Filling In The Blanks
A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back again! Haha, cliff hanger, huh? I'm glad that you like it (if anyone does anyways) And so, here is the next chapter... It's chapter nine! Wooow! Lol
Disclaimer: Don't own it, wish I did, you know what I'm going to say, since I've been saying it for a while now.
Quick Random Thought: I hate the texture of cats' tongues.
Chapter 9: Welcome Back
Sapphire eyes shifted unsurely to each member standing in the kitchen. Everyone had a different expression on their face, so the blonde didn't really know what all to say.
"Holy shit it really is..." The one in blue leather laughed, and turned to Blank, "Why didn't you tell us he was back?"
"They only just arrived, now move, Marcus, so we can help these people," Dagger tried to explain in a rush to get the few wounded from the battle, cleaned up.
The one known as Marcus, only backed up into the tan skinned one with sideburns going all the way down his face. Blank stood, and yanked Zidane out of the room, expecting everyone to follow. Like the curious people they were, they followed, entranced on how the Genome stood in front of them, after being missing for five years.
He was situated in front of the kitchen door, so while Blank and the others argued, the redhead trying to explain everything so the blonde wouldn't have to, again, he could watch what was going on.
Beatrix was carefully placed onto a pull-out cot, as was the dog creature Zidane had seen earlier when they have first arrived in the hide out. A few more unnamed people were placed, and Dagger scurried about, trying to cure them, and give them potions, antidotes, cast esuna on them, and more. A few hyped up people were munching on Gysahl Greens, in an attempt to get the berserk out of their system.
The few people who the blonde did not recognize weren't in too bad of shape, but it was still something to grimace at. One human was missing an arm, the blood squirting out with every beat of his heart. Nadina was in the process of bandaging the stub of the limb so he wouldn't lose so much more blood, while a cream colored moogle tied rope around it to stop the precious liquid flow. His face was pale, and he groaned as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head.
Zidane felt pity on the poor human. He didn't look that old, and he must have lost a lot of blood, considering he was about to die. If they didn't hurry, Dagger wouldn't be able to revive him.
The dog like creature sat with an annoyntment, carefully putting it over himself, to cure the trouble that caused problems for the people he was around. His hands were cut up pretty badly, and on top of that, he seemed to be shedding a lot of fur that he didn't need to from the gash on his back that split open his shirt.
Dagger was busy conducting a stona spell, before the elf cast to stone broke through the thin clothed cot and shattered on the floor. His hands were up, shielding his face, as both his knees were bent, almost as though he were trying to bend backwards to avoid the shot. Zidane noticed that one of his ears had been cut at the top, so one was more shaped downwards than pointed.
Steiner was shooting a vaccine into Beatrix's arm, and although she was still unconscious, she moaned and winced as he messed around, trying to be careful, with the needle. She seemed utterly exhausted, and besides a few dents, in her armor, she seemed fine.
The fight had taken a lot more out of them than they had originally expected, that much Zidane knew. Those guards weren't the kind of guards in the castle, but they were dirtier ones who had a lot of tricks up their sleeves. On top of that, no one had been prepared for them to come to Dali and knock around the townspeople - or even end up there at all. But no matter the reason, it still seemed like a small hit.
He remembered someone saying that most of the resistance was out, which was, in the end, better than having them all around. It seemed less like a hide out, and more of a spontaneous chance that they came to Dali to help out.
Walking out from another entry way into the kitchen was a fat, pure white skinned creature with a long red tongue hanging out of its mouth. It had on a pink shirt, with a white apron over it, and a white chef's hat on its head, the strings long enough to reach just past its chest. It wore a blue, ribboned bib and darker blue shoes with bows on them. Its eyes were completely white, with almost a flower shape of red lining them.
As he moved around, looking back and forth, his tongue swung this way and that, "What happen to everyone?"
No one acknowledged his presence, and went along working. Blinking, he tried to move towards Dagger, who simply brushed past him towards another wounded person.
"Zidane!" From the back of his mind, Blank's voice flew into his head, making him turn back to the group before him.
"Yeah?"
"You're right..." The fat man grinned, "He's still as stupid as ever!"
"Hey!" Zidane protested, but was stopped when the one in blue leather began to talk again.
"Well... Since you probably don't recognize us... Maybe it'll refresh your memories to hear some names. I'm Marcus, that's Cinna -" he pointed to the one with the tan armor and goofy face, "those two are the Nero brothers," He pointed to the two dog-like creatures, "that's Ruby," he gestured towards a blue haired girl in a green skirt, "and that's Baku."
Zidane's eyes swept over all of these people, putting his mind to the test as he tried to remember. A dream he had had reminded him of a few of them, although the others were a bit sketchy.
"So I don't understand..." Cinna plopped into a chair, his weight too much to carry on his legs at one time, "What happened to you then? I mean, Blank told us what happened yeah... But what... Happened?"
"Way to be descriptive, Cin..." Marcus rolled his eyes, and leaned against the wall.
The blonde recognized the personalities, if not the people, and it made him slightly calmer. Despite all of the things that had happened, and all the things he didn't remember happening, he still knew these people. It gave him hope that maybe at one point or another, he could remember all the things that happened to him, before five years prior.
Sighing he looked up, "It's just basically as Blank told you. The thing attacked because we were too far off mark, and then I told him to leave... I tried to run, but the thing tackled me. There wasn't really anymore to that."
"You don't remember anything else?" Cinna asked eagerly.
"Why were you boys off your mark in the first place?" Ruby asked, her hands on her hip, her accent heavy in her words.
"That's not really important... Call it beside the point, Ruby," Blank rolled his eyes, finding it stupid that the first thing she could say to Zidane after not seeing him for five years, would be something like that.
"Darlin', you live off the point, so I would watch what you spray out of that mouth of yours!"
"What is she talking about, Marcus?" Blank asked, sitting up now that he was involved in the conversation.
"Does it matter what she's talking about? It's Ruby, she always says stuff we can't understand. Her and her ridiculous metaphors... She's not really the problem right now..." He jerked his hand towards Zidane, "You. Talk."
Before he could help himself, he let out a laugh, the noise sounding awkward on his tongue, "There's really not anything else to say."
"What was this dream world like?"
"Who was there? Did you know anyone else? Cause I sure knew a lot of people who disappeared -"
"Enough!" Blank and Baku both said at once, "let the kid breath..." Baku added, shaking his head.
"Just cause you ain't excited to see him -" Ruby flipped her wrist, rolling his eyes dramatically; this certainly heated up a conversation that most likely wouldn't end for a while.
At this point, since Zidane was no longer on the spot, he listened to these people with such a close bond fight, while he was on the sidelines. Once upon a time, he would have been included, and possibly the one who started the fight, although he still had this time anyways. Shaking his head, he glanced back into the kitchen to see how everyone was doing.
The dog like creature was done with the annoyntment, and was now helping the one without an arm sit up. Dagger had obviously cured him, but he still looked as though he were in pain. The moogle he had seen before bounced around, cleaning everything up, and making sure there were no germs with a nifty cleaning spell.
"He slept through the whole thing, can you believe it?" Dagger asked, shock etched into her face.
Steiner shook his head disapprovingly, "What's the point of even having him around?"
"I do good!" The fat thing Zidane had seen before moved his head rapidly from each other them, his tongue slapping back against himself as he expected some sort of a kind answer, but he stopped as soon as his eyes landed on the blonde staring at him.
Slowly and cautiously, he began to walk towards him, eyes fixated hard. Zidane looked to Dagger for help, but she could only smile.
"That's Quina!" She giggled, watching the Qu move towards him, and the Genome become more than slightly freaked out. (A/N: For reference sake, Quina is dubbed a boy in this story.)
The thing known as Quina walked right up to the teenager, after no danger was suspected, and licked him, square up the cheek and slightly into his hair, completely sliming the right side of his face. The expression on Zidane's face said it all. All of the Tantalus crew burst out laughing, Dagger and Vivi included, and Steiner smiled.
Scared of what was going to come off his face, he slowly smacked a hand onto the drool ridden flesh, and wiped it off, a glop of it falling to the ground. With his mouth slightly opened, he looked up, positively baffled towards everyone with an expression that read why didn't you tell me, you traitors?!
"Do not taste good... Cannot eat..." Quina shook his head disgusted at Zidane, "Genome..." He identified after a moment, shaking his head, "No can eat... Who are you?"
"Zidane..." He said in a shaky voice, eyes quivering with the chance he could be licked again.
Quina nodded excitedly, "You be my new friend?" He questioned.
"Sure?" He blinked, wiping the remaining spit off of his face with his sleeve when the Qu turned back around.
"You can't sleep anymore during battles. Those guys could have afforded to see a Qu try and eat them..." Steiner added, pounding his fist into his hand.
"There was a battle?" Baku finally questioned.
"There were only about five wounded people in the kitchen you idiot!" Steiner's anger flared, but only momentarily. "You're lucky you came in through the observatory."
"That's the only place you can land airships... Don't blame us..." the leader of the Tantalus shrugged innocently, but gruffly.
"Why where they hear?" Marcus asked, voice less joking than before.
"They came to Dali," Cid began, walking into the room at just the right time, a pipe in his hand, "to recapture the escaped dreamers."
"I don't understand..." Vivi began, sitting on the table, all the while before helping Dagger and Nadina heal people as Zidane was caught up in his own conversation, "Why would we be so important to catch? It's only two people..."
"Because Kuja's goal is to get the most powerful of people to fight on his side, he doesn't want people who know it was a trick sneaking around. Potentially, if positioned in the right place at the right time, you two could ruin his whole plan. Both of you were picked for a reason... Bloodline and power being part of it."
They let that sink in for a moment, before Vivi looked up again.
The black mage stared at Quina for a while, already having been introduced a few moments before Zidane had been slimed. Luckily, he hadn't gone through the same trauma... It must have been the way the blonde smelled or presented himself. It made Vivi smile, but the more and more he looked at Quina, he saw some familiarity in the air.
For as the same with Zidane, Vivi also had dreams while he was in his sleep, ones he couldn't discuss with normal people, and ones that had him lying awake for hours contemplating.
??
"You must stand for what right, Vivi!" Someone who looked very familiar to Quina nodded at him.
"How do I do that, Grandpa?" He questioned, his voice higher, and younger than he was used to himself being.
"Like what happens in trees right now..." He pointed with a short finger, to the horizon, where trees were being cut vividly from their posts in the ground, "If you talking tree, you help other trees, yes?"
"Ah..." Vivi nodded, "right." Even though he had no clue what his Grandpa meant using the trees, he understood the metaphoric meaning behind it.
"Now let's eat!" He took out a large spoon from his cabinet, and stirred the soup around, Vivi watching the colors swirl together.
Glancing around, he saw the paint splattered onto the walls of the dwelling, the hot springs keeping it warm inside a normally cold cave. There were shelves and shelves of stored away food, some of them accessible by walking up to the wood, others, Vivi and his grandfather having to reach by other means. It was a cozy feeling, having the rainbow of smells wafting through the air.
He walked to the edge of the darkness, lit only by candles, where it contrasted by what was lit by the sun. It was their balcony of a sense, in the cave, and putting his hand to the wall, he saw the mark his grandfather had made showing how tall Vivi was some months to possibly a year ago. Looking outside, the royal blue sky clear and peaceful, white birds dancing through the sky, as though it was all synchronized from the start, he saw the wind tickle the trees, making them waver slightly.
There was a loud knocking noise on the stone that made Vivi jump, and whip around to look at his grandfather. Quite calmly, he wobbled over to their set up door, and pushed it open.
"Quan Quen. We've come for the mage."
Cocking his head to the side, he questioned, "What mage?"
This was Vivi's queue to hide. He had known, from what his grandfather had always told him, that if any situation like this had come up, he was meant to hide right away. Carefully making his way outside, he slid into a large pot, made specifically for this reason, and placed the lid quietly over. All he could do was listen from a distance.
"We know he's here..." They pushed Quan to the side, rummaging around, and spilling the almost made soup onto the ground, having it splash all over. The spices engulfed Vivi's sense of smell, making him hope these guards wouldn't search too thoroughly.
He didn't know why the guards wanted him, and he was scared. What if he were taken away from his Grandfather? The thought made him shiver.
He held his rugged breath as he heard the heavy footsteps of the soldiers walk out onto their balcony. Closing his eyes, he hoped for the best, and wanted nothing more than to just do what he did normally in life, and eat his soup with Quan before they went to the hot springs, and possibly even outside to find more food to stalk their shelves.
But his heart sunk when someone kicked the pot he was hiding in, and tipped it over, him and the spices inside falling out. He tumbled and skidded on the stone, looking up at Quan who had a terrorized look on his face.
"There he is! The little brat!" A guard tried to grab Vivi, but before anyone could react, Quan hit a specific amount of things tied in the air, and food suddenly fell out all over the guards.
Pots and cans broke, food was smashed and spoiled, and Quan called out to the black mage, "Run Vivi! Don't come back! I find you in city across trees -" Vivi knew what he meant, "Don't get caught!"
As carefully, but as quickly as he could, Vivi began to make his way down the side of the balcony, hoping not to slip on anything. As soon as he got to the bottom, his hands aching and his shoes scuffed up from the hard rock, he turned around, only to bump into the legs of someone.
A guard looked down, smirked, and scooped him up, blowing on a whistle to signal he had the mage, and that they should leave. Then he turned down to Vivi, who struggled in the strong grasp that clutched him, and shoved a vial in his mouth.
Ever so slowly, Vivi's world fell to black.
??
"Not only that, but Vivi is extremely powerful..." Cid pondered aloud, pointing out something that made Vivi come back to reality, "most black mages don't make it past a certain amount of time. But Vivi... Vivi must have been alive for at least five years, considering he was alive before the sleep, if not only just born..."
"What's so different about Vivi?" Dagger questioned, curiosity filling her voice.
The Regent could only shake his head, "I don't know..."
"Wow..." Zidane smiled, taking the spotlight somewhat off of something that could potentially sadden the mage, "We're in the presence of a very powerful being!" He mock bowed, in an attempt to keep the mood light.
"You surely have a thing with bowing, don't you?" Dagger questioned, a smile breaking out on her features.
They shared a look for just a moment, no one else knowing what they were talking about, except Vivi.
Trying to get another message across, Nadina shook her head, "you mean to tell me... That these guards won't stop at anything to try and find them?"
"Right," Cid nodded.
"I hope, for the sake of this whole resistance, that you killed the guards you encountered in Alexandria castle... Otherwise, they'll know who Zidane and Vivi are with."
Everyone paused for a moment, temporarily in distress before Blank added, "They would think we'd keep them in our hide out. Which in a round about way, I suppose unless we're going somewhere any time soon, they will be... But see, since our hide out is impossible to find, we'll be okay."
The human mage shook her head, "I pray you're right..." She looked at everyone in the room, truly wanting to believe Blank's words.
But no one could be sure, as they glanced at the people they'd give everything to protect.
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A/N: You know - that was meant to be a short chapter, and it ended up really long. :D I hope you liked it all the same, and I hope you guys leave me some love! I know Quina is never you know... Whatever - as in it's questionable if S/he's a girl or a guy, but... Just bare with me on that one, doesn't s/he just seem more like a he?
And as for Vivi. The details of his past may be sketchy. I know that his grandfather was a Qu, but I'm not sure if Vivi would have taken his Grandfather's last name, which is why it's Orunitia, or if he already had a last name to begin with, so I'm just going with Quina's last name, since all the Qus seem like they would know each other.
I know that he might have been the first prototype of the black mage, which is why he's lived longer, and I know that he's nine in the actual final fantasy game, but other than that I'm clueless, so if I make any mistakes, feel free to point them out, just please don't blame me for them.
Leave me some love! It would be greatly appreciated!
-zesty-
