Hey people again! It's me! Hiiii! Heh heh heh. Yeah, I kinda noticed that my last chapter turned out into italics halfway down, I don't know how that happened. That was a total fluke. Oh well. Sorry if it threw some people off. Um, anyway, here is another installment of my beautiful story. Read and review.
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Dream A Little Dream
Chapter 16: Fall From Grace
The crowed of Al Bheds, and Ronso stood there, staring at the collapsed man. As if they'd never seen the likes of him, certainly not the likes of his announcement. Shocked, horrified, all of them were too frozen to do anything.
Rikku was the one who recovered first.
She whipped out her White mage sphere and seconds later, dressed in white garb, she rushed over to the fallen man, checked his pulse, muttered to herself about light bruises, minor fractures and slight burns and said, very calmly for someone who was just told that Zanarkand was burning.
"Cura! Esuna!" Rikku said, still holding the man. Glancing at the a lone Ronso standing off to the side, Rikku took on a very un-Rikku like persona and started giving out orders.
"You! Come here!" Once the Ronso had come over and knelt Rikku said "Keep his head elevated. I would usually just cast a Curaga and get it over with, but at this state, his body is already under too much pressure, he'll go into shock."
Everyone blinked, they had never heard such a thing. "Buddy" Rikku continued "Radio someone, anyone, back at the Bazaar and tell them to bring lots of potions, high potions and anything to keep off infection."
When he didn't move at all, Rikku's eyes narrowed. "Now"
"Uh-Right" and he left, still looking somewhat shell-shocked.
Satisfied with the amount of care currently being given to the man by the Ronso and sure that help would soon come, Rikku got up from her kneeling position and changed back into her Gunner dress sphere.
"Pau, Kuppo, pack what we need to go, and then lets go." Rikku made her way off to the transport pad. Only to be stopped by Gippal. "What are you doing?" He demanded.
"Did you see that guy Gippal? Did you see him? He was hurt! There are probably more people hurt worse then him in Zanarkand. Our people Gippal. Didn't you send a team there to excavate Machina? I can't just sit here and not find out the situation!" She wrenched his arm out of his grasp, then went, with Kuppo and Pau to the teleport pad.
He stared, dumbfounded at the Teleport pad, Brother broke the eerie silence that feel in the entrance of Gagazet.
"Who was that, and what has she done with Rikku?" Brother demanded. Cid nodded, seemingly disturbed by his daughters actions.
Gippal's eye narrowed, before he cursed and went after her.
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Rikku stood frozen at the entrance of Zanarkand, shaking from head to toe. What happened? What had happened to the beautiful ruins of Zanarkand?
As she stared at it she saw the orange-red flames lick at the fallen buildings. Heated air creating distorted images of the once majestic Ruins. "Oh Spira, what could have caused this...?"
Rikku continued to shake, fright, anger, and determination pouring into her veins like liquid gold. The streaks of Pyreflies that once roamed the skies of Zanarkand were now just rouge embers popping with heat, cackling mockingly at her as if to stain the memories she had of this once beautiful place.
She stared at the city below her, feeling as if she were looking at everything from the outside. Had she not been here scarcely a month ago? Chasing monkeys and looking for treasure with Kinder guardians? She shook with unsuppressed rage. 'This had better be just an accident' Rikku thought vehemently 'Because if this isn't, then I'll kill whoever was the one responsible.'
She ran into the city, seeing people running out screaming at her to turn back, getting knocked over more then once in the rush to get out of the burning ruins. She ignored them, still running deeper into the ruins. Looking for survivors, trying desperately to get to the Chamber of the Fayth. She still had a mission to accomplish, and she promised that she would see it though, whether she lived or died.
She kept running. Thrown to the ground as a piece of ruins exploded, sending metal filings, glass and debris everywhere. Rikku shook more, with renewed fright.
'Shiva, this felt and looked too much like Home did when it was burned down' Rikku thought, swallowing the bile in her throat.
"No, no Rikku, be strong, strong, damnit!" She said to herself. Then hit the ground just as another part of the ruins exploded, missing her head by inches. She shuddered to think what she might have ended up looking like if she moved just a half a second later. "Pau, Kuppo, Be careful!" She said.
Cautiously making her way across the burning myriad of ruins. She took out her guns, and reload then with water and ice alchemy bullets. Then ran to a semi- safe spot farther down a corridor "Protect!" She screamed. She kept running, even as a warm green bubble expanded around her, Kuppo and Pau.
"We're almost there. Almost there" Rikku chanted, trying not to let her memories of Home distract her from looking where she was going. Another Part exploded, the wind created by that blast, and the quickness of Rikku's movement blew her head band off her head, and also caused a shard of metal to tear into the tender skin of her arm.
"Agh!" Rikku cried out. Shooting off her gun, and freezing any debris coming her way. She looked at her arm, bleeding, dripping to the floor, but not deep. It wouldn't kill her. Not unlike staying in one spot would.
Run. Run. Run! She was almost to the elevator. From there, she would just have to go to Lady Yunalesca's Chamber.
She got to the elevator, and rode it down, Horrified to see that it was worse on the bottom that it had been on the top. fire was everywhere. She could just reach out not two inches and have her fingers burned off from all the heat.
It was so hot. She raised her gun. And Fired. Ice would engulf the fire for about ten seconds before the fire melted it again, It was that hot. She took a deep breath. She would have to sprint all the way to Yunalesca's room.
"Okay Kuppo, Pau, stay at my pace, got it?"
Pau nodded gravely in agreement, and Kuppo chirped.
Rikku reloaded all her guns, and loaded extra clips just in case she had to reload quickly. She fired her first shot.
Started running, as fast as her legs would carry her, kept firing, kept running. So close. So close! She dived into the next room.
One more stairway and she would be free. There was no fire here. Rikku let out a sigh of relief and then froze. She heard snarling behind her. She spun around. only to find that she had been completely surrounded by fiends.
Oops. Guess they wanted to get away from the fire too. Pau snarled beside her, and Kuppo took a perch on a ledge. Scanning each fiend for the more dangerous ones.
Rikku just smiled. Fire she didn't like.
But taking out fiends was something she was very good at.
She looked around her at the fiends looming ever closer, and grinned.
Beckoning them closer with her right hand, left hand on the handle of one of her guns at her hip, she smiled innocently at them.
"Bring it on, Boys."
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Gippal was running like a mad man trying to find Rikku amongst the debris.
"Damnit! Where is she?!" he kept running. "Cid!" He yelled, over the roar of falling metal and breaking glass. "I can't see her!"
"Keep Looking damnit! Ain't no way I'm loosing my little girl! Not like this!" Cid screamed back, moving across the debris. They had to find her. Had to. Failure was not an option.
Hell. Even Brother was panicking "Rikku! RIKKU! If you can hear me, now would be a good time to answer!!" he hollered with both hands cupping his mouth.
When they reached the elevator they were confronted with Nhadala.
Gippal ran towards her. "Nhadala! Are you alright? Is everyone alright?"
"Fine, fine Gippal" his second in command said, pain laced in her voice as she clutched her left arm, which was twisted in an odd angle. "We got everyone out. Injuries ranging form minor to critical, but no casualties."
"Good, What happened?"
"Bevelle......they...sent.........." Nhadala gritted her teeth in pain.
"Damnit!" Gippal snarled. "They're trying to pin this on the Al Bhed aren't they?!"
"You got it boss." Nhadala said, "we were....just working, on excavating.....one of them....just came and said 'Al Bhed don't belong in this world with the Yevonites... and Yevon will see that you are found guilty' then he just torched the place, ugh..." Nhadala shrank to the ground. Gippal caught her before she fell.
"How long have you been standing here?" Cid asked "Has Rikku come by?"
"Don't...know, sir." She replied, her breath short. "Just came back....to see if anyone was left...." She passed out.
"Buddy" Gippal said "take her back outside make sure everyone who needs medical help gets it. Rin should be outside, he was here on business, tell him to provide as many potions, high potions and anything else needed, tell him to add it to the Machine Faction's tab."
"Gothca." Buddy hauled Nhadala into his arms and went.
"Lets go." Gippal said. And boarded onto the elevator. When they got downstairs they encountered more fire then they did when they were upstairs.
Cid shielded his body as the cornerstone of the pathway exploded.
"Rikku! Rikku!" Gippal yelled, desperately trying to find any semblance of her, anywhere.
"We should turn back!" Brother said over the roar of the flames. "She might be back upstairs!"
"She's not!" Gippal yelled back.
"How are you so sure?" Brother said.
Gippal didn't answer, trying to fight the panic threatening to overtake his control.
Damn Rikku for running off like that without him.
Cid was in near panic as well, his little girl was out there somewhere, they didn't know if she was injured, or even if she was..........no, she wasn't dead, he refused to lose his daughter like that. He lost his wife, he lost his son and he wasn't going to lose anymore of the people important to him. Especially not his daughter.
"Brother" Cid said "If you're so sure that Rikku's up there, then don't just stand there get your ass upstairs and find her!"
Brother nodded, for once not arguing with his father in favor of finding his sister.
"And be careful" Gippal added. He watched Brother as he took the elevator back up. Hoping that if he didn't find Rikku down here like his instincts told him, that Brother would find her upstairs. Alive.
It was just him and Cid left staring down the corridor of what looked like the gates to hell. Damn, if he wasn't burned after this, he'd consider it a damn miracle. He didn't care at this point. Determination screaming t him to stop staring and get his ass moving to where his instincts told him Rikku was.
But the problem was, how the hell was he and Cid going to get passed all this damn fire?
He took a deep breath, hopefully this would work.
He hauled up his Mortar (which he conveniently brought in tough situations like this) and fired.
Hoping that it would put out the flames long enough for him to actually get across with out being burned to extra crispiness.
And also hoping that it wouldn't bring the entire room down along with it.
At this point, his desperation to find his childhood friend overpowered his sense of reason. And he didn't even know why. She had always been a good friend to him, even when she was pissing him off, he'd known her better then he cared to admit.
Something inside him was compelling him to find her. Something inside him told him that if he didn't find her, that he'd lose her.
He didn't know why that thought disturbed him so much. But he didn't stop to think about it.
As soon as the fire rushed aside, giving him a path to run across (Albeit a narrow path) He and Cid ran as if Sin himself were on their heels.
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Whew. Damn. That felt good to be able to get out all her stress on those stupid Fiends.
She was standing in the Chamber of the Fayth. The hole gaping. Kuppo and Pau were keeping a lookout on whatever might decide to come in and ruin this.
She pulled out her sword. Stared at it. Then glanced around her.
Damnit. She hadn't realized that the fire had come into this room. It wasn't serious, yet, fire was just licking at the corners of the room. Mocking her with the close proximity. Making her sweat at their heat, along with nervousness.
Every second she wasted seemed to make the fire grow bigger, as if taunting her that she wouldn't have enough time to actually seal the gate and get out alive.
She had time for only one.
Which was it Rikku?
Seal the gate. Or get out alive?
Seal the gate. It was funny how no regrets came to her. Just steel determination.
She laughed with self depreciating awareness.
Little Rikku was finally growing up.
She no sooner had pointed the tip of her sword to the hole when the room began to rumble, knocking her ever closer to falling into the hole. Kuppo and Pau immediately abandoned their self-appointed post to rush over to her and help her balance herself again.
"Rikku!"
Rikku's head snapped up at her name, she looked back at the Chamber entrance.
Gippal. Right behind him was Cid.
She felt a mixture of relief that they were alright, and apprehension that they were here.
"Go Back!" Rikku screamed at them, the room giving another irritated rumble. This room wouldn't hold very long. It was crumbling enough as it was.
"What are you Crazy?! We're not leaving without you!" Gippal screamed back. Moving towards her, only to jump aside when the side of the wall exploded. Blocking his path to her. He could still see her, but he couldn't get to her.
She shook her head. "I'll be out! Just go!" Even to her, the lie was evident.
"Rikku what the hell are you doin'?! Get your ass right here before I get more angry with you then I already am!" Cid snarled at her. He couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.
Rikku smiled at him. The room going eerily silent. The calm before the storm. "Please, Daddy, Just go."
Cid froze. That sentence alone was enough to frighten him. How long had it been since she had called him that?
"Rikku, Come here!" Cid yelled, more frantic now then he ever remembered being in his life.
The Crumbling started again with a vengeance. And the wall beside her exploded. knocking her off balance, teetering her towards the hole. The ceiling began to crumble.
She was falling. It was an odd feeling. Kuppo and Pau diving after her.
"Gippal--!" she saw the ceiling falling into the hole after her, surely going to crush her. So she pointed her sword to the opening and wished, with every thing she had that the hole would close.
Amazingly, a violet light emitted itself from the tip of the sword circling the hole and sealing it.
And that left her in Darkness.
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Gippal watched, horrified as he saw Rikku fall into the hole, hearing her call out his name. He then saw what was left of the ceiling crumble. Crashing to the floor with violent force.
Rikku!
No!
"Rikku!" The scream that ripped out of his throat sounded inhuman. "Rikku!!!"
Above the sound of the fire, Something inside Gippal's chest tore apart.
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Wheeeeee! that was a WONDERFUL chapter, don't you think? I apologize if the layout of Zanarkand didn't sound right. Heh heh heh. Sorry. I love you all. Please Read and Review.
