Split Ends

Intro: Here you are, the final chapter, the conclusion to the long and loving story of Ritz, Mewt, Marche, and their friends and family on their embark round the magical world of Ivalice. Thank you for reading. Enjoy…

Italics – thoughts, memories, etc

Bold - actions

XVI

Marche was face down on the floor, shaking uncontrollably like he was having a seizure. Ritz sat at his side, at a loss for what to do, her face stricken. "Marche! What's wrong!"

He suddenly sat up, eyes wide. "…I … don't want to be alone…"

"But I'm right here!" Ritz waved her hand in front of his face. "Marche? Marche can't you see me?"

Marche turned toward the sound of her voice, but from the look in his eyes she could tell he was far removed from the present. "….Alone…"

"But you're not! I'm right here!" Ritz shook him, his head lulling as she did so. "Come on Marche! Snap out of it!"

Doned and Miss Radiuju skid to a stop just in front of the shield surrounding Ritz and Marche. Ritz glanced up at them, "Miss Radiuju! Something's wrong!"

Doned stared at his brother from outside the shield. His brows furrowed. "Dammit! Marche! It's me!"

"Do… Doned…?" Marche mouthed, almost wordlessly. His eyes turned back down to the pavement. "Doned… hospital…"

"No! I'm right here!" Doned slammed his fist on the shield. The shield was completely unaffected by the blow, which frustrated Doned even more. Rhythmically he slammed his fist repeatedly onto the shield, trying desperately to break it. "Come on Marche!"

Marche looked up, his eyes still blank. "Doned… how I wish…"

Miss Radiuju stared at her son in horror. "Marche… what's wrong with you? What happened… to your eyes?"

Ritz took hold of Marche, watching Bludshae from the safety of the shield. Bludshae had managed to throw the rest of the party away, blasting it with a hefty amount of power. Magma seeped from its feet and water spurted from its eyes. Thunder cracked above them, the sky an unceremonious black. The entire castle stood in ruins as Bludshae began to slowly progress toward the rest of Ivalice. The swarm of clan members around Bludshae, trying desperately to land a hit, but it was no use. Every attack they had was either absorbed or glanced off the monstrous being. Llednar and Mewt stood in a huddle off to the side, a bright light flashing from between their joined hands. Echoes of Doned's numerous attempts to break the shield flew in a tempered rhythm. Ritz watched the destruction unfold before her, hugging Marche to her. "Marche… we need you…"

Marche sat in her arms, head on her chest, his legs sprawled out and his arms moving awkwardly on the cold cobblestone. He was murmuring something, something that with each murmur caused him great pain. Doned continued to struggle against the shield, Miss Radiuju staring, dumbstruck. Tears began to fill her eyes. "Marche…"

Llednar held thelarge ball of light in front of him, motioning to Mewt. Without a word Mewt dashed across the devastated area, shouting over his shoulder for the rest of the clan to keep trying to distract the monster. Finally he reached Miss Radiuju, panting, "Miss-!"

She turned to him, tears streaming down her face, "…Mewt… Marche is…"

"He's not dying!" Mewt said shrewdly. "Listen to me, we have to figure out why he's behaving so strangely! Llednar says that Ujuidar… Bludshae, are directly linked. If we can somehow correct the problem Marche is upset about, the problem that feeds the hatred, we can weaken the monster!"

"But… how?" Miss Radiuju whispered. "We can't get near him…"

"Ritz!" Mewt cried, and Ritz looked up. "Help them figure out what's wrong with Marche! You have to help him solve it… otherwise…"

Doned's fists were bleeding. "How… the hell… do you… break this thing!"

"Doned!" Mewt grabbed hold of the boy. "Stop it! The shield is there for a reason! Think about it!"

Doned struggled, and then suddenly it dawned, "Oh no…"

"Figure it out!" Mewt cried, releasing him. "When you do the shield will disappear! Until then Marche will continue to disappear… the monster is the essence of his hatred remember? The more he dives into his hatred, the less the need for his own body. The moment you bring him back Llednar and I can take a clear shot at Bludshae and kill it! The rest of the clan is trying to distract the monster before it reaches another town!"

"Too late!" Colin came rushing back, "Mewt! It's reached Cyril!"

"What!" Mewt whirled around and ducked after Colin. Miss Radiuju watched them go, and then turned back to the shield. She looked at Doned, "Come Doned…"

Doned pressed himself to the shield, "Marche! What about me?"

Marche's eyes were closing, his body growing lighter and limper. Ritz struggled to keep a grasp on him; parts of his body were beginning to look translucent. "Marche, what about Doned…?"
"Doned…" Marche whispered. "Hospital…"

"What about the hospital?" she said calmly, hoping he couldn't hear her voice shaking. Marche turned to look in the direction of her voice, his face pale. "Hospital… scary… poor Doned…"

"No! Not about Doned," Ritz said gently, "About you! Why was Doned in the hospital bad?"

Miss Radiuju and Doned listened through the walls of the shield, praying. Marche raised his face a little, and his hand suddenly turned transparent. "Doned… parents… no time… I… all alone…"

"We were at the hospital all the time…" Miss Radiuju whispered. "We had no other choice… our marriage was falling apart… and Doned…"

"The hospital scared him," Doned turned to his mother. "Didn't it?"

"…Mom… Dad… Doned couldn't hear them…" Marche's eyes were watering. Ritz held him still, listening. "Fighting… I… envied Doned…"

"For the attention," Miss Radiuju clenched her fists. "Oh god…"

"It's all my fault!" Doned cried. "Marche didn't think you guys loved him… Dad was never home… he thought because of his well being… your issues finding him a good sitter and all… he thought that was why you guys divorced!"

"Marche…" Miss Radiuju pleaded, "Marche… it was our fault, ours alone, your father and I. We were the ones fighting. It had nothing to do with you! We shouldn't have argued over your sitter… over what would happen to you if we divorced… not in front of you…"

Ritz translated what they said to Marche. Miss Radiuju contined, "It wasn't Doned's fault either! We shouldn't have placed so much responsibility on you… we shouldn't have fought in front of you…" she sunk to the ground, crying, "Marche… I'm so sorry… We never meant to make you feel so lonely…"

Doned stared at his brother whose body was slowly turning more and more transparent, "Marche… it's okay now… everything's better… the rough times are over, we can go back to being a normal family. Sure Dad's gone… but… you've got friends now, I have friends now. Please Marche… I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you…"

Marche mouthed something. The shield lowered slowly, and behind them the screams of Bludshae told them that their sentiments were worth something. Miss Radiuju hopped over the shield and cradled her son away from Ritz, "I love you so much Marche… my little boy… you know that right? I am so proud of you, both of you, for your victories here, for finding friends, for…"

She looked into his eyes, "For being you… for tolerating our losses and learning to cope with the future… I thank you… for being here with me… I'm so glad… you are my sons…"

Marche's eyes opened wide. "Ma…ma…"

Miss Radiuju held her son tight, avoiding his disappearing legs. "I'm right here, I always will be…"

"Mother…" Doned came and hugged them both. The shield lowered, inches from the ground. Bludshae screamed in pain, its monstrous arms flying to its face. The hatred was slowly seeping away, and soon…

Ritz bent next to Marche, smoothing back his transparent hair, "We're here for you Marche, you can tell us anything. Our only wish… is for your safety…"

Llednar glanced back. "They've done it…"

Bludshae wrenched around, twisting in awkward ways and wailing. The rest of the clan stopped trying to attack, worn but otherwise unharmed, to watch the spectacle. Montblanc's whiskers twitched, "What's happening?"

"I'd assume that they have apologized for past grievances, sorted a few things out," Cid rubbed his chin. "I'm guessing that Marche is forgiving them, purging the need for hatred…"

"But what did he hate?" Montblanc questioned.

Cid smiled, "Loneliness, didn't you see Ujuidar? He always wanted Ztir by his side, and went beserk when he was alone. He is the essence of Marche's deepest fears…"

Ritz bent down and kissed Marche's cheek, "You're not alone anymore Marche, you never were. Everyone is here beside you right now… and I will always stay at your side."

Marche's eyes flared open, his body blasting back to life. In Cyril, Llednar's pupils dilated, "Now Mewt!"

Mewt and Llednar pulled the ball of light above them. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"ALPHA!" The boys cried in unison, sending the ball of light crashing into the monstrous Bludshae. With a piercing cry Bludshae erupted in the face of the attack, shredding to bits as it exploded in a blinding flash. Like Omega, the Alpha attack had the full brunt of a nuclear explosion. Unlike Omega, Alpha did not scatter energy farther than the monster itself.

A blast of wind, blinding light, and it was over. Llednar and Mewt stood together, watching as the sun returned to the sky, the ruins of the castle enlightened from the terror of Bludshae. The rest of the clan stood wearily, hardly believing it was over. The shield around the Radiuju family disintegrated, Marche still in his mother's arms. With a slight cough Marche awoke, eyes blinking furiously as his sight came into focus, "Mom… Doned… Ritz…"

Miss Radiuju gasped and hugged her son tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. "Marche!"

Doned patted his mother, smiling, "Welcome back…"

Ritz stood a little ways off, waving to Llednar and Mewt. "It's over! It's over!"

"We did it!" Mewt cried out happily, jumping into the air. The rest of the clan gathered around the ruined castle, awestruck. Mewt grabbed Llednar's hand and shook it furiously, "That was brilliant Llednar!"

"Llednar helped with that?" Montblanc stared in awe, Nono at his side. "That was incredible… I thought only Li-grim herself could…"

"Remedi gave me a bit of her power," Llednar smiled, "I can copy her powers if I really want to…"

Miss Radiuju and Doned helped Marche walk (he was still weak) over to the rest of the clan, Ritz happily trotting behind. When they caught up everyone about hugged Marche to death.

"Thank God you're all right kupo!" Montblanc cried.

"What the little dude said," Colin smiled, Lyle and Guiness nodding. He stretched out his hand to Marche, "Friends Marche?"

Marche stood wearily, and found that he felt oddly… happy. He smiled at them, "Of course."

"Yeehaa!" Guiness jumped up into the air, "We did it!"

Cid patted Mewt and Llednar, "You guys were great as always… sons…"

Llednar's face flushed slightly. "It… was nothing…"

Ritz clapped him on the back, "Yea right! Only the amazing destructive Llednar Twem could conjure such a massive attack, and with Mewt's help of course!"

"But what will happen now?" Nono inquired. Cid sighed, looking to the sky, "Chances are that the worlds will separate for good…"

"For good?" Ritz looked at Shara, slightly crestfallen. "As in…?"

"Not quite," Mewt smiled. He pointed to the ruins, where, lying amongst the rubble stood the two books, and the bluish form of Li-grim. "We get one last wish…"

Marche stepped forward, picking up the two books. Li-grim watched them patiently, a slight smile on her face. Marche clutched one book to himself and handed the other to Mewt. "Keep this all right Mewt? Keep it safe…"

Mewt smiled, "Of course."

Marche turned to the Ivalice group, "…I'm going to miss you all… thank you for your loyalty… and… everything really…"

Ritz smiled, stepping forward, "I guess… it really is time to say goodbye isn't it?"

Shara embraced Ritz, a tear dotting one eye. "I will miss you Ritz…"

"Not quite goodbye," Marche said, holding up the book. He turned to Li-grim, "Oh Wishmaker… I wish for the world to return to normal… but I also wish that this world, Ivalice, can be accessed from the Gran Grimoire… your home, and that Ivalice remains safe as the illusion of the world."

Li-grim bowed, "It is done…"

A white light swept over everything, and Marche, his mother, Doned, Mewt, Cid, the former bullies, and Ritz, waved goodbye as the world of Ivalice disappeared from beneath them, and the real world began to seep back to the way it was.

Montblanc smiled at Marche before he disappeared, Llednar at his side, "Don't worry about us, kupo! We'll meet again…. Someday!"

Merry meet,

Merry part,

And may we merry meet

Again…

The world returned to normal, the snow falling gently on the streets of St. Ivalice that night. In Marche's room, on his bedside table, sat the Gran Grimoire, and in Mewt's room, right next to his renewed bear, stood a copy of the book. As the boys slept, they and their friends and family, slept with the knowledge that in order to visit Ivalice, that fantastic world they had created, all they had to do was open the book and read the enchantation. Ivalice would be there… waiting.

The End