Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ My Brother, My Blood ❯ Lindblum ( Chapter 3 )

I don't own Final Fantasy 9...I just wish I did. Not much point suing me, k? Reviews are loved and much appreciated.

 

Chapter 3

 

/Are you sure you want to do this? / I sighed, shaking my head.

 

“No, but it's not like I have a choice is it? I have to find Zidane” I was standing outside Lindblum's Serpent Gate. I had managed to get into the harbour without being discovered, the guards being more interested in fact that I was a girl.

 

/Why are you so determined to find someone you wanted to destroy not so long ago? / I frowned at her.

 

“Shiva...you, unlike me, are immortal. 10 years can change a lot in the life of a human”

 

/Really? / Shiva shrugged /Like I have said before, I'm not interested in the lives of humans /

 

“How did you become an eidolon then?” Eidolons were originally people, who were given an option, either stay a human or become a legendary creature, an eidolon. Sometimes heroes from battles in times long gone, or a powerful healer.

 

/I was a priestess. I often gave shelter to those who ended up near my temple, in a snowy mountain long gone. It was in the early days, many years ago...Bahamut; one of the earliest eidolons came to me in his human form, asking if I was willing to become one of the legendary guardians to defend Gaia. I accepted. I've been Shiva ever since/

 

“Ever since?” I asked, feeling sorry for the lonely Ice Queen. She nodded, her expression telling me not to pry more.

 

/Go on then/ she vanished, leaving me staring up and the huge city. I entered the city, pulling my hood up out of habit, tucking the feathers away so no one would notice them. I was still wearing dark clothes, finding I was able to blend more in them. I had never actually been inside Lindblum; I had only looked down on the wreckage of the city while riding Silver Dragon. The soldiers posted at the entrance nodded to me, obviously uninterested. The children played in the square, and I smiled. Lindblum had been rebuilt well. The adults were relaxed, watching their children play. I flinched as a vision hit me. It was Lindblum being seen from outside. Black mages burning people and buildings and it finally being devastated by a huge worm. I gasped when it ended.

 

“What was that?” I asked Shiva.

 

/A memory, Garnet's to be precise. I found it a while ago when I returned to her. I thought you might want to see it/

 

“That was what Brahne did?” Shiva nodded, face impossible to read.

 

/With weapons that you created/ she added and I winced.

 

“I can't excuse past actions...but the past is the past. I can't change it” Shiva smiled.

 

/Well spoken, child/ she faded away again. I blinked, but headed towards the inn. I hadn't slept for 2 days, finding it impossible to sleep with the possibility that I could get slaughtered in the night. The innkeeper gave me an odd look when I asked for a room in the middle of the day but gave me the key anyway.

 

/Child. Wake up/ I woke up when Shiva mentally screeched. She was in her physical form, leaning over the bed. I sat up and glared at her.

 

“What?” I asked irritably. She was now crouched at the door, listening for something. This time she spoke, not using telepathy.

 

“Listen” She said quietly, gesturing at the door. I tilted my head, enhanced senses allowing me to hear the conversation downstairs.

 

“...girl came in yesterday...looks like Kuja...do you think....Garland....” I backed away. Someone had nearly worked out who I was and it wouldn't be long before the Regent found out. Though I did want to talk to him, I didn't want to make an entrance surrounded by guards and be (most likely) executed on the spot. I clambered out the window onto the roof, Shiva following me. She vanished in a cloud of tiny ice crystals, retreating into my mind. My tail came in handy at times like this. I clambered over rooftops, glancing down at the street occasionally, checking that no one was following me. They all seemed oblivious to a silver haired girl scampering across the roofs of their city. I jumped off a roof in the Theatre District (according to the sign) and I sighed in relief. Nobody had seen and followed me.

 

/Well done, child/ Shiva murmured. I smirked, and then pulled into the shadows as two figures walked by.

 

“You can't seriously think Zidane is dead, bro” The closest said.

 

“He hasn't been seen for 5 years, Marcus. Where else could be?” The other replied. He was right. I hadn't really considered Zidane being dead. He always struck me as one being too stubborn to give up and die. My heart sank, and I wondered why. I barely knew Zidane, but I think it might have been because he might be the only one who would understand me. I stepped out after they had disappeared round the corner.

 

/What's wrong? /

 

“Shiva...how do you know that Zidane isn't dead?” She blinked and looked at me in surprise.

 

/Can't you tell? / I looked at her, confused. What did she mean by that?

 

/You should be able to sense his presence/ she explained. I frowned. A faint presence in the corner of my mind caught my attention. I focused on it. It was familiar yet alien to me. Steel, gold and Terra's blue light. Zidane.

 

/You see/ I blinked.

 

“How come I didn't notice earlier?”

 

/You were busy. Also, you weren't really interested/ she pointed out. I shrugged and carried on walking. I went into the trolley station. I swore, but hastily covered my mouth before ducking out of sight. There were guards everywhere.

 

/They're fast/ Shiva observed.

 

“I would if I was them too. They hardly want to risk a repeat of last time” I replied, sneaking out. It was no good. I ran into another one outside.

 

“You haven't seen a suspicious looking figure lurking around have you? Male, silver hair?” I shook my head, once again feeling grateful for being changed into a girl. He eventually left me alone and I caught a trolley back to the Business District.

 

/Why are you going back there? /

 

“My things. Zidane's dagger is in there too. They find it I'll get caught anyway”

 

/True/ As I stepped off the trolley and headed back to the inn. I swore again. That summoner-child, Eiko was prancing around in the street, Hilde following her.

 

/You better hide yourself child/ I decided to ignore the child for once, and I started to turn away but it was too late. They were heading towards me, and I decided to relax, hoping they didn't notice me. Eiko pranced past, and her powerful aura made me cringe. She obviously noticed something amiss, because she turned towards me, eyes curious. My hood did not hide me from her Scan spell.

 

“You...” she spat. The glare she was giving me was really quite threatening, if you exclude the fact it was coming from a purple-haired 16 year old that had been skipping a moment ago. She started to glow, and I realised she was about to summon Fenrir.

 

“Very clever, girl. Summon an earth type eidolon in a city” She stopped, and the glow faded. She was gripping her Angel Flute tight in her hand, backing away slowly. I sighed.

 

“I need to speak to Regent Cid” I stated. She used Holy, which I just shrugged off.

 

“So you can kill him too? No way!” She yelled. I sighed again. She was going to be difficult. Hilde was standing behind Eiko, looking terrified. I felt Shiva speak to Eiko through her mind, and I let her take over. Shiva took control of my body and I started speaking in her voice. I couldn't hear what was said, but after a few minutes Shiva gave control back to me, and I was left with Eiko again.

 

“I don't trust you, but Shiva says that you need to speak to Cid and I trust her” She waved her flute threateningly “But if you try anything I will kill you. For good this time” She turned and took Hilde's hand, who seemed too shocked to walk on her own. She walked behind me all the way to the trolley station, where, when we finally boarded one, she asked me the question everyone had been asking.

 

“What are you doing here?” I gave her the reply I gave Freya.

 

“I'm looking for Zidane” I said. She looked unconvinced.

 

“Why do you think you can find him when we can't?” I sighed.

 

“I don't care what you think. I want to find Zidane. It doesn't matter if I can or can't. It's what I want to do” A silence ensued. I twisted to look at Eiko, who was watching me, disbelief in her face.

 

“What?” I asked irritably.

 

“Zidane said that once...you sounded just like him” She shook her head as the trolley stopped. “Come on then”

 

We entered the royal palace of Lindblum in near silence. Hilde left at the first chance she got, pale and quiet. Eiko merely smiled and skipped up the stairs to Cid's room, Angel earrings tinkling cheerfully.

 

“Regent?” Eiko called inside. She bounced inside and spoke to someone inside. The guards outside the room eyed me suspiciously, but left me alone. A loud crash signalled that Eiko had spoken to the Regent, and her head popped around the door.

 

“You might as well come in” She said, smiling faintly. A walked in, and Cid, clothes ruffled and looking shocked, glared at me.

 

“What on Gaia are you doing alive?” He asked. I resisted the urge to ask what he was doing alive and explained yet again why I was here.

 

“Why are you a girl though?”

 

“So I don't get recognised and killed on the spot, according to Shiva” I said “It hasn't done much good so far, though”

 

“So the eidolon Shiva really is with you then” I nodded.

 

“So I don't go on a rampage and murder everyone” I shrugged “Like I would anyway”

 

“Why not?” He asked.

 

“Like I said to her” I gestured at Eiko “I don't care what you think, I'm only interested in finding Zidane”

 

“Why do you want to find Zidane?” Eiko piped up.

 

“That's to be why the eidolons brought me back. It seems I'm the only one who can find him”

 

“Who sent you here though?” I frowned.

 

“How do you know that I didn't come here without being told?” He shook his head.

 

“You'd try to do things on your own” I blinked in surprise.

 

“Freya, if you must know” I shrugged “What does it matter? Do you know anything about Zidane's disappearance?”

 

“I do” Eiko said immediately. I looked at her and nodded for her to carry on.

 

“Just a while before he disappeared, he started acting really odd. He'd just sit there, looking out the window and not doing anything. I mean nothing. He'd barely breathe and just stare out the window. He wouldn't hear people talking to him, he probably wouldn't have noticed if the castle blew up around his ears. But...when he was like that...his eyes were so sad...like he had lost something very dear to him. It hurt to watch. Then, during the night he vanished. Left no trace of his exit or no hint to where he was going.” Eiko smiled, albeit sadly “A true thief” I frowned.

 

“No trace at all?” She shook her head.

 

“None whatsoever. Garnet was really upset, them being about to get married, and all” I started.

 

“They were getting married?” I said. Eiko nodded, her smile happy again.

 

“Yep!” Eiko chatted happily on, while I ignored her, deep in thought. Zidane must have left of his own free will...why else would he leave? Someone kidnapping him would have left a mess. Why would he leave his wife-to-be though? Shiva shook herself sleepily, and straightened up.

 

/You can ask him that when you find him/ She said /you should really get moving/

 

“Getting bored of me, Shiva?” I said and she smiled lazily.

 

/Not at all. I'm just getting bored of standing around doing nothing/

 

“You're not standing though” I retorted.

 

/Excuse me/

 

“You're excused” I said, smiling when she went into a huff.

 

“What is it?” Eiko asked.

 

“Shiva's getting impatient” I said. “I suppose I should go to Alexandria. That's going to be interesting”

 

“Steiner will probably kill you on the spot” Eiko predicted. I nodded, and turned to go.

 

“Take the Blue Narciss” Cid interrupted. I looked back at him.

 

“I'll go with you” Eiko waved her flute at me again “So you don't try anything” I sighed in defeat. As well as having to face the devoted knight and his queen, I had to drag a girl who acted like a child with me. Cid reluctantly nodded and I walked back to the elevator, Eiko in tow. When we got to the harbour, the ship was already there. Some soldiers had retrieved my things from the inn. Eiko jumped on board and pointed at me.

 

“You're steering, I'm navigating, ok?” She said. I just shrugged. When the ship pulled away, I reached down for the dagger tucked into my belt and watched the sunlight dance off the blade.

 

“Where are you...?”

 

 

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Pointless...but I explained some things. The next chapter will be more interesting! I've made some changes from the ff.net version of this, too.