Floating In Fantasy, Ch. 5

Yesh, it's chapter 5 of the story that I thought wouldn't last. I think having a sort of story behind it helps, but maybe I just need a little confidence before I try a story all my own...

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Final Fantasy in any shape, form, or fashion, but if I did, I'd so be making my next game and getting a FREE PlayStation 3... so much for dreams, though.

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Chapter 5

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*This is pure idiocy.*

Never, in all his life, had he felt as embarrassed as he did right now. *They… they threaten me with my life, and they were bluffing him, and yet… He kept such a serious face. There’s no way, right? *Either way, they had a good laugh afterwards, making him put on this and that, trying to find the “perfect look” for him.

After the whole ordeal, he felt wrathful and pissed. *I can’t believe I’m going through with this bullshit! If I ever see him again, I’ll…!” Growling audibly at himself, his hands went up to fix the wig atop his head, and even though he’d never say it to them, he though he made a damn sexy looking girl.

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The theater was already dark by the time Vivi, Lan, and Puck (the rat kid had finally introduced himself on the way over) arrived quietly in the back row, all hoping they hadn’t missed the opening of the play. Thankfully enough, it had just started.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” A large man had control of the stage, dressed in rich colors that draped over his enormous frame, looking like the King of Vanity himself. “Tonight’s performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king. And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet, noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents ‘I Want to Be Your Canary’!” And with his introduction finished, the speaker stepped back into the growing darkness behind him, vanishing entirely from view.

“Well now… so far so good, right Vivi?” Lan whispered. The mage nodded absent mindedly, his head obviously far away from Lan and the play. *Always away somewhere else… who knows anymore.* Being the nosy person he was, Lan wanted to know what was up with Vivi not paying attention to the play that he had been upset about nearly not going to.

*The onslaught’s coming, but the storm’s just beginning.*

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Several Hours Earlier

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*huff, huff*

The young woman was bent over, sweating heavily and panting hard. She had to keep going, had to get better. Even after her months of planning, she still prepared just as hard as when she had decided to leave her home. It had been a big step for her, but with everything the way it was, it seemed to be the only way to escape the brewing trouble on the horizon.

*I need to keep pushing myself… more pushups.* Instantly, she hit the ground, using her arms to pump her body up and down. Despite her sheer eagerness, though, she soon fell to the ground after twenty or so pushups. Nevertheless, she picked herself back up, looking at the homemade obstacle course she had made in through her room and beyond. Sure, someone seeing her running around the place made her look like a fool, but she didn’t care.

*I just have to be ready for tonight.*

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A Few Hours Later Elsewhere…

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It was very, VERY high up, and Vivi couldn’t help but shake as he walked across the wooden planks that extended across the space of the different rooftops that spanned across Alexandria. The height, however, was only one of the things on his mind.

*Always… always there, and I’m always looking… just stop looking…* He felt hot, even though he was more than used to his over large coat and the heat it attracted from the sun. He had even gotten over his uneasiness of talking to Lan most of the way. Now if he could get his face out of his head, he might be doing better.

Ever since he had pulled Lan into the inn, Vivi couldn’t get the teen off his mind. Every time he tried to think of something else, his mind doubled back around to Lan without his consent, and always on the small things about him; his eyes, his laugh, his smile, his lips, the way he took off his shirt when… Vivi shook himself mentally to get the picture that was forming in his head out. He had tried to cast a spell earlier which took him five minutes to actually focus the energies needed… for a Fire spell. A simple Fire took five minutes! Lan hadn’t noticed, or Puck by the by, but Vivi knew his limits, and any minute was too long for him and casting.

*Why does it even matter why he won’t get off my mind? It’s not like I’m going to get hurt, right?* He waited for an answer, but all he got was the silence that usually permeated around him. Somehow, he wished he had someone to answer that question.

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Up Above In The Skies

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“C’mon y’all, it’s gotta be good!” Ruby’s voice thundered over everyone over them namely because she was sacrificing her part in the play. It had been Zidane that had begged Ruby to let someone else take her place, someone who was indebted to them ‘for unknowingly providing free airfare’ as he put it. So, as reward for her generosity, they were letting her spearhead the replacement’s costume design.

“Now let’s see… d’you think he’d make a purdy lady in this getup?” She asked holding up a blond wig and a royal looking, if not revealing, purple dress with a clean look and material that shimmered in the light of the room.

“I gotta say Ruby, I think you’ve outdone yourself this time.” Blank’s approval brought a crooked smile to the woman’s face. “I think even Marcus could stand to kiss someone in this dress, even if it is a…”

Marcus open palm smacked the back of Blank’s head, throwing the man crashing to the ground. “Don’t think so, Blank.”

“A’right now, settle down. We’ve only got a few hours to help him get his lines down, so let’s hurry it up and get a move’n!”

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And Back To The Future!

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“We shall back thee, kinsman!”

“Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!”

Even though the play had just started, already Lan felt himself drawn into it. Everything looked real. The stage, the weapons, the clothes, everything! *This is nothing like back home…*

“Nay, kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!”

*Although, the way they kept throwing their hands into the air was a little stupid…* he added to himself. He looked to his right towards Vivi, who was still zoned out on something else, and then further to Puck, who was watching the actors on stage avidly. *Go find two completely different people, and this is what you’ll get. I don’t think I’ll ever understand a person as completely as I’d like.*

“… Treacherous Leo, my kinsman’s suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!”

A second’s reprieve from the dialogue, and the next instant was filled with sharp metal objects and other things that inspired the headiness that materialized in Lan. His breathing increased instantly, and he knew he was in trouble. “Vivi, why didn’t you tell me that there was a fight scene in this play?!” Vivi turned to Lan, but if he gave an answer he couldn’t hear it over the pounding blood in his ears.

He fell to the ground, breathing harder and harder while the clangs of the faked battle echoed to his ears. He vaguely realized the black mage knelt down beside him, his hand on his back.

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Vivi watched in slow motion as Lan fell to the ground. He rushed over and tried find out what was wrong, but Lan was in no need of the help he was offering. The grip on his extended arm told that much. “W-what are you doing?” he asked, but for all the answer he got he might as well have stayed quiet.

He was pulled down and pushed to the ground, made to forcibly lie on the floor with his hands pinned above his head. He tried to force Lan’s hands away from him, but the teen’s hold on him was too strong. *What’s he doing! What’s he doing?!!!* He tried to call out to someone, anyone, but the play had inspired the roars of the crowd, covering up the timid pleas the mage made. Even Puck didn’t turn around from show to help his “slave”. He was alone, utterly alone…

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Roan couldn’t help but watch as the play progressed forward into its first fight scene with great excitement. Even if he had to play a woman’s part, he was glad to be part of it. All of the people watching seemed to really enjoy it thus far, even the really big woman in the top box who had an odd shade of blue to her skin. *I wish Lan could be here to see this… he would really appreciate a play like this... I think…*

And yes, even now, he thought about the friend he would probably never see, of the lover that he would never have to hold him again… it was sorrowful for him to think about every time he thought about it. He let his eyes wander toward the crowd, letting his memories weave in and out of the uproarious crowd…

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Ooh, what's gonna happen next?! Can't tell ya, 'cause it's a cliffhanger! Yeah, I'm completely evil, so don't bother telling me!

Okay, just for laughs, I want to see what you guys can think up. Along with your comments, I want you guys to share what you think will happen next. Whatever you want to put out there and discuss/stew, go ahead. I encourage it, in fact, so don't let me down!