Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Time Mixup! ❯ One who meets the world with happiness: Kioko ( Chapter 17 )

Chapter 17

One Who Meets World with Happiness;

Kioko

Goten smiled as they walked down the narrow corridor.

"Boy, the king's really nice!"

Trunks sighed, looking down to Goten.

"Yeah, and you nearly got us in big trouble!" He hissed it low on his breath so that their guide wouldn't overhear. Goten smiled up at Trunks innocently. He too now spoke in a whisper.

"But would he have cared? Trunks, how're we gonna get help if we don't ask anyone?" Trunks winced.

"I'm still figuring that out… In Spira, whenever I even remotely mentioned home, and being different, I got questioned from every angle. I wanna avoid that this time."

Goten smiled.

"Oh."

It was all he really had to say on the subject, and Trunks didn't really want to prolong the risky conversation anyway. He plodded forward, his eyes narrowed in thought. Marie spoke up, her voice surprisingly loud in the near silent hallway.

"So where are you boys from?" Trunks could hear an edge in her voice that surpassed general curiosity. He answered it simply

"From the West."

"Troria, or Eblan?"

Trunks was caught by that question. He smiled a bit.

"Uh, we travel. We've been all over." Trunks prayed silently to Kami that Goten would for once keep his mouth shut. He did, but Marie was ready with another question.

"Those clothes are really unusual. So are your accents."

Trunks couldn't suppress a smile. The old lady was perceptive! He'd been waiting for someone to point out the strangeness of their clothes. He hadn't expected it would be the maid. Then again, she did remind him a little of his mother-except older. And as far as Trunks knew, there was little his mother didn't notice. Again, Goten was silent, happily plodding along. Trunks was beginning to worry about him, but he saw that his little friend was focusing on something on the paintings on the walls. That explained it. Goten didn't have the attention span to focus on more than one thing at once. The taller boy looked back to the maid, grinning. It wouldn't hurt to use the truth-well, at least the half truth.

"Goten's wearing his gi… He trained the Kame-senin style of martial arts. That symbol on his gi is the sign of the turtle… My clothes…" Trunks grinned. "Uh, this is my own creation."

He was dressed pretty oddly. He wore long, baggy blue pants, and a jacket with Capsule Corp's insignia on it. His mother had told him that dressing that way would be good luck, but Trunks didn't fully understand. His hair was really long. He wanted to cut it, but he was yet to find the time. Marie grinned back at Trunks, her eyes locked on the patch on his jacket.

"What's CC?"

"Capsule Corp.!" Goten's young voice filled Trunks's head with swimming disgust.

Now he speaks up… Trunks thought, annoyed. He grinned innocently at Marie. "Remember how I said that my Mama was an inventor? She always called our house `Capsule Corporation'… I'm not sure why. She's the one who invented this style of clothes… They're easy to move in."

"Ah…" Marie smiled a bit, returning her attention to the hallway. Trunks grinned.

Ha. Score one for me.

The rest of the walk was blissfully quiet. Goten was kept busy by the constant changing scenery, and Marie seemed satisfied with her Q&A session. Trunks found himself occupied with the growing excitement that the next day promised. They would be tested-and his quest for a cure could truly begin. He wondered what he should do. Should he tell Cecil about he and Goten's ailments, or should he head out towards that energy alone? He doubted going alone was a good idea. He already knew how powerful Sin was… And that also bugged him. Why would Sin have the same energy wave that was released when we disappeared? And… Why does it feel so familiar? Trunks could feel his heart shudder whenever he reached out to touch that energy… It was the same as Sin, but even Sin had been oddly familiar. He wondered if maybe he'd felt that presence on Earth, or if the similarities were just his imagination. Whatever the reason, the child in him would not allow himself to approach that entity alone. He feared it-and he knew it. But… If the cure was within that energy… Then eventually, he'd have to meet with whatever entity was behind it. Whatever that was. He would just have to ask Cecil about it in the morning. At present, Trunks was emotionally exhausted.

Marie suddenly stopped, gesturing towards a wooden door that contrasted sharply with the white stone walls.

"This is your room. I'll send one of the girls up with your dinner, alright? The sheets are clean and the beds are made… I hope you have a comfortable night. Get lots of sleep, all right, boys? And make sure to eat all of your dinner. You want to be at your best tomorrow." Marie started to walk away, but then she Trunks a long look. "I'm going to send one of the girls up here to get your measurements. I want to make you some clothes, all right? You can't wear anything that exotic when you're being tested." Trunks nodded.

"Okay. You hear that, Goten?"

Goten nodded.

"Yeah! It'll be neat to have new clothes! Thank you!"

Trunks bowed a bit.

"Thank you, Marie-san." Marie laughed.

"You kids… I'm not going to be able to sleep until I place that accent. It's going to keep eating at me." She waved, and left them standing in the hallway. Trunks smiled a bit, and then sighed.

I wonder if Yuna and the others thought that I sound funny… He shook his head, and looked down at Goten. "Well, Goten… Let's see what kinda room this is." Trunks smiled, pushing the door open. His excited state soon died away though, as soon as his eyes had done a thorough sweep of the room. It was small! The size of his that his bathroom was back home. There were two beds, a small sink, and a chamber pot in the corner. A little table sat in the center of the room, set with some wooden cups. A fireplace in the back wall blazed with warm light. When they entered and closed the door, Trunks was forced to shed his jacket because of the sudden heat. Goten seemed fascinated with the tiny room.

"Wow!!! Look at this place! It's like being in a movie!"

Trunks wrinkled his nose at the chamber pot.

"Yeah. Real glamorous." He sighed, dropping his suitcase on the bed. "We could have just used a Capsule House… Woulda been a lot more comfortable."

"But it's cool!" Goten laughed, leaping onto the other bed. He hopped up and down, and then squinted at the sheets. "Heeeey! There are little bugs in the beds! Neat!"

Trunks groaned, backing away from the bed.

"They want us to sleep here?!" He moaned, sitting in one of the chairs that were pulled up to the small table. "This is like being in jail!"

"No…" Goten said, smiling. "In jail, you have TV. This is like camping."

"Camping, eh…?" Trunks scowled. "Camping sucks."

Goten tilted his head at Trunks.

"Um, Trunks? May I go outside? I wanna look around in the tower…" Trunks blinked at his friend in shock. He was asking to go, like Trunks was his parent or something! Trunks nodded, feeling odd.

"Yeah. Go ahead. Just don't fly, all right? You can't use your ki." Goten nodded.

"I know! Mommy told me not to. Thank you, Trunks!" Goten grinned at Trunks, opened the door, and dashed off into the hallway, letting the door slam behind him. Trunks sighed, standing. He stared out of the window. He stood there for many long moments, feeling extremely alone. He was lightyears from home, and even though he was with Goten, it wasn't the same.

We're no longer equals… Trunks bowed his head, resting his forehead against the cool stonewall. He closed his eyes, allowing his head to slip a bit. What am I going to do… Goten and I… We can't be best friends anymore… Because… His thoughts were interrupted by there was a knock at the door. Trunks turned away from the window, bewildered. He walked to the door, pulling it open.

"Hello…?" He blinked into a set of huge violet eyes. A girl stood in the doorway, looking at him with surprise. Trunks felt his heart skip a beat. The reaction frightened him. Usually, Trunks would try and avoid girls. But for some reason, something inside of him… Felt different. Maybe it was because she was different looking than other girls. Her eyes glittered with life-in fact, they sparkled with stars similar to Goten's. She was a bit shorter than he was-something that was odd, because she looked to be about sixteen, and he was still used to teenagers being taller than he was. She had long platinum blond hair that she wore in a braid down her back. Her skin was pale, but despite this there was still a rosy glow to her cheeks. She smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.

"Hi!" She pushed into the room, her smiled never fading, even for a second. "Ms. Marie sent me here to get your measurements."

Trunks blinked at her, his face going hot.

What is wrong with me?! It's just… Some dumb girl… He glared at her, but couldn't stop himself from looking her over again, this time he took in her whole figure. She was very petit and young looking, even though she wore the same maid's uniform that Marie had. Trunks could feel his face growing hot again, and he got an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. The girl smiled at him, her eyes sparkling.

"Well then… I'll measure you now, alright?" She brandished some measuring tape, and hurried to Trunks. Before he could say or do anything she began measuring his arms and legs, jotting down the measurements onto a small piece of parchment that she had in the front of her apron. "You're really built!" She giggled as she measured his chest and stomach, and he saw a blush rising in her cheeks. "You're here to fight the monsters?" Her voice sounded far away when she said it, as she jotted down numbers on her parchment. "That's what all of the boys do these days. I wanted to become a White Wizard, but I don't have time to take the test. Her highness says that I'm gifted, but the castle really needs more maids…" Trunks looked down at her with surprise. He hadn't said a word the entire time she'd been there, yet she kept talking. He decided to put in his two cents before she began jabbering about something he couldn't comment on.

"You should do what you want to." He smiled at her as she suddenly straightened up, looking at his blue eyes in surprise. "I mean, if you don't go for what you want, then you'll never get it, right? At least… That's what I believe."

The girl smiled at Trunks.

"Oh, you listened to me!" She seemed overly happy, and that surprised Trunks. "Usually when I talk to the new recruits, they ignore me!" She smiled at him, her violet eyes burning into his. "What's your name?"

Trunks swallowed, smiling against the burning of his face.

"I'm Trunks. What's your name?"
"Kioko." She smiled at him. Trunks felt himself smile back, despite his confusion. Kioko smiled at him, and resumed her measuring.

"So, are you getting tested tomorrow?"

Trunks nodded.

"Yeah." Kioko scribbled the measurements down on her paper again.

"King Cecil will teach you lots of neat techniques. He was once the most powerful being in the world." Trunks blinked at her.

"Really?"

Kioko nodded.

"I'm surprised you don't know. But you're not from Baron, are you? That could be why…"

"Yeah." Trunks nodded. "That must be why."

"Well, you remember when that whole incident with Baron stealing crystals, and then that Giant appeared in Eblan about two years ago? It was King Cecil and his companions who stopped all of that."

"Oh." Trunks grinned, feeling embarrassed. How could I know? I was six… And in another time… Kioko continued.

"Well, about three months ago, a mysterious energy mass appeared up north near the pole-or so I've heard. It's that energy source that's been infesting the world with monsters. King Cecil and his companions went up north to try and defeat it, but they were unable to. I'm not sure what it was like exactly… But as soon as he came back, King Cecil let out a plea to the people. He wanted to put together the task force to take care of the monsters, as well as train an army to fight the creature." She bowed her head, but her smiled didn't disappear. "I've wanted to help so badly…"

Trunks shrugged.

"Just practice your magic. Then, you can be a White Wizard. Didn't I say that?" Kioko blinked at him.

"But I…" Trunks shook his head.

"No. Don't say it. You don't need to do anything. Just do what you wanna do, okay? That's what I'm doing." Kioko blushed.

"Oh… Thank you, Trunks!" She smiled, then knelt down. Trunks blinked at her with surprise.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly, he felt the measuring tape slip around his hips. He blushed, his face going red. Kioko let out a giggle.

"Sorry. I've gotta measure your… Hips. If I don't, your pants won't fit right…"

Trunks sighed, blushing brighter.

"I guess you're right…" Kioko stood up, her face glowing with a blush.

"Okay! All done!" She smiled brightly, her blush vanishing. Trunks wished that he could stop blushing. But he still couldn't understand… Why did he feel awkward around this girl?

"Um… So…" He started softly. He felt his face grow hotter, and the sick feeling grew worse. He was confused-and a little scared. What is she doing to me?! He was about to scan her ki to see if it was dark when all of a sudden the door flew open and Goten burst in. He crossed the room, and smiled at Trunks and Kioko.

"Hi, Trunks!" The boy scowled at Kioko. "Why's there a girl here? She isn't gonna train with us, is she? Gohan's friend Videl trains with him, and he doesn't teach me anything cool `cause she's there." Kioko let out a joyous cry, running to him.

"You're so cute! What a cute little boy!" She smiled, kneeling down next to him. "What's your name?" Goten pouted.

"I'm Goten. I'm Trunks's best friend." Kioko smiled.

"He's my little brother." Trunks said quickly. "He's… Like a best friend." Kioko smiled.

"Oh! I'm Kioko, Goten. Maybe I'll be Trunks's friend too."