9
"What time does it start?" Paine called from the bathroom. She was applying her make-up extremely heavy.
Baralai looked up for the frilly necktie like scarf, tucking it into his shirt like the olden days. He shrugged, tugging at his sleeves. He walked to the bathroom Paine was in, staring at her heavily make-uped eyes.
"Soon?" He said unsurely, staring at her bright red eyelids. He blinked, shaking his head as he decided he wouldn't comment. It was a costume party, she could do her make-up however thick she wanted, "You're the one that's taking time, not me."
Paine looked over at him, glaring. He smiled at her, looking her up and down. He smiled, knowing that she actually somewhat tried to make the dress as beautiful as she could. He walked towards her, slipping an arm around her waist. Baralai kissed her cheek, a smile on his face.
"I'm done," Paine said, checking herself in the mirror one last time. She turned to look at Baralai, "Shall we?"
"I suppose," He replied, running his hand over his hair to his ponytail. It was quite small, but like those of the time.
He slipped his arm through Paine's, kissing her on the cheek once more. She kissed him back and they made their way towards the airship.
…………………………………
The airship made its way to Luca, one of the largest cities in Spira. It was night and the city was lit perfectly. You could see the city light reflecting off the sky for miles around. Music played out into the streets from different Halloween parties. Kids and adults of all ages walked the well lit streets, feeling safer then ever. There was no real reason to worry about your safety in Luca during holidays. The city was very well guarded.
Baralai turned from the window of the small airship, looking down at the floor. He really didn't want to go to this party. He didn't want to face Gippal or Nooj. He didn't really want to talk to anyone. His eyes narrowed in thought. He heard his name being called quietly, but he didn't really respond.
"Baralai!" The voice said again.
He looked up, his eyes focusing on Paine's face. He smiled at her, noticing the airship had stopped moving. They had landed. Baralai stood, looping his arm through hers. He looked over at her, smiling.
"Shall we?" He asked, and started walking towards the large building.
The pathway they walked was well lit with different wonderfully carved jack-o'-lanterns. People dressed in elaborate costumes talked, laughed, embraced, and over all mingled around outside. The doors to the party were yet to be opened being that it started at nine. It was almost time for the doors to open though. Baralai took out his pocket watch. They should have been opening within the next minute or so.
Orange fireworks set off, followed by the sound of crackling witch laughter. The large doors before then creaked open. The guests slowly made their way into the room, showing the man dressed as a Frankenstein like butler at the door their invitation. Baralai and Paine made their way to the door, holding up the invitation for the both of them. The man nodded. How could Baralai be mistaken for anyone, Paine too? They didn't even have to show ID.
The grand hall stretched out before them, pulsing music filled their ears. Near the entrance were tables, dimly let by the small carved pumpkins set on each table with tea lights set inside them. The round tables could seat about eight people. There was a small buffet, but waiters would come by every so often with drinks and actual food. Small orange Christmas tree like lights hung low from the ceiling, causing it to not look as cavernous. About half of the huge room was a dance floor. Loud techno-like music was playing, colorful lights were flashing, and the guests could barely hear themselves think, let alone talk.
Baralai looked over at Paine, but she was looking else where. He saw a small smile split across her face, still looking in the same place she was. The praetor turned his head, looking in the general direction she was. He smiled. There sat Yuna and Tidus. Yuna looked up, catching site of Paine. She jumped up, running over to the friend she hadn't see in a little more then a year. They embraced for a moment and Yuna dragged Paine back to the table with her. Baralai blinked. He was very suddenly forgotten. He followed after Paine, sitting down at the table beside her.
"Baralai, right?" Tidus asked, his voice quite cheerful.
Baralai looked up and nodded, then looked back at the table. He looked back up again, staring at the topless man that stood behind Tidus. Was that… Gippal? The Al Bhed grinned coldly at Baralai, and then jerked his head at Rikku. She was standing silently behind Yuna, waiting for the perfect opportunity to scare, yet surprise, the shit out of Yuna. Gippal walked around the table, sitting down next to Baralai. The praetor's eyes wandered over the young man, staring at him further.
Gippal sat with his dress shoed foot on the table, his tight black pants stretching further as so the cloth wouldn't rip. He had a small red bowtie on and white cuffs at his wrists with little red buttons on them. The Al Bhed was dressed as a male stripper. He chuckled, snapping his fingers inches from Baralai's nose.
"'Lai?" He asked with a chuckle in his voice.
Baralai blinked, looking up to Gippal's face. He smiled at the man, then looked away and at the flickering flame behind the eyes of the pumpkin. He stayed like that for a few moments before Gippal caught his attention again. He looked at the teen, head slightly tilted to the side.
"So what've you been up to?" Gippal asked.
Baralai shrugged, "Nothing really," He picked up the wine glass that had ice water, "You?"
A grin split across Gippal's face, his cheeks reddening slightly. He looked away from Baralai and at Rikku who was deep in conversation with her friends, and then back at his once best friend, "I have a kid now, a little boy."
It took Baralai a lot of effort to keep from spraying water across the table, but he managed to choke it down. He thought about it, and the kind of figured that that would happen. It wasn't like he rarely had relations with girls. Like Baralai thought, he had someone in bed with him just about every other night. He took in a deep breath before looked over at Gippal again.
"When was he born?" Baralai asked, "What's his name?"
"He's about two weeks old," Gippal replied, "And… uh…" He chuckled nervously, "Rikku and I aren't good with names so, uh…" He paused, "We haven't named him yet."
Baralai laughed aloud; that was just like Gippal, "I somewhat figured that was coming."
The Al Bhed grinned, "Yeah, well, you know me a little better then most…" He kind of drifted off. They were like friends before they ever fought. He smiled; it was almost like they were meeting each other all over. Gippal grabbed Baralai's gloved hand, shaking it as he laughed.
"What?" Baralai asked, pulling his hand away, "What are you doing?"
He stared at Gippal for a moment, acting as though the man before him was completely insane. Gippal grinned at the praetor, bursting into laughter. He patted Baralai's back roughly.
"Must you?" Baralai said loudly waving his hand.
Gippal stopped quickly, looking around at the other partygoers. Many of them were sitting around talking, drinking, and over all enjoying themselves. Even more of them were out on the rave like dance floor, flailing their arms about wildly and jumping to the steady beat. Just as the dancers thought the song was going to end, it would start up once more. Though they would have liked the song to end before leaving the dance floor, they couldn't being that they didn't know when the song would finish up. Gippal frowned; he was growing terribly bored. He hated being bored.
"Hey, get Paine," Gippal said, leaning over to Baralai's ear, "I've got an idea."
Gippal stood up, walking to behind Rikku. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bending over to kiss her on the neck. She looked over her shoulder, grinning as she kissed him on the lips. Paine and Yuna looked at each other, small smiles on their faces.
"Wasn't it only a year ago that she claimed that there was nothing between them," Paine said, the grin on her face.
"And now she has a baby," Yuna finished, "What were the chances of that?"
Baralai walked behind Paine, he too wrapping his arms around her neck. He didn't move to kiss her, knowing Paine didn't really like displaying her affection for him in public.
"May I have this dance?" Baralai whispered in her ear.
Paine looked over her shoulder, a small smile on her face as she nodded. Baralai smiled back, taking her hand as he helped her out of her chair. They looked over at Gippal and Rikku. She hand jumped onto his back and was given a piggyback ride to where the dancing was taking place. Paine and Baralai looked over at each other, a small smile on their lips as they walked after them. By the time the two of them caught up with Gippal and Rikku they were already dancing like idiots. They waved they arms stupidly, jumping to the back round beat of the music. Paine and Baralai looked at each other for a moment before joining the two of them with out looking too much like idiots. Paine walked over to Yuna and started dancing with her as Baralai felt a tug at his hand. Ajina stood next to him, wearing no costume.
"You like," She said loudly, but it was barely heard over the music.
Baralai nodded, "Yes, thank you," Replied Baralai, looking over his shoulder at Paine. It was almost like a warning for Ajina.
She frowned, "Fine," She said angrily, "At least she doesn't look like a fucking dyke today," She turned on her heel, walking away. She stopped though, walking back to Baralai, "I didn't plan this for you to have fun, you're here for a reason. Remember that."
Ajina kissed him on the cheek and walked away, disappearing in the mass of jumping and dancing people. Baralai turned, looking at Paine. She hadn't seen, thankfully. He didn't want her getting any false ideas. He forced his way through the partygoers, most of whom he didn't know. He frowned; how the hell did this many people get to the party. He shrugged; Ajina must have pitched in. He didn't really give her much of a list after all; it had maybe ten people on it.
"Baralai…" Someone said from behind him, causing him to turn. Before him stood Rikku, looking quite sad, "I need to talk to you…"
Baralai's eyebrows rose, but he nodded and followed her to the bathroom. She held the door open for him and walked in behind him, locking the door. The praetor stared at her for a moment, then at the door.
"Was there a need for that?" He asked, follow her with his eyes as she sat on the counter with the sinks.
She nodded, taking off the jester hat and placing it beside her. She stared at the wall for a moment before looking back to Baralai. She stayed silent, taking in a deep breath.
"I really hated Gippal for a little while," Rikku said quietly, "I thought 'How could he do this to me, that selfish asshole', but I started to forgive him as the months went on," She chuckled, "How could you not?" She looked up at Baralai, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't so she continued, "I really didn't want to have a kid before I was 20… but I doesn't look like I can do that anymore," Tears started to form in her eyes, "I wanted freedom to do things that I wanted to do. Now I have to think about feeding that baby, finding someone to watch him, worry if he's alright," Rikku jumped off the counter, "I'm 18 now and I feel like I'm 30!"
She walked over to Baralai, wrapping her arms around him. Tears streamed down her face. Baralai's eye twitched, but he laid a hand on her back as a sign of comfort. He looked at the ground in front of him; she walked right into it. There was no turning back.
"Have you talked to Gippal?" He asked, taking a step back from her after she stopped crying. She shook her head, "You might want to think about doing that. He might be humoring you to keep you happy. He could not want the baby as much as you," He leaned against the wall, "You could even suggest adoption if you must."
Rikku looked up, an expression of horror on her face, "I can't!"
"Why is that?" He replied, slightly confused.
"Pops told me that it's my responsibility and I can't back down from it," She frowned, "He'd kill me if I give him away."
Baralai nodded, pushing his bangs from his eyes. He thought on it for a moment. He looked back at Rikku, "There isn't much you can do then…" He said quietly, "You could just disappear."
"You mean… run away, right?" Rikku asked, her voice slightly unsure.
He shrugged, "Take it as you will."
She stared at him, her eyebrows furrowing in thought, "What do you mean then?" She seemed almost nervous.
"Look, I'm in deep need of getting back at Gippal," He said as casually as if he was telling Rikku the weather, "And you need to get away. We could work together you know."
Rikku's eyes widened and she started to backwards toward the door. Baralai walked quickly to catch up with her, standing in front of the only path out. Her eyes widened, in horror as she saw his hand go to the inside pocket of his tailed coat. He pulled out a small pistol. He stared at it for a moment, and then looked back up at Rikku. She gasped and was on him in seconds, punching and kicking him. She was fighting for her life.
Baralai grabbed her by the hair, pulling her off him as he stood up. He threw her against a wall and heard a loud crack as her head hit against the tiles. She slid down the wall; a tiny trial of blood followed her path on the wall from where the back of her head dragged downwards. Baralai walked over to her, staring at the blood. He looked down at her, pointing the gun at her forehead. His forefinger tightened on the trigger, ready to pull it. He let go; he couldn't do it.
"Shuyin…" Baralai said quietly in horror, "I… I can't do it…"
(…………………Warning…………………
You may want to stop here, Umi. I'm not joking. Anyway, for the rest of you, if you don't want to see something not nice, stop here. You'll know what happens come the next chapter. You really won't be missing anything.
...Starting now)
Baralai felt Shuyin enter him suddenly. He lost all his breath, causing him to cough. He leaned forward, using the wall to keep him standing. The praetor felt very light-headed and his senses were clouded. He took a deep breath. He had felt this before; the last time Shuyin had been with him.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Shuyin whispered dangerously through Baralai's own mouth, "What the fuck is you problem?" He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He touched his forehead, continuing to take deep breaths through a mouth that wasn't his, "Mind telling me why you decided to quit now? Do you realize how close you were!"
Baralai nodded to the question that came out of his own mouth. His eyes then narrowed, looking down at Rikku. He reached down, picking her up by the neck.
"If you don't mind," It was Shuyin again, "I'm going to have a bit of fun with her."
Baralai didn't answer, he couldn't. The praetor had no control of anything. It was almost as though he was watching a movie through the actor's eyes.
"Good choice," He said with a tone of laughter in his voice.
He dragged Rikku to the counter with the sink, throwing her against the mirror. The mirror cracked into a spider web-like pattern, some glass falling onto the counter. He picked her up again and held her against the wall by her next, throttling her.
Rikku clawed at Baralai's grip, a look of horror on her face. She had recognized that voice. It was none other then Shuyin's. She closed her eyes, against the pain of him crushing her windpipe. Lifting her knees up, she kicked out, slamming her booted feet against Baralai's chest. He let go of her, taking a few staggering steps backwards, a hand on his chest. He looked up at her, giving her a look that could kill. She gulped, and turned, running for the door. She fumbled the bolt lock, cursing under her breath.
"Don't think so!" Shuyin said with the same laughing voice and he pulled her back by her hair.
She let out a yelp, falling backwards onto the floor. Baralai walked over to her, stepping on her throat with a booted foot. He smiled down at her, with a Shuyin smile; it was one that was completely unlike that of Baralai. She gulped, punching at the boot to make it come from her neck and let her breath again. She succeeded, and the man slipped, falling next to her. He took out the gun once more, placing it on her temple. His finger tightened.
"Gippal will kill you…" She whispered, her voice surprisingly strong and fearless.
"Not my problem," Shuyin replied, pulling the trigger.
The gun went off at the same time as those that were in the background beat of the song. Shuyin stood, staring down at the girl he as just murdered. The white of her left eye had turned completely red, blooded had sprayed in quite the pattern across the floor and onto the wall under the sinks. He smiled, aiming at her again and firing the gun again and then once more. He smiled, walking over to the paper towels and wiping a bit of blood that had decided to land on his cheek.
He stared at the bruises caused by Rikku in his reflection on the cracked mirror. He frowned, taking a Potion from his pocket. Baralai downed it, hating the taste of it. He stared at his reflection again; the bruises had disappeared.
"Good," Shuyin said. He looked away from the mirror, "Now, Baralai, we need to stay calm," He said, "You're to tell Paine that you don't feel well and that they need to leave, understand?"
Baralai nodded, "Yes," His voice was very quiet.
Baralai, now in control of all his actions, unlocked the bold lock of the door, but pressed in that of the one directly on the door handle. He pulled the door behind him, and pushed on the handle to make sure it was still locked. It was. He walked to their table being sitting at, finding the whole group. He walked over to Paine, but not without being stopped by Gippal.
"Have you seen Rikku?" asked Gippal, a bit of concern in his voice.
"No," Baralai replied and looked at Paine, "I really don't feel well at all," He said with surprisingly good lying skills, "Do you think we could leave?"
Paine nodded, "Yeah," She looked at Yuna, "It was great to see you again, be sure to tell Rikku something like that," She smiled and then looked back at Baralai, "Let's go then; this music was giving me a head ache anyway."
Baralai nodded, looping his arm around her waist as they walked from the building.
((If you're going to write a review DO NOT put ANYTHING about her dying. PLEASE. Please review otherwise.))
