Konichwa.
Daikonran the BlackIce Kitsune: So, if you're dangerous, do you like, explode spontaneously every few hours?
Princess Fruity: Um... okay. Thanx. I greatly appreciate your support.
YouJustGotRapedInTheTooth: I guess I could write the Manga. I have character designs for Ferah, Madison/Dragonair, Cassandra/Zelda, Ferah/Roy, and Alice/Saria that I will try my hardest to get up Deviant once I get a new scanner, or fix the one I have. I've been meaning to draw some sort of Manga, but I have troubles drawing action scenes and scenery. Plus, I'd really need a Photoshop program to fill in tones.
NOTE(S):
- I got a kitten. Just incase you wanted to know. I call him Pancake. .
- I screwed up the matches. I always screw stuff up, eh? Here's the update:
Match) Team/Team: Winning Team
Emerald/Ruby: Emerald. Sapphire/Amethyst: Sapphire.
Ruby/Amethyst: Amethyst. Topaz/ Emerald: Topaz. (Ferah "Roy" and Alice "Saria" on standby)
XXX
Chapter 5: Black Daises
XXX
Roy awoke late, or at least late for him. Daybreak had been a few hours ago, much to his discomfort. He grabbed his headband off his bedpost and rustled it into his red hair, then leaned over a bowl of water at his bedside and washed his face.
There was a knock at his thick wooden double-doors. He adjusted his tunic and straightened his pants, to appear that he had been awake this entire time. "Come in." He ordered.
Marcus walked through the door in his sturdy, saddle-sore way and kneeled lightly, then straightened. "My Lord! Have you been asleep this entire time?"
"Er..." Roy paused, and looked out his open window, void of any type of glass or drapery. "Of course not. I was sitting here enjoying the view of the land." He sighed.
Wolt entered the room, much less formally than old Marcus. He was a young blonde boy, around Roy's age. In his hand he dragged his quiver, full of arrows. "My Lord." He said.
Roy cringed as Wolt said those words. Roy had grown up, day by day, with Wolt as his side, like brothers. Roy didn't like the idea of being Wolt's superior, but Wolt refused to call him anything else. After failing to keep him from calling him his Lord, Roy had just begun to ignore it, however slowly. He suddenly realized that his discomfort with his title was synonymous with Ferah's. It made sense, he felt Ferah was practically a superior, and immediately began calling her "Lady".
"Good morning." Said Roy. He looked on his table for his pauldrons and other armor, but they were still gone from his match with Ferah. He suddenly regretted inviting her when he knew that trouble was amuck in Elibe.
"Well, yes, my Lord, good morning. You have a visitor." He said. "A rather young maid."
Roy looked up, putting down a black cloak he was about to don, a quizzical look passing through his face. He flipped it over and placed it around his neck. Wolt turned to lead Roy to the visitor, but Marcus intervened. "You have a training session with Cecilia today, and I suggest you prepare for the visit of Lady Lilina..."
Roy nodded, his head struggling between UberSSBM, his training with Cecilia, and his Lady Lilina.
"It's the girl. Farlah?" Said Wolt, as the turned the Pharaen halls, passing through the kitchen and out into the courtyard.
"I think it's Ferah, actually." Said Roy. He hadn't heard her name much, but he was sure it was something with a rah sound.
Ferah was sitting down on a thick post of the small Pegusas stable fence, dressed in her high-top sneakers, shorts, and a Sakura floral t-shirt. On her lap was his armor.
By her side was the aging Rebecca, Wolt's red-brown haired mother. She frowned disapprovingly as she saw Roy approach. "You've awoken quite late today." She said.
Ferah got up, passing the heavy armor to Rebecca and curtsying as Rebecca had told her how merely a few minutes before. "Good morning, Lord Roy." She said stiffly, then before she fell, collapsed back down onto the post.
"Lady Ferah?" He asked, stepping forward, then turned to Wolt. "You wouldn't let her in the castle? I told you Lady Ferah was to be a guest..."
"Actually, she said she preferred to be outside." Whispered Wolt, shrugging.
He was right. She needed to be able to come and go easily. "No 'lady', please." Said Ferah, gathering up his armor. She held it up for him, letting the short cape unravel and drape behind it. Where the brown cape had been slashed underwater, she had stitched it up, carefully as not to cringe it. To make it look less conspicuous, she had traced the entire emblem design on the back, giving it a regal look. "A bit too flashy?" She questioned herself, turning it around so she could see it.
"Uh... no." He paused, and she passed it over. He took off his black cloak, adjusted the armor, and slipped it over his head onto his shoulders. It felt lighter than usual. He folded the draped the cloak over his forearm. "Thank you." He said.
She nodded. "...I made some adjustments, but only to the under part of the armor." She paused. "Roy, I'm really sorry. I've been such a horrible Player." She said, and before things would get too mushy, explained. "I went back to the park and got Aaron to get it out of the water for me. I would have asked Kaze, but he's been rather distracted since we lost that match." She said, and shrugged.
"I thought you didn't like fighting with this on?" He asked, placing his hand under the shoulder-guards.
"You were right when you said yesterday that it saved our lives." She explained, remembering reading his thoughts.
Before Roy could respond, a tall woman entered the stable area. "Alright." She clapped lightly twice, gathering attention. She had armor on, like the soldiers that sparred outside the castle everyday. "Lord Roy, we have work to do." She turned to Ferah. "And who are you?" She demanded rather suddenly.
"My name is Ferah." She didn't curtsy this time. She was sick of curtsying, although she had managed a successful one only twice.
The woman looked up, seeing Roy, Rebecca, and Wolt comfortable with this girl, so she let her pass. "Like I said, my Lord. You've already slept half the day away."
Instinctively, Farah pulled out her cellphone to check the time. "It's friggen 9 AM. That's not half the day, that's like, a quarter or something." She said, her response the same as it had always been with Dameon or her Aunt, when she was sober.
"Excuse me?" Said the lady, narrowing her eyes and pushing herself forward.
Ferah raised her eyebrows. "Er... I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, my Lord." She said, and curtsied to Roy, then quickly walked out of the stable yard. As soon as she was out of view, she clicked her Chip Box.
Roy nodded, going back inside to fetch his sword and return his black cloak. "Rebecca, please gather the others and prepare the castle for the arrival of Lady Lilina and Lord Hector." He said formally.
Aaron let out a huge sneeze into the ruffles of his sleeve. "Ugh..." Said Aaron, as he opened it to inspect.
"Don't!" Shrieked Selena, running off to the girl's room. After she was gone, Dominick and Aaron erupted into laughter.
"Next time we should crack an egg in there," Suggested Dominick.
Kaze slammed open the guy's room door, and took a deep sigh, rubbing his hand through his frisky hair as he looked at the clock. It had been the first time he had awoken after Dominick, Aaron, and Selena.
"Ferah woke up early, so she's asleep again." Reported Selena, coming out of the bathroom with a disinfecting spray. She walked up to Aaron, pulled down his hood, drew the drawstrings, then proceeded to destroy all germs on his coat.
"Why'd she wake up early?" Asked Dominick, laughing as Aaron tried to hide himself behind the small couch pillows. Selena ripped the pillows from his hands and disinfected those too.
She smiled. "Went to see Roy. She was up all night, fixing his cloak thing. That girl really can sew."
"I had to fetch that stupid thing." Said Aaron, as he picked up a disinfected pillow to throw at Selena.
"So the Trent thing went well?" Asked Dominick.
"She said it went okay. Said Marth's fast, but that's all she really paid attention to."
"You all agree to have her in for the next match?" Kaze said. He relaxed into a chair at the table as he breathed in the orange-flavored air.
Selena spraying intensity lessened as the spray depleted. She had forgotten all about their loss yesterday. As it returned, it hit her hard. She nodded. "I think we should. I bet she's good, if she and Roy would work together."
Aaron agreed. In one swift move, he had the disinfecting spray in his hand. Selena tried to snatch it from him, but he threw it to Kaze. Kaze stood up, tossing it into the air in a basketball move. It landed in the trashcan.
"Oh... What now?" Demanded Aaron. "You gonna disinfect the disinfecting spray?"
Ferah dragged herself out of the room. "Morning, all." She said, looking around.
"Yeah." Said Aaron, shaking his hair so that the water from his shower flicked everywhere, like a blonde dog.
"Ferah." Addressed Kaze. "You're fighting next match." He said. Ferah understood, and slyly, nodded, as if it was a request. In his eyes, it was.
She turned to Dominick. "Could I check my mail? I want to see if Dameon has e-mailed me back yet."
Dominick nodded, and fetched his laptop from his room. He carefully handed it over to her. As she turned it on, she saw Mr. Game and Watch staring back at her. She almost screamed, and jumped, then common sense overtook her. "Hello..." She said, wondering if she waved, would it see her?
She tried to ignore it, and signed on to her e-mail provider. True to form, her brother had e-mailed her back.
"Hey.
Intensive Ai? Sounds exciting.
They seem like a real nice bunch. Enjoy your time with them, because when you are separated into Trinities, I'm sure you'll miss them. (You left your contest handbook at home, and I read it.)"
She sighed. It was so like him to go through her stuff.
"Van is fine. I didn't tell him that you were having troubles with Roy. Raven actually came back. Aunty seems to think that he ran away to find Van, and took some forest path. He's been sitting by Van's side rather faithfully. Makes me want to write a book, or at least read one.
I got a job for the Sacramento Daily. I'm the new meteorologist. The original one retired. He's been working for the paper for thirty-nine years, so I've got some major shoes to fill.
Aunty was driving drunk last night, and she almost got into an accident. It makes me appreciate life more...but it also make me worry. I hope you never leave me.
- DRF"
Ferah sighed. Dameon was a famous worrier, but she knew he was right. Her father, her mother, and Van... Aunty was always at risk. If she lost Dameon, she didn't know what she'd do. Probably go insane and live with Roy in Pharae. What a nice life it must be.
"I'm starving." Said Dominick.
"There's a Taco Bell over there." Said Aaron, squinting and pointing. He didn't understand how New Yorkers could live, when the sun gleamed off every buildings' windows and right into your eyes.
"Big Taco Bell." Added Selena, shadowing her eyes. It didn't help at the slightest. It's like the windows were perfectly positioned to annoy you.
"I think we should run to the drug store first." Said Ferah. Selena nodded. "We need to get Aaron his allergy stuff, and didn't you say you needed more mascara?" Ferah asked.
"Yes. I suppose low quality merchandise will have to do for a few weeks." She said, shrugging
"If you last that long." Taunted Aaron.
Ferah pulled out a ten. "This is what I've got, after buying lunch yesterday." She had bought lunch to prove she wasn't angry, but it was pretty obvious she was. Today, however, she was just happy to be back in the action.
Aaron put his hands in his pockets. "Right. Who hasn't paid for a meal yet?" He nodded. "I know I have. I paid for the Chinese."
"I paid for the pizza!" Chimed Selena.
Dominick shrugged, and pushed the button for pedestrians to walk. "I'll pay for it then."
"This?" Asked Kaze, holding a long circular tube, where dark, thick liquid sloshed through. He did not expect this to take so long, and he was growing tired of shopping.
"No. Absolutely not." Said Selena, bringing it up to her eye for closer inspection. "Definitely not." She continued.
"Hm..." Ferah cocked her head to the side, and picked another tube. The passed it over to Selena. "This looks good. For me, anyway."
Selena shook it a little. "Oh, you're right. It's good." She dropped it into their little red shopping basket. "Of course, it's not very good...but the best out of the three."
"Ugh." Aaron sighed. All three bottles seemed to look the same. "You know you just contradicted yourself, don't you?" His little sister did that often, and he never understood why. It was like girl-slang.
"Hey!" Said Dominick. "There's donuts!"
"Oooo!" Said Aaron, running off after him. "Let's buy a dozen..." He pressed his hand against the glass. Creamy, sprinkled, and jelly-filled sweetness awaited him.
"Mm..." Said Selena, dreaming of donuts. "I haven't had a donut... in... ever." She said, then looked at Ferah, pursing her rich lips. "Are you gonna get one?"
"I will. Later, though." She looked through the bottles, looking for a good shade of lip-gloss. She had lost hers when she had spilled her purse at the last match.
Kaze stood next to her, waiting patiently.
"Aren't you going to go get a donut?" Ferah asked, cycling the shades and finding most of them were too light for her skin color.
"No." Said Kaze shortly. He didn't eat a lot of sugar, and was more interested in a good salad.
"Okay then, make yourself useful." She pushed the shopping basket into his arms. Ferah loved torturing him, making him do things that ruined his lordly stature.
The red basket was filled with things no one had intended to buy, but realized might be useful in the long run, like batteries and a linen roller to collect cat fur. He shuffled the basket in his arms, then looked at her. They both felt uncomfortable in each other's presence. "What time is it?" He asked. "The matches are at –"
"At three, I know." Ferah sighed and tossed a bottle into the basket. She figured they could go to some expensive store and get good quality items, but she didn't have a lot of money to spend freely knowing that there were many more days to go in the contest, and many more meals.
A scream hit the air like baseball on a stained-glass window. The melt at the end revealed it was Selena, and in utter horror and panic.
Ferah, who had been shifting through stuff in the shopping basket, dropped it. She ran forward, looking for Selena through the aisles.
Selena struggled away from her captor, her blonde hair flailing as the man tried to run away with his hairy arm around her thin stomach and his hand covering her mouth. She wore a tube top that revealed a small gap of midriff and a silver star. She tried to bite into his greasy fingers with her teeth, but he kept his hand cupped and out of reach from her teeth.
"Selena!" Aaron picked up a chair and tried to swing it at the man, but he turned so Selena was in the way and Aaron had to stop. The man smiled, but as he turned just slightly Aaron threw the chair. The man dove away, but Aaron tackled the large arm that didn't hold Selena.
Another man ran to help the kidnapper. "Help!" Dominick yelled, as he recklessly jumped onto the second man's leg.
Kaze looked back at Ferah, then took off towards them. The man saw him coming, and turned tail with Selena as his friend dealt with Aaron and Dominick. Kaze took a turn to cut the man off, but the man pushed a large container of discount items at him. Kaze jumped over the mess and followed after the man with Selena.
Aaron, temporarily subdued by the other man's grasp around his face slid his leg upward, his yellow-and-black T&T's digging into the man's face. He dropped Dominick so his hand was free to grab Aaron's leg, but he missed as Aaron stabilized himself by pushing up against the man's chest and kicking again. Ferah joined them, but saw her mistake as the man immediately swung Aaron's body away and went for her. She grabbed her Avatar Band with a fist in pure panic.
"ROY!" She screamed as her knees locked and froze, the man lunging for her.
Roy heard Ferah's voice thunder through the blue sky. He looked up from the Pharae courtyard, reading the alarm in her voice and the shock in her mind. He looked at Cecelia, then disappeared towards the sky. He came out immediately, his sword not drawn but his fists at the ready. He stood in front of her, and as the man lunged for Ferah, slammed his fist into the man's stomach. The man hit a shelf of canned foods and fell unconscious as Cambell's Chicken Broth covered his lap.
Aaron nodded breathlessly to Roy, picking Dominick off the ground. "Is everyone alright?" Roy demanded, trying to take charge of the immediate chaos. He looked back at Ferah, who covered her green eyes in his cape.
"Not Selena!" She choked. She leaned onto Roy's back for support, then ran off through the isles. Roy immediately followed after, and he, Aaron and Dominick caught up with her as she slowed, watching as Kaze tried to prevent the man's escape.
He swerved his black-clothed, sleek body and positioned himself in front of the glass doors, opening as he stepped on the mat. The man tried to run past Kaze, but Kaze swiftly swirled and delivered a roundhouse kick into the man's side. He dropped back, letting go of Selena, and reached for something in his jacket pocket. A gun.
Ferah screamed and tried to run forward, but Aaron and Roy held her back. Kaze should have been distracted, but he dropped down and slammed his foot into the man's shins, making the large man collapse in pain. He nearly collapsed forward onto Kaze, but Kaze swiftly shot his leg upwards into the man's chin. With a tight fist, Kaze knocked the gun out of his hands.
The only sound heard was the gun sliding away as the man tried to back up, his mouth open. He held up his hands in defeat. A crowd gathered as a local group of policemen arrived. Ferah ran past the salesclerks and citizens and helped up Selena. She looked completely shaken as she buried her tan face in the tangles on Ferah's shoulder. Ferah looked across to Kaze. He stood up, breathing deeply, still staring at the kidnapper through Asian eyes. He saw Ferah staring and nodded, saying he was done.
"You are certainly heroes!" Exclaimed the anchorwoman, shoving her microphone towards Ferah.
Ferah pushed it away with pale hands. "It was all Kaze, Aaron, Dominick, and..." She looked behind her. "...Roy."
"Then you must be..." Ferah stopped listening, and moved toward Selena, who was huddled in Aaron's arms. He seemed less concerned about a girl being in his arms than the well being of Selena. Ferah wreathed her arms around the two of them.
"Selena..." She whispered. "Are you alright?" She pulled back her hair.
"I'm... fine..." She said, and managed a weak smile. The weakest smile Ferah had ever seen cross Selena's face.
Kaze had retrieved Dominick, and now the Emerald Team Players, as well as Roy, huddled in a small circle. They had answered as much questions as they cared to, but immediately wanted to head back to the suite.
Selena closed her eyes and rested her head on Aaron's chest, finding that now she was safe in her circle of friends. Could she call them that? "Thank you, every body."
Dominick smiled, but he was the only one. He looked at Aaron, and Kaze, then at Roy.
"I didn't do anything." Murmured Ferah, closely wedged between Roy and Selena in their huddled circle. She didn't want either to leave her side.
"You did more than you think. Thanks." Breathed Selena.
Ferah held Selena's hand as the six of them slithered through the crowd and back onto the streets. Their steady walk nearly broke into a run as the hotel building's image became larger, a warm haven.
"The teams fighting today are... Sapphire versus Ruby, and Amethyst versus Topaz!" Shouted Hirogawa. Every time he spoke, he looked back at the Emerald Team, as if suddenly the kidnappers were to strike again, although he knew well that they were in a cell at the moment.
"Lucky us. Or maybe he knows we aren't in the mood to fight." Suggested Aaron as Players moved behind him. He yawned.
"That's good, but we should still pay attention to the matches." Said Kaze. Ferah was still in awe at the strength and speed of the real Kaze, not to mention his courage. Regardless, she was a little jealous. He didn't need Fox to help him fight. "Let's split up and watch the matches."
"I'll watch the Sapphire and Ruby match." Suggested Ferah. She wanted to see Cassandra and Trent.
"I'll come with you." Said Selena.
"Alright. Dominick, go with them. Aaron and I will watch the Amethyst-Topaz match." Kaze said, and got up. The team split up and followed the crowd.
As Selena, Ferah, and Dominick walked side by side, they talked amongst themselves.
"Big turnout today." Said Dominick, watching as the bystanders became more of an audience than a crowd.
Ferah sighed. "It's the commotion of today. We were on TV, remember? Live, and stuff. But I bet they're disappointed we aren't fighting."
"I am so glad we aren't." Said Selena. For the remainder of the day, she had been pretty silent, and also sat and stood more close to Kaze then any of the Emerald Players had.
They took their seats, which were the closest to the fray. Selena and Dominick summoned their Avatars, but Ferah was hesitant. She had already taken some time out of Roy's day, and the lady known as Cecelia had said how busy his day would be.
Selena had already told Daisy what happened when she visited Mushroom Kingdom to be in peace with the flower gardens.
The arena was mostly just a large field of purposely unmanaged green and yellow grass, up the knee. And after the signal sounded, it was apparent that there were many small ditches in the mysterious grass. Dominick and Ferah laughed as the heads of warriors bobbed up and down.
Selena sighed, gazing at the waves that rippled through the grass from the cool summer breeze. She wore the light blue, frilly cardigan Ferah had seen in the closet. Selena was determined never to wear something so flirty in New York again. Suddenly, the silhouette of someone familiar stirred in the distance of the crowds. "Oh." She said, and got up.
"What?" Asked Ferah, pulling her view away from handsome Marth.
"I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." Said Selena, picking up her purse.
Ferah nodded, understanding. "Okay. You wanna go by yourself?" She didn't know if Selena was stable yet.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Said Selena, as she took off.
XXX
HAHAHAHAHAH 10 PGS.
Okay, I'm done. .
You know what's really sad? I promised myself I would release at least seven (my favorite number) chapters before the start of the school year. However, it probably won't happen, because there are five days left before school starts here! Cries My friend/elder/whatever says that I'm a lot like Saria, but I'm not as sincere. I'm so insincere I can't promise myself anything and come through with it. -.-
I feel like being more literate... I think I'll go write a One-Shot or something.
And about that Roy x Ferah thing, I might have lied. . I really haven't decided yet. Ferah is surrounded by a lot of other guys. But no, no lemons. Or oranges, damn you.
Special Thanx to my Editor, XaNGrrR.
-SK