwhelming fear, worry, and a combination of other emotions. She was, so to speak, rendered speechless as she took in all of what Thora had just read to her.
The old woman nodded grimly. "I did not believe that this prophecy would come now, at a time like this. It has been such a long time… to have it awaken now only bodes a troubled future for Spira as well as for you, young lady, should you truly be 'the One' that this prophecy speaks of."
Rikku looked down at the table, her thoughts jumbled into the worst mess ever. I don't get it… Why me? Of all people, why me, why now? What 'evil' are they talking about? I can't do this, I'm not made to do something as big as this! This is something someone like Yunie should do! I mean, I know I said that I was going to prove to everyone how strong I really am, but… this! This is something that I can't do, something that Rikku can never do! There's so much that I don't understand… Trailing away from her thoughts, Rikku sighed shakily, looking back to Thora.
"… Could you make a copy of that prophecy for me?"
Thora nodded. "Yes. And if you truly are the One, you will have to figure out the meaning behind these words… or Spira will be in grave danger."
Swallowing the lump rising in her throat, Rikku nodded.
The old woman rose from the table again, taking the book with her into a back room. The Al Bhed girl was left with her thoughts, though she tried her best to not think about anything, much less the prophecy Thora had just related to her. She didn't have to wait long; Thora returned a minute or so later with the closed tome and a piece of paper, which she folded up and handed to Rikku.
In addition, Thora handed the girl a small sphere, unlike others in that it had a few buttons on it.
"Take this with you. It is a communicator sphere, for you to stay in touch with me, if you should need my help. While you are gone, I will also try my best in decoding the prophecy. If you figure out anything, be sure you let me know."
Rikku nodded, still unable to find more words to say. Tucking the sphere and paper into her knapsack, Rikku walked with Thora to the door. The elderly woman placed a soothing hand on the younger girl's arm.
"Do not fear, young Rikku. You must be strong. Everyone will be counting on you. For now, try not to think too hard on this, but keep it in your mind. We do not know what you must do next, but we will figure it out with time. If I find something, I will tell you."
Forcing a smile, Rikku nodded again. "Thank you, Lady Thora." Turning, she stepped out the door.
Once Thora closed the door behind her, Rikku sighed. "I wasn't expecting something like this…" She groaned, walking back towards the hospital. "And I never even got the advice I was looking for…" At this, she managed to banish most of what had just occurred from her mind, as her thoughts wandered to Gippal. "If only I could've gotten some advice on that…"
"Advice on what?"
The familiar voice interrupted her train of thought; whipping around, Rikku's gaze fell upon Gippal, who was standing a few feet away, with Aure and a fully recovered Teyha at his side.
Sauntering up to her, Gippal plastered a quirky grin on his face. Rikku frowned, her mood dampened even more. "That's none of your business."
Aure smiled. "We've been looking around for you… where have you been?"
Rikku readjusted her grip on the knapsack slung over her shoulder. "Oh, visiting LeBlanc and sightseeing… you know, nothing special." She found herself unprepared to tell anyone else about the prophecy.
"Heh, well, at least we found you now." Gippal turned to Teyha, who stood by him (too close, in Rikku's eyes). "As you can see, Teyha's all better now. She made a great recovery, and I'm glad she isn't hurt."
Teyha could only blush lightly, smiling up at Gippal. Rikku wanted to throw a rock at her so bad right now. She watched sadly as Teyha and Gippal looked at each other. She wondered if Gippal had said anything to the Black Mage in response to the confession she had made earlier. If he didn't, then it was still no doubt that those words still rang in his head somewhere.
Why can't I be like her and confess so openly…? Rikku's face saddened as she looked down at the ground beneath her feet.
Aure looked at Teyha before momentarily shifting her gaze to Rikku. She noted the sorrow the Al Bhed thief was experiencing; for some reason, it seemed to have increased twofold. Something else had to be plaguing her. She would have to investigate later on. She also had to talk to Rikku about her suspicions of Teyha. Finding the right time to talk would be a challenge.
"Well," Aure said, "I think it's about time to get moving."
Gippal agreed. "Yeah, I'd say so, too."
The group turned to head towards the far town exit leading to the Thunder Plains when Rikku spoke up.
"Wait, guys." Everyone turned to face the blond Al Bhed girl.
"If you guys don't mind," she said, trying to maintain her usual perkiness, "I'd like to visit the Farplane."
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A / N : Wow, that seems like a long chapter! I think it's the longest I've written so far. Pretty interesting, huh? It'll get better, don't worry! For now, thank you for reading and please review!