Next chapter here! Sure to give you a laugh! Enjoy!
Shades of Wings: Orange Wings Part II
"Have fun with your memories?" Tiffa asked, directing the comment at Ashnigh more then everybody in the group. Ashnigh's eyes narrowed and the two glared daggers at one another. While everybody else in the group grew awkward around the two, Adrian didn't take notice.
"Much," she responded tersely. "Anyway, we've spent enough time here. It's time we move on. We're catching a Shoopuf at the Moonflow."
"A Shoopuf?" Juka asked. "Those big things? Are you sure they won't eat us?"
"What are you, some kind of country hick?" Adrian snapped her hand over Juka's head and Juka gave a small "Owiie!". "Of course not! It'll help us cross the Moonflow to the other side!"
"But first…" Kevi interjected, not wanting to listen to the two fight on about Juka's "country hick" status. "We've got to head through the forest on the way there."
"Yeah…those woods can be treacherous," Briu nodded. "I remember that my teachers always told us not to go out there. Of course, loads of dumb kids did anyway. Most of 'em got hurt, or ran away from fiends."
"We should have no problems," Adrian assured them, walking steadily forward towards the entrance of Guadosalam, where a large green pulsating floor stood steadfast beneath their feet. "After all, what are you all here for?"
"Let's roast choco steak!" Luna cried out, breaking the solid tension with a triple back flip and a spinning summersault in the air.
"Well, Luna seems up to the challenge," Spiler smiled. "Shall we get going?"
"Why not?" Tiffa shrugged and all nine of them walked steadily forward out of Guadosalam and towards the forest that would take them to the Moonflow.
Little did they know someone was watching them…
"That's him all right!" A voice from where the group had just left said to his or herself. "I've finally found him at last!" The voice giggled and let out a breath of relief. "I've finally found you, Kevi!"
"HYAH!" Tai rushed forward and stabbed the nearest Shelled Creature with his sword. He jumped back as the monster faded to pyreflies and the nearest Fire Flan growled in disapproval of its comrade's defeat.
"Luna! Cast an ice spell on it!" Adrian ordered and Luna nodded, smiling brightly. She ran up, threw her doll to the ground, and started to cast.
"BLIZZARA!" She shouted, and lifted her arm into the air. The doll sprung to its feet and copied Luna's movement perfectly. A large ice spike formed in the air and speared the Fire Flan through its stomach, making it melt to the ground and explode into a cloud of pyreflies like the last monster.
"Hooth!" Juka laughed, wiping her brow. "Monsters here sure aren't pushovers, that's for sure!"
"Of course not. Weren't you listening when Briu said how dangerous the forests were?" Adrian remarked rudely, and Juka growled under her breath.
"You live to piss me off, don't you?"
"Of course not. You're not worth wasting an entire life on."
"THAT'S IT!" Juka ran forward, only to have Kevi and Tiffa restrain her as she kicked in the air, Adrian smirking wildly.
"Hey Tai," Kevi spoke to the red-haired boy as he sheathed his sword. Tai looked up questioningly. "You need more practice with that sword. It's too heavy for you right now."
Tai scowled and narrowed his eyebrows. "Oh yeah, and your dumb axe is as light as a feather."
"Of course it isn't," Kevi raised his eyebrow. "Wanna trade?"
"No thanks," Tai snapped, wrinkling his nose. "You'll only brag about how much buffer you are then me or something stupid like that."
"…Buff…?"
"You really don't like me do you?" Tai asked, narrowing his eyes at Kevi.
"It's…it's not that I don't…like you…"
"It's just that you don't like having me around," Tai finished and Kevi nodded.
"You and I don't mix, that's for sure."
"But hey, I've gotten a lot stronger from when we started!" Tai announced, holding out his sword and slashing at an imaginary enemy. "I bet I could hold my own in a fight against you."
"No way!"
The group stopped as they heard a chipper voice from behind them. All nine turned their heads to face a girl in the road, frowning at Tai.
She had blue hair to about her shoulders and was wearing khaki colored shorts that cut off above her thighs. She wore a loose white tank top decorated with a zipper down the front and had blue tight sleeves that attached just below her shoulder. She was wearing white sandals on her feet and had a red headband in her hair. On her thigh was a small black bag and on her back were two blades. (Character belongs to zeldalover, the fanfiction writer)
"Who…who are you?" Tiffa asked as the girl strutted forward.
"I'm Maria!" She smiled. "Maria Sora! Pleased to meet you! I'm fifteen years old and the cutest girl you'll find out here!"
"Maria?" Adrian asked, blinking.
"Wait…" Spiler stopped and he and Briu nodded to each other. "Sora… That's…Kevi's last name."
The group turned to Kevi, whose face looked a stark white as he looked at the girl. In a moment, they understood the situation.
"YOU HAVE SIBLINGS?"
"FIRST A MOM, NOW SIBLINGS? WHAT OTHER SECRETS ARE LOCKED IN THAT HEAD OF YOURS?"
"WHAT IS SO FRIGGING WEIRD ABOUT HAVING A MOTHER?" Kevi finally shouted, panting feverishly. "This…is my little sister, Maria."
"Yep!" Maria nodded, smiling widely, showing her white teeth. It was obvious now that the group looked at the two. Maria and Kevi, although their hair color did not match, had the same eyes and facial structure. Maria was shorter, only coming up to around Kevi's shoulder, but that was expected of course. "I've been looking for you forever bro!"
"Why, Maria?" Kevi asked, obviously wanting her to go away. "Mom and Dad told you not to leave the temple."
"Please! Mom and Dad never let me do anything," Maria pouted. "But good thing I was able to follow you! I got to Guadosalam just as you were leaving! Lucky, huh?"
"Lucky for you," Kevi shook his head. "Why are you here?"
"To take you home of course!" Maria stomped her foot. "You know perfectly well!"
"Maria, I'm not going home. I'm a guardian, I can't just pack up and leave," Kevi snapped, narrowing his eyes at his little sister. "You do this every time! Ever since you were ten!"
"So?"
"You're being a brat."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not times infinity!"
"Are too times infinity plus a million!"
"I never thought I'd hear Kevi say that…" Adrian grimaced and Ashnigh smiled nervously as the two continued to contradict one another.
"Anyway!" Maria snapped, starting the conversation once again. "I'm taking you home, and that's final! I've trained really hard, and there's no way you can beat me!"
"Maria…" Kevi massaged his temples. "I'm not going with you…that's the final word."
"I'm sorry to interrupt a family crisis…" Ashnigh said gently, stepping forward, breaking the two apart. "But why do you want Kevi to come back with you, Maria?"
"Every year, Kevi goes off on a dumb pilgrimage!" Maria explained. "But he has NEVER taken me with him!"
"That's because you're not a guardian."
"I COULD be!" Maria argued. "I bet I'm good enough to be one!"
"You're still a novice. You would cry every time you saw a fiend."
"Would not!"
"Would too."
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not times--"
"Yes, I think we get it!" Adrian interrupted, obviously not wanting to get to "Would too times infinity plus a million." "So…Kevi doesn't take you along, so you don't want him going either."
"I get lonely with no one around!" Maria told them. "All the kids at the temple are too old for me to play with them. I used to be able to tag along with Kevi around, but when he's not here, what am I supposed to do?"
"Get your own friends," Kevi muttered.
"You always make things difficult!" fumed Maria. "If you would just take me with you, I wouldn't have to chase you every single time!"
"Maria. Go. Home. Now."
"Nope!" Maria shook her head. "I'm following you this time!"
"You can't follow me," Kevi narrowed his eyes. "This is a serious pilgrimage, and these woods are dangerous."
"I think that's for me to decide," Adrian interjected, stepping forward. The two siblings looked at her, Maria looking hopeful and Kevi looking worried. "Maria, I've decided you deserve a chance."
"YEAH! YEAH!" Maria cheered, then threw her arms around Adrian. "Thanks Miss Summoner! I thought you were kind of mean looking at first! But you're the greatest!"
"Get off…" Adrian growled, and Maria quickly complied. "Anyway, you shall accompany us through the forest, and I shall assess your value as a member of this troupe."
"Hey!" Juka interjected, also stepping forward into the fray. "She can't come! She's way too young!"
"Oh yeah, that's funny, coming from you!" Maria snapped. "You're only like, eleven!"
"I'M SIXTEEN! WHAT IS WITH YOUR FAMILY AND UNDERJUDGING MY AGE?"
"I have the final word," Adrian reminded them. "Maria, are you coming?"
"You bet!" Maria smiled, jumping up and down, and Kevi gave a small groan.
"Oh look! A fiend!"
"Let's go look for treasure!"
"That tree looks funny, maybe we should attack it!"
Maria was, in all personification of the word, peppy. She was itching for any fight that she could get her hands on, and this grew tiresome, fast.
"Watch out!" Briu shouted as a Skink fiend appeared. He drew his spear and gave it a sharp slice. This was followed up by a kick from Spiler with his blitzball, and the fiend was knocked over, dead.
"Hey you two!" Maria pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. "That was MY fiend! You stole it!"
"Huh?"
"What?" Spiler asked. "There's no "stealing" fiends!"
"I could've shown my great fighting skills!" Maria snapped. "But you two had to act all showy and kill it before me!"
"Here's your chance…" Adrian narrowed her eyes as a Lupine Wolf fiend jumped out of the trees behind them. "Maria, that wolf is all yours."
"All right!" Maria ran forward, only to have the wolf snarl at her. She jumped back, shivering. "Uhh…it's kind of scary! I'll need some back-up!"
"You wanted to fight solo," Briu reminded her, he and Spiler still not so happy at her "stealing the glory" comment. "So go ahead."
"You mean-hearted louses!" Maria's lower lip quivered. "F-fine! I'll fight it by myself!"
Maria lunged forward and sliced the Wolf with her daggers, only to have it rebound at her. She fell to the ground, nearly missing it. "AAAHHH! It's scary! S-someone help!"
But no one moved before the wolf lunged again on the now defenseless Maria. It was bounding forward, and Maria could only put up her arms in defense!
"HYAH!" Maria's eyes flitted open to see none other then Tai standing in front of the now dead Lupine, his sword drawn. He turned around to her and held out a hand. "You okay, there?"
Maria paused, then blushed a bright crimson and leapt into Tai's arms. "I love you!"
"HUH?"
"WHAT?"
Both Tai and Kevi's eyes widened furiously, obviously completely confused on the situation. Maria was now glomping Tai and nuzzling him, Tai blushing furiously and trying to pry Maria off. "H-hey! Get her off!"
"Looks like Tai's got girl problems…" Tiffa giggled to herself. "Hey Tai, handle her like a man!"
"Sir Tai!" Maria smiled. "So that's your name?"
"YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH ME BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME?"
"Oh Sir Tai, you were so gallant rescuing me!" Maria cooed, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I know that this encounter was meant to be!"
"You. Touch. Her. You. Die." Tai was ripped out of Maria's grasp and into Kevi's, who was now holding him by the shirt collar and staring down at him with a death glare. "Got that…buddy?"
"H-hey! Don't blame me!" Tai cried, obviously very frightened now. "I just saved her from the wolf!"
"And you were so handsome while doing it!" Maria cried, ripping Tai out of Kevi's grasp once more and hugging him around the waist. "Oh Sir Tai, we were meant to be together!"
"Don't. Even. Look. At. Her." Kevi ripped Tai away from Maria again, flattening him against a tree and looking menacing as Death. "GOT IT?"
"Hey! I don't want you as a brother-in-law!"
"Oh Sir Tai!" Maria blushed. "Already talking of marriage? But I'm so young? Would it be proper? Oh well! True love conquers all!"
"TRUE LOVE MY ASS!" Kevi snapped, finally taking his hand off of Tai and letting him slide down the tree, making a nasty "crunch" sound as he hit the ground. "Maria! You're not to go near this guy, got it?"
"Oh Big Brother!" Maria laughed. "The more that you defy our love, Sir Tai and I will grow more together!"
"This is ridiculous…" Adrian muttered, massaging her temples while the other girls laughed their heads off. Even Ashnigh couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh Sir Tai, protect me, your princess, through these dangerous woods!" Maria called to Tai. Tai looked extremely scared; got up, and ran off down the path. (Maria sprinting after him.) "SIR TAI!"
"Sir Tai, that was amazing!"
"You're the greatest Sir Tai!"
"Oh Sir Tai, you're so much stronger then my dumb older brother!"
"THAT IS SO IT!" Kevi screamed, throwing down his axe and grabbing Tai by the back of his vest once more. "Look, I'm warning you for your own good. One finger on her, and you are dead."
"Wh-what am I doing?" Tai asked, obviously extremely scared and confused.
"Big Brother, what are you doing to my beloved Sir Tai?" Maria asked, ripping Tai away from Kevi's grasp.
This basically had been the scene for the past few hours as they had walked through the forest. Battles had become rather second concern in comparison to Kevi and Maria's fights (Poor Tai stuck in the middle of course). It seemed every two minutes, the two were once again in a cat fight; Kevi trying to beat up Tai, Maria defending him and pledging her undying love, and Tai looking horribly confused.
"I just want her away from me…" he shivered to Juka and Luna. He had finally been able to sneak away while Maria and Kevi had been shouting at one another.
"Want me to torch her?" Luna asked cheerfully, holding up her doll and making a small flame appear on her finger. Both Tai and Juka looked nervous.
"Uhh…that's okay Luna!" Juka laughed nervously. "You should just tell her to go away, Tai! It's just a silly crush after all."
"Silly crush? She's totally obsessive!" Tai shivered, grasping his arms. "I'll have to shoot her to get her to go away!" He eyed Tiffa's guns…
"Don't even think about it…" Juka and Luna said together accusingly, making Tai blush red.
"I-I'm not serious!"
"SHUT UP!" Screamed Tiffa at the top of her lungs to Kevi and Maria. It seemed that Adrian's last nerve had broken as well, as a vein in her forehead was now throbbing and her teeth were gritted.
"Oh look…it's almost nightfall…"
And so, the group decided to sleep out the night around a make-shift fire, compliments of Luna. They had positioned themselves in a relatively safe spot, and Tai had been asked to keep guard.
"Man…this bites…" Tai mumbled.
"What bites Sir Tai? The jaws of love?"
"OH YEVON, IT'S YOU!" Tai sprinted up a nearby tree out of fear as he saw Maria behind him, smiling softly with heavy-lidded eyes.
"Of course! I could not ask my love to guard alone at night!" Maria smiled widely, walking up to the tree and climbing up after him.
Tai panicked; he was trapped. Maria was coming up, and he couldn't get down. The next thing he knew, Maria plopped down next to him on a nearby tree branch, nuzzling his neck to his utmost struggle. "H-hey! Get off!"
"Oh Sir Tai! Your struggle only convinces me that you love me even more tonight!"
"HOW DOES THAT LOGIC WORK?"
"Sir Tai! Kiss me!" Maria threw her arms around Tai, and Tai grabbed a nearby piece of wood in the tree trunk and threw it at Maria.
"Go away!"
Maria caught the wood and smiled widely. "Oh Sir Tai! Your first gift to me!"
"DID YOU NOT HEAR THE 'GO AWAY' PART?"
"I know!" Maria smiled and took out one of her daggers. She started cutting away at the wood; sawing until it was sliced into two clumsy pieces. She handed one to Tai and kept one for herself. "There!"
"Th-there what?" Tai asked, blushing at the small piece of wood.
"Now, even if I'm very far away, we'll always be joined together by this special gift!" Maria smiled and then took out her dagger again and started to chisel the wood. Tai looked at what she was doing, and found that she was drawing a crude stick figure of a man with wild hair and a huge sword. "There! It's you!" She showed him, and Tai grimaced. The stick figure didn't look anything like him… "Now I can just take out my wood and say 'There's Sir Tai! I wonder what he's doing now!' That's what I'll say!"
Tai blushed a brilliant red, and then looked at his half of the wood. "Th-that's…really nice."
"Here! You can carve me in your wood!" Maria smiled and handed him her dagger.
"N-no thanks!" Tai shook his head, blushing, and stuffed the wood into his pants pocket.
"Okay then," Maria smiled, and then leaned her head against Tai's shoulder. "The stars sure are pretty tonight, right Sir Tai?"
"I…I guess…" Tai shrugged. And the two looked up at the stars together, until Maria fell fast asleep, her head still resting on Tai's shoulder. Tai didn't shake her off.
"We're here! We're here!" Maria cheered as the group reached the bank of the Moonflow that morning. They were finally out of the forest, and could see a giant blue shoopuf on the horizon. "We made it!"
"Yes, that's true," Adrian nodded. "But first, your evaluation." Maria gulped, then turned to Adrian and nodded. "I'm afraid, Maria, that I can't let you be a guardian on my pilgrimage. There's a Shoopuf waiting to take you back near Guadosalam. I assume you can walk the rest of the way."
"I see…" Tiffa whispered to Juka. "She never intended on letting Maria on the pilgrimage. She just wanted to wait until she could get Maria back safely."
"That's so un-Adrian…" Juka murmured.
"Oh…" Maria lowered her eyebrows. "Okay then. I'll just have to train harder next time." Maria smiled, then turned to Tai. "Sir Tai! I'll be waiting for you! When you're back from the pilgrimage, let's get married!"
Tai blushed and turned his head away. Maria smiled and clutched her bag. "I'll still have your piece!"
"Piece…? What's that…?" Kevi asked Tai menacingly, leering down on him.
"N-nothing! It's nothing, I swear!"
"Goodbye Sir Tai!" Maria laughed, waving and walking off towards the Shoopuf docks. "Until we meet again!"
There was silence. Then more silence. Then a small cough from Juka.
"Well…" Adrian lowered her eyes. "That was…educational."
"Damn straight," muttered Kevi. "Now let's grab a Shoopuf before I tear out my hair, shall we?"
The group nodded to one another, then walked forward behind Kevi, who seemed to want to leave as soon as possible. Tai fumbled behind them, looking around, then stopped as he saw a woman in front of an art easel painting a landscape portrait of the Moonflow. "That's a really pretty picture…" he told her and she looked up.
"Oh, I'm glad you like it," she smiled.
"Can… I'm sorry to ask, but can I borrow one of your brushes?" he asked. The woman smiled at him and handed him a brush with black paint on it. Tai smiled to her and fumbled in his pants pocket…
"TAI!" Juka called after Tai who had just finished speaking to the woman. Tai looked up to see Juka walking towards him. "Our Shoopuf is ready. Miss Morbid is getting antsy! You'd better hurry up!"
"Oh, okay," he nodded, stepping forward. Juka's eyebrows rose, realizing Tai had something in his hand. Tai noticed her expression. "Is…there something on my face?"
"That's that thing in your hand?" Juka pointed to the piece of broken wood in Tai's hand and Tai smiled, showing it to her. On it was a small stick figure with hair to its shoulders and two daggers in its hands. "Huh? What is it?"
"Just a doodle," Tai shrugged, then put the piece back in his pocket.
"It looks like a snow man with meat-on a stick in its hands," Juka replied bluntly, making Tai sweatdrop. "Meat-On-A-Stick…that's making me hungry…"
"C'mon, we don't want Adrian getting even madder," Tai laughed nervously, and he and Juka walked on past the Moonflow, Tai lightly tapping his pocket where the wood was tucked inside.
Awwww! Tai's got a crush on Maria!
Tai: I-I do not!
Meanwhile, Maria's totally obsessed with Tai! Tough luck there Kevi!
Maria belongs to zelda-lover, but I did warp her appearance there. (Sorry ZL! ) Will Maria be back? Probably yes, to bother the group once more.
Tune in next time for Shades of Wings!
Next Chapter: Red Wings Part II
Danger on the Shoopuf and a deadly kidnapping plot! What's a group of guardians to do? Save Miss Morbid of course!