Quick Backtrack

Leblanc got out of bed feeling very optimistic after the events of the previous night. Her good mood was shortly lived however, when the most unexpected visitor arrived at her doorstep. Meanwhile, on the Celsius, Yuna and Rikku discovered that there was some sort of competition taking place on Mi'ihen Highroad – the first prize being the Jade Apula. Somebody onboard had already known about this but didn't bother to tell anyone else. Finally, once the Gullwings got to the grounds, the biggest surprise of all was waiting for them, as they learnt the previously retired Leblanc too was entering the competition...

Author's Notes

Disclaimer: I don't own any Final Fantasy Characters or anything mentioned from the franchise. This story was written for non-profitable purposes so please just read and enjoy people.

The Invincibility of Choice

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

Chronicle II, Part 2 – The Pursuit For Jade

3 Weeks Prior, Mi'ihen Highroad…

Weightless clouds hung heavily in the heated afternoon's skies, casting gracious shadows that saved the busy fields of Mi'ihen from the sun's full-fledged onslaught. The gruelling battles below would need more than a bit of shade however, to calm the determination of its competitors.

With every fierce swing of the sword, Runy let out an even fiercer battle cry. Skin tore and bones cracked as steal cut through beast fur and flesh. The poor four, blue-furred, bear-like monsters were clearly out numbered by the combination of the man and his curved blade.

"One down," he counted, as he dropped the sharpest side of his blade straight between the eyes of one of the fiends. On cue, Pyreflies appeared to carry its carcass into the plane of the dead.

Runy was quite the decorated fighter to watch. Confidence moved in his every fibre. He hopped in position, almost excitedly, so that his body was only ever supported by one foot on the ground at a time. Out of confidence, or disrespect to his opponents perhaps, he would occasionally scratch through his spiky, orange hair with the hand free of his blade. Not even the enclosing three-fiend circle provoked enough concern to distract him from his flamboyant self.

The beasts inched closer with threateningly steady steps. Being the centre of attraction had never been so dangerous but Runy played it off slickly. All he needed to know was the order in which the fiends would attack. Once he got that down, the rest would be improvised without worry.

Snarls of the dripping fangs behind him alerted his ears. Not wasting a second, he swung around, with a low kick destined for the attacker's huge head. Instead, the fiend's parted teeth caught hold of his shoe, held in a vertical position that stretched its mouth open to the fullest. Runy flipped backwards, using his other foot to deliver a devastating uppercut that unleashed him from the fiend's grip. The launched beast lasted two painful seconds in the air before a renegade blade ran a course through its torso, heart, and then out again - another one down.

His sword twirled lively between his expert fingers, swishing through the air effortlessly. The two circling fiends looked on quietly at the silver blur in his hand. Their fierce eyes grew dizzy from following its perpetual movement. When waiting for the perfect opportunity had lost all appeal, raw instinct swept over one fiend, causing it to rush into an aggressive leap forward, baring its fangs with a wet snarl.

Looking over his shoulder, Runy caught the attack earlier than the fiend had anticipated. He span around swiftly, running the horizontal blade between a cave of dripping teeth and slicing through the corners of its stretched lips before finally losing momentum somewhere in its chest. Thick indigo oozed from the fresh streak running down from its snout. For the sake of the drenched sword, and the beast's mercy, the Pyreflies couldn't have come sooner, elegantly whisking its crippled corpse to the Farplane.

Runy rested crouched on a knee and concentrated, holding his dripping blade out with one hand. Mistaking his back for a weak point, the final fiend lunged for his neck. How clumsy, Runy thought. Without so much as moving his green eyes from the sands, he pressed the tip of his blade into the enemy's expected jaw. His blade climbed into the bottom of the fiend's snout and re-appeared as a bloody peak a small distance from its nose. Its death cry came as soon as the fateful blade was swiftly slipped out.

The ground echoed at the fallen body. Runy slowly got to his feet, refusing to pay the enemy so much as a glance as its remains were carried away. His eyes flashed, and his blade followed, repelling every drop of blue blood until its shiny, silver base was returned. He smiled and winked a certain direction before confidently walking away from the victory with his sword hung over the shoulder.

ooOOoo

"Impressive."

Paine summoned an honest half-smile. Both his skill and arrogance had climbed to new grounds over the missing years. But his charming gestures never changed. Still obvious, still undeveloped and still him. She shook her head. She had to stop thinking like this. Whenever she did, rivers of past regrets would come flooding back, hard.

"You mean the match … or him?"

She washed back her thoughts in a long blink, then followed the interruptive voice, finding Rikku's wide beam where it had come from. This recent interest that the young Al Bhed had adopted was rather annoying. Sometimes it felt like she was searching through Paine's life, each question poking deeper into her history, trying to find records best kept buried. As one could imagine, Paine didn't take kindly to the intrusion. She turned to her fellow Gullwings with crossed arms, and those grave grey eyes of hers.

"It looks like the Dragonites passed the qualification rounds too," she informed them, having just seen the match take place.

Avoiding Rikku's question was a temporarily solution, as always, but this time, the blonde girl interpreted Paine's evasion as confirmation to her suspicions. "I think he's cute too." The statement sounded completely out of place, bringing an awkward silence amongst the three of them.

Yuna gently rocked her shoulders left and right with her hands behind her back. The conversation beckoned her to save it from extinction. This had become a common occurrence over this past week, and she started to believe she was getting better at it. "I think we all saw that one coming. Amu and his boys are almost as desperate for the Apulai as we are," she pointed out, choosing to reply to Paine's words.

Almost as desperate as you are, Paine corrected in her mind. The only reason she was chasing after these stones was because Yuna asked her to. Also, on some other grounds, friendship perhaps, she felt she owed it to her.

"I think I'll go get us some drinks?" Having been somewhat ignored by the both of them, Rikku felt a bit out of place and needed to take a little stroll to gather herself. Thankfully, Yuna nodded and smiled to her this time, sending her a reply that necessarily reminded her she wasn't invisible. "Three drinks, coming up!" With that, she dashed happily through the crowd.

"Heh, she better save some of that energy for the race," came a light-hearted voice from behind them.

Yuna and Paine turned around to find Milano and Tiara standing beside one another. Both of them were dressed in their preferred Dresspheres: Milano's attire consisted of the cobalt swimsuit armour that shined a metallic colour over her body, matching boots, gloves and a dark cape, whilst Tiara was dressed in a casual red, sleeveless skirt, falling halfway down her thighs and tall brown boots that climbed a little above her knees. The teams greeted each other with smiles and nods.

Milano shrugged brunette locks to the back of her shoulder as she crossed her arms in a pose to rival Paine's. "We've been to see Rin." The host of the event was difficult to consult on such a busy day. Considering all the trouble they had to go through, she didn't think Yuna's gang managed to meet him at all. "I thought you might want hear what he had to say."

"Sure!" Anything that could help them prepare was welcome to Yuna's ears.

Milano couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. They were friends now, but out on that field, they would be competitors and nothing more. She believed Yuna was aware of this, but sometimes, she wasn't so sure. Her grey-haired buddy, on the other hand, seemed to be too familiar with the concept of competition. She wanted the information and nothing more.

"I'm sure you already know that it's going to be a race by now." Yuna and Paine nodded before Milano continued. "More specifically, a relay race. Only the top ten teams to pass the qualification round will be entered. Heh, so far, seventy-five percent of all entrants haven't made it, and more than half of those lost their lives." Silence took over briefly as a stray wind blew past their solemn expressions.

"No one forced them to enter," Paine stated boldly.

"I suppose," Tiara spoke up, unable to completely mask the sorrow in her voice. "Rin says the race is going to be worse. They're three stages, and each team assigns one member to each of these stages. The first team member must navigate through the trap infested course. Once they complete their goals and reach the checkpoint, they pass the marker to next team member who makes their way through their own mini course before handing the marker to the last member at the next checkpoint, who will complete the race. The last three teams to arrive at the checkpoints will be eliminated … assuming they make it to the checkpoints alive, of course."

"Sounds like fun." If they defeated the great Vegnagun than overcoming some measly obstacle course Rin put together should be child's play, Paine reasoned. "Well, we're in. So Yuna, who's going first on our team?"

"You are?" Milano said, a little surprised. "I didn't see your qualification match."

"That's because it didn't last very long."

"All thanks to Paine's Full Throttle Dresshpere," Yuna acknowledged. She and Rikku had also participated but Paine made the job particularly easier. Paine simply grinned proudly at the comment. "We didn't see your match either, but that's probably because we got here late. You should've seen the Dragonites, or Dragonite. They had one member do it alone, taking on all ten beasts! How cocky is that?"

Milano chuckled. "Confidence is one thing Amu and his troops will never be short of. This thing could start any second," she said, glimpsing at her wristwatch. "We better start looking for that third, male, member of ours." Tiara and Milano rolled their eyes in chorus. "See you two in the race. And, Yuna, good luck." Her black cape whipped around, fluttering in the wind as the two walked away.

Speaking of third members, "Rikku's taking an awful long time with those drinks," Yuna realised.

ooOOoo

The queue's tiring length gave Rikku plenty of time to sort through her thoughts. She still didn't know what to make of Milano, her cousin's past friend that just happened to show up at the perfect time to help them recapture the Azure Apula, and selflessly return it to Yuna. That action still puzzled her; it was obvious Milano wanted the Apulai just as much they did, her entering this event proved that. So why would she give an Apula up so easily? There had to be a catch somewhere.

Her feet carried her forward almost subconsciously as the line got shorter. Maybe she was thinking too much of it and Milano really did it purely out of friendship. She could trust Yuna's judgement, couldn't she? An apology was probably due for her hasty evacuation back there. Yuna and Paine didn't know it, but part of the reason she left them so quickly was because she spotted Milano approaching. If she was wrong about her, she would feel pretty awful about the way she had been treating her.

Another step forward and she progressed in the line. Another Apula today and they would have progressed with the mission. Adding the Jade emerald to the Azure they already had, would set them on the halfway mark of the Fayth's request. Once all four Apulai were collected and handed to the Fayth, in turn, Tidus's memories would be gathered and used to bring him back!

"Next!"

Rikku sighed in relief, having finally reached the front of the queue. The only thing more familiar than the vendor's voice was his face. "Are you still following me?"

"You wish." Gippal chuckled at her arrogance. "A friend of mine asked me to help out. I'm taking care of things here while she's away."

She? Rikku thought, mildly concerned. "I don't remember you being this kind with me."

Gippal crossed his arms and simply watched her bitter-sweet smile for a moment. "It's not what you think." He wasn't sure what else to say. An abrupt cough interrupted from the man behind his present customer. Poking his head around her, Gippal briefly lifted the patch over his right eye, realising just how the long snake trailing behind Rikku was. "Tell you what, Cid's girl. Stop by Djose if you want to finish this little conversation. But right now I've got tons of customers to attend to. We wouldn't want them to start complaining now would we?"

There was that 'all business' attitude of this, Rikku recalled. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right again. This was hardly the place or time to handle personal matters. She gave him her order as any other normal customer would. Moments later, he produced three party cups, filled with a green sweetness that shimmered over crushed ice. She paid him a smile as he handed her change.

She took the drinks to the closest table, resting them there as she deposited the Gil into the sachet around her waist. When she turned her attention back to the cups, she found that they had disappeared.

"Aw, for us? You shouldn't have." On the other side of the table, Leblanc and her two henchmen held the cups close to their lips tauntingly.

Already agitated by having to wait in the line for so long, not to mention being unable to talk to Gippal, Rikku really didn't feel like being her cheery self. "Not now, Leblanc. I'm not in the mood."

"Oh? But you looked like you were in the mood a little while ago when you were ordering these drinks." Leblanc glanced over to the man across the counter with a knowing smile. She took a sip of the cream soda but quickly spat it out to the ground beside her. "It's almost as bad as your taste in men," she said bitterly. "What does he hope to achieve with that patch over his eye anyway? Figure faking a disability would invoke some sort of sorrow that would increase his chances with women, did he?"

The two goons to her sides joined in her little triumphant laugh. Rikku could feel the spite rattling her nerves. She knew she was about to say something she would regret but she couldn't stop herself. "At least he's faking his disability. Not only is that … cripple … struggling on his feet everyday, but he must suffer the embarrassment of waking up next to you every morning as well."

Leblanc's face turned pale as all the humour was drained from it, and replaced with a growing animosity. Even Logos and Ormi, on the safe side of her fury, feared her at that very moment. Her long nails dug deep into the paper cups, green juice flowing down her hand from the marks she created. An angry crimson began burning in her trembling cheeks.

Not only did Rikku know she had to apologise, she honestly felt like she needed to. "Leblanc…" She started with a sigh. "I didn't mean it. It's just – AHHHH!" She screamed in horror as the freezing beverage slapped her face, small chunks of ice crashing around her. The cream soda partially blinded her, rendering her completely unaware of attack to come. Leblanc delivered a strong backhand to her jaw that sent her flying a few feet into the air.

Rikku cried out as the pain exploded down her crashing spine. Tears involuntary leaked down her cheeks. She struggled to a sitting position, watching Leblanc approach her with a malevolent frown. She apologised already, but if Leblanc expected to her to sit back and take a beating as well, she would be sadly mistaken, especially since it was partly her fault too. The sole of her boot caught the former sphere hunter hard in the stomach. Rikku used the time Leblanc stumbled back to get to her feet.

By now, a small crowd had gathered around them and more people were re-directing their attention by the minute. Rikku slapped dust off her shoulder before charging forward with a raised fist. To her surprise, her attack was caught cleanly in Logos's strong grip. Ormi injected himself into the scene as well, holding Rikku's other arm behind her back. She struggled violently, and even attempted to step on their feet, but the two men were simply too powerful for her smaller stature.

To add to her problems, Leblanc threw a series of fists to her unprotected abdomen. She yelped in pain as she helplessly took each punch. The situation was clearly unfair. A few men in the crowd thought of interfering but quickly changed their minds when they found themselves looking straight into the barrel of Logos's pistol.

Gippal leapt over the counter and rushed to the young Al Bhed's aid, thinking up a plan as he hurried along. He would've come more equipped if he knew such a situation would call for it. The only weapons he had now were his bare fists.

"Idiot," Logos sneered as he watched the brave fool quicken his pace. The young lad intended to catch them off guard by attacking from the back but Logos caught him moments before he could execute his plan, slamming the pistol into his neck in a quick motion. Gippal was knocked out instantly. Blood stained the soil as it seeped from somewhere behind his head.

Still, he had helped more than he knew. The brief distraction gave Rikku the edge she needed to break free from Logos's hold, elbowing him in the stomach before kicking free from the shorter chubby man. The crowd cheered loudly at the change in momentum. Swarms of men and women jumped on top of the downed men, teaching them the principles of a fair fight by ironically pounding on them by the dozen.

The crowd's assistance let Rikku and Leblanc sort out their issues more privately. Yelps and crude language were all side affects of the ferocious tussle. The two women were rolling in the dirt, exchanging blows and insults for long, brutal seconds before Yuna and Paine had finally arrived. They quickly got to work on ending the fight, pulling their fellow Gullwing off of Leblanc.

"Calm down!" Yuna screamed into Rikku's ear. One would think Yuna and Paine were enemies, the way Rikku struggled to break free from their holds as well.

Logos and Ormi did the same to restrain Leblanc. "Let's go, Boss. She aint worth it."

It took a good while before both of them had reduced their anger to ugly glares directed at each other. Both of them stood trembling, covered in their new suits of dust.

"Humph!" Leblanc shrugged off her henchmen's grips. "Next time, keep that bitch on a leash," she spat, pointing a finger at Rikku, who simply concentrated on slowing down her heavy breathing. A busted lip, black eye and few cuts made it seem like Leblanc had gotten the worse of that exchange. Rikku hadn't escaped scar free either; she had bruises on her tummy and a huge cut running down her bottom lip.

With nothing more to say to her, Leblanc took her leave, ordering her goons to follow her.

Yuna shook her head, thoroughly disappointed. "Let's get you cleaned up. The race is starting any minute now."

ooOOoo

"Slow down, boss," Ormi complained, still limping from the beating he got from random people in the crowd. "I thought we were entering the race too."

"Not necessary," Leblanc said without looking back. "We've already got what we came for."

"We have?" Logos asked, confused. "But boss, all we got was an ass kicking. And when the Gullwings are involved, we usually get those whether we come for them or not."

"Shut up! Just, shut up!" Their ignorance was starting to get on her nerves. She didn't realise that it was because she hardly ever filled them in on all the details. "There's more a lot more to this. Heh…" That confident smirk managed to creep onto her strained face, concealing something devious. "I just hope that bitch appreciates what I've gone through for her."

End Of Chronicle II, Part 2