Split Ends

 Introduction: Hello all! I'm glad you enjoyed the bullies' entrance. They will stay in the story from here on in making wisecracks (but no longer in their viera costumes!). In this chapter I introduce a character made up on my own (there are two, one of which you've already seen). I promise that they will not interfere with the storyline (they're part of it) and are not illusions of myself. They are characters however, that I believe you'll enjoy. But they mostly play bigger roles into the next couple chapters. Anyway, enough stuff.

Italics- thoughts, memories, etc Bold- actions, important stuff

Disclaimer: I haven't put up one of these in a while. I do not own any of the characters in FFTA, they are property of Square Enix.

VI

******

    Marche awoke early and dressed. The pub was quiet as he walked downstairs, which was unusual. He took a seat in the back and sighed, gazing out the window. Doned…

   He buried his head in his arms, hoping no one would see his despair. Montblanc had come into the room and spotted him. "Kupopo?"

   Marche didn't make a move to recognize that he was there. Montblanc walked over and patted his shoulder. "My brother's gone too Marche…"

  Marche's body shook, and he said something illiterate. Montblanc continued. "The 'Prince' didn't want the gadgeteers to control the airships, but for the palace to. So they threw Nono in jail for making his airships…"

   Marche looked up at his moogle friend, his eyes slightly red. "I'm sorry Montblanc… I don't know what's wrong with me… I just…"

   Montblanc nuzzled him. "It's ok kupo, I'm your friend. You can tell me anything."

 Marche closed his eyes. "I'm just afraid that Llednar might have him… and that he's afraid and all alone…"

    Montblanc gave a weak smile. "We'll find him. I promise."

 Babus trotted into the room dressed more or less like a white mage. "Good morning! I have good news! Judgemaster Cid has returned!!"

   Babus gestured to his side, where Cid stood, smiling at Marche. "Long time no see kiddo."

   "Cid!" Marche cried, his face glowing. "You're ok!"

  Cid nodded. "Of course I am, and I gained a lady friend. Poor dear was a little shaken when she arrived in Ivalice, so I filled her in on what's been going on. She says she knows who you are Marche."

  Marche cocked his head. "What?"

Cid inclined his head to a viera who had just stepped into the door. "Miss Radiuju, Marche."

  Marche's jaw dropped. "Mom?! What're you doing here?!"

His mother was teary eyed. "Oh Marche!" She hugged him tightly. "I was so worried…"

  "Mmph!" Marche said, breathing in his mother's sweet scent. It was nice to know she was ok. "I'm glad to see you too…"

   Miss. Radiuju backed up. "Did you really kill the Queen?"

 He stared at his feet. "Y-Yes… but Mom, I had to. Mewt was going to destroy himself if he stayed in his dream world too long…"

   "I'm so proud of you."

 He looked up at her in surprise. "W-What?"

   His mother put a gloved hand on the table. "I'm so proud of you. You handled the situation at hand very well and returned everyone safe and sound. And now we're going to do it again!"

   He could not believe what he was hearing. He had been worried his mother would ground him if she found out he had murdered royalty. "Y-Yes…"

   She glanced around. "Where is Doned?"

 Marche hung his head. "I don't know… I think Llednar took him. Llednar's been posing as Mewt…"

  "And where is Mewt?" she smiled slowly, "And Ritz?"

"Mewt's in jail," he said gently, "For 'impersonating' the Prince. And Ritz… I still haven't heard from her."

   Montblanc looked up at Marche. "This is your mother? She's not human…"

 Miss. Radiuju smiled. "No I'm not… actually, I don't know what I am. What am I Marche? Do I really have bunny ears?" She pointed to Montblanc. "And why is that stuffed animal talking?"

    Montblanc puffed up. "I am NOT a stuffed animal! I'm a moogle!"

 "What's a moogie?"
  "Moogle!"

 Marche laughed. "Mom, you're a viera, a female bunny warrior…" Shara would kill me if she knew I said that… "And a moogle is a little mouse like creature that handle a variety of jobs."

  "Oh!" His mother clapped her hands. "I get it now! So I'm a vera!"

   "Viera."

 "Whatever! And Mr. Randell told me that…"

  "Call me Cid."

 "Ok, Cid told me that I have the ability summon monsters!" His mom looked at Marche. "Is that true?"

   "Well your job is a summoner," Marche said. "So, yea."

 "This is so interesting!" She exclaimed as she sat down in a chair, looking delighted. This was the first time Marche had ever seen his mother so excited about something in a long time. She pulled out a Guard Staff. "So I can summon… Ifry with this?"

  "Ifrit."

 "Right," she said, brushing the correction aside. "How do I do that?"

  Cid took her staff. "You have the summon ability, so if you call upon the monster using this staff then you can call on Ifrit."

  "Oooh!" his mother squealed and jumped up. "What do I use Ifrit for?!"

"Umm…" Marche ran his fingers through his hair. "You use him for battle."
   "And I can use the other monsters I mastered summoning right?" His mom pointed to Cid. "And he's a judgemaster?"

  "Yes," That reminded Marche of something. He turned to Cid, "By the way, you've been replaced."

 Cid rubbed his chin, "Yes I know. I found that out rather quickly. I understand that our Mewt is really in jail?"

  "Yes."

 "No doubt he's tried to break out," Cid said happily. "Maybe he saw Nono there."

   "Nono! That's such a cute name!" his mother squealed. Cid smiled at her warmly, and Marche looked from his mom to Cid, and then to Cid again. "I'm going to see if the Clan Center knows where Ritz might be."

    He grabbed Babus and Montblanc and walked out the door with them. Montblanc brushed himself off. "You're mother's a lot like you Marche."

  Marche gave him a noogie. "Is that supposed to be good or bad?"

"It's good! It's good!" Montblanc laughed, hopping out of the way. "She's really nice."
   "If you ask me I think she's a little ditzy," Babus stated. "She didn't even know she was a viera!"

   "Well, cut my mom some slack," Marche said, running his fingers through his hair. "Last time she was here she was probably just shopping and didn't pay attention to what or where she was."

    They laughed. Marche felt a little better, now that he knew his mother was safe. He hoped that his friends and brother were doing the same. He sighed, "I'm going to Sprohm, maybe I can find where Mewt is."

  "I'll go with you!" Montblanc beamed. Babus nodded. "I'll talk to the Judgemaster and together we'll try to figure out where your brother and Ritz are."

   Marche mounted a chocobo and flipped Babus some gil. "Tell the pub manager we're going to rent this chocobo ok?"

   Montblanc was perched the chocobo's head, his compass in his hand. "Ok…. Sprohm is south… so that way!" He pointed to the right. Marche nodded and they were off. "Bye Babus! If you find out anything send us a messenger ok? We'll be back in a couple days!!"

    "Good luck!" Babus waved happily.

      It was mid afternoon and they were only halfway there. Marche halted the tired chocobo and dismounted, allowing it some water from his canteen. "How much farther?"
   "Not much," Montblanc was testing his compass. "Possibly another hour or two."

 "Better than 24," he nodded, sitting in the grass. They were sitting in Aisenfield, Sprohm being the next city over. He pulled out his lunch and offered Montblanc a sandwich.

   The two ate in silence for a few moments. "So… where do you think Ritz and Doned are?" Montblanc asked gently.

  "If Doned was kidnapped by Llednar my best bet would be the palace," he shook his head wearily. "But Ritz could be anywhere. She's got Shara though… so I'm not too worried."

  Montblanc smiled at him.

   "What?"

"Nothing…"

  Marche shrugged and stood. He walked off to find the chocobo and put the bridle on. Then he mounted his steed and held out his hand to Montblanc. "Come on."

  The moogle nodded and bounced on. "To Sprohm!"

The two rode on for another hour or two before they came to a fork in the road. Using the compass, Montblanc pointed to the left fork. "That way."

  "Are you sure?"

 "Positive, kupo!" Montblanc beamed. "Trust me on this!"

  So they headed down the left fork. They had not ridden more than a few feet when someone came walking toward them.

   Marche squinted in the sun, stopping the chocobo. "Who is that? If he/she doesn't move they might get hurt…"

    "Oi!" cried Montblanc, his high moogle voice ringing through the blazing field. "You might want to move out of the middle of the road! You might get run over!"

   The person merely kept on walking. Soon the person came into view, and Marche gasped.

   The person was definitely female. She was dressed much like a red mage, except she had no hat and was perfectly human. Long, pinkish red hair sprawled over her shoulders in long locks, swaying with her clothing as she stepped up to them.

   Marche dismounted his chocobo, still looking rather shocked. The girl's long red hair was tied in the back loosely at the shoulders with a bright black ribbon with red hearts on the hem. In her hand she clutched a Fleuret. Two long red locks of hair rested on her shoulders for she had no bangs. She had brilliant, sparkling blue eyes.

  Marche stepped toward her in horror. "Ritz?"

*****

     Lyle wiped the sweat from his brow, securing the unconscious Mewt carefully. "Yo, Colin! How much farther until Cyril?"

   "How the hell should I know? Ask uber tracker up front!" growled Colin from behind. Lyle turned and faced Guiness. "Do you know?"

  Guiness squinted up at the sun. "Well, we're in Aisenfield, and there's a fork up ahead. We're coming up the right fork, so if we just head straight and then we'll be in Cyril."

   "You look so hot when you're giving directions and you're in that elementalist outfit," Lyle joked. Guiness swatted at him. "I'm serious!"

    They came up the right fork moments later, just as Guiness had predicted. But right before they went onward up the path Mewt stirred.

  "Hey! He's coming to!" Nono cried, prancing onto Lyle's chocobo to get a better view. Lyle shook Mewt's shoulders gently. "Hey… Mewt? Mewt?"

   Mewt opened his eyes slowly, his vision coming into focus at an equal pace. "Lyle…?"

 "He lives!!" bellowed Lyle happily. "He lives!!!"

    "Ah… not so looouuuddd…" he moaned, turning over and accidentally falling of the chocobo. Luckily, he landed on his back. "God… well that's a new way to wake up."

   They were in the middle of the fork when they dismounted, helping Mewt to his feet. Colin brushed himself off and smiled. "Good to have you back Mewt."

   Mewt nodded slowly, not trusting his own movements. His side was still wrapped up in his bloody scarf, and the blood had trickled through his illusionist robes. He stumbled, and Lyle helped him up. "You need to rest big time, and not on a giant chicken."

   "It's a chcocobo!" Guiness growled.

   Colin laughed. "Yea, let's rest here for the night. We'll move on tomorrow."

 "Ritz! Ritz, wait a second!!"

    The cry disturbed the birds. Mewt's eyes were wide. "Th-that's Marche's voice!!"

 "The new kid?" Colin cocked his head.

      "Ritz! Whoa!"

  I'm not Ritz you idiot!  Mewt stood up with a start. "That voice…" That thought was not his own.

   The other four looked at him. "Yea, it's Marche," Colin nodded. "You said that."

  "No… no there's another voice."

  Burn and die in your ashes March Radiuju!

   "There it is again!" Mewt cried. The four raised their eyebrows. "We didn't hear anything," Colin said gently, cocking his head.

  Guiness felt Mewt's forehead. "Are you feeling ok? I think we definitely should rest up here… he's hearing things."

  "No, no," Mewt pushed them away. "Marche's found Ritz…"

 "Ritz?" Lyle mused, staring down the left fork where Marche's voice had come. "Hmm…"

   Hold still!

    "Only… it's not Ritz…" Mewt stood there for a moment. Then, without warning, he took off down the left fork. The other four bounded after him. "Wait Mewt! Your wounds are going to reopen! Stop!!!" cried Lyle, who was the fastest runner. He pulled ahead and was soon running alongside Mewt. "Mewt!!"

   "I must… find…. Marche…" Mewt panted, the pain in his abdomen unbearable. Lyle leaped on him. "Not until you rest a moment!! Stop!"

   He pulled Mewt to the ground and held him firmly. "You need to rest. Even if we do find Marche you can't fight!"

   Colin, Guiness, and Nono appeared behind them. Nono pointed. "Look!"
  They looked to where Nono was pointing. A couple yards away stood Marche, leaping out of the way of some fire spells. Behind him stood a chocobo, and perched on its head was Montblanc, looking quizzical.

   Marche was shouting as a girl came speeding toward him, almost like she was gliding. "Wait!!"
    She thrust her rapier and missed his shoulder by a few inches. Mewt squinted at the girl, and Lyle seemed to have read his mind. "Hey… isn't that…?"

   "Ritz…?" Mewt whispered.

**To Be Continued**