Chapter 15
"How can Tobli just completely change the play around just hours before we go on stage?" complained Zidane.
Zidane ranted and paced around the backstage dressing room. Vivi stood there calmly though.
"He said he had an epitome or umm epiph…whats the word?" asked Vivi.
"Epiphany…" said Zidane.
"Yeah that's it. He had one of those and changed the play around a bit" said Vivi.
"Well it looks like he changed it completely around. I mean there are extra characters and extra lines. How am I going to learn this in a few hours?" yelled Zidane as he reached for the script that sat on a counter.
"Tobli says it will be easy. Just stop complaining and start reading over the stuff. Look at the ending it's still the same….and you know what that means…I think you will enjoy that" said Vivi as he flipped through the pages of script.
"Yeah well I guess you're right. –sigh- I guess if I can learn most of this stuff and improvise if need be. It might not be that hard now that I look at it. I'd just feel more comfortable if I got a chance to practice with the new changes to the play" said Zidane as he also flipped through the script
"I'm glad I get to say a few more lines this time" said Vivi.
"Did you even have anything to say before?" asked Zidane.
"No you had both lines to say when we were hunchback peasants" said Vivi.
Elsewhere backstage Tobli was running around in his usual excited manner. Some Hypello workers were preparing the props and Tobli was instructing them.
"Oh do be careful with that! It would be a tragedy if that was to break!" yelled Tobli to the Hypellos carrying a large prop.
"Don't yoush worry chieeef" said one of the Hypello.
"Tobli are you absolutely sure about these changes to the play?" said Garnet as she walked up. Her costume was different as she was no longer a princess in the story. Her costume was more modern. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a dark blue short sleeved t-shirt. That had "princess" written on it. In her hand she held a script.
"Oh I am most certain that the changes to the play will be absolutely, positively one hundred percent well received by the audience" said Tobli.
"That's nice but you know we would all feel more comfortable if we had more time to practice this. I mean there are a lot of new things in this script….it's almost completely different…in fact it is completely different aside from the ending" said Garnet as she flipped through the script.
"Yes but you have more than enough time to add the new information with what you already know! Trust me this will be the bestest most funnest show ever!"
"Tobli "bestest" and "funnest" aren't words" said Garnet.
"Oh look your new co-stars are here! Everyone come and meet your co stars" yelled Tobli not really paying attention to Garnet.
A group of seven people walked up to Tobli backstage. They were the new additions that Tobli had added to the play at the last minute. Zidane, Vivi, Kairi, and Sora walked up from their dressing rooms and joined Tobli and Garnet.
"Cid, how the hell did you talk me into this?" asked Barret shaking his head.
"Damnit! I needed someone to come with me because Shera talked me into this!" yelled Cid.
"Well Tobli talked me into it. It will be fun for all of us just give it a chance" said Shera as she grabbed Cid's arm and pulled him along a bit. He really didn't want to do this.
"Oh this is so wonderful! I've always wanted to be in a play" said a lady with short black hair. Her name was Elma and she seemed very excited to be backstage because she kept looking around at all the props and things while smiling.
"This should be a lot of fun" said a lady with long red hair. Her name was Lucil and she was somewhat calmer than Elma.
"I hope none of those sandbags up there will fall on me" said a man with short dirty blonde hair. His name was Clasko and he was somewhat nervous as he looked up at the hanging sandbags.
"Stop worrying Clasko" said Elma.
"But it seems so dangerous" said Clasko.
Last but not least old man Maechen walked up.
"Good Evening young ones" said Maechen as he walked up to the group.
"Alright then everyone is here finally! Time is short so let me introduce everyone. This is Zidane, Sora, Vivi, Garnet, and Kairi and over here we have Barret, Cid, Shera, Elma, Lucil, Clasko, and Maechen. Everyone get to make up and get your costumes ready! Make sure you read over the changes to the play thoroughly!" said Tobli pointing to each person respectively
"Man I wish I could have gotten a nap before I came here I'm a little tired" said Barret.
Barret yawned and stretched his arms high in the air when….
-BLAM BLAM-
Barret's gun arm accidentally fired into the air. The bullets struck the rope of a sandbag and it came plummeting down where it crashed into the ground right beside Clasko.
"…sorry" said Barret.
"Barret go take the bullets out of that damn thing…" said Cid shaking his head.
"I guess I should go do that" said Barret walking away.
"See? I told you it was dangerous here!" yelled Clasko.
(Next Scene)
A few hours had passed and the audience had begun entering the theater. Zell and Yuffie walked through the doors of the theater and began looking for their seat.
"Hey Zell what are our seat numbers again?" asked Yuffie.
"E-27 and E-28" said Zell looking at the tickets.
"Oh I think I see the E's over here" said Yuffie
The two walked down the steps to their row. The place was packed with people trying to get to their seats. It seemed Riku advertising the play on Termidate was a great help because the place was filled to capacity.
"Yeah here they are. I hope I don't get stuck beside someone with big hair or something" said Yuffie as she began walking down the row of chairs
"If that happens I'll switch chairs with you" said Zell.
"Cool thanks" said Yuffie as she and Zell sat down. They were near the middle of their row.
"I hope this play is really good" said Zell looking through the playbill.
"Yeah there is nothing worse than a boring play" said Yuffie.
"The only thing about this play is the name. One Flew Over the Chocobo's Nest: A tale of confusing love. That is one strange title"
"Yeah it needs a little work" said Yuffie.
"Hey Zell!"
Zell looked in the distance and saw Irvine yelling to him. Irvine was with Selphie, Squall, and Rinoa.
"Hey guys!" yelled Zell as he waved to them.
They all smiled and waved back then went to their seats on the other side of the auditorium.
"Those were my friends from SeeD" said Zell.
"Oh" said Yuffie.
Meanwhile Irvine, Selphie, Rinoa, and Squall filed into their row in that order.
"Here they are. C-37 through C- 41" said Irvine as he and the others sat down.
"Who is that girl with Zell?" asked Rinoa.
"Isn't her name Yuffie, Irvine?" asked Squall.
"Yeah that's Yuffie. She and Zell are good friends now" said Irvine.
"Oh that's nice. Zell deserves a lady friend" said Selphie.
"Yeah he really does" agreed Rinoa
Squall reached in his pocket and felt a small box that was in there.
"Why do I keep checking to see if it's still there?" thought Squall.
(Next Scene)
Backstage everyone had their costumes on and was prepared to start the play. Zidane wore a pair of jeans and a white shirt that had "Hero" written on it. Garnet had the same costume on that she had earlier. The other people's costumes were a lot different from Zidanes and Garnets. Barret wore a white sailor suit with a cap.
"You look like a big teddy bear" said Cid to Barret.
"Oh hush" said Barret.
Cid wore a costume of a red fox. The fox costume was dressed in clothes like a chimney sweep black coat, pants, and hat. Cid held the fox head piece in his hands.
Shera stood next to Cid and was dressed as a baby chicken with yellow feathers. Her head piece sat on the floor next to her feet. She stood there and smiled at Cid.
"I really like my costume" said Clasko who was dressed like a farmer. He wore overalls and a big straw hat.
"It looks nice on you" said Elma who wore a big yellow cat suit. Small whispers were painted on her face to make her look more catlike.
"Yes Clasko you make a fine farmer" said Lucil who was also dressed up as a baby chick with yellow feathers.
"I really like this turtle outfit! Even though it still has a hunched back at least I'm not a peasant this time" said Vivi who was dressed in a green turtle costume with a large shell on the back. Vivi put the turtle head piece to the costume over his head.
"It's sort of hot in here though…" said Vivi from inside the head.
"That looks cool" said Sora. Sora was dressed like a knight in full armor. He had a sword sheathed at his side. Sora pulled the visor of his helmet up above his head to reveal his face
"My knight in shining armor" smiled Kairi as she hugged him. Kairi was dressed as a Mother hen with white feathers.
"Ow your beak is about to poke me in the eye" said Sora.
"Oh I'm sorry" said Kairi.
Maechen was dressed in long white robes and carried a walking stick. He looked like an old sage.
"All of you look very nice. This reminds of a story…Long ago…" Maechen was interrupted.
"Oh no time no time for stories! The play is about to begin! Places everyone! Remember your lines! Go out there and break a leg!...not literally of course…" said Tobli.
The actors got ready to start the play. Their hard work and practice would be put to the test now….
(A/N narrator's voice is in italics)
(One Flew Over the Chocobo's Nest)
The audience got quiet as the lights in the theater dimmed. The play was about to begin. Two large spotlights appeared on the closed curtain and Tobli stepped out onto the stage.
"Good Evening everyone! I am most certainly thrilled that you have come to see the show! Please be courteous and turn off all cell phones or set them to vibrate. Once again please enjoy the show!" Tobli walked off to the right side of the stage and the play began.
Once upon a time there was a young man.
The curtains opened and Zidane and Garnet stood at the center of the stage. The background of this scene was of a garden with several props of trees and flowers. Zidane and Garnet walked around the garden side by side.
This young man was in love with a beautiful young woman but he did not know how to tell her. In fact he did not know if he should tell her. The thought of revealing his true feelings to her left him afraid and confused.
"There is something I have to tell you" said Zidane as he and Garnet stopped walking around.
"Oh?...what is it?" asked Garnet. She looked into his eyes and smiled brightly.
"Well we've been friends for a while now and…." stuttered Zidane.
"Yes?" smiled Garnet.
"I…well…I" stuttered Zidane.
"Yes?" smiled Garnet as she stepped closer to him.
"I…have to go now!" said Zidane as he ran off
"Wait!" said Garnet.
Zidane ran off and Garnet stood there alone in the garden.
"I love you too…." said Garnet holding her head down sadly.
The curtains closed and the next scene was set up very quickly
No matter how hard he tried the young man could not find the words to say to her. He was simply confused by it all. Little did he know that he was about to embark on a journey that would confuse him even more but through that confusion. He would find understanding.
The curtains opened and the back drop for it was a bedroom. Zidane paced back and forth near the bed then put his hands on a dresser. He looked straight up then looked down sadly.
"Why can't I tell her?" asked Zidane.
He walked over to the right side of the bed and sat down.
"-sigh- I don't know what to do….maybe I'll feel better after a nap" said Zidane.
Zidane lied down on the bed and closed his eyes.
He closed his eyes and began this journey to another place...a very strange and confusing place indeed...has he fallen madly in love or "Flown over the chocobo's nest" as these strange people say?
The lights were shut off completely and the whole theater was dark. In the darkness the scene was changed. When the lights came back on Zidane was asleep on the ground and the background was of a thick forest with several trees.
"Hmmm…huh?" groaned Zidane as he got up from the ground.
He looked around at the forest.
"Where am I? How did I get here?" asked Zidane as he looked around frantically.
"OOOOOOOOOOO A sailor's life is one that's free! Won't you come and row this boat with me? And I never ever ever knew a chicken that was clever 'cause a chicken that was clever wouldn't cross the street!" sang Barret.
Barret was dressed as a sailor and he stood on a rowboat. The rowboat was pulled across from the left side of the stage with a thin wire pulley on the right side of the stage. The rowboat slid across the stage like it was in water. On the boat with him was Elma the cat and Vivi the turtle. Elma and Vivi had oars and pretended to paddle the rowboat.
"Land ho mates! Ahoy there! Three points to starboard! Prepare the plank and other nautical expressions!" yelled Barret.
"Meow! Captain that person is standing in the middle of the ocean Meow!" said Elma as she pointed to Zidane.
"We must help him before he drowns" said Vivi.
"Hurry and swim to the rowboat boy! We'll save you" said Barret to Zidane.
Zidane looked around confused because he was in the middle of a forest.
"Umm…we're not in the ocean" said Zidane puzzled.
"The rowboat got closer to Zidane.
"He's crazy!" said Vivi.
"It's sea madness! Meow!" said Elma.
"Being out in the ocean so long must have made him crazy! Quick get in the boat before you drown!" yelled Barret.
Zidane still looked puzzled but he simply stepped into the rowboat.
"Meow! Now you're safe!" said Elma
"Umm…thanks?" said Zidane. He had no idea what was happening. The rowboat continued to move to the right of the stage.
"No problem at all young man! My crew and I will take you to safety! Put your backs into it crew! OOOOOOOOOOO A sailor's life is one that's neat! How I love to row my boat each week! And I never ever ever knew a turkey named Trevor 'cause a turkey named Trevor I would never eat!" sang Barret.
The rowboat got closer to the right side of the stage and stopped.
"Here we are crew! There is nothing like seeing land after a long journey out to sea!" said Barret stepping off the rowboat.
"Yes Meow!" said Elma stepping off the boat.
"But we weren't even in the ocean" said Zidane.
"This crazy guy is scaring me. Sea madness isn't contagious is it?" asked Vivi as he scratched the top of his turtle head.
"I'm crazy? You all are the ones rowing a boat in the middle of a forest" said Zidane.
Vivi, Barret, and Elma looked at Zidane strangely.
"He's much worse than I thought Meow!" said Elma.
"Listen I just need to get back home. There's something I have to do back home" said Zidane.
"What is it you have to do?" asked Vivi.
"I have to tell this girl how I feel about her. I have to find a way out of this strange place so that I can tell her" said Zidane.
"Oh that's why he's so confused! Meow!" said Elma.
"I think he's flown over the chocobo's nest" said Vivi.
"Flown over the chocobo's nest?" asked Zidane as he scratched his head.
"Around these parts it means you're madly in love" said Barret
"Indeed" said Vivi.
"You're so in love that you're completely confused Meow!" said Elma.
"Why haven't you told her how you felt yet?" asked Barret.
"Well…I guess I just get scared…" said Zidane.
"What are you afraid of…this? Meow!" through theater special effects a large amount of white smoke covered Elma through vents in the stage floor.
The smoke covered her enough for Garnet to come to the stage through a trap door and switch places with Elma giving the illusion that Elma had changed into Garnet. As the smoke cleared Garnet stood where Elma once stood.
"Whoa you changed into…" stuttered Zidane.
"Go ahead and practice on her" said Barret.
"Uh ok…hey I just wanted to tell you that…" Garnet interrupted Zidane
"I don't love you!" yelled Garnet.
"What?" said Zidane startled a bit.
"You're afraid that I won't feel the same way you do correct?" asked Garnet.
"Umm I guess so" said Zidane.
"Well honestly there isn't much you can do about that…but should that stop you from trying at all?" asked Garnet. She smiled brightly at Zidane.
"Well when you put it like that…" Zidane scratched his head as if he was putting some serious thought into what Garnet said.
"Bye" smiled Garnet as the smoke came through the vents in the floor once again. As it covered her completely Elma switched places with her again through the trap door in the floor giving the illusion that she had changed from Garnet back into the cat.
"Meow! If you never try you'll never know Meow!" said Elma
"Nothing ventured then nothing gained" said Barret
"Quit being a wuss and talk to her" said Vivi.
Barret and Elma looked strangely at Vivi.
"That didn't sound very nice did it?" asked Vivi.
Barret and Elma shook their heads no.
"Well thanks for the advice and umm…how can you turn into a person by the way?" asked Zidane to Elma somewhat puzzled.
"Because I'm a cat" said Elma
"Umm ok…" said Zidane even more confused.
"We'll take you to a path that will take you home. It's a pretty long road though but it will definitely take you back home" said Barret.
The curtain closed for the next scene
The young man followed the Sailor, the Cat, and the Turtle to a paved road with yellow bricks. Where would this strange road lead him?
The curtain opened again and Zidane, Barret, Vivi, and Elma were standing on the left side of the stage. On the ground was a road that had yellow bricks in it.
"Here we are Meow!" said Elma.
"This road will take you to a portal that will take you wherever you want to go" said Barret.
"What's that smell? Gosh something smells bad" said Zidane.
"Oh sorry…I couldn't hold that one in…" said Vivi.
"No it's the bricks on the road. This is the Smelly Brick Road" said Barret.
"Oh yeah…well disregard what I just said" said Vivi.
"It's the smelly brick road? It smells awful!" said Zidane hold his nose.
"That's why they call it the smelly brick road Meow!" said Elma.
"Just follow the smelly brick road!" said Barret.
"Follow the smelly brick road?" asked Zidane still holding his nose
"Follow the smelly brick road!" said Vivi.
Barret, Vivi, and Elma began to sing dance around and Follow the yellow brick road from the wizard of oz began to play.
Follow the smelly Brick Road. Follow the smelly Brick Road.
Follow,
follow, follow, follow,
Follow
the smelly Brick Road.
Follow
the smelly Brick, Follow the smelly Brick, Follow the smelly Brick
Road.
Zidane ran down the smelly brick road as Barret, Vivi, and Elma continued to sing. The curtain closed and a new scene was set up very quickly.
The young man continued down the smelly brick road. It was a very long road and he had been walking for so long that he got used to the smelly bricks. The young man came upon a farmer.
The background of this scene was of a cornfield. Clasko stood in the center of the stage dressed as a farmer. In his hand he held a rake. Zidane entered from the left side of the stage no longer holding his nose because of the smelly brick road.
"Hello there!" said Clasko.
"Hello" said Zidane as he walked up to Clasko.
"What brings you through these parts? I don't see many travelers this way" said Clasko.
"Well I'm going to the end of the smelly brick road so I can go home and tell a girl how I feel about her. Yeah that's it in a nutshell" said Zidane.
"Oh I see…so you've flown over the chocobo's nest eh?" asked Clasko.
"Well…I uh…guess so" said Zidane.
"I see. Why didn't you take the non smelly brick road?" asked Clasko
"There's a non smelly brick road?" asked Zidane.
"There sure is. It's a quicker route and goes to the same place as this one. The bricks on that road smell like fresh baked bread mmm mmm" said Clasko rubbing his stomach.
"I guess that's why I haven't seen anyone walking this road until now" said Zidane.
"Yep they are all traveling on the non smelly brick road but say why haven't you told this young woman how you feel" asked Clasko.
"I guess I was afraid she'd reject me" said Zidane looking down sadly.
"Well how about a little practice shall we?" asked Clasko. Clasko reached into his overalls and pulled out a corncob. He pulled a kernel off the cob and through it on the ground.
Once again through theater special effects some white smoke blew through vents in the stage floor. Once enough had come up Garnet came through a trap door and stood next to Zidane and Clasko giving the illusion that she appeared from a corn kernel.
"Hi there!" smiled Garnet as she waved to Zidane.
"Hey" said Zidane.
"Go ahead and tell her" said Clasko.
"Hey I really like you and I just wanted to tell you that…" Zidane was interrupted by Garnet.
"Oh I love you too! I'm so happy you finally told me! I've felt the same way for so long" yelled Garnet as she ran at Zidane and began hugging him.
"Whoa…I uh…" said Zidane in shock.
"You never know…she could be feeling the same way you do. There's no guarantee of that but hey…"
"…nothing ventured then nothing gained" said Zidane continuing Clasko's sentence as he hugged Garnet back.
"Exactly" said Clasko as he smiled and gave a little tug on his overalls.
Garnet stopped hugging Zidane and took a few steps back.
"I'll see you later sweety" she smiled and waved. The smoke rose again and she exited through a trap door in the floor.
Zidane stood there and smiled.
"Thanks for your help. I guess I should be going now" said Zidane.
"Good luck" said Clasko.
"Thank's and how did you make her appear out of nowhere like that by the way?" asked Zidane.
"Well I threw a kernel of corn on the ground what did you expect?" asked Clasko.
"Umm…of course" said Zidane.
The young man continued down the smelly brick road. He felt somewhat better than before. It was as if he was being filled with confidence and energy that he had never felt before.
The curtain closed to prepare for the next scene. The curtains opened and the new setting was that of a wide open field. Maechen sat down on the ground resting. He was dressed in white robes and a walking stick. He looked like an old wise sage. Zidane approached from the left side of the stage and Maechen stood up. The right side of the stage was kept very dark and nothing could be seen over there.
"Hello there young man" said Maechen.
"Hey" said Zidane.
"What brings you down the smelly brick road young one?" asked Maechen.
"I'm going to the end of the smelly brick road so I can go home and tell a girl how I feel about her" said Zidane.
"Ah…you've flown over the chocobo's nest have you now? You are madly in love. This reminds me of a story said Maechen.
"Umm I'm kind of in a hurry…" said Zidane but Maechen continued.
The dark right half of the stage was lit and showed that Shera the bumble bee, Sora the knight, Cid the fox were standing there. They would act out Maechen's story.
"This is the story of the Fox and the Knight –ahem-" said Maechen.
Maechen started the story.
Maechen: The fox and the knight were walking through the land. The sky was blue and vast and wide and covered all the land
As Maechen talked Sora the knight and Cid the fox walked around the stage until they stood at very close to the edge of it.
Sora: Mr. Fox
Maechen : Said the knight
Sora: My stomach begins to hurt. We should find some food and eat if you don't mind the work.
Cid: Work? Ha! The time has come!
Maechen: The fox did say.
Cid: To talk of other things, of joy and bees and apple trees and dreadful rainy days. And why my pants are tight or not and why the birds do sing! Hooray Hooray no work today on dreadful rainy days!
As Cid did his lines, Kairi, Shera, and Lucil entered from the left side of the stage. Kairi dressed as a mother hen while both Shera and Lucil were dressed as baby chicks. Cid the fox called out to them.
Cid: Oh chickens come and play with us! The day is neat and can't be beaten.
Sora: You surely won't be….eaten.
Sora lifted the visor of his helmet and licked his lips hungrily. Kairi the mother hen looked at Cid and Sora and began flapping her wings frantically
Maechen: But mother hen flapped her wings and shook her yellow beak. She knew too well that they planned to make them their dinner for the week.
Kairi: Little chicks follow my lead and run away with me.
Maechen: Mother said.
Lucil and Shera: Flee! Flee!
Kairi, Lucil, and Shera ran off the stage to the left and Cid and Sora were right behind them.
"And that as they say is that" said Maechen ending his story.
Zidane looked at him for a few seconds with a blank stare. Then finally spoke.
"That story made no sense at all. How did my situation even remind you of that story?" asked Zidane.
"You're right it made no sense but neither does being afraid to tell some young lady how you feel….good day" said Maechen.
Maechan walked away slowly and exited the stage to the left.
Zidane stood there for a moment then continued on to the right of the stage. The curtain closed so the final scene could be set up quickly.
The young man continued up the smelly brick road and along the way he thought of everything that he had learned. With his head hanging down he contemplated it all. He was lost in thought and didn't realize where he was...
The curtains opened and the background was of the garden that was in the first scene. Zidane entered from the right of the stage once again. He held his head down and walked along as if lost in thought. Garnet stood toward the center of the stage and smiled as he approached.
The young man did not know that the smelly brick road had finally taken him back to where he wanted to go. He wanted to go back and try this all over again.
Zidane finally looked up and saw Garnet standing there smiling at him. He looked surprised and then looked around to see that he was back in the garden.
"Hello. You're late again" smiled Garnet.
"How did I get back here?" said Zidane confused.
"You walked silly" laughed Garnet.
"But where is the smelly brick road?" asked Zidane as he looked down on the ground.
"Smelly…brick…road?" asked Garnet confused.
"Where's the sailor, the turtle, and the cat in the rowboat. Where'd the farmer go? Where's that old man that talked about Foxes and Knights eating chickens?" asked Zidane as he looked around.
"Are you alright?" asked Garnet.
The young man had been given the chance to finally tell her how he felt. He knew now that he could not let this opportunity pass by.
"No I'm not alright. There's something I've wanted to get off my chest for the longest time…" said Zidane walking up to her.
He reached out and held her right hand.
"What is it?" asked Garnet staring back.
"I've flown over the chocobo's nest" said Zidane.
"Chocobo's nest?" asked Garnet.
"It means I'm madly in love with you. I've wanted to tell you for so long. I feel better that I've told you. I know there is a chance that you won't feel the same but it's still better that I told you" said Zidane.
Garnet smiled brightly and then hugged Zidane.
"I love you…too" she said as she hugged him.
Zidane held Garnet and she looked into his eyes. Their heads inched closer together. Zidane and Garnet's lips met and the two kissed passionately on stage. The audience clapped and cheered loudly and Zidane and Garnet continued to kiss. Backstage their fellow actors watched.
"Wow that's some great acting!" said Sora.
"Somehow I don't think that's acting…" said Kairi.
"Were they even supposed to kiss this long? Whoa I think I saw some tongue action" asked Vivi
"If this doesn't get those two to finally admit that they like each other I don't know what will" said Kairi.
Zidane and Garnet were still kissing each other and the crowd continued to applaud.
"So she does like him?" asked Vivi.
"Yeah she thinks he's great but she won't say much about it" said Kairi.
"Well, he likes her too but he won't simply go ahead and ask her out… hmm maybe we should give them a little push" said Vivi rubbing his hands together.
"What did you have in mind?" asked Kairi who seemed really intrigued.
"You two playing matchmaker?" asked Sora.
"Yeah, here's the plan" said Vivi as he ushered Sora and Kairi closer.
The huddled together and Vivi whispered to them.
"Hmm interesting…I like it ha ha" said Kairi.
Zidane and Garnet finally stopped. Neither one of them planned to kiss like that…it just sort of …happened.
"Wow…." said Garnet blushing a bit.
Zidane smiled and the two turned to the audience. Many people in the audience were standing up and applauding. Soon Zidane and Garnet were joined with the rest of the cast and Tobli. Even the Hypellos that worked the set came out on stage. They all waved at the audience and smiled.
(Next Scene)
Zell and Yuffie waited outside the theater after the show. Many people were leaving the theater.
"I think you'll like my friends. They're pretty cool" said Zell.
"Ok then I'd like to meet them" said Yuffie.
Soon Squall Irvine, Rinoa, and Selphie walked out of the theater.
"Hey over here!" shouted Zell.
They made their way over to Zell and Yuffie.
"Hey guys this is Yuffie. Yuffie this is Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa, and Squall" said Zell as he pointed to each person respectively.
"Hey everybody" smiled Yuffie.
"Hey Yuffie it's nice to meet you" smiled Selphie.
"Hey there" said Rinoa.
"Howdy" said Irvine tipping his hat.
"Hey" said Squall.
"You all want to go get something to eat?" asked Zell.
"Sure what do you feel like eating?" asked Irvine.
Zell and Yuffie looked at each other and smiled then together they said…
"Hot dogs!"
Then they both started to laugh.
"Wow that was creepy" thought Squall.
"Ok then. Hot dogs are alright with me" said Selphie.
"Yeah me too" said Rinoa.
"Hot dogs it is then" said Irvine.
The group set off to go find some hot dogs.
(Next Scene)
Aeris turned off all the lights in her apartment. She then sat Indian style on the couch in the living room and closed her eyes. She had been putting off talking to the planet for a really long time. Aeris was a Cetra. The Cetra were an ancient tribe that could telepathically communicate with the planet. This was a secret that Aeris never told anyone.
As a child she could hear the words of the planet and it scared her so for many years she tuned out those words and tried to live as normal of a life as possible. Her mother Ilfana sensed that something was very wrong with the planet and had asked her to communicate with it. As she closed her eyes she concentrated. She opened her mind and her heart to the cries of the planet.
"….D…an…ger"
Aeris could faintly hear a voice inside her head. She concentrated harder to hear it clearly.
"….Dan…ger….Danger"
"What is in danger?" asked Aeris in her mind.
"O…r…b"
"What is it?" Aeris concentrated harder.
"…Orb.." said the voice clearly this time.
"Show me what is in danger" said Aeris.
Aeris felt her mind being taken over. It was like a powerful energy rushed through her head and soon Aeris had a vision.
(Aeris' Vision)
Aeris fell through what looked like a bottomless pit. Swirls of blue green energy swirled around her as she continued to fall.
"Where are you taking me?" asked Aeris.
"..Orb" said the voice.
Aeris began to slow down and soon her feet touched ground. She looked around to see that the place was extremely dark. She couldn't see anything not even her own body. After a few moments a bright light appeared several feet in front of her. She looked up to see a large white orb floating in front of her.
"An orb…what is this?" asked Aeris.
"…The….he..ar..t"
The voice of the planet got very faint.
"The heart?" asked Aeris.
(End Vision)
Aeris snapped out of her vision and sweat poured from her head. She set her head down on a pillow on the couch.
"My head is killing me" said Aeris as she held her head.
She had a throbbing headache.
"That's why I hate talking to the planet…" said Aeris as she held her head in pain.
(Next Scene)
Yuna waited for Tidus outside of the Summoner Academy. They were going to meet up and get something to eat later. Yuna sat down on the large steps then she heard a loud whistle.
"What is that sound?" thought Yuna as she stood up and looked around.
In the distance she saw Tidus walking up. He stuck his right index finger and his thumb in his mouth and whistled. He smiled and then walked up to Yuna.
"How did you do that?" asked Yuna.
"It's easy. Just put those two fingers in your mouth and blow" said Tidus.
Yuna put her fingers in her mouth and tried to blow but only air came out.
"Oh I can't do it" said Yuna sadly.
"Keep practicing. Then when you get good at it you can whistle and you'll know I'll come for you" said Tidus putting his arm around Yuna.
"That's sweet" smiled Yuna.
"I know" smiled Tidus.
"How did the commercial go?" asked Yuna.
"You'll never believe who I got to work with!" said Tidus.
"Who did you get to work with?"
"Lenne!" said Tidus.
"Wow really? She did the commercial with you?" asked Yuna still not really believing.
"Yeah, she's really nice too. She's down to earth. Not really what you'd expect from a big time celebrity" said Tidus.
"Well that's nice. I can't wait to see the commercial" said Yuna.
(Next Scene)
Sephiroth looked down on the SOLDIER recruits through a window in a booth that was high above the training area. The SOLDIER recruits were all in a line and they were practicing their sword swings. Cloud and Zack stood next to each other holding their buster swords high above their heads. On the command of the officer the entire squad would swing their swords vertically then raise it back up over their heads. They did this over and over and some of the recruit's arms were shaking because they were tired. Cloud and Zack stood strong though.
Sephiroth paid very close attention to Cloud. There was something strange about him and familiar. For some reason Sephiroth felt hate toward him and he didn't even know who he was. An officer holding a clipboard stood next to Sephiroth in the booth.
"Who is that blonde boy in the front row?" asked Sephiroth pointing to Cloud.
The officer flipped through some pages and found Cloud's profile.
"Sir! His name is Cloud Strife. Sir!" said the officer.
"Cloud Strife…" said Sephiroth.
Meanwhile down in the training area.
"ATTENTION! OK YOU MOUNDS OF MARLBORO MANURE! THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY! I MUST SAY YOU ALL DID A GOOD JOB TODAY. NO ONE PISSED ME OFF….TOO BADLY" yelled the loud officer also known by Cloud and Zack as Sergeant Poop.
As a reward you get a ten minute break before you have to return to the barracks. Rest up. Tommorow we work you even harder. Dismissed" said the calm officer.
"Dismissed! Yes Sir!" shouted the recruits in unison.
The recruits then relaxed and talked to each other for a bit.
"You holding up alright?" asked Zack.
"Yeah, I'm alright you?" asked Cloud.
"Yeah I think I need to sit down for a bit though" said Zack as he pointed to some benches that were aligned along the wall.
Cloud and Zack sat on some benches near a door that was slightly opened.
"What types of poop do you suppose he'll call us tomorrow?" asked Zack as he leaned back in his seat.
"Hmm I don't know I…." Cloud stopped when he heard a voice from the door.
"..but seriously Reno if Tifa doesn't give it up when I get back to Square City…I'm just going to have to dump her"
It was Rude talking about Tifa.
"I understand you man. You can say what you want about Elena but hey…she can get with the program at least. This Tifa chick sounds like a tease. You're buying her dinner and taking her to lame SeeD balls and shit and she's still isn't pulling the panties down? I say dump the broad…" said Reno from inside the room.
Cloud stood up from the bench. He was furious at what he heard.
"Umm Cloud? Are you ok?" asked Zack.
Cloud clinched his fists together and walked to the door.
"It's going to be hard because she does have a nice rack and…" said Rude.
Cloud pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. The room was a small office. Reno sat behind the desk and Rude sat in a chair in front of the desk. Both Rude and Reno looked at Cloud as he was standing there.
"Hey Claude isn't it? Don't you have some training to do?" asked Rude.
"It's Cloud. Don't ever talk about Tifa like that again!" yelled Cloud.
By then Zack was standing behind Cloud.
"Cloud what's going on?" asked Zack. He was really confused.
"Who the hell does this guy think he is?" said Reno as he stood up from the desk.
"No Reno I can handle this" said Rude as he got up from the chair and walked over to Cloud.
Cloud and Rude stood very close to each other. Rude was taller than Cloud and looked down on him. Cloud looked up and the two of them just stared at each other.
"Tifa really likes you…she's my friend…I'm not going to let you talk about her like that" said Cloud. Cloud was getting really mad now.
"Oh so you're the hero that comes to the rescue eh? Or maybe you have a little thing for Tifa huh? I kinda figured that….listen Cloud…just go back to your training. Just walk away before someone gets hurt.
"C'mon Cloud lets go" said Zack.
"Yeah you're right…" said Cloud about to turn around.
Cloud turned back around and punched Rude straight in the stomach with his right fist then hit him in the jaw with his left. Rude stumbled back a bit.
"Someone might get hurt" said Cloud.
"You just dug your own grave" laughed Rude.
"Ass kicking time" said Reno as he pulled his electromag rod out.
"Oh no…" said Zack shaking his head.
(End Chapter 15)
Hello. I hope the play wasn't too weird for you. It was a spoof of Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz. I changed the play around from when they were practicing it earlier in the story. Elma, Clasko, and Lucil are the chocobo knights from FFX and they made an appearance. Vivi has a plan to hook Zidane and Garnet up and Aeris has communicated with the planet. Will Yuna learn how to whistle someday? Looks like Cloud is really mad….all I have to say is LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE! It's Cloud and Zack vs Rude and Reno next chapter. Take care.