Chapter Seventeen: Green Wings Part II
Hey guys, what's shaking? This chapter is big! REALLY big! I hope you all enjoy it!
It's going to be a big homecoming for all of us. The old and the new are coming back to Luca! So get ready, take cover, and just plain RUN.
Green Wings Part II
"Oh wow, you guys were great! I didn't know you were so great at Blitzball, Lady Adrian."
"Umm…I thank you Lord Albatross…"
"Hey! What about me, I played just as well as her!"
"Of course Juka," Albatross laughed. The entire group was outside the stadium around fifteen minutes after the game. They had all gotten changed back into their old clothes, Adrian more then happy to be out of her black and golden Chocobo uniform. Stiven had parted ways with them in order to go cheer the Goers on. Albatross, Lairon, and Katrina had met them outside of the stadium to congratulate them on their win. "You were great too."
"Damn straight!" Juka nodded, grinning.
"Juka, watch your language around Lord Albatross," Ashnigh said to Juka, her eyebrows arched.
"Ahh, that's okay Lady Ashnigh," Albatross smiled in her direction. "You should hear Katrina sometimes when the fiends get her from behind."
Katrina's face turned crimson and she looked away, a large scowl on her face. Tiffa couldn't help but crack a smirk in Katrina's direction.
"Anyway, guess what?" Albatross smiled and held up a few pieces of paper. "I got you all tickets for the final match today!"
"Woah! No way! Thanks so much!" Spiler grinned and grabbed the tickets from Albatross, counting all nine. "This is awesome!"
"Yeah, you'll have prime seating too," Albatross grinned. "Right near where the Maesters sit and everything! It pays to have connections, don't it?"
"I'm going to see the match-ups in the stadium," Kevi suddenly spoke, and the group looked up towards him. "I'm a Guado Glories fan myself, being from Macalania. If you'll excuse me…"
Kevi turned on his heel and walked into the stadium, leaving the other eight behind. Tai frowned and looked after him. "I'm an Auroch's fan…"
"The Aurochs?" Briu asked, quirking an eyebrow. "They've never gotten past the first round in ten years! No way can they win!"
"Yeah, Tai, it's definitely a long shot," Juka laughed. "Djose doesn't have a Blitzball team, so I'm just rooting for the Beasts or something."
"What about you Adrian?" Ashnigh asked, smiling gently towards her taciturn friend.
"I stand firm in my conviction that this is a waste of time," Adrian hissed to Ashnigh. "You can go and root for you Zanarkand Zooloos or whatever the hell they call these teams nowadays."
"The Zanarkand Abes!"
The group paused and turned to face the speaker: Luna. Luna stood there, smiling widely, her doll in her arms, her glasses shiny as ever. "That's what they call their team! The Zanarkand Abes!"
"Luna, you must be mistaken," Adrian sighed. "Zanarkand doesn't HAVE a blitzball team."
"Does too, does too!" Luna shook her head. "They used to at least!"
"Heh, yeah! All the ruins play blitzball!" Briu joked, nudging Spiler in the ribs. "That right?"
"I'm going to go and check the match-ups too," Tai told the group, running into the stadium.
"Oh why the hell not?" Adrian sighed, rolling her eyes and following Tai. The others followed after them, Luna frowning as they all passed her.
"Man! Why don't they believe me?"
"Where'd Kevi go?" Tiffa asked, looking around as the group walked into the stadium. The game had not yet started, but the fans were already getting pumped up with their banners, face-paint, and annoying noise-makers. "The match-ups are posted right here, where could he have gone?"
"That IS weird…" Spiler agreed, nodding his head. "Where do you think he went?"
"Probably off to sulk or something," Tai shrugged.
"…"
"What is it Adrian?" Ashnigh asked her as Adrian suddenly grew a look on her face. Adrian didn't respond; she just jerked her thumb to her right and the entire group looked over.
"Oh KEVI, honey! We missed you so much! We saw your game, you were great!"
"M-Mom! I can't breathe!"
"I always knew you had it in you son, you were great!"
And there they were. Yeinin and Reirana were sitting in the stands, Reirana hugging her son to death Yeinin rubbing his knuckles into Kevi's hair. Kevi looked the definition of miserable.
"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?"
"We came to see the game, my boy! What else?"
"You guys just picked up and left to go see the blitzball tournament?" Kevi asked, his eyes narrowing. "That seems a little irresponsible, don't you think?"
"Oh…well…Maria had gone out fishing with her friends and hadn't come back in a week, so we decided that it would be okay to go the tournament!" Reirana said, a grin on her face.
"HOW DOES THAT LOGIC FOLLOW?" Kevi screamed, ready to tear his hair out. "Maria's been looking for me, as usual! You're her parents, you should keep an eye on her!"
"My boy, you're just too young to understand," Yeinin shook his head and frowned. "Grown-ups do a lot of things that young people just don't understand because they're naive."
"LIKE LEAVING YOU DAUGHTER OUT IN THE WILD?"
"They don't make much sense, do they?" Juka asked.
"None whatsoever," Adrian agreed.
"Oh look Kevi! It's your girlfriends!" Reirana smiled widely as she saw the group over her shoulder. She immediately dropped Kevi and ran to them, grabbing Adrian's hands much to her disgust. "How are you all? Have you been taking care of my little baby?"
"Mom!" Kevi came up from behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're all EXTREMELY busy. Can we talk later?"
"Of course not!" Yeinin scowled. "We barely see you anymore! You're going to sit right here with us while we watch the game!"
"Thanks, but I have a seat," Kevi frowned.
"But I bet it's not as good as sitting next to your Mommy, right?" Reirana asked. "I remember, when you were little and we went to your first training session, you were so scared you held my hand the entire time and hid behind my legs and then you cried and almost wet your--"
"YES, Mom! I think that's PLENTY of information!" Kevi shouted, as red a beet.
"C'mon my boy, we can catch up!" Yeinin chortled, throwing his arm around Kevi's neck and dragging him back to their seats.
"I just saw you a few days ago!"
"Well, we'll be seeing you later!" Reirana smiled, waving to the group. "Thanks for taking care of little Kevi for us!" With that, she pleasantly skipped off to go join her husband and unwilling son.
"Funny…they dote on Kevi so much…it makes you wonder if Maria is ignored," Briu brought up.
"I doubt it. I just think that Maria is gone so much that they don't worry about her while she's out traversing the woods…" Spiler sighed.
"Well…Kevi seems occupied…so, allow me to make a proposal," Adrian stepped forward. "I saw we all split up, then meet back here for the Finals. What do you say?"
"I'm all for that!" Juka smiled. "At least I won't have to spend my entire afternoon with you!"
"Ignoring THAT lovely comment," Adrian snarled. "I'll be going with Ashnigh."
"Umm…actually…Adrian, I was wondering if I could walk around with Lairon for a bit," Ashnigh offered. Lairon looked at her hopefully, and Adrian's jaw almost hit the floor.
Ashnigh, ignoring Adrian, walked over to Lairon and took his arm. "Shall we go?"
"Uh…sure!" he nodded, smiling widely and walking off with her. Adrian watched them go, a blank expression on her face.
"Woah…" Juka murmured. "You got burned."
"Shut up!" Adrian snapped, her face turning red, her nose scrunched up. She was obviously extremely flustered and frustrated.
"Ahh, don't feel bad Adrian," Albatross chuckled. "They just want to have a lover's stroll is all. You should hear Lairon. All he ever talks about is Ashnigh."
Adrian's eyes narrowed, and she quickly lowered the temperature of her face. "Fine, fine. But if she's not back in fifteen minutes, I'm following her."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that!" Albatross laughed, grabbing Adrian and Juka's arms. "You two fine ladies are coming with me, got that?"
"H-hey! Hey WAIT! I have to follow Ashnigh!"
"Hey! I don't want to go with HER!"
"Albatross, what about me?" Katrina asked, looking as though Albatross had just slapped her. Obviously she had not predicted that she would be left alone with the rest of the troupe.
"How about you go off with Tiffa or something? You two seem to get along pretty well," Albatross offered, grinning. Tiffa and Katrina looked at each other, glaring daggers. "See! You can't stop staring at each other!"
"He's a bit oblivious, isn't he?" Tiffa whispered to Katrina.
"Albatross has trouble seeing the worst in people…" Katrina sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, we're off!" Albatross called, and, with the two girls still on his arm, he walked from the stadium, gabbing away to a disgruntled looking Adrian and a sulky looking Juka.
"I suppose we should get going…" Tiffa sighed to Katrina.
"You don't think I'm actually going with you?" Katrina asked, raising her eyebrow. Tiffa scowled.
"Okay, then you can stay here with Tai and Spiler," Tiffa jerked her thumb to the two guys, who were currently playing "Chopsticks" with their fingers.
"Haha! Four plus one equals five!"
"Oh crap! You win!"
"…I'll go with you."
With that, Katrina and Tiffa set off, making sure that there was at least a yard of space between them as they walked along Luca's streets.
"Hey…where'd Tiffa and Katrina go?" Tai asked, looking up from his game with Spiler. Now, only Tai, Briu, Luna and Spiler were left standing in front of the stadium doorway, looking as though they didn't know exactly where they were.
"Oh yeah! We're supposed to split up or something…" Spiler nodded. "Uhh…okay…I suppose the four of us can just…"
"Hey Puss!"
WHACK! Spiler fell over as a red and white blitzball hit him square in the back of the head, making him fall to the ground with a large "thunk". The ball bounced off his head and returned to its owner: Mair.
"Hey…it's that Mair girl," Briu realized.
"C'mon, we've got walking to do," Mair walked up to Spiler and grabbed him by the collar.
"H-hey Mair! Watch it!"
"Hey Spiler!" The group turned their heads to see Stiven running up from the locker room where the Goers were suiting up for their next match. "What's going on? You look dead."
"Friend?" Mair asked Spiler, who was started to regain his eyesight.
"I guess so…" Spiler sighed, standing up. "C'mon you two, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."
"Hey man, what about us?" Briu asked.
"You three can just go off together, can't you?" asked Spiler, sighing. "This is blitzers only."
"Blitzers only my ass…" Briu sighed as the three walked off together, Mair still limping slightly. "Well, let's go and enjoy the festivities, shall we?"
"Ooo! Who would've thought we'd run into you guys here?"
The three turned around to face none other then two women in orange-red clothing with four large dogs; two of which they recognized. It was Carolynin and Lindsayay, each holding two dogs, two of which they knew to be Tala and Artemis. The two others were large golden dogs with long tails. One had a brown stripe on its white belly.
"It's you two!" Briu realized, his eyes wide. "What are you doing in Luca?"
"THAT'S TOP SECRET!" They screamed, and the three fell back just as they done before.
"Actually, we came to see the blitzball game before the big mission!" Carolynin explained.
"Big mission?" Tai asked. "What big mission?"
"Carolynin, you blabber-mouth!" Lindsayay scolded. Carolynin turned red. "It's top secret Yevon forces info. You can't have it."
"Umm…okay…" Tai murmured. "Who are those two?" He pointed to the two new attack dogs and the two of them grinned and got down to hug the new dogs around the neck.
"Our new doggies of course!"
"They're multiplying…" Briu whispered to Tai.
"This is Seymour!" Lindsayay hugged the one with the brown stripe.
"And this is Mika!" Carolynin told them, hugging the other one. "We named them after the Maesters!"
"I wonder what Maester Seymour would say if he found out that a dog had been named after him…" Tai murmured to Briu.
"So, what are you guys up to?" Lindsayay asked the two of them.
"Nothing really," Briu sighed. "We got ditched by our friends."
"How horrible!" Carolynin exclaimed. She then looked at Lindsayay, then at Briu, then at Lindsayay again, and smirked. Lindsayay returned the smirk and the two stared at Briu. "You can walk around with us!"
"Huh?" Briu asked.
"But only you! Because you're so sweet!"
"And cute!"
"Woof!"
"See, even Mika agrees!"
Briu immediately had four arms around him, pulling him along away from the stadium. "H-hey! Wait a second!" But it was no use; Carolynin and Lindsayay picked up the pace, now sprinting along with their new pups towards the docks, leaving Tai dumbstruck.
"D-don't worry Briu! I'll save you!" Tai shouted to his lost companion and then continued to run after him. "Briu! Where'd you go?"
Before Luna had registered the situation, Tai was out of sight and she was standing alone in front of the stadium. She frowned, then grasped her doll by its hand and kicked a bit of dust out of the blue and gold carpet. "Well! That sure was mean of them!" She frowned once more. "Leaving me all alone like this!"
Giving a heavy sigh, Luna tucked her doll under her arm, kneeled on the ground, and then proceeded to somersault down the stairs. "WHEEEEE!" Shouting, Luna bounced down the stairs, bowling people over and making many duck out of the way before she hit the ground, landing straight on her feet. "Well… Since they're all gone, I guess I'll just go visit a friend!" Luna nodded. "He's here, that's for sure!"
With that, Luna plastered a huge grin on her face and skipped off towards the stadium doors; ready to go and meet her "friend".
"Blitz, blitz, they blitz all day, blitz, blitz, keeps the fiends away!" Luna sang loudly as she sprinted through the outer streets of Luca, her arms outstretched. Many people had to dodge the singing, sprinting girl as they went about their business. One man even had his hat blown off his head by Luna's outstretched wings of arms!
But Luna didn't pay the other people any sort of attention as she continued to run through Luca, finally reaching the central square where a large monument stood. Children ran around the village square; their balloons and blitzballs in hand. Elderly men stood in a corner, arguing about the ongoing game between the Luca Goers and the Guado Glories.
Luna didn't pay any attention to the game or the citizens of Luca enjoying the festivities. She went straight towards a large café towards the north of town with a long red carpet leading up to the entrance. She stopped in front of the entrance, then grinned and did a cartwheel up to the door.
"The mighty Luna strikes again!" Luna cried as she reached the door and threw it open. The many patrons of the café didn't pay her any mind. Most of their eyes were glued to the sphere screen where the Luca Goers Captain, Bickson, was currently stealing the ball from Zazi Guado, a member of the Glories.
But one man did not seem to be paying much attention to the blitzball match. He was an older man who looked to be in his forties or late thirties. His hair was flecked with gray and his eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses. A thick scar ran over one of his eyes, and he the hand that held his drink was a tan color with calluses and small scars.
Draped over his shoulders was a gigantic red jacket with golden and black trim, and under this garment were a pair of black pants and shoes. A large katana sword was strapped to his back, and he sipped his drink slowly.
There was a pause, and Luna just stood there, staring at the man. He took another small drink, then spoke up. "Don't just stand there in the door all day…you came here to see me…did you not?"
"Yay!" Luna shouted, scampering over to the man and plopping herself down on a stool next to him. "You remember me! Mr. Mean Ol' Auron remembers me!"
Auron didn't speak. He finished off his drink, then gave his lip a short lick. "Bartender…get this young lady here something to drink…"
"I'd like chocolate Chocobo milk!" Luna told the bar tender, and he smiled at her.
"Ready in a second, miss."
"…Chocolate Chocobo milk?" Auron asked. "What are you…a child?"
"Nope!" Luna grinned. "Nope, I'm not!"
"…what do they call you down here?"
"Luna! Luna, Luna, Luna!" Luna grinned. "They call me Luna!"
"I heard you the first time…" Auron muttered. "Bartender…I'd like another."
"Whatever you say, sir," the man nodded, putting down a large glass of chocolate colored liquid for Luna and taking Auron's glass. "This your daughter, here?"
Auron gave a small sarcastic laugh. "Her? If I had her for a daughter, then I'd be even more senile then I already am…"
"That's not nice Auron!" Luna frowned. "And after all I do for you! Gosh!"
Auron paused, his expression growing darker. "So…is that you've come for? To remind me?"
"Remind you of what?"
"Don't play dumb…although…sometimes I wonder if you're playing."
"Ooohhh! THAT! Nope," Luna shook her head. "Our deal's done, Mister Auron Sir! I just came by to say hello-wello to a friend!"
The table next to them exploded into cheers, and many men started giving each other high-fives and jumping up and down. Auron didn't look over, but Luna did, cheering as well. "What just happened Borin-Auron?"
"…The Goers won their game."
"Oooohhh! Who's gonna play next? Who's gonna play next?" Luna asked, shaking Auron by his sleeve.
"The Ronso Fangs and the Kilika beasts! And after that are the Aurochs and the Psyches, little lady!" One of the men called from the table. "Lucky break for the Psyches if you ask me!"
"Yeah! The Aurochs are so bad, they don't stand a chance against the Al Bhed!" another man jeered.
"Those Aurochs will NEVER win a match!"
"You're wrong!" Luna shouted. The café went silent, and the men turned to face Luna. "They'll win! They'll win the game!"
The room was completely void of sound. The smallest clink of Auron's class on the counter seemed to be a deafening sound. Until, finally, one man spoke up.
"You want to put money on that, little lady?" one man laughed.
"I don't have any money…" Luna frowned.
"Well, then I guess you can't bet!" The man jeered, and the others chimed in. "Good thing too! Wouldn't want to waste your money on a useless bet!"
A jingling of coins filled the café as the man found a sack of gil in his hand. "Uhh…huh?"
"It's from me…" murmured Auron from the counter. "Three thousand gil on the Aurochs for the next match."
"Three thousand? You're gonna throw all that away old man?" One man asked, frowning.
"To be precise, three thousand two hundred and seventy one gil…" Auron smirked. "That's all the money this 'old man' has."
"You're betting all your dough on a throw-away game?" one man cried. "That's crazy gramps!"
"It's not a throw-away…" said Auron. "This young woman is usually right with these premonitions she has…let's just say…I trust her word."
"All right old man!" The man sighed. "It's your money!"
"You didn't have to bet your shiny stuff to prove I'm right!" Luna muttered to Auron. "That shiny stuff's important, isn't it?"
"Very. Your point?"
"They'll see I'm right!" Luna smiled. "You didn't have to bet your shiny stuff!"
"I didn't do it for you…I know you're correct as well. Consider it…intelligent gambling."
"…Do you hate me Mr. Auron?" Luna asked.
Auron paused, then took a sip of his drink. "Yes."
Luna looked at Auron, and then smiled a gigantic grin that seemed almost too large for her face. Auron's comment obviously hadn't gotten to her.
"I'll be going now!" Luna told Auron, getting up from her seat and walking towards the exit of the café. "I got to go meet another friend!"
"You won't find them in here…"
"Not that kind of friend! Another friend!" she smiled. "One who I haven't met yet!"
"…fine. Do what you want. It's your choice."
"Okay! I'll be going now! See you Auron!" Luna gave an energetic wave to Auron, then skipped out of the café, throwing open the door and closing it behind her.
But no sooner then she had closed the door, it opened again, and Auron walked out from behind her. "Where you going?" Luna asked. "What about your shiny things?"
"The match hasn't started," Auron explained. "I'll be back to collect my money once it's over."
"Then…do you want to walk with me?" Luna asked. "Cause if you do, you can't! You just can't! It just wouldn't work! Nope; wouldn't, wouldn't work!" She shook her head vivaciously and Auron walked past her.
"No…I don't want to walk with you. I have other business to attend to…" With that, Auron walked up the stairs towards the bridge of Luca. In a minute, he was out of Luna's sight.
"Okay, okay then!" Luna jumped up and down. "Time to go meet Yuna! Yeppers, time to go meet Yuna! Hey…" Luna frowned, as if thinking. She then exploded into a fit of giggles. "Yuna rhymes with Luna! Luna Yuna, Yuna Luna!" Luna sang as she spun in circles, holding her doll out in front of her.
"Excuse me…were you just saying my name?"
Luna looked up and grinned to see none other then a pretty girl with brown flipped hair walking towards her from across the town square. She wore a long purple skirt and a white top with tall black boots. Across her stomach was an obi belt, and she had sleeves attached at her elbows that were colored pink and white. "…were you just saying 'Yuna'?"
"Yuuuuna!" Luna sang. "You're the summoner Yuna?"
"Yes…I am Yuna," Yuna smiled and then bowed to the girl. She offered her the prayer, then returned to her topic. "So…do you know me?"
"Hmm…yes and no…" Luna smiled. "You're looking for something, aren'tcha?"
"…Umm…yes," Yuna nodded. "I'm looking…for a person who knows someone."
"Hmm?" Luna asked, frowning. "Well…you wouldn't be looking for Auron would ya?"
"Sir Auron!" Yuna gasped. "Do you know where he is?"
"I saw him in that café," Luna grinned, pointing to the café. "Right there! Saw him with my own two eyes!"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Yuna laughed, offering Luna a prayer. "I have to go get him! He'll be so excited! Excuse me!" With that, Yuna ran off, leaving Luna alone once again in the town square.
"Be careful!" Luna called after her, smiling. "Those Al Bhed are tricky!"
"We're –"
"Really –"
"BORED!" Carolynin and Lindsayay shouted together, their arms still around Briu's neck. "We're really, really BORED!"
"What do you want? We've been all over Luca, buying you food and watching movies!" Briu panted, Tai behind him.
"Yeah! You six," Tai motioned to the girls and their dogs, "are slave-drivers!"
"Don't hate us because we're so cute!" Carolynin grinned.
"Oh look!" Lindsayay pointed up to the sphere screen above the movie theater they were currently at. It was showing the results of the match between the Ronso Fangs and the Kilika Beasts. "Kilika won! One goal to nothing!"
"Well, Mair and Spiler will be glad," Briu shrugged to Tai. "But they have to play the Goers next right?"
"Yeah, but not before the Psyches play the Aurochs," Carolynin reminded them. "It's a good thing that the Psyches will be in the finals this year. They haven't gotten to the final round in so long and--"
"Hey!" Tai frowned, his cheeks growing red. "The Aurochs haven't lost yet! Give 'em a chance!"
"They suck…" Lindsayay said bluntly, making Tai facefault. "Give it up red-head muffin! They're never gonna win!"
"Muffin?" Briu asked, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, do you want to head back to the stadium for the game? Before that will be the Kilika Beasts and the Luca Goers. Should be a good show."
"Nah…" Carolynin yawned. "The dogs…"
"Are tired," Lindsayay agreed. "We're going to head back to our hotel room, if that's okay with you guys."
"Will you be at the finals?" Briu asked and they nodded.
"Yeah! But those aren't for around two or three hours!" Carolynin told them. "Do you guys have tickets?"
"Uh huh," Tai nodded, holding up his ticket that Albatross had given him. "Really good seats too."
"Then we'll see you there!" Lindsayay smiled and waved to them. "Off we go! C'mon pups!"
"Bye!" Carolynin called to the two as they walked out of sight into the crowd.
"Finally! We're free," Briu sighed. "They were vicious!"
"That's for sure…" sighed a relieved Tai. "Can't believe how aggressive they are! Took all our money and spent it on themselves too!"
"So, should we head back to the stadium to check up on the others?" Briu asked Tai and Tai shrugged.
"Well…Adrian and Juka are off with Lord Albatross. Tiffa's with Katrina and Ashnigh's with Lairon…" Tai murmured. "Spiler is with Mair and Stiven. …Funny, are we missing someone?"
Both Briu and Tai frowned, racking their brains. "I don't think so…" Briu shrugged. "Well, you were the last one to leave. Did you leave anyone?"
Tai frowned, then gulped. "Oh crap! We left Luna alone!"
"Crud! Do you think something happened to her?" Briu asked.
"No! I don't fear for her safety! More of Luca's safety! We got to find her!"
"Right!" Briu nodded. "Let's split up and find her!"
"Okay man!" Tai nodded. "Meet back here in twenty minutes!"
"Right!" With that, the two ran off in opposite directions, shouting Luna's name and pushing their way through the crowds.
"…" Luna's head slowly popped out of a nearby bush on the path. She gave a wide grin and hugged her doll. "They're looking for Luna! Hide and seek, hide and seek! I LOVE hide and seek!"
Skipping off away from Tai and Briu, Luna sang a loud song and continued to spin around on the streets of Luca, paying no heed to the other spectators slowly milling through the walkway.
"…Umm…you were really great in the game."
"Thank you."
Silence.
"You look really nice today."
"Thank you."
Silence.
"Heh…this is awkward…."
"Yes."
Lairon gave a great sigh. "I guess this is pointless right? We haven't talked for over ten minutes. Do you want to say something?"
"…Yes," Ashnigh nodded to Lairon. The two were traversing the bridges of Luca, walking slowly, remaining relatively silent. "I do."
"Ashnigh…if you don't want to be my girlfriend, all you had to say was 'no thank you'…" Lairon said bitterly, looking down at his shoes.
"No…quite the contrary."
Lairon looked up hopefully to see Ashnigh smiling at him. He returned the smile, and slowly took her hand. She didn't retaliate, and he squeezed it lightly as the two continued to walk down the street.
"Excuse me…can I have your autograph?"
Ashnigh looked down to see a small girl holding a blitzball up for her. "My autograph?"
"My brother told me to get your autograph," the girl giggled and pointed to a young man behind her. He blushed crimson and ran up to her. "He wanted to meet you and--"
"I think that's enough Meina!" the man laughed, picking up his little sister and depositing her behind him. "Sorry about that, but kids will be kids, right?"
"Right," Ashnigh laughed, nodding. Lairon gave the man a death glare. "I assume you saw our team in the tournament?"
"Yeah! You were amazing! When you saved that goal and all! You're just as good as the pros!"
This was obvious flattery, but Ashnigh didn't bring the man's false praise up. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."
Lairon slipped his hand around Ashnigh's waist and drew her into him. "I hope you don't mind. We're taking a walk," Lairon muttered darkly.
With that, Lairon swept Ashnigh away from the man and the little girl. As they departed from the two, Ashnigh overheard the man muttering, "Dammit. Well, it's to be expected. A hot babe like that has a boyfriend for sure."
"Getting jealous?" Ashnigh asked, looking at Lairon accusingly before slipping out of his grasp.
"W-well we are together aren't we?" Lairon shrugged. "You can't blame me for getting jealous over someone as beautiful as you," he murmured, a small purr in his voice as he slipped his hand around Ashnigh's waist again. Ashnigh didn't shrug him off.
"Now you're the one doing the flattering," Ashnigh giggled.
"Well it's better then that "pro blitzer" crap that the other guy was spewing," Lairon laughed and Ashnigh did too.
"What? You're saying I'm not as good as a pro?" Ashnigh put on a false face of anger. "Just you wait! I'll become a pro blitzer and make so much money that I won't know what to do with it."
"Oh you will, will you?" Lairon teased.
"Yes! And then you'll be sorry you ever made fun of me because I won't give you a gil of it!" Ashnigh remarked. "And I'll spend it all on new shoes and dresses! What do you say to that Mr. Lairon?"
"Hey, as long as you look pretty in the new dresses, I couldn't think of a better use for the money," Lairon breathed into Ashnigh's ear, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. A small shiver went through Ashnigh, and she frowned and pulled away. "What's wrong Ashnigh?" Lairon asked.
"…I'm just…still a little cold when it comes to men," Ashnigh smiled wearily. "I'm sorry Lairon."
"Don't apologize," Lairon shook his head. "Let's get back to the stadium. I hear the Aurochs and the Psyches have almost finished their game."
Ashnigh and Lairon made their way down the stairs of the bridge, holding hands lightly. Soon, they were out of sight and making their way towards the stadium.
"…" Out of a potted plant popped none other then Luna, a wide smile on her face. "Well, well, well! Looks like things are going good with them! As long as Ashnigh stays true, then everything will work out! Yep it will!"
Luna hopped out of the plant landing right in front of the man and the girl from before. "Huh?" the girl murmured as Luna snatched her blitzball and pen and quickly autographed the ball. She passed it back to the girl, and the girl stared at it. "The Amazing Magic Luna?"
But before the girl could look up from the ball, Luna had jumped off the railing and down the stairs.
"Ow! Adrian, you stepped on my foot!"
"I did not. You just tripped on the carpet."
"Now girls, stop fighting," Albatross laughed. He, Juka, and Adrian were circling the Luca docks. "Let's try to enjoy ourselves while we're in Luca, shall we?"
"Yeah! Let's go party!" Juka cheered.
"We've got a hotel suite we can hang out in after the game," Albatross told her. "The perks of being a future Maester."
"SWEET!" cheered Juka, jumping up and down. "Let's eat when we get there!"
"Sure! You got it! We'll have an eating contest!" Albatross insisted.
"Oh yeah! You're going down Mr. Maester Man!"
Adrian rolled her eyes. "Juka, we're not going. After this…distraction…we're heading straight to the Mihen Highroad."
"HUH? No party?" Juka asked, her eyes wide. "Don't be so lame! We've got to go to the party!"
"Sorry for my 'lameness', but we're not going," said Adrian. "And that's final."
"Sorry Juka, but Adrian's right," Albatross shrugged, winking at her. "The pilgrimage is more important then stuffing chips in your face."
"Who says?" Juka asked, but she was interrupted as three people sprinted past her towards a farther dock. "Hmm…what?"
She turned around to see that leading the way was a relatively small Ronso (He was huge compared to the three humans) with white hair and a long spear. His back was decorated with golden fur, and his Ronso horn was broken. His tail had a white wisp at the end of it.
Following him was a dark looking lady wearing a low cut dress with long sleeves. Her hair was placed up in a bun with braids flowing down, and she held a doll in her hand, much like Luna.
But then, suddenly, Juka turned to see the last member of the group run past her. He was a young man, a little older then her, with blond layered hair and blue eyes. He had on a golden colored shirt with an armguard and black pants with different leg lengths. His feet were decorated with yellow shoes and black socks, and in his hand was a long blue sword with a red sash attached to the handle.
"Huh…?" Juka asked as the three ran by them, obviously in a great hurry. She furrowed her brow and couldn't stop staring at the young man with the blond hair.
"Where were they going I wonder…?" asked Adrian, quirking an eyebrow. "I liked the woman's dress…"
"They're obviously in a hurry," Albatross smiled. "We shouldn't bother them. Let's head back to the stadium, shall we? The Aurochs and the Psyches should be almost finished with their game."
"Umm…all right," Juka nodded and Adrian also agreed, walking behind Albatross. Juka turned around to see the three run past a corner and out of sight. "Weird…but that guy…seems really funky to me."
"Juka! You're falling behind!" Adrian snapped at Juka. Juka turned around and nodded to Adrian, following behind them.
"Guess it's time to head back," Juka admitted. But, just then, she, Albatross, and Adrian all stepped back as they saw three machina robots come and head left, taking the other direction instead of the ones the other three had taken. Juka, Albatross, and Adrian all stared after them, rather confused. "That…was weird."
"None of my business," Adrian snapped. "Let's go already!"
With that, the three headed off, away from the docks, heading towards the stadium to see the results of the latest game.
"Hmm…"
Hanging from the ceiling was none other then Luna, grasping the rafters with her hands. "Juka notices him more then the others. Funny, funny! I really should just tell him, but he won't believe me. And I'll get in trouble! Lots and lots of trouble!" Luna looked back to see another huge wave of robots coming towards her, scurrying off towards the three who had run by. "Well, well. This isn't exactly fair. Let's even the odds," Luna smiled and lifted her hand. "THUNDAGA!" she called, and huge bolts of lightning fell upon the army of machina. They fell to the ground, broken. "There!"
Luna jumped down and landed in the pile of machines. "Two last stops, then the game!"
"You were cool out there, you two," Mair said to the two boys following her. They blushed and look down at their shoes.
"I can't believe I even played with an amateur like him!" Stiven laughed, throwing his head back.
"Hey! The same could be said for you," Spiler growled.
"What did you say?" Stiven asked threateningly.
"You heard me, wuss!"
"If you two don't shove it right this minute, I'm going to kick both your asses," she warned them, narrowing her eyes in their direction. "With my good foot."
Spiler drew back, obviously scared. Stiven whispered to him, "This chick really that scary?"
"Uh huh. Usually she kicked me with her bad foot, and that hurt enough!"
"She kicked you?"
"Anyway, I didn't come to talk to you about blitz," Mair said to Spiler. "I came to talk to you about your plans. Are you really going to be so wishy washy about your guardianship to Lady Adrian?"
"Course not!" Spiler snapped back. "Of course I'm serous about the pilgrimage!"
"Didn't seem so today," Mair shot back. "Seemed like all you cared about was blitzing in this stupid tournament." Spiler winced at her criticism. "Ophelia would be upset."
"I told you to stop talking about Ophelia…" Spiler muttered.
"Old girlfriend?" Stiven asked and Spiler shot him a look that promptly shut him up. "Jeez, what's your problem?"
"It's not like you had anything to do with her death," Mair shot at Spiler. "Stop acting like the tragic hero. It's really biting my nerves."
"I guess you're the tragic hero Mair," Spiler smiled weakly. "You saved my life back then. I guess I was just too weak to defend myself."
"Pitiful," Mair snapped, and Spiler looked up, surprised. "You're a man, aren't you? Start acting like one! It's embarrassing enough I had to save you back then, but now you should be the strong one around here, not the crippled girl." Mair looked back at him, her eyebrows lowered. "So get your act together, got that?"
Spiler paused, looked at his feet, and then chuckled. "Right, Mair! Next time, it's my eye that's getting taken out!" He clenched his fist and looked her straight in the eye. "That I can promise you!"
"Good," Mair sighed. "Cause being blind in one eye is bad enough, thank you very much." She continued to limp around the streets of Luca, Stiven and Spiler at her tail. "Don't want to lose the other one."
"…"
Popping out from behind a concession stand, Luna eyed the three leaving the town square. Her eyes narrowed and she grinned. "Miss Mair sure plays the tough girl well, that she does. She should be given an award for her performance!" Luna grinned. "An award! Yeppers! A real big shiny one! But Miss Mair will be fine with what's coming up. Yep, yep she will!"
With that Luna ducked behind the concession stand, grabbed a frozen lemonade sherbet, and ran off towards wherever she was happening to go next.
"When I said 'let's stop fighting and do something fun', I didn't imagine that we'd go to the Luca sphere theater and watch ALL of your favorite battles," Tiffa said sharply to Katrina.
The two were currently standing in Luca's sphere theater at one of the sphere receptacles, watching battle after battle of Katrina's. Most were against bandits or fiends, and Katrina always gave a large smirk at Tiffa when she did a rather impressive move on the sphere.
"Yeah, I remember that one. About a week back. Did you see how I jumped straight over that fiend and just slashed 'em with my Hawk Eye?" Katrina asked, obviously enjoying this activity quite a bit.
"Yeah, I saw it," Tiffa muttered. "Just like I saw the last fifty moves you pointed out." The sphere ended and Katrina took it out, looking for the next one. "Can we PLEASE do something else? Like watch a movie or something? A REAL movie?"
"C'mon, this is the last one," Katrina told her, inserting the sphere and pressing 'play'. "And I bet you'll like it."
Tiffa looked at the image to see that the sphere contained none other then the battle between her and Katrina. Tiffa was powering up her flame bullets and her overdrive. "Yeah…I remember that really well," Katrina muttered bitterly. "But I've got a new longsword."
"I saw that," Tiffa remarked, looking at Katrina's new Longsword strapped to her back. "Good thing too, since I melted your other one."
"No need to remind me of the fact," Katrina growled. "Anyway, let's go." She snatched the sphere out of its socket and stuffed it back into her bag. "The Aurochs game has ended and the finals should be starting soon."
"Hey…" Tiffa murmured to Katrina. "Do you hate Ashnigh?"
Katrina looked up at Tiffa and sighed, "What? You're going to give me an 'I'm her friend so lay off' speech if I say yes?"
"No," Tiffa shook her head. "Ashnigh and I aren't really friends. I was just curious."
"Well, if that's the case," said Katrina, "then yes. I hate her. Lairon used to belong to me before Ashnigh came into the picture."
"You two were dating?"
"No," Katrina said, looking away, rather embarrassed. "But I know he was going to ask me to be his girlfriend!"
"I doubt that," Tiffa sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, I agree with you. Let's get back, shall we?"
"Whatever," Katrina shrugged. With that, the two women left the sphere theater, choosing to remain silent.
"…"
Climbing up the balcony of the sphere theater, Luna peered over the edge to see the two of them go. She smiled and jumped up, performing an impressive jump over the edge and a spin in the air. "Hmm…I do feel bad for Miss Katrina. Too bad for her of what's to come. She might feel torn," Luna shrugged. "But I can't do much!" She laughed, then jumped back down the balcony of the sphere theater.
"I guess it's time for the game! Yep, yep!" Luna nodded. "I'll go meet Mr. Auron too!"
"Hey guys! You made it back!" Juka called to the group standing in front of the stadium. Truthfully, they had all made it back just as the Finals were about to start.
"And you won't believe whose playing!" laughed Lairon. "The Luca Goers--"
"Of course," said Stiven, making Spiler shoot him a look.
"And the Besaid Aurochs!"
"The Aurochs are in the finals?"
The group turned to see a very flustered looking Tai and a very frazzled looking Briu running towards them, obviously out of breath. Tai ran up to them, a smile on his face. "The Aurochs are in the finals? Really?"
"Uhh…yeah," Albatross nodded. "What happened to you two?"
"W-We…were looking for Luna!" Briu panted. "She got lost! We haven't been able to find her!"
"Hey…where is Luna?" Juka asked, looking around.
"Right over there," the group turned to see none other then Kevi walking up behind them, smoothing his hair down and sighing. They then looked to where Kevi was pointing to see none other then the green-clad Black Mage cartwheeling towards them.
When she stopped and rose to her feet, she gave them a wide grin. "Hello-wello! Luna had lots of fun exploring!"
"Luna! Where the heck were you?" Briu asked, his eyes wide. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Luna was everywhere at once!" Luna laughed. "Yep, sure was!"
"Luna, as usual, makes no sense," sighed Spiler. "Anyway, let's go in and see the game! Kevi," he turned to the axeman, "I can't believe you got away from your folks."
"I told them I had to go to the bathroom," he said, sighing. "But we should hurry or they'll suspect something and come after--"
"Kevi honey!" An all too familiar voice called, and the group turned around to see Reirana and Yeinin running after their son. "You were gone for a long time, so we came after you! We thought you might have been kidnapped!"
"I was only gone for a minute…"
"Oh! It's your friends!" Yeinin observed. "Do you have tickets to the final game as well?"
"Yes sir," Albatross stepped forward, offering Yeinin a prayer. "I am Lord Albatross, next in line to become Maester. I've offered your son a seat at the tournament."
"Lord Albatross!" Reirana gasped. "Kevi, I didn't know you had such high connections! If you were a girl, I'd ask you to marry him!"
"One, that's creepy. And two," Kevi muttered, "Mom, Dad, I'm going to sit with them for the last game."
"But Kevi, we haven't seen you in so long!" Reirana insisted to her son. "And wouldn't you rather sit next to your Mommy?"
"Come on, my boy, don't disappoint your mother!" Yeinin chortled. "You're sitting with us, end of story!"
"No!" Kevi spun around and looked his parents straight in the eye. "Not end of story! I'm an adult now, and I make my own decisions! I'm sitting with my troupe and Lord Albatross!"
"Kevi, don't speak to your father that way," Reirana scolded him.
"I'll speak to him like an adult, cause that's what I am!" Kevi snapped. "I'm tired of you treating me like a little kid! I'm old enough to take care of myself!"
"But Kevi--" Yeinin began.
"Just shut up!" shouted Kevi. "I hate the way you guys treat me! I wish that you would just mind your own damn business!"
Reirana and Yeinin looked shocked. Kevi looked away and motioned for the group to follow him. Awkward, they did, walking slowly through the archway to the stadium. All of them gave Reirana and Yeinin final looks of sympathy, which they didn't pick up on or return.
"You shouldn't have said that Kevi," Ashnigh told him.
"Don't you go treating me the way they did," Kevi snapped coldly, and Ashnigh backed off.
"You really shouldn't have said that!" Kevi turned around to see none other then Luna walking next to him, hugging her doll and looking at her shoes. "You'll be sorry later!"
"I highly doubt that," scoffed Kevi. "Mind your own business Luna! What would you have said if you had parents like those?"
"I don't have any parents," Luna told him. Kevi looked at her, then looked away, embarrassed.
"W-Well consider yourself lucky! They're a pain in the neck!" Kevi knew he shouldn't have said that, considering Luna's parents were obviously dead, but he didn't want to admit he was wrong. "You're really lucky!"
"I guess," Luna smiled, and Kevi looked at her, surprised. "I guess I am!"
"C'mon guys, let's go sit down!" Albatross told them, motioning to the high box where the Maesters were. "Our seats are right below those."
The group filed into their box of seats and sat down, waiting for the game to start. Ashnigh was constantly fixing her hair and glancing upwards. Tiffa shot her a look and sighed. "They're just the Maesters. They're not going to come and interview you or anything."
"The Maesters are very important!" Ashnigh told her. "You should be more respectful."
"Oh! Maester Mika just announced the start of the game!" Tai told them, almost hopping up and down for excitement. "The players are coming out!"
"And here they are, Bobba!" Jimma's voice called from the announcer's box. "The Besaid Aurochs!"
"Their captain, Wakka, took a pretty hard hit and won't be playing in this final match it seems," Bobba said. "But they have a replacement, ready to play! Let's see how long they last, shall we?"
"The announcers sure are harsh…" Juka observed and Tai growled in the direction of the announcer's box.
"Just watch! The Aurochs can still win, even without their best player!" Tai told them. "And I bet the replacement is really good!"
"Wouldn't count on it," Stiven remarked. Tai looked over at the arrogant blitzer, as if asking him to continue. "He's supposedly nuts. Says he's from Zanarkand. Used to be their 'star player'."
"Man! He is crazy!" Tai laughed. "Oh well! Who says crazy people can't blitz?"
"This is so ridiculous," Adrian muttered to Ashnigh. "I could have been in Zanarkand by now if it weren't for this stupid tournament."
"Oh, it seems fun," Ashnigh smiled warmly. "Just try to enjoy it Adrian."
"Ahh, Lady Adrian and guardians I see."
The group looked up to see none other then Maester Seymour standing in front of them. Obviously, he had come down a level from the Maester's box to come and pay them a visit. Adrian looked rather displeased, but Briu jumped from his seat to go and greet Seymour. "Yo! Seymour! What's up?"
"Hello Briu," Seymour smiled. "It's a shame that the Glories lost, but I suppose that it's a Maester's job to not have any affiliation in order to maintain the peace."
"Can you believe the Aurochs are in the finals?" Briu motioned to the ongoing game. "What an upset, right?"
"Yes," Seymour smiled towards the direction of the sphere pool. "I hear the Captain is one of Lady Yuna's guardians."
"Is she all he ever thinks about?" Adrian rasped to Ashnigh, who quickly made a shushing noise.
As if on cue, Luna jumped from her seat and started to move towards the stairs. "Where are you going Luna?" Albatross asked her.
"I've got to go meet a friend!" she told them. "Yep! By now he's around three thousand gil richer, thanks to me!" With that, she sprinted off down the stairs, leaving her party behind.
"I wonder what she could be talking about…" Lairon asked Albatross.
"Probably just an old acquaintance," Seymour guessed. "She's an odd girl…" His eyes narrowed as he watched Luna walk off. "Very odd. Don't you think so Briu?"
"Yeah," Briu nodded. "Luna is pretty weird. Whenever I'm around her, I get these funky vibes. But I bet it's just because she's so weird."
"And these vibes are much different from others I know," Seymour smiled. "Others close to me. I believe that Miss Luna might be a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"More like a pile of jello in sheep's clothing," joked Juka, and the others laughed. "Luna's so weird, I'm surprised she even aims her magic straight!"
"Anyway, I must be going," Seymour told them, walking down the stairs. "I have an appointment with a friend before the game ends."
"Hey, you're missing the big game?" Briu asked. "No way man!"
"I, too, am grieved, but I'm afraid that this matter takes precedence," Seymour smiled back up at Briu. "I shall see you all in the future I hope."
With that, the blue haired Maester walked off down the stairs and Briu returned to his seat in order to watch the match.
"The Aurochs are playing surprisingly well, Bobba. But the Goers are still leading 1-0."
"This new player seems to be giving them an edge of some sort, wouldn't you say, Jimma?"
"Wonder who he is…" Juka murmured, looking up at the sphere screen. They flashed a close-up of the player and Juka gasped. "Albatross! Adrian, look! It's that blonde guy from before!"
Adrian and Albatross looked over at the screen and realized it was true. It was the blonde warrior from before who had been with the dark looking woman and the Ronso with the broken horn. "So he's the nutcase…" Adrian murmured.
Juka stared at the man, quite entranced by him. "He's…so weird. Something about him."
"Look! The Aurochs are shooting!" Tai grabbed Juka's shirt and pointed to the sphere pool. True, the blonde player was performing an odd shot. He rose into the water, spinning, and kicked the ball with his moving foot.
"Woah! The shot's so fast!" gasped Spiler. "He must be a really great Blitzer to pull off a shot like that!"
"But will it make it?" asked Tiffa, leaning over her chair.
"It's going…going…" Tai bit his lip, staring at the sphere pool. "I can't look!"
"It-It's in! The Aurochs score just before halftime! 1-1! What a huge upset! The Aurochs fans are going wild, Bobba!"
"Who would have ever thought that this was possible, Jimma? The Aurochs might have a chance at the cup!"
"We did it!" Tai shouted, jumping up and down with Juka, Spiler, and Briu. "We scored! Only one more and we're the champions!"
"I can't believe it!" Lairon laughed. "It's actually tied!"
Stiven looked rather miffed by the recent goal. "Lucky shot."
"Hello there Mr. Auron!"
Luna ran through the crowd of people to run into none other then the taciturn red coat wearing swordsman from before: Auron. He looked at her down through his glasses, his eyes dark. "What do you want?"
"You'd better thank me for that bet you won!" Luna grinned. "Say 'thank you Luna'!"
Auron paused, then muttered, "Thanks. But I'm the one who put the money forward. Anyway…that's not what you wanted to talk about, is it?"
"Awww, you read me like a book!" Luna smiled. "Nope, that's not what I wanted to talk about."
"Then what?" snapped Auron. "I'm a busy man. I have no time."
"Protect everyone!" Luna told him very sternly. Auron looked at her, then narrowed his eyes. "Don't let anyone die! If you do, I'll never forgive you!"
Auron paused, then nodded. "I promise."
"Thanks Auron!" she smiled, throwing her arms around the middle-aged man, making him sigh dejectedly.
"Get off of me…"
"WA-KKA! WA-KKA!"
"They seem…to be cheering for Wakka folks!"
Tai had joined in the cheering for the captain of the Besaid Aurochs. The score was still tied, but the Goers were gaining the advantage and it was only a matter of time until they scored. "What's wrong Tai?" Juka asked.
"This is Wakka's team!" Tai told her. "It's only fair he should play! WA-KKA! WA-KKA!"
Juka nodded to the rest of the troupe, and they too began to cheer for the leader of the Besaid Aurochs. It was around two minutes into the second half, and, slowly, Juka saw that the blonde player was leaving the sphere pool.
"He's leaving!" she told them. "Wakka's coming back out!"
"Look!" Tai pointed to the sphere pool as none other then the red-headed captain of the Besaid Aurochs, Wakka came swimming into the sphere pool, ready to grab the next serve and win the game for the Aurochs.
"And they're off! Letty passes to Datto! Oh, but the ball is stolen by Balgerda! This is turning rough already Bobba!"
"Man! The Goers aren't giving the Aurochs any chances on goal!" Spiler said. "They're really going all out!"
"An impressive tackle by Wakka! The ball's now in the Auroch's control!"
"See?" Tai grinned. "If anyone can turn this game around, it's Wakka!"
"A shot on goal, deflected by Abus! Too bad! Nice try Aurochs!"
"And the ball is once again in the Goers control! They mean business this time, Jimma!"
"Man!" Tai bit his thumb. "This game is so close! I have no idea who's going to win!"
"Don't you faith in your beloved Borouchs?" Adrian asked sarcastically, still reclining in her chair.
"The Aurochs! And yes, I do! Of course they'll win!" Tai grinned. "Just watch!"
"With only one minute remaining in the game, the Goers currently have control of the ball and are moving it up the sphere pool!"
"A pass to Bickson…it goes through! Bickson takes a shot on goal!"
Tai held his breath as the ball flew towards the goal. He wondered if Keepa was going to block it…
"And it's deflected! What's this? Wakka has grabbed the ball folks and is swimming rapidly up the sphere pool!"
"H-He's completely open, Bobba! The Goers are all on the offensive!"
"Come on, Wakka!" shouted Tai. "You can do it!"
Wakka was swimming up the sphere pool at an amazing speed with the ball tucked into his hand. The Goers were trying to swim back, but Wakka was quite ahead of them. He was going full force towards the goal, and in one sweeping motion, he dropped the ball and kicked it straight for the goal!
BZZZTT! "I-I-It's IN! Folks, the goal has been scored and time is up! The Aurochs have won the game, 2-1 in the final seconds! What an upset! The Aurochs, after ten years of losing, have come back to win the cup!"
"YES!" Tai screamed, jumping up and down with the rest of the gang, cheering on the Auroch's victory. "We win! Besaid Aurochs win!"
"Wakka looks pretty tired out there…" Tiffa observed, looking at Wakka, who still hadn't left the Sphere pool. Instead, he was aimlessly swimming around, as if thinking about something.
"Hey look! It's the blonde guy!" Juka said, pointing to the sphere pool. Truthfully, the reserve player from before was now swimming into the pool to greet Wakka. There was a pause between them, and then the blonde guy looked around hastily.
"Hey…what's wrong with him?" Tiffa asked, quirking an eyebrow. Now, all twelve of them were standing up and staring at the sphere pool where Wakka and "the blonde guy" were.
"Look!" Adrian shouted, pointing to the pool. The gang obliged her and gasped as they saw none other then a gang of Sahagin fiends swimming towards the two helpless blitzers.
"Oh my gosh!" said Ashnigh, pointing to her right. "Look!"
"FIENDS!" The crowd was already in a panic. Lupin wolves had already run in followed by lizard, bird, and other fiends. They had already started attacking the crowd, and overhead were lard reptile birds.
"Let's go!" Adrian commanded and the gang nodded, grabbing their weapons and moving out.
They were immediately blocked by a large flying reptile, and Adrian took no time in drawing her staff. "Stand back! I'll summon Shiva!" Adrian dropped her staff to the ground and began to perform her summoning dance. "SHIVA!" she screamed and raised the staff into the air. Ice spikes fell around her and her staff began to spew ice from the tip. She sprinkled the ice around her, stepped back, and, from the circle she had made, Shiva rose in all her glory.
"Shiva! Attack!" Adrian commanded her Aeon, and Shiva did as she was told, sprinting up to the reptile and giving it a sharp kick across the face, sending it reeling backwards. "Heavenly Strike!" Adrian commanded next, and Shiva wasted no time in gathering her energy and impaling the monster with her ice spikes. It fell, dead, and exploded into a cloud of pyreflies.
"Let's go!" Adrian commanded, dismissing Shiva back into her staff. The ice around them disappeared and the group continued, striking down any fiends that got in their way.
"Stay on your guard," Auron commanded to Luna as he sliceda shell fiend with his sword. He and Luna were back to back, surrounded by fiends, but fighting back.
"Of course, of course!" Luna told him. "FIRAGA!" She cast the spell and a Lupin fiend fell to the ground, scorched and dead.
"Why aren't you doing anything?" Auron asked her.
"What's the fun in doing that?" Luna grinned. "They chose this path, didn't they? And I choose to strike them down! THUNDAGA!" A powerful thunder spell came from her fingertips, grounding a bird fiend and destroying it. "I have to go Mr. Auron-Man! My friends are waiting!"
"Fine. We're done here anyway," Auron told her, striking down the final slowish fiend. "I see this as an excellent chance for me to lose you."
"The same could be said of you!" Luna giggled, running away from Auron. "Don't forget your promise!" she yelled to him. "Don't forget!"
"…Promises are for fools," Auron muttered once Luna was out of earshot. "I'm keeping only two right now. Yours is of no consequence to me."
With that, Auron turned his head to see none other then a large Drake fiend coming towards him. Many frightened civilians sprinted past him, but he simply gave a small chuckled, took his arm out of its sleeve, and bared down to face the creature.
"Dammit!" Juka cursed as the Lupin knocked her to her feet. She rose her sword and stabbed it, making it explode into a cloud of pyreflies, but not before wounding her. "These things are everywhere!"
"Watch out!" shouted Kevi as another huge flying reptile bounded down, striking both Tai and Tiffa in the stomachs. "Damn! We don't have enough energy to beat this one down!"
"We can at least try!" Spiler told Kevi, kicking his blitzball towards the monster, only to have it dodged the ball and strike Spiler across the chest, making him reel backwards.
"Spiler!" yelled Ashnigh. "Cure!" Her staff glowed slightly, then fell out of her hand. "Oh no! I'm out of magic power! I can't heal you guys!"
"And Albatross went off with Katrina, Lairon, and Stiven," Adrian muttered, clutching her staff. "I'm out of magic too."
"HYAH!" Tiffa threw one of her knives at the monster, but it barely affected the gargantuan being. The monster plucked the knife out as you would a splinter and struck at Tiffa with its talons. "Th-This is hopeless!"
The monster turned to Adrian and bared its fangs. It opened its large mouth and flew towards her. The guardians were too damaged to move, and Adrian had no more power! She closed her eyes and waited for the impact!
"Adrian, no!" Ashnigh screamed, tears in her eyes.
"Watch out!" Kevi screamed.
"Adrian, get out of the way!" Spiler shrieked.
But it was no use. Adrian couldn't move, and the monster was coming closer! With a fowl flap of its huge wings, it swooped down, ready to take Adrian's head off!
"STOP!"
The monster stopped mid-air, its mouth still open and inches away from Adrian. It promptly closed it and flew into the air, turning around.
"STOP, OR I'LL KILL YOU!"
The group looked up and gasped at what they saw. It was none other then Luna, her hand outstretched, her eyes livid with rage.
But that wasn't what surprised them. Luna's hat was gone, torn to shreds probably by fiends. Her glasses were broken, the glass falling off due to the electrical energy surrounding her. Her hair was wild, sticking out at odd ends, and her eyes were a hard blood red colored with tiny black pupils. On the top of her forehead was a glowing red symbols, and her face was covered with red slashes that looked like scars. Her canines had grown to abnormal lengths, almost stretching to her lower lip.
She looked positively vicious.
"Lu-Luna…" Adrian murmured, falling to her knees.
The fiend didn't move, it just stared at Luna, its giant wings still flapping. Luna rose her hand into the air, then, with one definite movement, clenched her fist.
The monster exploded with a deafening "BANG!". Its blood nearly missed the guardians and Adrian, but splattered all over Luna. Luna seemed unphased by it. In fact, a wild, almost evil grin spread over her face, revealing pearl white teeth that eerily contrasted with the crimson blood she was covered in.
The monster and its blood eventually turned into pyreflies, and Luna was once again clean of the monster's scent and liquid. Her eyes returned to their normal shade, and the symbols on her face disappeared.
She flashed them her usual smile and took out from her sack a tattered hat and her trusty doll. Putting the hat on and hugging the doll, she walked over to the troupe, a grin still on her face. The group noticed her teeth were also back to normal. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon!"
"Lu-Luna…what the heck was that?" Adrian asked, her eyes wide. "What just happened to you?"
But Luna had no time to answer the question. The group looked over to where they had once been sitting to see none other then a huge monster with bound hands and one shining eye was now standing.
It roared, as if in pain, and its eye glinted, destroying any fiend it touched. It was obvious that the creature was on their side.
Adrian and Ashnigh stared at the being, their mouths agape. "I-It's…that thing from years ago…" Adrian murmured. "That huge being."
"Yes…" was all Ashnigh could say.
Adrian rose to her feet and walked to the edge of the stadium. She jumped up onto the edge and reached out her hand, as if wanting to touch it. "It's so powerful…and yet…" She pulled back, stepping down. "It seems sad. Chained. …Much like me…"
"Who's controlling it?" asked Juka, breaking Adrian's line of thought.
"Oh my gosh!" Ashnigh gasped. "Look!" She pointed and the group looked to where her finger led.
Standing behind this great creature…was Maester Seymour…
The End of the chapter! Omigosh that was so long! TT I thought I was going to DIE writing it!
Anyway, I hope Luna enjoys the fact that she has had the longest chapter so far. I hope you all enjoyed reading the longest chapter so far:D
Until then,
Ciao for now!
-Sammy