I'M BACK! I'm sorry for the long wait, but school, novels, and other fics get in the way sometimes. But never fear, I will not give up on this fic! Thanks again for all the great reviews! They really keep me going! Now before I go, I need to say that I do not own FFX-2 or any of its characters. Enjoy! BTW, Nooj and Leblanc fans rejoice, I have a scene about them in this chapter!
Chapter 3
Paine and Baralai waited in the cabin area of the Celsius, babysitting Vidina while Wakka, Tidus, and Gippal searched around the Thunder Plains for traces of either Nooj or Nadeshia. Yuna, Lulu, Rikku, Shinra, and Brother surveyed the damage in Nadeshia's room.
"Most of her stuff is missing, so it's safe to say that either the bandits stole it or she was planning to run away this whole time," Shinra guessed while taking notes.
"She really didn't want to get married did she?" Rikku muttered as Brother searched around the bed.
Yuna looked up at the mentioning of marriage, "Who was she going to marry?"
"Me, actually," Shinra answered calmly. Lulu raised her eyebrow.
"You seem awfully calm about this."
"We don't like each other in that way, but we figured that if we couldn't find anyone else, then we should go through with it when I turn 13. It's probably why she ran away, so she could see the world and meet new people."
"So where do the bandits fit in?" Yuna asked over the strange desperate noises that Brother was making. No one wanted to know what he was doing so they ignored him.
But before Shinra could say 'I'm just a kid', Lulu surmised, "They must have been waiting for her to try to escape."
"You mean they have been waiting all this time for-" Rikku paused as she watched Brother digging through a hole in Nadie's mattress. She assumed he made the hole which meant, "Get off of Nadie's bed sicko!"
She launched a flying kick to his side, causing him to topple off the bed.
Baralai chuckled as he lifted the baby high into the air and back down to the ground. Vidina laughed and gurgled as he tried to stand on wobbly little legs.
"Careful, you might get attached to him," Paine warned from her seat. His gaze slowly traveled up from Vidina to her as an idea formed in his head. Maybe he could ask her now. They were alone except for the baby and both Rikku and Gippal were too busy to bother them.
Thinking his words carefully in his mind, he said in an almost quiet voice, "Have you ever thought about what it would be like to start a family?"
Paine looked shocked at his question before raising an eyebrow in curiosity, "No, not really."
"Why?"
"Because it would be a pain. They usually cry and fuss and even if the baby was a quiet type, I'd probably not be able to take good care of it. I'd be too busy fighting, it is a dangerous world after all."
"You think so?" he inquired casually before helping Vidina back on his feet after his attempt to walk, "I wouldn't mind having a son or daughter who could change the world if he or she sets their mind on it. Now that Sin and Vegnagun are gone, Spira isn't so dangerous anymore and even if it was, our children would end being as strong as we are."
Paine let out a small smile, "I can't imagine myself as a mother anytime soon. …What brought this on Baralai?"
"Well, I've been meaning to ask you if-" he stopped when he noticed Vidina was walking for the first time. Taking one wobbly step at a time, he slowly made it across the room to where Paine sat and looked up at her expectantly. She had no clue on what to do, but ended up hesitantly picking him up and sitting him on her lap.
"I think you could be a fine mother," a soft voice said from the doorway. They turned to find a dripping wet Lulu, "…Those were his first steps."
Baralai scratched the back of his head nervously, "Lulu, how long have you been standing there?"
She smiled warmly as she walked over to Paine and picked up her baby, "We have found the bandit stronghold in the middle of the Thunder Plains. They need your help."
"Do they know if the girl is in there?" Baralai asked as he grabbed his staff and handed Paine her sword.
"No, there are too many bandits guarding the area to tell, but we found evidence of her curse on the towers."
"Let's go, Baralai!" Paine said before running out the door with him following close behind. When they reached the elevator, she couldn't help but ask, "What were you going to say a moment ago?"
"Uh…er…I'll tell you later. This may be more important."
There was a secret underground passage beside a charred, but still functional lightning tower that led to a room with a three way fork. When Paine and Baralai arrived, the only person that was left waiting for them was Wakka. He looked up from the pile of unconscious bandits as they approached.
"'Ey guys, been waitin' for ya," he greeted, "Tidus and Yuna went down the left tunnel and Gippal and Rikku went down the right one…"
"So that means were taking the middle one right?" Paine guessed.
"Yup!" Wakka confirmed as he sauntered over to the entrance of the passage, "Maybe this one will lead us to where Nadie is kept or maybe it will take us to the leader of this joint."
The walls looked liked they were just constructed as some sanded stalagmite and stalactite were detected beside the torches. Who ever made the tunnels also put red carpet on the ground, making it seem like they were in a castle. The middle tunnel was full of rather surprised bandits. It didn't seem like they were expecting Wakka and the others do they were defeated easily. There was even an awkward moment when they ran across a shower area and encountered three bandits in towels.
"…That's…attractive…" Paine muttered when they flashed their tighty whities as they dropped their towels in search of weapons.
After traveling two miles down the tunnel, they came across another fork, one that led forward while the other led back. There were even less bandits down here.
"Does anyone else think it's strange that the security is very lax?" Baralai wonder before they heard voices and footsteps coming from the passage leading back.
"Someone's coming!" Paine whispered as Wakka stepped forward.
"Stand back." He took careful aim and threw his blitzball into the dark corridor. Sure enough, there was a loud thunk followed by an "Ow!".
"Huh? We're being attacked?" a familiar female voice shouted before it let out a shrill battle cry. Paine raised her sword up just as two daggers came down upon her.
"Paine?" the blonde attacker squeaked with wide green eyes.
"Rikku?" she retuned, equally as surprised. Baralai watched as Gippal appeared from the darkness with one hand rubbing a sore spot on his head and the other holding Wakka's blitzball.
"Gippal?" he asked, catching his attention
"Baralai?"
Wakka shifted his gaze from Paine and Rikku to Gippal and Baralai as he felt a little left out, "Wakka?"
They stared at him with confusion written on their faces until Rikku giggled sheepishly, "Oh yeah, you're here too. Hi Wakka."
"I believe this belongs to you," Gippal said as he gave him back his weapon.
"Uh, sorry 'bout that, ya?"
"Okay so the middle and right tunnels connect together. I wonder if we'll meet Yunie and Tidus further down." Rikku wondered.
"There is only one way to find out," Baralai said before heading towards the unexplored corridor.
No more bandits bothered them this time as the path sloped downward. It was getting cooler as they travel further. Eventually they reached a metal door at the end. Gippal walked over to it and jiggled the handle as Wakka examined it.
"Yup, it's locked," Gippal announced.
"Then there's only one way in, ya?" Wakka added before he and Gippal started grinning and faced Rikku.
"Rikku?" They asked in unison.
Rikku cracked her knuckles and smirked manically, "Don't need to ask me twice! …Hiya!"
She kicked the door down skillfully, causing it to fall with a loud boom. As the dust gathered in the air, Baralai and Paine rushed past her with their weapons ready. By the time everyone was in, they found an Al Bhed man who looked suspiciously like Rin in front of a wooden door. The man pulled out a smoke grenade, dropping the key he had in the door in the process, and called for his guards before sending out a smoke screen. When the smoke cleared, over forty bandits were circled around them.
"And it was all so easy 'til now," Wakka sighed before the guards attacked.
This batch was stronger than all the bandits they faced before. Of course after Sin and Vegnagun, they were no problem, but there were so many of them, that they tired out quickly. Each managed to bring down four bandits and the only injury that occurred was when one of guards snuck up behind Paine and cut her in the arm. Baralai stopped him before he could strike again. Fatigue was beginning to settle on the team by the time the twentieth bandit fell. Twenty more to go. Suddenly Rikku and Paine had an idea and pulled out their dresspheres. Rikku transformed into the Dark Knight and prepared to cast Darkness while Paine put on the Alchemist dressphere and prepared to pull a megalixer. When Darkness finished charging up, the remaining bandits vanished and Paine was able to restore everyone before they did their victory poses.
"Thank you."
"Come again!"
Gippal shouldered his machina with an annoyed look on his face.
"How can us guys have any fun when you girls take the lime light by using those dresspheres…" he paused slightly, "Hey Rikku, put on that Lady Luck one I head about."
She glared at him as he chuckled and ran a hand through his hair nervously. Paine noticed Baralai staring at her strangely when 'Lady Luck' was mentioned.
"Don't you get any ideas," she warned in a threatening tone, earning a way too innocent look on his face.
"What do you mean?"
Wakka cleared his throat before she could reply and held up the key the man dropped. They walked over to door and waited for Wakka to unlock it.
"Did anyone else notice that the guy who was in here looked a lot like Rin?" Rikku pointed out as Wakka battled with the old lock.
"Yeah, he and many other Al Bhed men," Gippal responded, "The fact that he is Al Bhed would explain how the bandits were able to get this close to Nadie if they kidnapped her before she tried to run away."
"But he looked like a carbon copy!" she argued.
"Even so, why would Rin kidnap his own daughter?" Baralai inquired as Paine crossed her arms.
"And why would he send us to search for her if he did it?" Paine added.
"I don't know. Rin almost got away with framing me on the Mi'ihen Highroad when all the machina went crazy. …Now that I think about it, he must be who Nadie takes after the most," Rikku explained. Wakka was finally able to unlock the door and peered inside quickly.
"It seems that this is his bedroom or somethin'. Maybe Nadie is in there, ya?"
"Possibly…but it would be too easy," Paine muttered as Wakka cautiously opened the door.
Inside was a well furnished bedroom with a canopy bed, mahogany tables, and a matching mahogany door at the other end of the room. But instead of finding a young captive girl, they found a really ill Yuna lying on the bed with a very worried Tidus watching over her. Apparently the left tunnel lead to this room.
"Yunie! What happened?" Rikku inquired worriedly as she ran up to the bed.
"She said she felt sick to her stomach before she passed out," Tidus explained frantically.
"Yuna? Aw man, Lu's gonna kill me if somethin' bad happened to her!" Wakka said as he felt Yuna's forehead for a temperature. Gippal quickly pulled out his communicator and contacted the Celsius.
"Brother! Get a stretcher out here now! Buddy, call a doctor!" he ordered.
"Ruf syho desac tu E ryja du damm oui? (How many times do I have to tell you?) I am the leader! I give the orders!" Brother screamed angrily through the communicator. Rikku let out a disgusted sigh before she tore the device out of Gippal's hands.
"Hey 'leader'! Yunie's sick and needs help! Do as he says!"
"Yuna's in trouble! I am on my way!"
There was a moment of silence as Paine helped Wakka with the check up. There was no high temperature, no sweating, and no shivering. She seemed fine.
"She probably stressed herself out from all these missions," Paine guessed before a low rumbling emitted from one of the doorways. Brother was coming.
"Wow, that was fast," Baralai commented.
"Does he still have that crush on Yuna?" Wakka asked Rikku, earning a surprised glance from Tidus.
"Huh?"
"Oh he's over her, but he's still a little overprotective since she's family," Rikku answered casually before Tidus shot up.
"Dude, he's her cousin! Don't you find that a little disturbing?"
"Yeah, but everything about Brother is disturbing," Gippal replied calmly before patting Tidus on the back, "Chill out, it's not like Yuna had a crush on him. She was too bent on getting you back to pay attention to other men."
"I'M HERE!" Brother screamed at the top of his lungs as he tripped in the doorway and landed face first on the floor. The stretcher rolled all the way across the room and stopped beside Tidus and Gippal.
Nooj couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something familiar about this Nadeshia. The rain poured harder before they left the Thunder Plains and washed the mud off of her face. He couldn't figure her out until they arrived at O'aka's shop in Macalania. Nadie asked O'aka politely if there were any rooms available only to have him grow pale and stutter out a friendly greeting before he called Wantz over.
"What's wrong uncle?" he asked O'aka in a whisper as Nadie examined a mirror hanging on the wall.
"Remember that guy I bought this shop from?"
"You mean Mr. Rin?"
Yes, that's his daughter, Nadeshia. Go prepare the best rooms. Quickly now!"
Rin's daughter. Now he remembered. The last time Nooj had seen her was two years ago during the Crimson Squad training. It was also the first time he met Leblanc.
(Flashback)
He was in Bikanel Desert when the troops were allowed a small break from training. With nothing else to do, Nooj actually took up Gippal's offer to go visit Home. It was friendly place, but Gippal had to be nearby to translate for him since he didn't know how to speak Al Bhed yet. It was a rather pleasant visit, ignoring the fact that Gippal continuously joked around and annoyed him greatly. When it was finally time to leave, Nooj stopped by Rin's store to pick up some supplies. He found Rin there with a little girl with large green Al Bhed eyes and light brown hair hiding behind him. She only took one glance at him before she ran out the door. Rin chuckled and apologized for his daughter's rude behavior as he showed his merchandise.
When he was done buying, Nooj tucked his items away and headed out the door, but before he could leave, Nadeshia ran back inside. He could vaguely remember seeing a flash of blonde as he heard a faked gasp and felt a small body push against him, forcing him to fall forward into another person.
"Watch where you are going, love!" a voice snapped. He looked up to find a beautiful pair of angry looking blue eyes glaring at him. Her eyes quickly softened when she got a good look at him.
"Uh, sorry miss," he eventually said after he realized that he was staring at her. No woman, not even Paine, ever caught his attention like that. There was something different about her, the way she acted, that he couldn't help but admire.
"It's alright, just be careful next time." She blushed slightly. Nooj then remembered what caused this mess and turned to face the little beast. Nadie's smirk vanished and her face adopted a worried, guilty look.
"I'm so sorry!" she cried while bowing, "I tripped."
He knew better. He knew she did it on purpose. He soon found that his gaze traveled back to the blonde woman and tried to avert his eyes before he started staring again. Suddenly, two men, one was short and fat and the other was tall and skinny, were running towards them. Ormi and Logos.
"Leblanc!" they shouted in unison before they stooped down to catch their breath. She only glared at them in response.
"I thought I told you two to call me 'Boss' from now on!" she scolded, earning a small chuckle from Nooj.
"Leblanc? That's a nice name."
Leblanc's blush deepened, "Thanks, love. What is your name?'
"My name's Nooj," he replied as he gently grabbed her hand and shook it. Leblanc had a dreamy look on her face before Gippal called out to Nooj in the background.
"Yo Noojster! Let's go!"
"Excuse me, I need to go. It was nice meeting you," he said as he side stepped around her and her goons and limped away to catch up with Gippal. She still had a charming smile on her face when he dared to take a final glance in her direction.
(End Flashback)
"Hey Nooj," Nadie called, pulling his out of his thoughts.
"What is it?"
"Say mirror."
"What?"
Say mirror," she repeated. Nooj just stared at her in confusion.
"Why?"
"Because it's a funny word," she replied, "It makes your lips stick out and the back of your tongue rises at the end of the word… Come on say it!"
"…Mirror…"
"See? Doesn't it feel weird when you say it?"
"If you say so…" he responded, a little tired of her games.
"Humph! You're no fun!" she pouted as she crossed her arms and raised her nose in the air.
"My apologies," he returned as he glared at the ground. Wantz came back to announce that their rooms were ready before running off to his uncle. Nadie bowed to Wantz retreating form and then started to walk to her room.
"Night Noojie," she said as she briefly faced him.
His head shot up in shock, "What did you call me?"
"I just said 'Good night Nooj'…-ie Woojie," she muttered the last part quickly as she ran inside her room and closed the door.
He fought back the urge to scold her. No one calls him that, except his wife. He sighed as he wondered how Leblanc was doing. She was most likely worried about him. The stress can't be good for her or the baby. He should have never gotten involved in her life. Even if he hadn't run away, there would be a point in their lives when he would have to leave, whether it be his death in battle or his past coming back to drive him to suicide. If Nooj had never met Leblanc, then she wouldn't be so unhappy right now. At least that's what he believed.
Nooj sighed once again before he decided to retire for the night. He was certain he was going to have guilt ridden nightmares about Leblanc or memories from his past, but he needed sleep even if it was for a few hours.
This chapter is dedicated to the word 'mirror' because it truly is a funny word. No, really, it is! Try saying it! ….Anyway, has anyone noticed that in Final Fantasy X, Wantz is O'aka's brother, but in the X-2 walkthrough he's his nephew? I could have sworn he said 'brother' in X-2, but I could be wrong. Well, I'm sticking with nephew for now, since I can't figure out what relation he is to O'aka. Well, c ya next chapter!
