Chapter 25
Gambling With Lives Part 1
"How much for rooms for," Rude paused to count, "five people and a pet?"
"500 gil for all five rooms," the hanging clerk said. "We have a special on parties. But your…" he paused and glanced nervously at the Tonberry in Kali's arms. "Your pet will have to remain in one of the rooms during your stay."
"Just a moment," Rude said. He turned to the group and whispered, "You're sure we should split up like this?" He added a glance at Kali, who proceeded to roll her eyes.
"I'll be fine. I just need to let Nanashi take over if Zurine comes," she shrugged.
"You're sure?" Kadaj muttered. At Kali's nod, he turned to Rude and sighed. "I guess we'll split up, get a good night's sleep tonight, then find Reeve tomorrow."
"No problem," Rude agreed. He laid the gil on the desk.
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Kali gazed smiling out the window of her room. The sky was mostly clear, save a few clouds and a large number of fireworks going off in the distance. She turned at the sound of her door opening and closing.
"Hey kid," Kadaj smiled. His coat was unzipped, and Kali could see the scar from the dagger wound given to him seemingly so long ago. He sat next to her on the sill and followed her previous gaze. "Exciting place, isn't it?"
"Yeah. What time are we going to go find Reeve?" she asked. Her brother only shrugged.
"I don't know. I think Rude ordered a wake up call for himself at least, but I don't know what time."
"I don't even feel much like sleeping right now," Kali admitted. She glanced over to see Pradipa curled up into a little green and brown ball on the bed. She unsuccessfully stifled a yawn as she watched her pet. Kadaj couldn't help laughing gently. He brushed Kali's hair out of her face.
"Are you sure?" he smiled. "You look pretty tired to me."
"Just a little, I guess," she admitted further. She turned, wrapped her arms around Kadaj, and pecked him on the cheek.
"What was that for?" he asked as he embraced her in return.
"No real reason," she muttered. She drew her arms closer so that her hands were resting on his shoulders. Kali buried her face in his chest and sat there quietly.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asked concernedly, a hand going to the back of her head. When he received no reply, he glanced out at the night sky. He gently closed his eyes and sat with his sister. After a few minutes, he realized that his chest was wet from her tears. He muttered into her hair, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just so happy."
"About what?"
"Having someone who loves me, having family hold me like this," she whispered. Kadaj thought he heard her voice crack, but wasn't completely sure. He once more closed his eyes against his own tears.
Kadaj, after his back started aching from slouching, leaned back against the sill and held Kali even closer. Pradipa eventually came over and, without a word to Kadaj, squeezed under Kali's arm and fell asleep again. Neither of them could remember falling asleep, but the siblings never moved until what little sunlight could break through the clouds shone on their faces and Cid was banging on the door.
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"Where is that little bastard?" Cid groanedseveral hours later. They were sitting on the benches outside the Wonder Square attractions. They had spent half the morning trying to get Kali and Kadaj to wake up, and the other half plus the early afternoon was spent looking for Reeve. They had searched everywhere except the bar, main casino, and Chocobo Square. Kadaj refused to let his sister into those rough places, despite her heritage, and the rest refused to leave her alone in a strange place.
"Are you sure he's here?" Devin asked. Rude nodded.
"Positive. Last time he called, he said that he was in debt and had to try his hand at 'fortune telling' again to pay them off," he explained, rolling his eyes as he said 'fortune telling.'
"Well, wasn't Cait Sith right around here?" Kadaj pointed out, glancing at Cid.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" he snapped. "I didn't even know Cloud existed until at least a week or two after they came here the first time. And I'm not the one keeping in touch with him over the years," he added, glaring at Rude. Before he could speak, Kali raised her hand and stood between them.
"Look, we're never going to find him if we sit here arguing. If nothing else, we'll keep an eye out until our three days here are up. Then we'll go search Corel. Maybe he paid his debts and stayed home. Let's just keep looking," Kali urged. Her brother nodded and stood.
"She's right. Sitting here isn't making Reno better, and it's not going to get Sachiko out of that Hitomi hellhole. I hate taking you in there, Kali, but I think we should go ahead and check out the bar, casino, and races."
"I'm the one with an eleven foot sword, remember?" she reminded them, taking care to keep her voice low. Devin couldn't help smiling. Kali was such a wonderful girl. He knew that even without the weapon, she could hold her own in a rough place. His heart ached at the thought of what he would have to do within the next forty-eight hours or so.
"Why don't we split up? There are three places and five of us. We can go in two groups of two and one person can go alone," Devin suggested. The three other men yelled at the same time.
"No!"
"Why not? Devin's right, we could cover more ground faster," Kali pointed out.
"Kali, if people see the two of us walking around alone or with just each other, they're bound to think of father. The people here would just as soon call Valda or Cloud to kill us than ask our names. These people hated our father, and they would love to see every memory of him destroyed. At least if we're with Rude and Cid, they'll think twice. They could be taking us to Cloud or we could be ordinary people. If need be, we could hide behind them," Kadaj explained calmly. Kali nodded her understanding. The entire morning, they had stopped and ducked when Rude and Cid told them, and now she knew why.
"Then where do we look first?" she asked quietly. Rude looked up suddenly and stared after a man as he walked into the square and walked around towards the direction of the bar. "Rude?"
"Come on," he said. He approached the corner where his sighted man went. "I think I just found him."
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Back in Junon, Yuffie sat by Reno's side and waited patiently. However, despite her patience, she couldn't ignore the nervous trembling in her fingers as she stared into his feverish face. He had hardly said a word since his short outburst while she spoke with Rude. Every now and then, he would mutter something either so quietly or so slurred, Yuffie was unable to tell what it was. Alim explained to her that this was because he was dying and his ability to speak was lessening each moment. Once again, she had thrown herself upon him and sobbed after hearing the news. The scientist had left only moments ago to get supplies from the local medic. She trusted him alone; she knew that without the doctor Reno would die, and there was no way Alim could have forgotten Rude's threat if that happened. As she watched him, his eyes opened halfway and he began speaking.
"Don't hurt… stop… Elena… coming… run… where am… I?" he muttered. Yuffie smiled slightly. His voice was somewhat normal, with the exception of his slow and almost robotic way of talking. She picked up a cloth from the bowl next to the bed and drained a little of the water out. She let the rest of it drip onto Reno's face.
"You'll be fine soon, Reno. Once we get Reeve, we'll get Sachiko and I'm sure she can help," Yuffie whispered comfortingly as she started wiping his face. "I won't let you go."
"Go… dangerous…" he muttered. He slowly sat up and tried to get out of bed. "Must help… President… Turks… leave danger…"
"Reno, please stay in bed," Yuffie urged as she pushed him back down. He struggled. After about a minute of their 'battle,' she finally got him to lie down and she sat on him until he lay still. Reno's eyes were still partway open, but they had a hollow, out of focus look to them. He was looking at Yuffie, but he didn't seem to see her.
"He's gone… your… love…" he muttered. The ninja felt her stomach knot. It sounded like he was talking about Vincent. At the same time, she wished he were; maybe it was a sign he was coming back. Yuffie stroked his face gently.
"I'm sorry I blamed you, Re-" she began talking, but stopped to hear him.
"Elena… Tseng… dead… Sephiroth killed… Tseng…" he muttered hollowly. "I'm here… love you…"
"Reno, go back to sleep," Yuffie begged.
Her eyes were filling with tears as she thought of what he must have been remembering. She knew well. She and AVALANCHE had been the first people to find Tseng bleeding to death in the Ancient Temple. It was only a short time before Aeris had… She blinked to keep the tears from leaving her head. It didn't work. A moment later, Yuffie let out a sob and buried her face in Reno's red hair. She sobbed while he spoke to her.
"Kiss…Yuffie…" he moaned. She sat up slightly and stared at him. "One last…"
She couldn't help it. Yuffie pressed her lips to his. He didn't return it enthusiastically, which was fine with her. She knew it was just a random bunch of words that had sprung up and managed to go from his brain to his mouth, but she didn't care. Yuffie pulled away after a long kiss and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. He only looked up at the ceiling, as was his new habit.
"I love you, Reno. You'll snap out of it soon. Please, let it be soon," Yuffie sobbed.
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"Where did he go?" Kali yelled over the music. Here in the bar, the music was so loud it hurt her ears, which rarely happened to her any more. Kadaj glanced at her and shrugged. They had lost Rude and the others in the crowd not a minute after entering the area. Amazingly, the siblings managed to stay together. Kali stood on tiptoes to find him.
"See him?" Kadaj asked.
"There!" she called. The two of them hurried in the direction they had seen the Turk go. As Cid and Devin came the other direction, Rude was laying a hand on Reeve's shoulder.
"Who's that?" he hollered. He turned to find Rude staring him straight in the face.
"Hello, Reeve," he said. Reeve smiled cheerily up.
"How you doing? I've tried calling you guys, but no one's picked up," he said happily. Rude smiled to himself. Reeve had no idea.
"I need a favor."
"What?" Reeve asked, suddenly interested.
"What do you know about the Hitomi? I haven't kept a very close eye out, and I need to know."
"Well," Reeve began, smiling in a way that told Rude he was lying, "I hate to say it, but I got nothing."
"Oh, really?" Rude grinned in such a way that Reeve knew he was in trouble. As the man leapt out of his seat, Rude grabbed him by the hem of the shirt and threw him against the wall. "Valda and Hitomi. What do you know?" he growled. He brought his face close.
"Nothing, I promise!" he snapped fearfully. Rude grabbed him roughly by the arm as the others came. They were getting looks from the crowd.
"Let's go back to the hotel, shall we?" Rude suggested. He pulled Reeve by the arm the entire way.
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"Mako poisoning?" Reeve repeated. Rude nodded. They had just spent the last hour in the inn lobby explaining the situation to Reeve.
Kali had been surprised when she saw him. She had been expecting someone either very muscular (like Rude), somewhat scrawny (like Vincent), or a mix of the two (like Reno), but he was none of that. Instead, she got a man who was medium height, regularly built, black hair down to his shoulders and pulled back, and a beard and moustache not unlike Devin's. Above all, she had thought he would be brave. After seeing him leap out of that chair in fear, she began doubting Rude's judgment.
"So what do you know about Valda? What does she want Sachiko for?" Kadaj pressured. He was standing next to Reeve, who was sitting.
"You know that Valda is Rufus' daughter," Reeve began. "When she was a child, she loved watching her father and grandfather rule the Planet. She took on their ideas and decided that she wanted to find the Promised Land, too. Seventeen years ago, when Rufus was dying, he told Valda that he was wrong, that there was no Promised Land, that it only lay in death. At the age she was at then, she knew not to let others influence her ideas. Unfortunately, the damage done when she was a child could not be undone. She didn't realize then, nor does she realize now, the influence put on her as a young girl. She'll stop at nothing to finish what Rufus started."
"So she wants Sachiko to find it, just like Rufus wanted to use Aeris," Cid concluded. Reeve nodded and stood.
"Well, I think that's what you wanted to know. If you don't mind, I have a friend coming over tonight," he smiled. Rude shoved him back into the chair.
"Not yet. We need to know how to get her out and help Reno. You're smart. Tell us. Now," Rude growled.
"I have an idea. We'll bet on it," he grinned. Reeve glanced at Kali. "You say you're Sephiroth's child. I have two tests for you. They will test your brain, your muscles, and your mind."
"What are they?" Kali asked, smirking at his repetition.
"Your father had an odd gift with animals, as I see you do with Tonberrys. He used to sign on as a Chocobo jockey for fun here every so often. His Chocobo died a long time ago, but because he was such a good racer and so popular, they let him use one here at the stables. He was the only one able to tame the white Chocobo, Albus. It's still here, as a matter of fact. He has an unusually long lifespan. If you can race him and win, you will go on to the next test."
"And the next test would be?" Kadaj demanded.
"That would ruin the surprise, now, wouldn't it?"
"Don't do it Kali," Devin begged. "It's not worth it."
"The lives of two people we love isn't worth it?" she said back. Kali turned to Reeve and took his hand. "It's a deal."
"Then that's that," Reeve agreed, shaking her hand heartily. "I think I'll take you down to meet the fellow you'll be riding tomorrow."
"We're coming, too," Kadaj demanded. The others nodded their agreement.
"Then let's go."
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"What the fuck is that?" Kali yelled. Behind the barred door of the paddock was a large, white bird. His eyes were fiery red, and he beat his wings angrily. His large beak beat at the door, Albus scrawled upon the nameplate.
"That's a Chocobo. You'll be riding that tomorrow," Reeve explained as the bird gave a loud squawk. Kali took a few nervous steps back, all of which this ex-Turk noticed and smiled at. "You're not scared, are you?"
"I've never ridden one before," Kali muttered.
"Do you want out?"
"No way in hell," the girl snapped. She walked up to the bars and looked the bird in the eyes. You'll do as I say tomorrow. You'll listen and obey my every command, for I am the daughter of the black-caped man that tamed you so many years ago.
"Kali? Do you want to come watch a few races to learn?" Cid asked. Kali nodded and tore her gaze from the beast before her. She and Cid walked out of the stables and directed their attentions to a screen on the wall.
"So it's like riding a horse," Kali concluded after a few minutes. Cid glanced at her.
"A horse? What's that?"
"A creature from my world. They're large, furred, have long faces, and four hoofed feet. We use them for transportation. We don't have Chocobos."
"Oh. I guess so then," Cid agreed. He stared at her. "Be careful out there."
"Huh?"
"These races can get dangerous. When Cloud raced his Chocobo, we all shook in our boots out of fear for him. Just be careful," he demanded. "It's getting late now. Let's go back to our rooms and get some sleep. You'll need your strength."
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"Hey, Kali?" Kadaj called through the closed door. When he received no reply, he opened it slowly.
"Kadaj!" Kali screamed. Kadaj turned red and quickly snapped the door shut. The girl had been changing clothes, but had not yet replaced her top. After a few minutes, she let him in. "What's wrong with you?"
"Sorry. Loz, Yazoo, father and I were so close, I never had to knock. I'm not used to knocking on a door before entering. I wanted to borrow your CD player tonight."
"Why?" she asked suspiciously. Kadaj shrugged.
"I wanted to give it another try. You heard our music while we were in the bar. Now I want to hear yours. Plus I fell a little restless tonight. I need something to help me sleep."
"Okay, just a sec," Kali agreed. She reached into her bag and pulled out the player. "My Celtic CD is in there. It's relaxing. I always fall asleep to it."
"Thanks, sis," Kadaj smiled. He pecked her on the cheek. "I'm right next door if you need me."
"Goodnight," she called as he left and shut the door. She smiled as she sat on the bed. After looking around, she noticed that Pradipa wasn't there. He must have gone for a walk. I hope nobody tries to battle him, she thought. She let herself fall back on the bed and began dozing. There was a knock at the door.
"Kali? Can I come in?" Devin called. She leapt up, wrapped her coat around her (for Devin had never seen her in so few clothes), and opened the door. Her breath caught as she saw that he was only wearing a pair of pants. Kali shut the door as he walked in.
"What's up?" she asked. He locked the door, then sat on the sill and looked at her.
"I love you, Kali. That's what's up," he said quietly. Kali gave him a sideways look. There was a look in his eyes that she had never seen before.
"I love you, too. What are you doing here though?"
"Come here," Devin ordered, drowning out a quiet scratching noise. She sat next to him. As she did, her coat pulled back to reveal that her legs were mostly uncovered. The man pulled her jacket off and stared at her pajamas. "I didn't know you owned anything like that."
"I was hoping you wouldn't find out. Well, a part of me did, anyway."
"I think we both know why I'm here."
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Kadaj looked up at a scratching sound at his door. He turned off the player, laid down the book he was reading, and answered. Pradipa was crouched at his feet.
"What do you want?" Kadaj asked, somewhat irritated. Pradipa waddled in and jumped up on the bed.
"Kali's door is closed, and she won't answer," he replied sadly. Kadaj tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I left to get a drink from a little pool in the lobby and when I got back, the door was closed and I couldn't get in."
"Maybe she's asleep. She was getting ready for bed when I went in a few minutes ago," Kadaj explained. He smiled and stretched out on the bed. "You can sleep in here tonight, if you want to."
"You mean it?"
"Yeah."
"But when we met… you called me a little shit," Pradipa reminded the human. Kadaj picked him up and laid him on his chest. He turned the volume on the player up and left the headphones off so they could both hear the music. The man began massaging the Tonberry's stomach gently. He could have sworn Pradipa was purring.
"People change. That feels good, doesn't it?"
"Hmm…" Pradipa sighed. He was asleep a few moments later. When Kadaj realized this, he pulled the headset over his ears and read, one hand still lying on Pradipa's tummy.
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"Devin, what are you talking about?" Kali asked. He was beginning to worry her.
"Kali, I love you so much. I know Kadaj is right next to us, but I can't wait any longer."
"I don't want to wait either, but…"
"You're afraid," he finished. Kali nodded weakly. Devin only kissed her in reply.
"I'm letting Kadaj borrow my CD player tonight. I don't think he'll be able to hear anything," she said quietly as he pulled away. She stood and walked across the room. "But I'm afraid. See... A while back,I had a dream that you raped me. It hurt. A lot.You killed me afterwards. Zurine was there, too, watching. That's why I'm afraid. I'm worried that even if it's not rape, it'll still hurt."
"I would never do that. Iwon't hurt you. I promise, if I do hurt you, I'll stop," he assured her. He stood and laid a hand on her shoulder. When he received no reply, he sighed. "You know what? Never mind. If you don't want to, we won't."
"I said I'm afraid. Who said I didn't want to?" she said immediately. She turned and kissed him. "Let's go."
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Devin woke up in the middle of the night. He sighed and stroked Kali's head as she lie on top of him, her head in the middle of his chest and still sleeping soundly. This would have been the perfect time to do it painlessly, he knew how deeply she slept, but…
"I can't," he muttered into the night, unheard by anyone. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes to sleep again. He jerked awake a short time later when he heard the door open and close. Fearing it was Kadaj, he sat up slightly and looked towards the door. Zurine stood next to it.
"You disgust me," she whispered. "Sleeping with the enemy… How dare you?"
"You said I could do what I want and kill her when I'm done with her. I'm not done with her yet," he replied. Zurine looked at his arm as it wrapped tighter around Kali's shoulders.
"You're like Kadaj. He slept with Sachiko on a whim."
"I'm not like him."
"Time grows short, mortal," Zurine said quietly. She walked up to the bed. "The time I gain control of the Black and White Materia is not far off. I know where the girl will be taken. We must make haste if we are to get there first."
"I promise, I'll do it tomorrow night."
"No. Time is too thin. Now," she commanded as she drew her dirk, "get out of that bed and give me the girl."
"You'll have to kill both of us if you try it tonight," Devin muttered defiantly. Zurine hesitated. "I'm your meat shield, right? If they go for you, I get sent to stop them. If you lose me, you lose yourself."
"Step aside, mortal," Zurine demanded. "You may be my meat shield, but with her out of the way, they will be powerless to stop me."
"Who do you think they'll go after when she's dead? Everything will be ruined. There's safety and strength in numbers."
"Get up. I warned you of what would happen should you sleep with any other."
"I know."
"You owe me this. I found you dead and brought you back. How do you think she would feel about sleeping with the dead? If you loved her, you would spare her that pain."
"You said that she died, too."
"Do you recall what will happen when I win?" she inquired. When he remained silent, she continued. "If she wins, she'll have the power to bring back three people from the dead. If we win, we can bring back anyone. The world will have no population. We will be able to resurrect anyone, to choose who shall repopulate the Planet and who will remain dead. If she dies, we can bring her back later, if that is what you wish. Or, should you decide otherwise, you will be ruler with me. You have twenty-four hours to decide."
"Wait," Devin snapped. It was too late. Zurine was already sprouting her wings and flying out the window. Kali shivered from the cool night air. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Devin. She gave him a sideways look at his paleness. He pushed her off and closed the window. He laid back down and stared at her in the eye, tears filling his own. He took her hand.
"You okay?" she asked worriedly.
"Yeah. I'm fine," he forced a smile and kissed her.
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"Kali, are you sure about this?" Kadaj asked nervously. His sister stared at the Chocobo somewhat apprehensively. He threw his neck around as the more experienced jockeys attempted to put the equipment on. Sadly, they were being unsuccessful. She turned at a laugh behind her.
"Nice day for a race, eh?" Reeve laughed. Rude and Cid glared at him threateningly as Kadaj and Devin got Kali ready.
"You be careful," Devin demanded. She nodded.
"Of course."
"These races can get pretty vicious. If it gets too tough, just quit, okay?" Kadaj told her. Kali rolled her eyes.
"I'll be fine. Relax," she assured them as the registration woman came in.
"Who's the jockey that will be riding on Albus?" she asked. Kali raised her hand.
"Very well. Please, remove your coat. Thank you," she said as Kali handed her coat to Kadaj. "Now, you will be number six in the race..."
"That's good. Six is on the inside of the track. You'll be able to hug the inner curve at the beginning," Kadaj explained.
"…And you'll be racing the long course…"
"Tough, but you'll be okay," Kadaj whispered.
"… And you'll be racing class 'S.'"
"Shit," Kadaj muttered. "That's the highest class of Chocobo racing. You'll be in trouble if you don't take control early on."
"Would everyone please leave, the jockey must prepare for the race," the woman requested. Kadaj and Reeve held back a moment.
"You planned this, didn't you?" Kali asked Reeve.
"Not quite. I honestly had no clue it was an 'S' rank Chocobo. When I found out, I requested that you be number six so you would have a slight advantage. I didn't want you to be beaten too bad," he winked. "You know, for Sephiroth's kid, you aren't half bad. Good luck, kid."
"Thanks."
"Be careful," Kadaj ordered again.
"Yes," Kali nodded. She watched as Kadaj disappeared behind the door.
"All jockeys please mount your Chocobos. The next 'S' class race will begin in two minutes. Repeat: All jockeys mount your Chocobos, the next 'S' class race will begin in two minutes."
Kali took a deep breath and pulled out the Tantal Greens Rude had given her. She walked up to Albus and handed them to him. He gobbled them up while Kali climbed on. She shook as she led the Chocobo to the gate. As she took her place, the other jockeys laughed at her. It was easy to see why; Albus was walking like a drunk and Kali was shaking almost to the point of falling off, as well as the only woman. She glanced up at the crowd and saw her friends watching her. Kali focused on the track and clenched her hands into fists as she gripped the reins. The bird squawked as she accidentally dug her feet into his sides.
"Sorry," she whispered soothingly. It looked back at her and their eyes met for a moment.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's 'S' class Chocobo race! Chocobo number one will be ridden by Sunil! Chocobo number two will be ridden by Hari! Chocobo number three will be ridden by Roy! Chocobo number…"
Oh, hurry up so I can get off of here! Kali thought.
"… Huang! Chocobo number five will be ridden by Li!" the voice said over the intercom. Kali noticed it was black, one of the strongest Chocobos ever bred according to Cid. "And Chocobo number six will be ridden by Kali! Racers, take your positions!"
"Will she be okay?" Devin asked nervously. Rude nodded.
"She'll be fine."
"On your marks…"
"She has her father's blood."
"…Get set…"
"Kali has the best chance out of all of us."
"Go!"
"And yet, she's not going," Kadaj gasped. Indeed, she was still sitting at the starting gate, Albus preparing to take a nap.
To be continued…
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NM: Yay, update! Um… can't think of anything to say, so… reviews:
Sayahiei: Well, I'm sorry you had a bad vacation… and I'm sorry Nanashi isn't in this chapter... and I hope you enjoyed it anyway. ((smile))
Ryu the Youkai: See, I wouldn't trust a Tonberry with a knife. Or a lantern (my luck is it would catch everything on fire with it). But an attack Tonberry would be cool. And I haven't gotten to 100 level dungeon/labyrinth in X2, but I've battled them in the part where you go to the place off of Mi'ihen Highroad or whatever it is. You know, when you have to battle all the monsters off of where Operation Mi'ihen was in X? But Pradipa won't remain an actual Tonberry for much longer…
Merielle: Hey, where were you? Actually, all of the characters are pretty unlucky in their own ways. Sachiko has the Materia, yes. Nanashi is trying to protect the Planet, yes. Zurine does not want to rule the world. I know I said it earlier that she did, but she doesn't want to in the way you're probably thinking. And Devin isn't an 'escaped' soul exactly, but this chapter explained it. And Pradipa is SO cute! If you want, I can send you a picture of him with the shotgun from when they were in the Hitomi HQ. The gun sucks cuz I wasn't looking at a pic of one when I drew it, but you can tell what it is.
Maria: I wanna read! What's your penname going to be? What fiction are you going to write? As for this fic, there are at least 10 more chapters, though most likely many more. And I don't mind if you don't review for some chapters. I don't mind not getting reviews. I know I bitch about not getting many reviews sometimes, but it's always sarcastic or joking. I do that a lot.
Mediciner: I guess you liked this chapter, then. Chocobo love! Moombas are cute, I must say, but I like Chocobo, moogles, and Tonberrys. Not in that order. But battling TB's is a HUGE pain in the ass, I must agree. She's not going to use Sachiko (on the contrary, she wants her dead… CRAP! Ignore the last note…), but she will summon Meteor AND Holy at the same time. Oh, and… ONE MORE LOVE SCENE! I SWEAR! Sorry, I'm spazing right now. And hyper. Very hyper. Even though it's 10:30 at night.
NM: Oh, two more notes: First of all… (long pause) okay, I don't remember the first one, so on to 2. I'm thinking of starting yet another story, but NOT on this site! If anyone saw the show 'Dragons are Coming' on Animal Planet a couple of weekends ago, you'll like mine. It's a spin-off of that, about scientists who are trying to determine what UFOs really are, and discover dragons are the source! Anyway, I have part of Chapter 1 written, and will let you know when it's up on fictionpress. I'll also let you know my penname; it'll be Japanese instead of Ninja Mage. Unless anyone knows the Japanese equivalent. Anyone? Oh, number one was this: read my poems, please! The first one will give away a future event (read it if you don't mind a spoiler), but I think you'll be safe with the second.
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