I made Dalia a new Idol look with the Precure Dress-Up Maker.

Take a look at my Deviantart: empressofthesun/art/Rosethorne-Dalia-Fair-988764280


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Chapter 2: Haunted

Zack was dreaming of becoming SOLDIER First Rank when a loud scream awakened him from his slumber.

Confused he blinked into the darkness of his room.

Huh?

What was going on?

"ZACK-NIICHAN!", shouted the voice of his sister. "HELP ME!"

Instinct took over, not only from his SOLDIER training but also from a lifetime of being a big brother.

The black-haired man jumped out of bed, gripped his sword and ran into his sister's room.

"Dalia, I'm Here!"

The scene before him belongs in a horror flick.

His sister was cowering in her bed and over her, a shadowy-foggy-like grim reaper wannabe floated above her!

The SOLDIER Third Class didn't waste any time took a deep breath and focused his energy, calling upon the Mako within him to enhance his abilities.

He charged towards the shadowy figure with his sword raised high, ready to strike. As he swung his blade, it passed straight through the apparition without making contact.

"What the fuck?!", he shouted in disbelief.

The grim reaper wannabe just stared at him.

At least that gave Dalia the chance to hide behind him.

"Zack what is that?!", she shrieked, gripping his sleeping shirt tight in her fists.

"I don't know and I don't care, I will burn it to crisp!"

Thankful he had Fire Materia on his sword.

He cast the spell and at least this seemed to work.

Mr. Creepy Grim Reaper hissed.

"Anomaly.", came a scary voice from the being. "You will be erased."

With that, he disappeared into thin air.

Dalia clung to Zack tightly, still trembling in fear. He comforted her and assured her that everything was going to be alright.

"Going alright, that thing wanted to kill me!"

"It can't hurt you anymore, I made it go away."

"Zack, what kind of thing was that?"

"Don't know.", he admitted stroking her long spiky hair. "Probably a new monster. Something Ghost-like, I dunno."

"Why does it want to erase me?"

"I don't know sis, why do monsters attack us? No one really knows."

With a loud sigh, Dalia formally fell into her brother's arms.

Like she was a little girl again she asked quietly if they could share a bed.

Zack understood her. He was still shaking from this encounter too.

They moved to his bedroom and Dalia clung to him like a barnacle.

Thankful after a while she fell asleep, only Zack refused to sleep.

If Mr. Creepy Grim Reaper came again he wanted to be ready.

Never was he more thankful that as SOLDIER he didn't need that much sleep like a normal person.


"Rosethrone what is wrong?", asked Amelia the next day at lunch break. "You are normally good at photo shoots, but you seem off."

"I'm just going through some personal stuff," replied Dalia, trying to brush off her manager's concern.

But Amelia wasn't convinced.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on Dalia's shoulder.

"I don't know, are you a part-time monster expert, while being my manager?", Dalia sassed and gulped down her water.

Amelia chuckled at Dalia's remark, "No, I'm not a part-time monster expert, but I am your friend and I care about you. If you ever need someone to talk to or just vent, I'm here for you."

The younger girl smiled gratefully at her manager, feeling a bit better. It was nice to know that she had someone in her corner.

As they finished their lunch, Amelia made a mental note to check in on Dalia more often and make sure she was doing okay. After all, being a good manager meant more than just overseeing photo shoots and deadlines - it also meant being there for your team when they needed you the most.

"I have a little surprise for you.", she told her protege as they made their way back to Rosethrone's backstage room. "Maybe it will lift your spirits a bit."

"Mmh?"

"Your new Idol outfit is finished, you can wear it today at the concert."

Dalia's blue eyes lit up with excitement at the news. She had been looking forward to the new outfit for weeks.

It was a custom design made just for her, and she couldn't wait to see how it looked on stage.

"Really? Thank you so much, Amelia!", she exclaimed, feeling a burst of energy and enthusiasm. "I can't wait to try it on!"

The brunette woman smiled, happy to see Dalia's mood improving. "I knew it would make you happy. Now let's go get ready for the show!"

As they entered the dressing room, Dalia spotted the outfit hanging on a rack in the corner. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined - a glittering black, white and red ensemble that sparkled under the lights.

She quickly changed into the outfit, admiring herself in the mirror as she did so. The fabric felt soft and silky against her skin, and she loved how it hugged her curves in all the right places.

Now she really was Rosethrone, Midgar's Beautiful Rose.

When she emerged from the dressing room, Amelia gasped in delight. "You look amazing!"

Rosethrone beamed with pride as she took her place on stage.

As she began to sing and dance, all of her worries faded away.

For those few hours, nothing else mattered except for making music and entertaining her fans.

Afterwards, as Dalia was packing up her things backstage, Amelia approached her with a serious expression.

"Dalia," she said softly. "I know that something is bothering you. If there's anything I can do to help - anything at all - please don't hesitate to ask."

Dalia hesitated for a moment before admitting. "It's just...last night something really strange happened."

Her manager leaned in closer, listening intently as Dalia recounted what had happened with Mr. Creepy Grim Reaper.

"That sounds terrifying," Amelia said sympathetically when Dalia finished speaking. "But you know what? Zack was there and protected you. Your brother always has your back."

Dalia nodded slowly, feeling a sense of pride wash over thinking about what an awesome older brother she had in Zack.

"And besides," Amelia added with a grin. "If any other monsters come after you again...well, we'll just have to make sure you have some backup."

Together they laughed off their fears, feeling stronger knowing that they had each other's backs no matter what challenges lay ahead.

As the weeks went on, Dalia found herself feeling more and more confident in her role as Rosethrone. Her concerts were selling out faster than ever before, and she was receiving more fan mail than she could keep up with.

But despite her success, there were still moments when the memory of Mr. Creepy Grim Reaper would haunt her thoughts. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else out there, waiting to harm her.

One night, as she was getting ready for bed after a long day of rehearsals, she heard a strange noise coming from outside her window.

At first, she tried to ignore it - maybe it was just the wind or some stray animal.

But as the noise grew louder and more persistent, she realized that something was definitely wrong.

Heart pounding in her chest, she tiptoed over to the window and peered outside.

There, lurking in the shadows below, was a group of monsters like Mr. Creepy Grim Reaper! He had friends it seemed!

The black-haired girl froze in terror for a moment before remembering what Amelia had said about having a backup.

Quickly grabbing her PHS, she dialled Zack's number and waited anxiously for him to pick up.

"Zack! Oh my god, there is Mr. Creepy Grim Reaper outside my window! What do I do?!", she whispered.

"Stay calm," he replied calmly over the line. "I'm here."

True to his word, not a second later her bedroom door opened. Zack armed with his trusty sword and a handful of materia orbs was standing there.

He pointed with his head to leave her place at the window. She did so, as he walked over, opened the window and jumped down!

Good thing he was a SOLDIER Third and their apartment was only second floor.

Morbid curiosity made Dalia look out the window, as her brother fought off the Creepy Grim Reapers, with his sword and spells.

After the last vanished into thin air, her brother climbed back up their apartment.

When he was back in her room Dalia collapsed into Zack's arms sobbing with relief.

"I don't know how you do it," she whispered between sobs. "How can you be so brave all the time?"

Zack just smiled down at her gently. "It's easy," he said softly. "I do it for you."

"You are already a hero, Zack, my hero!"

"Thanks, Imoto-Chan, but we need to do something about this Creepy Grim Reapers. They said to me they have to erase the anomaly."

Confused Dalia looked up into Zack's grim face.

"What do you plan?"

"Tomorrow is your free day right? We go together to Angeal, maybe he knows this kind of monster.", then he facepalmed. "And I just realized I could have asked him weeks ago, I'm such a dumbass."

This released the nervous energy in Dalia and she couldn't help but laugh.

Yep, Mister Angeal's nickname for Zack, puppy, fitted indeed her brother.

He was not only friendly and eager as one, he could forget things easily.


The next day, Zack and Dalia went to see Angeal.

This meant for Dalia she would be the first time on the the SOLDIER floor of the ShinRA building.

She had visited her brother at his work, but they always had met up at the foyer.

It would be a lie to say Dalia wasn't a tiny bit curious about how it looked there.

With Zack vouching for her and checking that she really was his sister, she got her visitor pass for the day from the kind secretary in the foyer.

Now the siblings could take the elevator to their destination without a problem.

On the SOLDIER floor, of course, Dalia saw SOLDIER from Rank three to two and even some infantrymen.

But no Genesis or Sephiroth.

Like probably all girls in Midgar she had wanted to see the Crimson Commander and Silver General in the flesh.

Zack looked amused at her.

"Are you looking for someone?"

"It's not any day you can go up the SOLDIER floor, would be awesome if I could get an autograph from Mister Genesis and Mister Sephiroth, especially Sephiroth, Amelia has the hots for him. If I brought her autographs she would die happy."

As they walked down the hallway, Angeal's office came into view. Zack knocked on the door and they were welcomed inside by the First Class SOLDIER.

"Zack, and Dalia, what a nice surprise.", he greeted them warmly. "What brings you here?"

They explained what had happened with the Creepy Grim Reapers and how they had tried to attack Dalia twice.

Angeal listened carefully and then said, "I think I know what these creatures are. Even if it seems impossible."

"Why Angeal?", asked Zack, holding Dalia's hand tight as they sat before the FIRST CLASS SOLDIER.

"They considered legends. An accretion of Whispers, the so-called arbiters of fate. The creatures appear when someone tries to alter destiny's course. They are connected to all the threads of time and space that shape the planet's fate."

"The Whispers?" repeated Zack, looking puzzled. Dalia wasn't far behind.

Kinda lame name for something that scarred her shitless.

"Yes," replied Angeal. "Whispers, also known as the arbiters of fate, are beings born of the planet said to enforce the course of destiny. They appear in large gatherings whenever events stray too far from fate's intended path. Or so they say."

Zack and Dalia listened intently to Angeal's explanation, trying to wrap their heads around the concept of beings that enforced destiny. It all seemed a bit far-fetched, but then again, they had just fought off a group of monsters that could disappear into thin air.

"So what do we do?" asked Dalia anxiously. "Why would they be after me?"

Angeal sighed, looking pensive. "I'm not sure. Is there something which you do that can alter destiny so much? Zack told me you are just a normal school girl."

Ups.

Both Fair siblings turned red and looked ashamed at the ground.

The older man looked at them. So they were hiding something.

"Zack, I hope you had a good reason to lie to me.", scolded Angeal his protege.

If even possible, Zack shrunk more in his seat than before.

"Mister Angeal, please don't be mad at Zack-Nii.", begged Dalia. "I told him to lie."

Then she told him that she lived a double life as the Idol Rosethrone because she didn't want to be swarmed with fans all the time. Dalia loved being an Idol, but she loved her privacy with her brother too.

Angeal nodded. He could understand this.

Being First Class, was also a bit like being a celebrity. He had his own fan club and often people asked for his autograph, which was crazy since he fought in a WAR.

He was a warrior not a singer like Dalia.

"I see.", mumbled the black-haired man and gripped his chin thoughtfully. "It could be that your recent success as Rosethrone has caused a ripple in fate's course. Or it could be something else entirely."

Zack frowned, his protective instincts kicking in. "Whatever the reason, we need to find a way to stop them from coming after Dalia again."

Angeal nodded in agreement.

"Let's see...Dalia, when did the first Whisper appear?"

"It was after my successful concert in the Chocobo Lounge. I got home, ate and then got to bed. Then The Whisper appeared in the middle of the night."

"Was there something special this day?"

The girl frowned, thinking.

What was noteworthy on this day...?

"Oh I had a Fan-Meeting after the concert.", she told Zack and Angeal. "The young man I talked to was not even one of my fans. He just had come to my concert so the card of his friend, who couldn't make it, didn't go to waste."

That alerted both males.

"Do you remember his name, sis?"

"I think...It was Cloud. Yes, Cloud Strife!"

Angeal nodded.

"I have a hunch, Mr. Strife could be a lead you could follow."

"I don't know anybody with that name.", whined Zack and gripped his hair. "How should we find him? Just asking around all Midgar? That would take years and that's not counting the Slums!"

Dalia felt also distressed and petted her brother on the back.

How should she find this boy, she only met once?

"Now, now, no long faces. There is a simple but efficient way.", tried Angeal to cheer the Fair siblings up.

"Which way, Angeal?", they asked together.

"You could go to floor 62. All of Midgar's documents, records, and reports are stoked there. So also the resident list!"

"Angeal, you are a genius!"

The SOLDIER First Class chuckled quietly at the happiness of the Fair siblings.

With his authority, he gave them passes for floor 62 and the two were off.

Time to find out, where to find this Cloud Strife.


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