Wonderwall
Author: Chaos ValkyrieDate Conceptualized: January 2, 2006
Posted Chapter 02: February 3, 2006
Updated: April 15, 2008
Disclaimer: Nadda Zip Zilch, and all that good stuff.
Author's Note: All right, on to Chapter 02. The plot for the first ten or so chapters will focus on Rikku's share of what happened behind the scenes during the first half of the game. From Jael's POV, of course.
Side Note: Al Bhed translations are posted at the end. I thought about posting them in the text, but I refrained because it distracted from the story, and for those who read a lot of FFX fics, most of the basic phrases you already know. And hey, at least I posted them… I've read some stories that leave you to do-it-yourself.
Chapter Two: Crystal Ship
Groaning, I raise a shaking hand to my forehead and wince, eyes closed. That was one fucking-hell-of-a dream. Blood and gore and fallen friends flood my inner vision, and I quickly sit up, shaking my head and opening my eyes so I can leave the nightmare behind…
Except I can't, because I realize that I've been sleeping on the floor of a shattered building, cold and wet and miserable. And there's blood on my arm from when the stadium exploded, and bruises from where Garen flung me, and I pull my goggles down to my neck as I begin to weep. I wrap my arms around my knees and cry for all the pain I had to keep inside while we ran. And I see Wenno and Luke's final defensive, and Garen standing there, giving me his thumbs-up to tell me it'll all be okay… And I bawl harder.
Eventually, I hear a big explosion, and my head jerks up so fast I actually hear my neck snap. Wincing, feeling the whiplash, I jump up, grab my bag and run for the door. I don't know where I am in Zanarkand, but this building doesn't look like it'll take much more damage.
I find myself on a balcony, and I rush to the railing to look down. I snort, frowning as I notice Mr. Wonderful fighting some big lizard. 'I ran in here for that?' I think sarcastically. There's a… well, I think it's a girl helping him, and I realize she's the one causing the explosions as she pulls a pin and throws a grenade at the creature. It staggers from the hit and snarls menacingly.
There are other people standing behind them, and I frown as I realize they're not helping the others. Sure, it looks like Tidus and the girl have things under control, but these guys have guns, for crying out loud. Why don't they just shoot it?
I palm the rail and vault over to the ground below. No one sees me as I fall behind the rubble. The ground shakes and the creature takes one more grenade to the gut and dies in a swarm of fairy lights. Seems almost familiar.
Tidus tries to start charming the group as I edge closer. They're saying something, but I must not be hearing them properly because it's all gibberish. Then the girl knees Tidus in the gut and he's out for the count. I smirk. I think I'll like her.
I hear a grunt behind me, and my spine stiffens and I slowly turn just in time to see a heavy metal boot connect perfectly with my sore little posterior. I yelp as I am flung out onto the floor, my hands flying forward to catch myself. I look up to see a similar pair of boots filling my vision… they just happen to be slightly smaller than the last pair. My gaze continues upwards until I'm looking into a pair of dark goggles, and I grin nervously as I look over at Tidus' limp form.
'Please don't kick me in the face,' is my one and only thought.
She does seem to consider it, but then she leans down and offers me a hand. I take it, ever cautious, and flinch as I'm jerked to my feet. I hear one of the men snicker, and I flush slightly as they give me the look-over. Now, granted, my blitzball uniform may be… um, rather open in the front, but that's what makes it so incredibly aquadynamic during games. Despite the little flowy touches on the jacket that swirl about me, and my braids…
And I'm babbling and defending my uniform to myself. Pathetic. I shake my head slightly, forcing myself to glare at the men threateningly. Just because I'm lousy at defense and tackling doesn't mean that I can't punch. Shooters have strong arms, after all, which is why the other Duggles never messed with me…
…the other Duggles… I want to sob again, but I hold it back, biting my tongue. The girl is saying something in gibberish again, and I can't understand it. I shake my head at her, shrugging, and then I feel something connect with the back of my head. Falling forward, I'm gratified to see the look of horror and anger in the lines about her mouth as she starts talking again. I wish I could stop and watch the show, but the darkness has embraced me again, and my eyelids feel like leaden weights…
I really must have a word with the darkness. It can't just keep picking me up and throwing me about like it has. Yes, darkness is getting a definite scolding as soon as I feel up to it.
I lift my head up, stifling the cry of pain as my hand tenderly rubs the large welt on the back of my skull. The metal beneath me is cold and wet, but it feels oh-so-nice right now in contrast to the flaring hot pain coursing through my system. I close my eyes for a little longer, but the rocking finally gets to me and I lift myself up to look around.
I'm on a boat, in the open, and I stand up gingerly. Tidus is unconscious a few feet away, my bag is gone, it's drizzling, and the city is nowhere to be seen. Perfect.
I stagger over towards the doors on the end of the deck. Banging on them hurts my already tender hands and produces nothing. Snorting, I look around for some sort of latch, knob, anything. There's a control panel on the side, and I push buttons until it bleeps at me angrily. Grinning, I reach below it the pull the cover off the circuit board.
Now, let me explain something. Janus, my brother… not thinking too hard about where he is now… well, he's a techno genius. Has his own company and everything. Zanarkand wants a new technologically wonderful device, they go straight to him. And I am his baby sister, which means that I must have had some of that rub off on me, right? Which is why, when I'm not playing blitzball, I give him a hand around the shop.
The panel is child's play. Flip a few switches, bend a few wires, and I can hear that door slide open like it's a hot knife through cold bread… er, butter. Whatever. Point is, I'm walking inside into that warm air and inhaling those mecha-grease fumes. Not very sweet, but better than being cold.
Unfortunately, someone must've been coming to check on us, because I turn a corner and run smack into three of the people from before. They're surprised to see me, of course, and my eyes narrow as I recognize the man who is standing behind the strange girl. My hand lifts unconsciously to the welt on the back of my head, and I see his eyes bug out a little as he realizes I know he's the one who put it there. He's so focused on that that he doesn't see my other fist pull back…
It connects squarely with his jaw, and remember what I said about shooters having strong arms? He's flung backwards into the metal wall with a huge thud that resonates up and down the hallway. The girl smirks a little as the other man with her chuckles, and other heads pop out of doorways all up and down the hallway. The girl waves them off, speaking to me in that strange language again.
I sigh, and she seems to catch herself.
"E's cunno. How did you get in?" she asks. I blink at her, finally understanding.
"Um, I hotwired the control panel," I confess, pointing my thumb back at the hatch and rubbing my neck nervously. She seems confused for a moment, then grabs my arm and jerks me outside. I must still be wonky from the rifle-butt-to-the-head, because even though I stand a good six inches taller than her – at least – she's pulling me along like I'm smoke in the wind.
I'm marched outside where Tidus is still drooling on the deck and her eyes widen as she notices my patch job on the side panel. Her friend – the one I didn't punch – whistles and bends down to take a closer look. I chuckle nervously as they both look up at me, their eyes hidden behind their goggles.
"Um, sorry?" I shrug. The girl lowers her goggles, and I can see her wide green-swirly eyes looking at me calculatingly…
Wait. Swirly eyes? I bend forward, and she seems slightly alarmed as I glare into her eyes. Her friend's hand reaches for the weapon at his hip…
"How'd you get your eyes to do that?" I ask her, leaning back. They both look at each other, and then back at me.
"I'm Al Bhed," she answers, as if that should explain everything. The guy lowers his goggles, and he's got the swirlies too, 'cept his eyes are more of a blue-ish-green. I tilt my head, rubbing it as I feel my headache reblossoming with a vengeance.
"You're ah… what?" I ask brilliantly.
They stare at each other again, and start talking the gibberish again. Then the girl grabs my arm and I'm floating again, down the hallway. We pass through several different rooms before she pulls me in front of a bench and motions for me to sit down. I look around, and figure that this must be some sort of infirmary. There are a few empty beds and she's rooting around in a cabinet, looking at bottles and muttering a string of gibbered profanities.
She finally finds what she's looking for, and she hands me this little bottle. "Drink that," she tells me. I look at the bright green liquid, shrug, and toss it back.
Whoa. Just… whoa. My veins feel like they're on fire and the pain is pulsing in this tingly kinda way… and then suddenly the sheer relief from pain is so intense that I feel light headed. I look at my arm and can actually see the cut healing before my eyes. My hand reaches to the back of my head and there's nothing there anymore. I look at the girl, who looks smug and says something else I can't understand.
She must've seen the look on my face, that spacey where-am-I-ooo-look-something-shiny expression I get when I'm feeling dizzy, because she rolls her eyes and points over at one of the beds. I stagger over with her help and lay down on top of the blankets. She starts to say something else, but a voice comes out over some loudspeaker and she pauses, listening.
"Stay here, and get some sleep," she tells me before she gets up to leave. I nod dumbly, my mind already fading away…
I awake from a blessedly dreamless sleep with a start as the entire ship rocks violently. My hands grip the edges on the bed and I roll over, my feet finding the floor with a thump. I feel eons better, but the screams outside are none too reassuring. I flop towards the door as the ship rocks again, and stagger into the hallway.
People are rushing past me, and I can't make out anything they're saying except the word "Sin." Not sure what I'm doing, I try to retrace my steps from earlier and head towards the deck.
The doors are already open and the people out there are fighting more of those creatures from the bridge in Zanarkand. The girl is clinging to the rail, and one monster breaks away and runs for her…
With a shriek I run forward, kicking it violently in the head. It bursts into fairy lights and the girl looks up, surprised to see me panting there. I grab her arm and pull her towards the doorway, staggering. The ship rocks and we're almost thrown overboard, but we each manage to grab the rail again and cling to each other.
Weapons are firing and lights are floating around and all of a sudden everything just goes dead. The last of the monsters are shrieking and dying, and the people are chattering, sobbing, heaving, but the boat has gone completely still and the waters below are glassy and calm.
I shakily get to my feet, and the girl is gibbering again to the others, gesticulating towards the railing and the water below. And as I look around, I suddenly realize…
"Hey, where's Tidus?" I ask the girl, and she stops and stares at me, and the panic glazing her eyes is answer enough.
Chapter Two Al Bhed Translations:
E's cunno. – I'm sorry.
Song of the Chapter: Crystal Ship by X. Why? Just because I like it. The lyrics actually fit the chapter, but the beat is a little too fast paced.