Hello all you Final fantasy freaks out there! Here I come with another Chapter for your amusement.
Tidus: Who are you calling a freak?
V: What? What's wrong with being a final fantasy freak. I'm one and there's nothing wrong with me.
T: Sure. Whatever you say. (said sarcastically)
V: I'll ignore you this time but next time you'll be punished.
T: -smirks- You won't do anything to me. Now that I know how to summon my fans, you can't hurt me without the threat of being hunted down by them.
V: -grumbles under breath- I'll have to find someone to punish.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
T: I'll get it. –opens door and Zen comes in-
Zen: Hey, sorry I'm late but I got hung up down at 'The Unsent'
T: Why? What happened?
Z: Uh…-looks over to Veronia- How mad is she right now?
T: Mad enough to beat me into a pulp if she could.
Z: Oh…gulp… maybe I'll save my story for later.
T: Good idea. –Looks back over to Veronia- Well, what's this chapter going to be like?
V: Huh! What? –pulled out of brooding- Oh right! This chapter is much more serious then the last few chapters I have written and it's Kimahri's first appearance so it should be really good.
T: Can you assure us that?
Bonk!
Z: Hey! –rubs bump on head- What was that for!
V: You were the closest. Now let's start the chapter.
Chapter 20: True FriendshipsRikku slipped along the mountainside, creeping from shadow to shadow and crevice to crevice as she lead the rest of the troop to a safer place. Even though she had no idea where Kimahri was, she was the best to find hiding places with a large Ronso group scattered and looking for them.
Wakka and Auron were in the middle and both gave Tidus help whenever he couldn't walk on his own. Tidus's pain became to intense for him to bare in just a short while though so they spent most of their time carrying him. Sometimes by looping Tidus's arms around their necks. Other times, along with complaints from Tidus, on their backs.
Zen and Yuna took up the rear and were given the job of watching for anyone, or anything, that could be following the group from behind.
Since no one knew where Kimahri was they could only wander around the cliffs and hope that they would soon find their missing friend. Yuna wasn't very fond of the idea. Tidus's condition was defiantly getting worse and she knew that he wouldn't last much longer without medical help.
The group stopped in a small crevasse for a short rest but Rikku scouted the paths they had before them. She also knew the graveness of their situation and knew that the faster they searched then the faster they would help Tidus and get out of the cold mountains.
She moved along quickly but carefully. Every chance she got, she would duck behind some sort of cover and scan the area for their missing companion. He had spotted several groups of Ronso on her exploration of several of the trails but there was no sign of Kimahri.
When she finally started becoming tired, she headed back to the spot where the others were resting. The sun was staring to set again over the mountain peaks but in the situation they were in Rikku could only think about how the coming darkness would prevent them from seeing their paths.
Before she arrived back with the others she paused for a moment. Her eyes slowly scanned over the landscape and she was surprised when she noticed something that had been hidden from view when she first started scouting.
Earlier in the day, the sunlight had reflected off the white snow, making it impossible to discern much about a small piece of land. As the setting sun cast the place in shadows though, Rikku now noticed that there was an unexplored path ahead of her.
"Might as well." Rikku whispered to herself. "Just as long as I'm here."
She trudged along through the snow even though she was tired from nonstop walking all day. Even though her body wanted to rest, her mind was still alert to everything around her.
The increasing shadows gave her more cover but it also meant that any waiting Ronso would also have more cover and their night vision was much better then hers. Even as darkness increased around her, Rikku still scanned about the area as she had in the middle of the day even though it harder for her to see.
Something not to far off in the distance peaked her curiosity as she looked around. On the pure white snow there was a dark form. It stood almost completely still except for what looked like a long tail that moved slowly from side to side.
It was hard for Rikku to figure out whether or not it was Kimahri or not because the whole form looked to be completely black in the darkness. As she slipped closer her spirits started rising. At first she only saw the outline of a lance that looked very familiar to her. As she came closer the details of the creature became clearer and clearer until it was obvious that it was Kimahri.
Rikku had to force herself not to jump up and hug the Ronso. Even though he was supposed to be a friend Rikku wasn't sure how he would react to her. He may have even forgotten everything or at least dismissed it all as a dream. It was also Kimahri's demeanor that showed her that she shouldn't be too reckless. He was calm but wore a serious expression.
Rikku guessed that he was on guard here for some reason since he stood so still. Maybe, if she hurried, she could get to the others and lead them here before Kimahri had a chance to leave. She darted away as silently and as quickly as she could. With her discovery of Kimahri she seemed to gain all of her energy back.
"I found him! I found him! I found Kimahri!" Rikku nearly shouted as she slipped into the crevasse where the others were hiding.
"What? Where?" Yuna asked as she stood up onto her feet.
"Come on, hurry up and we should be able to get to him before he goes anywhere." Rikku said as she slipped back out under the clear sky.
She stood there for several minutes while the others came out. Yuna, Wakka, and Zen came out quickly but Auron had to move carefully because he was carrying Tidus on his back. Tidus had become worse since Rikku had left earlier in the day and now he was too tired to walk, even with help.
Rikku lead the way and moved as fast as she could without leaving any of the others behind. When they got to a safe distance from the Ronso she stopped and turned around to face the others.
"Yunie, I want you to be careful alright."
Yuna gave the thief a puzzled look. "Why? I mean, it's Kimahri, isn't it?"
Well, yeah but I'm not sure if he'll be the same." Rikku tried to explain. "He looked really stern and serious."
"He always looked like that." Yuna said.
"But this is a different kind. I don't think he'll remember us and… I don't want you to get hurt in anyway."
"She's right." Tidus whispered as he listened in on the conversation. "Remember when I first saw you? You tried to tell me that everything that had happened to us had just been a dream. Trying to convince Kimahri to trust us may be a little harder then you think. He was also stubborn, if I remember correctly."
Yuna nodded her head and sighed. "I'm still going to have to try and convince him to join with us."
"I just want you to be careful Yunie." Rikku put in.
"I know and I will be." Yuna said as she started towards the dark form. "Follow close behind me." She said over her shoulder to the rest of the group.
As Yuna moved closer and closer to the statuesque Ronso she began realizing what Rikku had been talking about. Kimahri did seem to be more imposing but she wasn't going to let a little bit of fear stray her from her path.
"Kimahri?" She whispered when she moved as close as she dared.
The Ronso whipped around and leveled his weapon in line with Yuna's abdomen. He didn't advance any closer though and relief washed over Yuna.
"Kimahri? Is it really you?" Yuna's voice was barely a whisper but the Ronso's sensitive ears heard her clearly.
Kimahri let out a soft growl but nodded his head slightly to confirm Yuna's assumption.
"How do you know Kimahri's name?"
So Rikku was right. Yuna thought to herself. He really doesn't remember.
"I-It's me." Yuna stumbled as she held a hand out to the side in order to keep the others from moving in front of her. "It's me, Yuna. Don't you remember me?"
Kimahri stood silent for a moment, but never lowered his weapon, while he tried to remember.
"Kimahri." A gruff voice behind the stoic Ronso called. "Found escaped prisoners, have you?"
Kimahri chanced a look over his shoulder to see Garik coming up behind him. He looked back over to the group of humans and noticed that more members of the Ronso tribe were coming up behind them.
Auron froze when he realized that the sharp point of a spear was aimed at his back. More precisely, aimed at Tidus, who was being carried on his back. Auron slowly turned around so he was facing the spear wielder. Very carefully and slowly, he slipped the semi-conscious Tidus off of his back and onto the cold ground. It wasn't the best place for him but it was safer then having him in a position where an over-reactive Ronso would more likely stab him.
Yuna rushed over to Tidus, ignoring all of the weapons that were suddenly aimed upon her, and knelt by his side.
Tidus tried to force himself up but Yuna forced him to stay down.
"What's happening?" Tidus mumbled as he tried unsuccessfully to get up. "What's going on?"
"Shh." Yuna whispered into his ear while placing his head to rest against her knees. "Everything's going to be alright."
Of course Tidus knew that it was a lie. Even though he wasn't in a fully conscious state he knew that they were in a bad predicament, as they usually were. He wasn't going to argue with her though even if he had the strength to do so. He just nodded his head and winced as he felt another sharp in his stomach.
"Don't worry." Yuna whispered while slowly running her hand through his hair. "We'll get you some help soon."
"Capture the humans Kimahri." Garik ordered as he walked beside his fellow Ronso. "Show them what even the weakest Ronso can do."
Kimahri didn't follow Garik's orders. He wasn't even listening to him. He only watched the scene between the humans played out as he tried to remember them. Several images of them were faint in his mind. Slowly fading away as though they had only been in a dream. There was something there though. A feeling embedded so deep inside of him that it would never fully disappear.
His mind grasped onto the thin strands of that feeling and held on tightly as he frantically tried to figure out what it was. It came to him just moments later.
Friendship. The humans in front of him were his friends. He couldn't remember where they had known each other or for how long, but he knew that he had to protect his friends.
"Why does not Kimahri follow Garik's orders?" Garik asked as he took a few steps away from the distracted Ronso. "Is Kimahri too much of a weakling?"
Kimahri looked over to Garik and saw no bonds between them. There was no connection between him and the rest of the Ronso tribe. He knew that none of them were his friends. They all thought that he was only a hornless runt.
"Kimahri lose all courage with horn." Garik teased. "Hornless. Hornless."
The insult started gaining strength within the crown until every Ronso was singing it. "Hornless. Hornless." It echoed off the mountain side and made the cry even louder.
Kimahri let out a low growl. No, these Ronso were not his friends. They never had been. The only commitment Kimahri held was for his true friends and right now they were in trouble. From the corner of his eye, Kimahri saw Garik making his way over to the person who was lying on the ground.
Kimahri ran in front of him before he made it and leveled his weapon for Garik's throat. "You will not take them." He growled just loud enough so Garik could hear.
"Has Kimahri lost his senses as well as his horn?" Garik shouted, insulted by the fact that a runt Ronso would be so bold towards him.
"You will not take them." Kimahri growled again, this time loud enough so everyone could hear.
"Is Kimahri going to give up his life to try and save worthless humans?" Garik asked, although it did sound more like a threat.
"If Kimahri must then Kimahri must." Kimahri said without any hesitation.
"A battle of honor then." Garik suggested. "If Kimahri win then…"
"Kimahri gets prisoners, unharmed." Kimahri interrupted.
"And if Kimahri loses," Garik continued, "Then Kimahri loses his life."
Z: So I'm sitting at the bar and there's this really cute redhead sitting a few seats away…
V: Hey! Hey! I don't want to hear any more of your perverted bar stories here.
Z: My story isn't perverted.
T: This one, at least.
Z: None of my stories are perverted!
V: I don't care anymore. I just don't want to hear anymore of your bar stories here. If you don't like it then you can just leave.
Z: Fine then –opens front door- Come on Tidus. Let's go back to 'The Unsent' and I'll tell you the rest of the story.
T: Sounds alright to me. –starts following Zen-
V: Oh no you don't! –Grabs Tidus's arm and pulls him back in-
T: What's wrong with me going out for a few hours? You just finished a chapter so you won't need me as your muse for a little while.
V: You're not going anywhere. –slams door shut- I may not be able to hurt you but I can do other things.
T: -cringes slightly- Like what?
V: You're grounded until further notice.
T: What!
V: You are not allowed to call or visit friends, go outside, watch T.V, or eat cookies in your underwear.
T: I don't eat cookies in my underwear!
V: Better to be safe then sorry. –Looks back towards audience- Sorry about the interruptions. Hope you liked the chapter. See you all later.
T: Yeah, see you later –starts grumbling-
V: No grumbling!
End Transmission