Nights_into_dreams
08-29-2005, 03:48 PM
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part III of my love story Aishiteru (I Love You). Enjoy^^
***
Part III- Reunion (Saikai)
***
Chapter XIX: Restart
***
My head snapped when she hit my face with her fist. I blinked a couple of times as my eyes started to water up.
“What was that for Momiji?!” I exclaimed out at her as I resisted the tempation to slug her back in return.
Her eyes narrowed down to twin slits of narrow brown. "My last name is Depotana. Does that name sound familiar?," she frostily replied.
I began to rub my jaw where it was starting to swell from the blow. "Depotana...Depotana...when did I supposedly place him on death row?..." I muttered out loud to myself in thought as Momiji impatiently tapped her right foot rapidly against the remains of her office floor.
"Depotana...Amas Depotana?!" The name suddenly clicked in my brain, and I felt foolish for not seeing the connection earlier. "You are married to that TRAITOR?," I said in surprise.
Momiji only chuckled for a moment, and then watched as I winced while she pushed Elayne’s dead body carelessly to the side with her foot.
"Yes, Amas Depotana...only he was no traitor to Vana’diel, as you so did claim, and put him on death row for. My beloved was taken in the night by the beastmen, and was most likely tortured by them for information in the Necropolis. He loved Vana’diel and the Republic of Bastok too much to ever consider betraying it for any price." she said, the anger just barely bubbling underneath the surface, "He had something that the beastmen wanted, probably to do with where he was working at the time as an attache to this guild at Cid’s shop."
I started to ask what it was, but she flicked up a hand that bade me to be quiet.
"And I know you are going to ask what, but the truth is I have no idea at all. What Amas did before we met, he never talked about. All I can say is that he changed the subject whenever I mentioned his past to something else."
By this time, I noticed her voice had quieted down a bit.
"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked softly.
She glared at me for a moment, and I felt the hatred rising in her eyes again. "Because, Commander Dimitri, I love him. I love him enough that I am willing to tell the man who would be his executioner all I know in the faint hope that this so-called ‘servant of justice’ will free my lover in exchange for what he kept hidden away from the beastmen."
I winced slightly at the mention of my former title, and I felt the throb of my jaw at the same time.
"What makes you think he will tell me anything? Or even that he is sane? He seemed pretty insane when I met him briefly in my office," I replied with a slight suspicion in my voice.
She just smiled at me, and simply replied "Tell him that the girl he used to go to the fountain oh-so-often in Lower Jeuno is asking him to do this for her."
"...okay..."
Just then, there was a knock at the office door that startled Momiji and me both.
"Who is it?" she called out.
"Bastok First Response, ma’am. We just issued an alert that there was a beastmen attack here, and that there were possible fatalities," he replied in a quite official voice that reminded me of my days in the Ducal Guard.
"Understood, we have one fatality in here. Do you have a member of the Order of the White Robes on hand?" I asked back with my training just starting to kick back in after so long of not being used.
"Yes sir."
With that, I picked my way over to the door and carefully opened it. Beyond it were two male humes, dressed impeccably in shiny new yellow uniforms that stood out perfectly among all the destruction. I noticed that the one who I had been conversing with was shorter than the other, but carried with him both a gun and a medium-sized sword equipped on either side of his belt. The other man standing a bit behind him seemed kinda shrimpy and as delicate as an orange kuchen that had yet to rise from the yeast while it was being synthed. He was slightly nervous, and was perfectly fitting as a member of the order.
My heart started to flood over with hope as I stepped back to allow them into the room.
"She’s our fatality." I said quickly to not waste time as I pointed over at Elayne’s dead body.
The wearer of the white robes strolled over to Elayne’s dead body while his partner took up position at the door. When the mage got to her corpse, he then kneeled down to get a close look at her body. "What is her name?" he asked in a slightly high-pitched voice as he started to examine the woman.
"Sister Elayne." Momiji said before I could reply.
The mage stopped his inspection, and the looked up at us. "A sister of the Church?...Then there is nothing I can do. She has a DNR signed." He stood up, and quickly brushed dust off of his pants before walking back to where his partner was standing.
"A 'DNR'? What’s that?" I asked, very much so confused.
The mage gave a tight-lipped smile and spoke again in that voice that was starting to grate at my nerves. "DNR means ‘Do Not Raise’. If a person has a DNR signed, they are acknowledging that if they die and that there is a chance that a cast of the Raise spell might bring them back to life, they would refuse the Raise." He took in a sharp, slightly shuddering breath before he continued. "All the members of the Church in Bastok have signed a DNR that is on file down at the main office at the top level of Metalworks. Its part of their religion to the Goddess Altana, I believe."
His partner spoke up at that point. "We have to go now, but if you wish to file an insurance claims report with the President of Bastok, you have ninety days to do so. Otherwise, I bid you good day." With that, they both left the room without another word, and could be heard crashing their way back outside.
"I can’t believe it..." I stumbled out, my mind still reeling in shock from the white mage’s cold words.
"Believe it.," Momiji replied in a wistful voice, "she shouldn’t have come here...she came to apologize to me for you being late to work today and was begging her case when the beastmen attacked. And now she’s dead."
I picked up a curtain that had been torn down during the attack, and laid it over Elayne to cover her body.
"Don’t worry about arranging her burial. I’ll contact the Bastokian Cardinal and see if we can arrange for her to have a proper Church burial when you get back." Momiji said, her old self finally starting to come back into being.
I looked up at her from where I was next to Elayne’s body. "Back from where?..." I asked rather warily, knowing damn well what she was going to say.
"Why, back from Jeuno of course. You are going to save Amas, and then try to get to the bottom of WHAT in Altana’s name is HAPPENING here."
-fin Chapter XIX: Restart
***
Aki XX: Baka
***
"I -REALLY- don’t think this disguise is gonna work, Momiji." I said as I struggled to fit the much-too-tight subligar over my muscular legs.
We were back in Elayne’s house, getting me ready to be smuggled back into the Grand Duchy of Jeuno.
"Sure it will, Dimitri. Just have faith." Momiji replied as she supervised my getting dressed with a cold clinical eye.
"And what makes you think that Jeuno is checking identification anyway? Just because a war is happening, does not mean that they are gonna stop every single person entering the town and badger them for a passport." I hastily snapped back as I finally squeezed it on, "And besides, where in Mordion Goal is Caramel? Isn’t he supposed to be here getting my stuff ready to go back to Jeuno?"
Momiji just let a half smile cross her face for a second before it disappeared again. "Caramel is off running an errand for me at the time being. Your things will have to remain here until you come back from Jeuno, I am afraid to say. And besides, you worked for Jeuno a while ago. You and I both know that this is standard protocol for a major war effort, in an effort to prevent spies from entering." With that, she held up a piece of armor for me to put on, and I took it from her with uneasy fingers.
The leather that made up the chest piece felt worn and cracked beneath my fingertips, as if it had deliberately been left out in the rain by some idiot to get ruined. As I tied it onto my body, I couldn’t help but comment "Even if Jeuno is checking IDs, why in the world do I have to dress like this? What are you planning Momiji?"
She said nothing but instead opened a small pillow box. Inside of it, I could see two small brown rings set back in purple plush. She reached in and plucked them both out and then handed them to me to put on.
"What are these?" I asked as I turned them over and over.
"They are called sniper’s rings. Quite handy for what YOU will be doing." she replied.
I sighed inwardly as I slipped them on and then grabbed the weapon that Momiji had synthed for me a few moments earlier and tied it to my waist.
"Oh, and here is the identity you will be using. Go ahead and familiarize yourself with it, while I call a taxi." She then handed me a small piece of folded over leather. I opened it and took one look-
"Oh, HELL NO. I am NOT going to be from Rab-" I shouted at her before she disappeared out the door to the house. Outside through the window, I could then see her calling out for a taxi mage by frantically shouting and waving her arms.
I shut the small wallet, and shoved it away into a pocket on my chest piece.
This subligar itches...
Then surprisingly, I saw a taxi mage show up out of nowhere in front of Momiji. He was dressed much like his brothers in the Order of the White Robes, except his clothes were a lot cleaner and in definitely a lot better shape. It was obvious that even though there was a war going on, the taxi business was still booming.
I quickly exited the house, and stepped up to Momiji. I could see from the taxi’s face that he was rather surprised at the person that he would be teleporting, and I didn’t blame him when he finally spoke after a moment and asked: "Excuse me sir, but do you have a Dem crystal? I am afraid I can’t teleport you to the crag without it."
I smiled a bit, and replied calmly.
"Why yes, I most certainly do." I then pulled one hundred gil out of my pocket, and clamped it into the mage’s hand.
"Um sir...the going rate now is five hundred gil. It’s the union sir, nothing I can do about it." He quickly replied, knowing that I would have to pay him.
I turned to Momiji, and lifted my eyebrows. "Momiji?" I said softly, with a trace of annoyance in my voice.
"Fine Dimitri..." she grumbled as she then deposited four hundred more gil into the taxi’s outstretched hand. The mage counted the gil to make sure that it was all there, then turned back to me.
"Okay, then sir. Get ready for teleportation in fifteen seconds!" He closed his eyes, and dropped his hands down to waist level. The air started to light up around us with a golden shimmer, and I suddenly realized with a sinking realization that there was no turning back now.
____
I got off my chocobo a few yards from Jeuno, and rubbed my lower back right above the subligar for a couple moments. I had picked this enterance into Jeuno, since it was traditionally the most busy, and so the guards whould HOPEFULLY not look too closely at my person and my identification.
Once, I got there, I could see that there was...
No one.
Well, no one but two members of the Jeuno town guard.
Uh-oh.
Trying my best to appear like I had no idea what I was going, I ran up to the gate guard as fast as I could. When I got there, I saw the guard’s tail twitch in response when she saw how I was dressed, and I felt a pang of sympathy flash through me as she got up from her chair and came over to me.
"May I see yourrr ID please?" she asked of me warily, rolling her r’s like most mithras do.
I gave her my biggest grin and handed it to her without saying anything. She flipped it open and studied the small piece of paper tucked in.
"Alrrright Mrrr. Sepirrroth, are you herrre for business or pleasurrre?" she asked me, not bothering to look up from the ID.
I took a deep breath, and readied myself.
"NEITHER LOLZ!11!1 I R HERE FOR GIRLZ!!!11"
With that, I drew my great sword out and swung it in the air, narrowly avoiding the chance to lop the mithra's head off.
"Sirrr, I asked you if you werrre herrre for business or pleasurrre. Which is it?" She asked again, keeping a very careful eye on my great sword.
"GIRLZ!!!111 OMFGWTFBBQ WAT R U STOOPID???!11" I shouted back at her in what I hoped was a decent impression of a stereotypical person from Rabao.
"I’m just gonna put down pleasurrre then..." She grabbed a clipboard from nearby, and started to fill out my information onto it.
"HEY, U R A GIRL!!! WILL U GO OUT WIT MAH?!!1 MITHRA FUN HOLE, YES PLZ!!!111 OMFG LOL" I shouted out at her as I then struck a pose that only served to show off exactly how tight the subligar was on me.
"No thanks", she said with a clear note of irritation in her voice, "I’m dating my sisterrr. But thank you anyway."
"OMFG COL WANA CYBR?! I GOTZ LOTZ OF GILS!!!111oneoneone111 LOLZ" I shouted back at her in response. I then licked my lips, allowing flecks of spit to come out and land themselves in the mithra’s fur.
I hate to admit it, but I am starting to enjoy this. Now I know why its so hard for a n00b to stop being a n00b...
Her tail twitched again, clearly trying to restrain itself from strangling me.
I started to open my mouth again to say something, but she threw my ID back at me.
"Mrrr. Sepirrroth...Just go. You are clearrred for Jeuno." She said, obviously not willing to deal with me any longer.
"STFU!11" I shouted at her as I passed by the station, being careful to not let my disguise slip up now as I was so close to my goal.
I slowly swaggered down the street, swinging my sword around at random, as I slowly worked my way back to my home, that was being kept in order by my moogle and my mule.
If I can just get there...then I can figure out what to do from there...
It was then that a hand reached out from a shadowy ally-way and grabbed my arm. I was then forced into the ally-way...
And right into a kiss.
-fin Aki XX: Baka
***
Chapter XXI: Whore
***
The figure slammed me up against the wall, and then kissed the corner of my lips.
I felt -her?- mouth trailed down my cheek, forcing my neck to arch upwards as -she?- then started to kiss underneath my chin.
To my surprise, the kisses weren’t soft and delicate, like a freshly bloomed rose. Instead...
They were cold, harsh, as if I was a means to an end.
I placed one of my hands behind the person’s back and felt long, somewhat thin hair trailing away from her slender body.
And it was then that I noticed the fragrance of rolanberries.
"Hitomi...please...stop..." I whispered to her as she looped her arms around my waist and then pushed me up against a brick wall.
"Please..." I tried again to no avail.
If we were going to kiss, I would never want it to be like this...
It was then that we heard voices at the alleyway entrance, and I happened to recognize one of them.
Ducal Guard.
I froze in place, praying that they wouldn’t notice us. But Hitomi, instead of freezing in place, simply buried my face in her long hair and then started to run her hands up and down my leather armored chest.
"Hitomi...this isn’t the time..." I said frantically, trying to keep my voice down so the guards wouldn’t hear me.
"Did you check this alleyway?," one of them said to another one.
"No sir." The first one replied in a firm voice.
With a flash of realization, I recognized the first voice as the green who had just signed on with the Ducal Guard right before that Tavnazian assassination attempt a few months ago.
"Then I suggest you check it soldier." The first come snapped back, with a fair amount of authority hidden behind his voice.
Apparently he’s grown a spine since the war began...looks like he would have been able to make the cut after all.
The second soldier’s shoe heels clicked together, and then I heard him start to head down the alley a little bit before freezing.
"Expose the world to me...Flash!" I heard the soldier shout before a blinding light illuminated the alleyway, making everything glow as bright as the midday sun.
My eyes started to water at the blinding light, and I tried to blink away the tears a couple of times, but failed miserably. Hitomi didn’t notice, but seemed too intent on figuring out how to slip her hands inside my subligar.
We’ve been found. We will both be killed almost certainly on the spot...
"Nothing down here sir. Just a whore and her john." The soldier said as he retreated back down the alley as the flash dimmed away.
"Very good, then let us report back to the Archduke, and tell him that the Grand Duchy is safe, for now at least." the former-green said.
"Yes sir!"
Their footfalls quickly faded away, back to what I presumed would be the Archduke’s palace.
And with that, the girl pushed herself away from me and wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand. She then held up her left, and let a yellow lightning spark float out of it, barely illuminating our faces in shadows. Her eyes were cold and hard, as if she was used to living this sort of life.
"Dimitri-chan, sorry. I saw them coming, I not watch you be caught. Acting bad geisha only way I save you." she said in very broken English as she then turned her head to the side, listening for what I presumed to be more troops.
I looked at her, feeling the corners of my mouth slowly tugging upwards into a smile.
"Its okay Hitomi...but lets stop talking now, and get to my mog house. If they are following standard protocol, they will be back in an hour to check again." I replied quickly.
She nodded once, and the light on her finger died out. She then allowed me to take her hand to lead her around Lower Jeuno in the darkness, as we gracefully slipped our way to the alley’s entrance, and then it was a simple trip back to my mog house.
-fin Chapter XXI: Whore
***
Aki XXII: Omokurushii
***
The last rays of light had disappeared, cloaking everything in the darkness.
As Hitomi and I snuck our way to my mog house, I couldn’t help but notice that the lady with the shimmering red vermillion cloak was still there at the guide stone. She didn’t look like she had aged or been affected by the war at all, but was merely content to just lean against the worn marble piece.
When we passed by her, the mysterious woman didn’t look up at us, but simply nodded her head a tiny bit as she spun her hourglass over and over again in her hand.
Some things never change...I suppose...
Hitomi, surprisingly, didn’t pay this woman even an ounce of attention, but simply let me guide her body past the cloaked woman and then into the residential area.
It took only a few minutes for me to locate my door on the sixteenth floor. Out of reflex, I motioned Hitomi to stand back as I gingerly tried to open the door. I knew that it was silly and that most likely no one would be stupid enough to break into a mog house with all those Jeuno troops everywhere, but 'most likely to not ‘be stupid enough' didn’t seem to apply to most of the people that I had arrested over the years.
The door slid open without any problems, and through the crack I had opened, I could see a small figure moving around moving things in the almost complete darkness.
...Great...I just walked in on a robbery...and all I have to stop him or her with is a great sword I don’t know how to use, and a piece of iron subligar...
Oh well...
I drew my sword, and slammed open my mog house door, which ricocheted against the opposite walll with a loud bang. I then lowered my great sword and charged at the intruder with the full intent to skewer him or her, as he or she froze in place from the noise.
"NO ONE BREAKS INTO MY MOG AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" I shouted as I was only a couple feet away from impaling the stranger on my blade.
It was then that I heard Hitomi chant something faintly behind me...
...and I felt, rather than saw, two black tenrils come up from behind and bind me down to the spot where I trying to run.
"Hitomi! Why did you use bind on me?!" I shouted out at her.
"Look who is." she said simply as she then flicked on the lights.
"Satmanda!" I exclaimed, "Why in the name of Altana are you wondering around in the darkness?! I was about to kill you!" I lowered my sword at the sight of my personal home assistant, who was standing there just quivering while holding up a dust rag and what I recognized to be a copy of the Windurst Irregular.
"Sir!" the elvaan squeaked out at me as he dropped the rag, which then floated down to the carpet unnoticed. "Welcome back! I have been keeping things in order for you while your moogle was away."
I felt the tenrils of the bind spell slither away slowly, and I found myself able to move freely around the room again.
"My moogle? Where’s Tebeal?!!" I asked with quite a bit of concern flowing from my voice.
If those Ducal Guards dared to hurt him...
Satmanda just laughed for a moment, then opened the newspaper to an advertisement on the third page. I took the paper from Satmanda and quickly scanned my eyes over the picture as Hitomi came up behind me to look also.
The picture was black and white and a tiny bit blurry, but I could just make out the image of four moogles dressed up in yukatas while doing various things that ranged from throwing fireworks up into the sky to goldfish scooping. Right below the images I could see in big bold print:
'SUMMERFEST 863 C.E.! BE THERE OR RISK BEING COMPARED TO A CHOCOBO!’
And just slightly below that was the caption:
'A Mog House Management Union Event copyright 863 C.E., all rights reserved.'
I looked up from the paper and stared at Satmanda. "The moogles are unioned now? Goddess protect us all..." I said as I shook my head a bit. "I suppose Tebeal is off helping them now?" I said a bit warily, knowing quite well the answer to my question.
Satmanda nodded, not saying anything for once.
I chucked the paper aside onto a nearby couch, which I saw out of the corner of my eye Hitomi then pick up and try to read. "Great, so that means that anything that I had left in my mog safe, I can’t get into before Summerfest is over and Tebeal comes back..." I muttered as I suddenly became even more aware of the fact that this most likely meant I would be stuck wearing this goddessdamn subligar for even longer than I had intended to.
"Yes sir, but Tebeal had pulled all of your clothes and most of you weapons and armor out of the safe before he left, in case you came back." the mule replied quickly.
My eyes lit up at that.
"Oh really? Well, where is it?!" I exclaimed, glad to be able to ditch these iron panties one and for all.
"Your bedroom closet sir." Satmanda stuttered for a moment, "Sir...Tebeal also left a message with me to give to you should you show up. Should I give it to you in private?"
I paused going through my closet for a moment fractionally, before continuing to dig through all my clothes looking for something, anything to wear.
"Read it to me now Satmanda, the girl over there" -I jerked my thumb without looking in Hitomi’s general direction- "can be trusted. Who is the message from?"
"Gilgamesh."
I actually stopped at that name.
"Papa Gilgamesh?..." I said, hoping that maybe there was another Gilgamesh that had came about since I had left for Bastok.
"Yes sir." I heard the sound of paper rustling for a moment as Satmanda pulled the message out from one of his pockets.
"The message says that Papa Gilgamesh knows you left Bastok a few days ago, and that he is looking forward to seeing you again two days after you get back to Jeuno. The message then concludes with him requesting you to meet him at the 'usual' place."
"Usual place?' I heard Hitomi speak up from the couch where she was probably still trying to read the paper.
"Yeah...Hiptaru’s Casino..." I replied, my stomach starting to turn over in itself.
"Hiptalu Kasuino?..." Hitomi tried to say, mispronouncing her 'r' as an 'l', and horribly mangling the word ‘casino’.
"Yeah, Hiptaru’s Casino...Easily the one place in the world where you can win or lose a fortune in a single night."
-fin Aki XXII: Omokurushii
***
I woke up early the next morning.
I don’t know quite why I did, but I had grown to learn such things as the occurrence of Fate dipping her fingers into my life, as she does every so often.
*
Interlude II- Kochou (Butterfly)
***
I got up off the purple plush bed that Dimitri-chan had, regretfully (I think), given to me to sleep on last night. Immediately once my two feet hit the carpet, I felt my back ache with a pain of being stuck in an uncomfortable position for too long at a time. I slowly reached my hands out to the ceiling, and then arched my body backwards in an attempt to loosen the pain and to shake my body awake.
I held that position for a couple of moments, feeling the mana flow back through my veins and flesh, ready to be used at my beckoning for destruction, or protection.
It is then that I yawned, ending it in a tiny squeak that broke the silence of the room. Slightly nervous, I looked over at Dimitri who was on the couch in the corner who luckily was a sound enough sleeper to not have been woken up by my noises.
Trying to keep as quiet as possible, I slipped on a silk kimono that I had bought a month ago (with some spare gil I had found in Bastok) over my nightgown, and slowly headed barefoot over to the mog house door.
“I wish you were awake Dimitri-chan...I would love to see the sun rise with you again...” I said quietly as I turned the doorknob open and then slipped noiselessly outside.
Looking around a bit at the outside world that I had only seen briefly last night, I spotted a white guardrail just a few feet away, that overlooked where I knew the sun would rise in a few minutes.
“Perfect...” I said to myself, still wishing...
I walked over to the guardrail, the cold cermet floor rubbing almost painfully against my feet as I treaded along to my goal. I finally got there, and clasped the edges of the white bars in my hands, as I then closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the sound breeze float over the quiet Grand Duchy and into my ears.
“It all began with a stone, or so the legend says.
In ages past, a sentient jewel, enormous and beautiful, banished the darkness.
Its many-colored light filled the world with life and brought forth mighty gods.
Bathed in that light, the world entered an age of bliss until, after a time, the gods fell into slumber.
That world was called Vana'diel.
Our world, Vana'diel...”
It was a moment before I realized that I had started to sing, and a few seconds beyond that for me to realize what I was actually singing. I shook my head a couple of times, trying to clear the webs of the past from my head and focusing on the day ahead.
Dimitri and I were planning to meet this ‘Papa’ Gilgamesh person tomorrow, but before we could go we had to figure out a way for Dimitri-chan to move around Jeuno without being noticed. The ID that he had used the first time to get into Jeuno was just enough to keep anyone from stopping him from entering, but if a member of the Guard saw him, Dimitri-chan would most likely be executed on the spot.
I opened my eyes, and gazed out over the still black lapping waters.
“I wish...” I started quietly, “I wish you would wake up...and notice immediately that I was gone. Then you would start to worry, and a thousand possibilities would run through your mind about what happened to me...and then you would dash outside and then come over to me in a sigh of relief just as the morning sun was starting to rise...”
I then mentally slapped myself.
I’m just a big fool...stuff like that only happens in the fairy tales, never in real life...
I closed my eyes and started to sing again, as I awaited the morning sun to shine down upon me.
“However, this age will not last. The great bane will devour the fair land of Vana'diel.
The ancient seal will be broken, awakening nightmares of ages past.
A tragic age of darkness will reign.
And yet, the gods will not wake from their slumber...
That world was called Vana'diel...”
As I started to begin to sing the third ode to that song, I felt the morning sun’s glow penetrate my eyelids...
And two arms wrap themselves around my neck and pull me close to someone’s body.
“Good Morning, my little butterfly...” he whispered into my left ear, his warm breath washing over my body and sending chills down my spine.
-fin: Interlude II-Kochou (Butterfly)
***
I pulled the hood of my cloak disguise down a bit more around my head as I stopped at the entrance of Hiptaru’s Casino.
I knew from the moment that I entered into this casino, I would most likely be watched nonstop by ‘Papa’ Gilgamesh’s men.
I looked left, and then looked right,to make sure no one is following me.
I then went forward, and entered.
*
Chapter XXIII: Gilgamesh
***
Earlier that day:
"How are we going to get you into Hip’s Casino sir?" Satmanda said as his slender elvaan fingers started to synth up a cup of warm Windurstian tea from a fire crystal that I had forgotten about awhile ago.
I glanced over at Hitomi at the opposite end of the table, who was slowly turning the pages of some sort of dictionary that she said she used to teach herself English with in order to figure out exactly what I was saying. My eyes followed her progress, and I didn’t respond to Satmanda’s question until Hitomi finally shut the book and then looked up at me.
"A disguise of some sort...it will have to be good enough to fool Hiptaru’s guards in the casino. Hip may have no love for the Grand Duchy, but he has even less love for supposed traitors to Vana’diel as a whole." I finally replied.
"I’ll work on that!" Satmanda replied instantly, "I am a currently a journeyman with the Clothcrafting guild out in Windurst, so all you gotta do is name what you want me to make, and I’ll have it up faster than you can say ‘GameMaster Tapkaara’!"
I grinned at that comment, and then I heard Hitomi speak up softly.
"Ano..." she started out as she flipped through the pages of her dictionary once more, slowly building a coherent sentence out of English fragments, "Why must you go to see him? It dangerous after all for you to go out because of Ducal Guard, right? And why call him ‘Papa’?"
My mind drifted for a moment back to last night, when Hitomi explained to me in halting sentences that she had to teach herself some English because she couldn’t just keep running into me, and not be able to say anything in response to what I said.
I thought about what she said at the time, and I realized that I could never convince myself to learn a whole new language just to be able to communicate with one other person.
It still feels strange... I thought, then shook my head clear of last night and focused on the present.
I spoke slowly, allowing her time to look up a word if she needed to. "Hitomi...there are two people who can bring Jeuno to a grinding halt with but a single word. The first man is the Archduke, and the second is Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh runs the strongest underground organization that currently exists in the world of Vana’diel, and has connections both with all of the other countries and with the beastmen themselves. If I don’t meet him as he requests, he will most likely reveal to the Guard that I am here in response." I smiled as she deciphered my sentence and a look of slight shock spread across her face.
"Connect with beastmen?..." she said slowly.
I nodded a couple of times. “However, the Guard was unable to prove his connections to the beastmen before he became too powerful a force in Vana’diel, mostly through my own fault.” I said, not really wanting to elaborate any further into that statement.
Satmanda finally finished synthing up three cups of tea, and brought them over to us on a silver tray as quickly as he could. I picked up the small porcelain cup, and sipped at its warm fluid with a delicious sigh as it then slid down my throat. It tasted minty, but I could detect just a hint of cinnamon mixed into the concoction. After I finished my cup, I ventured forward again.
"Anyways, it’s a good thing he contact me, I suppose. It means he has a favor he wants to ask of me, and having ‘Papa’ in my debt is always a good thing. I can ask him to return the favor to me by maybe getting me a meeting with Amas, if the Archduke hasn’t had him executed yet. And yes, Gilgamesh is that powerful."
Hitomi and Satmanda at this point had finished their tea also, and Satmanda then gathered up all three cups and carried them over to the sink to be washed in a soapy foam.
"Oh, and that nickname ‘Papa’ was given to him by me because he seems to be the father of all illicit activity in Vana’diel, even if it can’t be traced directly back to him at all. Surprisingly, he took to it rather well and allows me to call him that whenever I am forced to cross paths with him." I added as an afterthought, remembering Hitomi’s last question.
Hitomi ran her fingers through her long black hair, unknotting a couple of tangles as she then grinned at me. "When do we go?" she said.
"You aren’t coming Hitomi. Gilgamesh doesn’t like to meet strangers, and would most certainly not want to meet one during a time where his life is probably in as much danger as the Archduke’s from the beastmen." I replied. She opened her mouth to argue with me, but I held up a hand in a sign that told her plainly that the subject was closed. "I will be sure to tell you what happened between us though when I get back. I promise."
She pouted for a couple minutes after she finished translating what she didn’t know, but I could tell that the reasoning made sense to her.
***
Now:
I entered into the casino, and was immediately overwhelmed by the casino itself. Everywhere were different colored dice tables, with various rules for various games placed above each one. The only thing that all of the tables had in common was a gold sign that said ‘100,000 gil minimum bet only please.’ Looking around, I couldn’t help but notice that Hiptaru had recently renovated the place. The ceiling was much higher than before, and there were frescos depicting the four kingdoms each of the four walls. The carpet underfoot was half an inch deep, and I felt my hair start to stand up slightly on end from the static electricity that walking across it built up as I headed to a small private room in the back. Everywhere were mithras and female humes dressed up in tight outfits who were serving all of the patrons fresh ale while they gambled away a fortune, one dice roll at a time. It was a high-class place, meant obviously to offer those who felt like the war might just kill them tomorrow a place to blow all of their gil in one last fit of fun and excitement.
I finally made my way to the back of the casino, and rapped a couple times on the door. After a couple of moments, the door opened noiselessly, and I slipped into a dark room...
And felt a blade slide across my neck, threatening to break the skin if I so much as moved.
"That’s enough Aoi," a familiar voice said as the lights came on, "Dimitri is not my enemy, but is instead a friend. Both of me...and of the Tenshodo."
-fin Chapter XXIII: Gilgamesh
***
Aki XXIV: Gokunai
***
"'Papa' Gilgamesh." I said, biting every syllable with my teeth as the sword was pulled from my throat.
I looked over quickly at my would-be killer, and saw a strikingly beautiful red-headed girl as she put her sword away in one smooth stroke. She was rather tan, with a rather lean build to her. The thing that drew the most attention to her wasn’t her body, but instead it was her eyes. The left glowed a fiery red color, while the right radiated a deep pool of blue down from its depths. For some reason, I was unable to tear my own eyes away from her for a moment, until Gilgamesh coughed gently.
"You like my new bodyguard Ex-Commander? Her name is Aoi...she comes from the Far East Empire on loan from a couple of my associates." Gilgamesh said, stepping forward to clamp his right hand on his samurai’s immobile shoulder. "Very reliable, and follows the code of the Bushido to the letter. And is also an expert with her sword...what did you name it again?"
Aoi spoke up in a firm voice that spoke volumes about her confidence. "His name is Amanomurakuno, my lord."
Gilgamesh removed his hand from Aoi, and then walked back across the conference room. "Yes...that’s right..." he mumbled in thought for a moment, before turning back to me.
"Anyway, Dimitri my boy! I haven’t seen you since you asked us to help quell the beastmen tribes down in Tavnazia the last time your Archduke visited there. Not that that helped any, with that assassination attempt on his life." He tapped his fingertips together, pulled them apart, and then tapped them together again over and over in an almost amusing way. "I am sorry however to hear about your treason to the Grand Duchy. I hope that the girl you saved in the Necropolis was as good in bed as my dearly departed daughter Elayne was..."
I felt a flash of anger rise up at his comment in my stomach, and felt my fist start to tighten. Incredibly, Aoi noticed this and took a half step that placed her in-between her lord and I, so that if I was going to attack him I would have to go through her first.
"I haven’t slept with Hitomi, and I certainly don’t plan to. We are just friends, nothing more." I replied, letting the fire slip into my voice.
‘Papa’ Gilgamesh threw his head back, and laughed with his deep voice that seemed to shake his whole body.
"Is that so Dimitri?...Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you change your mind someday. Love has that nasty tendency to strike you when you least expect it, after all." His smile then melted into a serious look as he then said, "Anyway, enough pleasantries...let’s just get down to business, shall we?"
He made a motion over to a table with two chairs set up opposite of each other. The table was a rich tapestry of colors and of fine inset jewels, keeping in touch with the theme of the luxurious casino that was bustling just a few feet away. I took a proffered seat and sat down, still keeping a wary eye on Aoi’s sword as she continued to stand at the door.
"Dimitri...I want you to tell me all you saw down in the Necropolis.," Gilgamesh said simply once he had sat down also, "In exchange, I will help you out with whatever goddess-forbidden reason you came back to the Grand Duchy for."
The Tenshodo’s words floored me, and I allowed a shocked expression to overcome my face.
That was too easy...
Gilgamesh smiled at my expression. "What, you honestly think I would believe you would come back to the Grand Duchy without a reason? You -do- have Ducal Guard out for your blood after all, and you know how cunning and ruthless the Archduke’s personal guards can be."
I actually chuckled at that and instantly replied "That, that is true. Tell you what, you help me out first, then I’ll tell you all you need to know."
‘Papa’‘s eyes narrowed at this. "What is it you want?" he said, a little less warmth to his voice.
"I want to see Amas Depotana. Can you arrange for him to meet me?," matching Gilgamesh’s tone.
"Sooner than you think, Dimitri." Gilgamesh motioned to Aoi, and she quickly disappeared from the room for a moment, but then came back through the door...
With Amas. He looked a lot thinner than when I had interrogated him in my former office, but I could tell with just a look it was still him.
"How did you get him out of lockdown?!" I shouted, surprised.
"Gilgamesh freed me", Amas replied hostilely, "He is the ruler of the underworld in Vana’diel...but you should know that already, Commander." With that, he was smashed face-first into the carpet by Aoi. "I already told Gilgamesh I wasn’t going to talk to him about what the beastmen wanted from me, and I sure as hell am not going to talk to you about it Dimitri!" he said, his voice half mumbled by the carpet as he struggled to free himself from Aoi.
"Amas..." I started, ignoring Aoi and Gilgamesh, "There was an attack on Momiji by the beastmen..."
He paused for a moment, then continued to try to free himself again. "Lies! All lies! Momiji is safe, and the beastmen would never attack her! You will have to try harder than that if you want anything from me!"
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose gently between my thumb and index finger. "Amas...Momiji said for you to tell me everything...and that if you doubted her, to remember the nights you two spent together at the fountain in Lower Jeuno."
Amas froze up at that point, and panic flooded him. "Momiji?! She okay?!" he begged of me. Aoi released Amas with a gesture from Gilgamesh’s right hand, and he then fumbled his way from the floor into an almost-comical begging position.
"Yes, yes, she’s fine and safe. But, you have to tell me what’s going on Amas. Her life is in danger if you don’t." I replied in a soothing voice, hoping that I might actually get through to this madman.
"Yes...yes...okay then..." Amas stood up a bit unsteadily, and leaned against a wall for support. "I never thought the beastmen would find out that I knew but..." he started and paused for a moment, looking for the right words to say.
"Knew what?.." I prompted him.
He lowered his voice several decibels as he responded to my prompt "That I knew where one could find what is easily the one thing that can turn the tide of the war in the beastmen’s favor irrevocably..."
"What is it?!" Gilgamesh exclaimed while images of weapons and hidden armies flashed through my mind.
"The Eruntalon Code..." Amas whispered.
-fin Aki XXIV: Gokunai
***
Chapter XXV: Employment
***
"Idiot...the code died out with Eruntalon quite a while ago. The idea that it survived in any form is as real as the lost capital of Al’tieu..." This came from ‘Papa’, who immediately replied to Amas’ assertion with no minor note of disgust and disbelief in his voice. "I can’t believe I sprung you from prison for that...a total waste considering the number of favors I had to call in. You little fu-"
I interrupted Gilgamesh before he became anymore angry and possibly order Aoi to execute Amas on the spot (as it had been rumored that the leader of the Tenshodo has done before). "Eruntalon Code?...I remember -I think it was Momiji or Ellard- saying something about a guy named Eruntalon solving the mystery of the crystals...is this ‘code’ that secret?" I tapped my chin a couple of times with my index finger, ignoring the five o’ clock shadow that was starting to bristle up there.
Amas’ eyes bugged out as a wide, too wide, grin spread across his face. "Yes! Yes! Eruntalon did solve the mystery of the crystals, and how to make the best weapons and armor in the world. Most people think that the secret to the perfect synthesis, called the ‘Eruntalon Code’, was lost when its creator died...but they were wrong. Instead, the master crafter passed his code along to one other person shortly before his demise, and this one person passed it on before he died, and so on and so forth, and it survives to this day!" He exclaimed, small globs of his saliva flying everywhere as he spoke excitedly.
Amas then licked his cracked, pale lips as he took a breath before continuing to speak in a more of a hushed tone of voice. "If the beastmen were to get access to the Code, it would turn the tide of the war in their favor, for EVERYONE knows that what the beastmen have in numbers, they lack in supplies and war materials...and those shortages are the only things that keep them from overrunning the whole world at this very moment. With the secret to the crystals in their possession, the beastmen tribes could easily create all the weapons, armors, and food stuffs they need...and then destroy us all in one easy stroke...yes...easy strokes!"
I shook my head a couple of times, feeling that I knew some important piece of trivia in my head, but I just couldn’t bring it to the forefront of my mind. It was something I had seen awhile ago...
"Okay...and where is the current keeper of this Eruntalon Code, Amas?" I asked instead, deciding to let that piece of trivia remain elusive, at least for now.
Amas frowned slightly, and began to wring his hands back and forth in front of him as he jerked his head violently back and forth. "That, I do not know Dimitri...but I know the person who does. He goes by the name of Isacio...yes...Isacio...who lives in the seaside town of Selbina. Isacio can point you in the right direction, yes..." At this point, Amas’ eyes started to glaze over and by a silent command from Gilgamesh, Aoi moved in to gently grab Amas arm, and drag him away from the room silently.
"What do you think, ‘Papa’?" I inquired as I turned back to Gilgamesh. "Do you think his story is even slightly believable? Personally...I think he is a fool, and rather insane..."
Gilgamesh gave a tight grin and it was obvious to see that despite his earlier dismissal of Amas, he was running the story through his mind. "Dimitri, what did you see when you went down into the Necropolis?" he called out to me suddenly.
I pondered it, and then that bit of elusive trivia finally came to light in my mind. "After I killed that elvaan, I carried Hitomi through several rooms..."-I ignored Gilgamesh’s wink and self-satifying grin at that remark about her- “I remember that there were rooms full of synthesis materials and failed synthesis attempts, one after another. I wasn’t paying much attention at the time, but it seemed like the beastmen were conducting some sort of crafting experiments, possibly running a parser while doing so."
Gilgamesh nodded a fraction, and then spoke out in a joking tone of voice.. "Dimitri, my boy" he said, "how would you feel about being hired by the Tenshodo to find the Eruntalon Code, and to keep it out of the hands of the beastmen? I don’t know what I can promise you in payment because of the war that’s happening, but I am sure we can come to something mutually beneficial."
I rocked on the balls of my feet for a moment, acting like I was considering his purposal seriously...
Because I was.
"Okay."
The reaction on the Tenshodo leader’s face was priceless, as my response had clearly caught him off guard.. "Really?..." he said, disbelief obvious in his voice..
"Really," I said firmly, "But only under three conditions. One, YOU take Amas back to his wife Momiji in Bastok. She misses him terribly, and I know would love to see him again. Two, you provide me with any supplies, equipment, or travel arrangements I may need in order to go after this Eruntalon Code of yours. And three...you never mention Elayne to me again in the same breath as Hitomi, or call her your daughter. Elayne is not your biological daughter, but someone you found while she was merely a child and if I recall correctly, wished to break all ties with you awhile ago. Gilgamesh, do you accept my terms?"
I then outstretched my right hand into the air between the two of us, letting it dangle loosely in space.
Without blinking Gilgamesh reached in and grabbed my hand, shaking it with a firm grip. "What choice do I have? I may deal with the beastmen, but even I know that if they were to win the war, it would most certainly spell the end of me and the Tenshodo. I accept your terms, Dimitri. But...I expect results from ALL my employees, so be sure to deliver."
I broke contact with 'Papa’s' hand, and looked him directly in his eyes. "Count on it," I said simply.
The door opened up at that point, and Aoi slid back in, her feet never seeming to touch the ground at any point for more than a heartbeat. She gave a submissive bow to Gilgamesh, and then spoke.
"My lord, the Ducal Guard has just arrived at the casino, and is checking everyone’s identification, under the premise of looking for ‘aliens’. What would you like me to do?" Aoi spoke briskly in a matter of fact tone of voice, but somehow still kept a tone of subservience in her voice.
Gilgamesh clenched his fists and squinched his eyes as they rolled upwards towards the curved dome ceiling. "Dimitri cannot be found here, because that would spell the end of our plans to obtain the code, not to mention bring down...uncomfortable...questions about why I was in the same room alone as a supposed traitor. Aoi, get Dimitri out of the casino, using any means necessary. For the Ducal Guard to show up here right now...it cannot be coincidence."
Aoi didn’t nod or make any sort of movement to agree or disagree with Gilgamesh’s thought, but instead grabbed the corner of my shirt and started to gently lead me quickly, abiet quietly, out.
As we left the conference room, a thought struck me and I hesitated. "Gilgamesh..." I said quickly, "Can you please make sure that there is a chocobo ready for me to take out of Jeuno and to Selbina tonight? I want to get out of here as soon as possible." ‘Papa’ grunted an affirmative, and I was finally dragged out by Aoi who then shut the door behind her.
Aoi and I then snuck along the back wall of the casino, racing quickly from table to table and down various hallways, attracting as little attention as possible while trying to dodge the Guardsmen who were making the rounds to everyone. Aoi took me what seemed to be deeper and deeper into the casino, making me wonder briefly just HOW large this establishment of Hiptaru’s was. After about ten minutes of sneaking around, we finally got to a small metal door, with the letters ‘E X I T’ blazed in deep red on its shiny surface. It had a small brown handle, and I started to turn it and open the door as quietly as I could before Aoi stopped my hand with a gentle touch and made a gesture with her other hand that indicated I should try to listen to the noise coming from outside. I let go of the handle, cupped my ears, and strained to hear through the door.
Oh shit...voices...
I could make out two voices, just barely, talking about who was going to pull duty on the next public appearance of the Archduke to the people of Jeuno.
They must be guarding the exits to make sure no one leaves...
I glanced over at Aoi’s face looking for any indication of a plan, but her mismatched eyes just glowed their different colors. I felt rather than saw her hands move at her waist, as she drew her sword out of her scabbard with her right hand, and I realized what she was going to do.
"Aoi...that’s probably a bad idea..." I whispered to her, not really wanting to see my one-time allies being slaughtered just to get me out of the casino undetected.
Aoi didn’t reply, but instead grabbed the door handle and yanked the door open as the voices outside suddenly went silent. She then dashed outside, her sword in a classic samurai position with me right behind her, only to find...
Both Guardsmen fast asleep, with Hitomi standing over them both. Aoi didn’t stop her attack, but only changed direction too fast to see, in attempt to take down what she obviously perceived as a new threat to me. Just before Aoi got within striking range of Hitomi, the black mage’s hands glowed as she jerked her fingers around in a slightly jagged pattern downwards and them pointed them at the samurai. A yellow light issued out from Hitomi’s hands and enveloped Aoi, stunning her.
"Aoi! Its okay, she’s a friend of mine. Go back to Gilgamesh, and tell him you completed your mission." I exclaimed, finally able to get a word in edgewise as I moved in between the two of them, while at the same time accidentally stepping into a puddle of blackish-blue sludge that I did my very best to ignore as I then faced Aoi.
Gilgamesh’s bodyguard recovered from the stun spell after a moment, and still eyeing Hitomi, finally nodded as she went back inside the door and sealed it, her red hair spinning around in a brilliant firey circle.
I turned back to Hitomi and I could see a look of plain anxiety of her face. "Dimitri-chan, it not safe. Let’s go back to mog, okay?" she said quickly, her English still heavily stilted and shuddering as she then gestured to the alley’s entrance. I nodded quickly in agreement, before trailing out behind her. We quickly emerged from behind the casino onto the main Jeuno pathway, where there were a lot of civilians who had stopped to gawk at the display that the Ducal Guard had put on to make sure no one would leave the casino.
"How did you?..." I started out to say before Hitomi placed a single finger over my lips to silence me as we casually turned our heads away from the Guardsmen and towards the sea as we bypassed the casino entrance. Once we were safely past, Hitomi then reached into my disguise’s pocket with her right hand, and plucked out a deep purple linkpearl. "You say I may not go, but I still listen." she said, obviously proud of her cleverness.
I actually laughed a bit, and then took the linkpearl away from her and slipped it back away into my pocket.
"Cute, really cute...Hitomi. Okay, I guess this means you are going with me to Selbina tonight, doesn’t it?" I said to her, as we passed by the gushing water fountain that was making its familiar hissing sounds as the liquid shot up into the air and fell down with a splat into the water below.
"Hai." she replied, and it didn't take a dictionary for me to know what she said.
-fin: Chapter XXV: Employment
-fin Part III: Reunion (Saikai)
***
Part III- Reunion (Saikai)
***
Chapter XIX: Restart
***
My head snapped when she hit my face with her fist. I blinked a couple of times as my eyes started to water up.
“What was that for Momiji?!” I exclaimed out at her as I resisted the tempation to slug her back in return.
Her eyes narrowed down to twin slits of narrow brown. "My last name is Depotana. Does that name sound familiar?," she frostily replied.
I began to rub my jaw where it was starting to swell from the blow. "Depotana...Depotana...when did I supposedly place him on death row?..." I muttered out loud to myself in thought as Momiji impatiently tapped her right foot rapidly against the remains of her office floor.
"Depotana...Amas Depotana?!" The name suddenly clicked in my brain, and I felt foolish for not seeing the connection earlier. "You are married to that TRAITOR?," I said in surprise.
Momiji only chuckled for a moment, and then watched as I winced while she pushed Elayne’s dead body carelessly to the side with her foot.
"Yes, Amas Depotana...only he was no traitor to Vana’diel, as you so did claim, and put him on death row for. My beloved was taken in the night by the beastmen, and was most likely tortured by them for information in the Necropolis. He loved Vana’diel and the Republic of Bastok too much to ever consider betraying it for any price." she said, the anger just barely bubbling underneath the surface, "He had something that the beastmen wanted, probably to do with where he was working at the time as an attache to this guild at Cid’s shop."
I started to ask what it was, but she flicked up a hand that bade me to be quiet.
"And I know you are going to ask what, but the truth is I have no idea at all. What Amas did before we met, he never talked about. All I can say is that he changed the subject whenever I mentioned his past to something else."
By this time, I noticed her voice had quieted down a bit.
"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked softly.
She glared at me for a moment, and I felt the hatred rising in her eyes again. "Because, Commander Dimitri, I love him. I love him enough that I am willing to tell the man who would be his executioner all I know in the faint hope that this so-called ‘servant of justice’ will free my lover in exchange for what he kept hidden away from the beastmen."
I winced slightly at the mention of my former title, and I felt the throb of my jaw at the same time.
"What makes you think he will tell me anything? Or even that he is sane? He seemed pretty insane when I met him briefly in my office," I replied with a slight suspicion in my voice.
She just smiled at me, and simply replied "Tell him that the girl he used to go to the fountain oh-so-often in Lower Jeuno is asking him to do this for her."
"...okay..."
Just then, there was a knock at the office door that startled Momiji and me both.
"Who is it?" she called out.
"Bastok First Response, ma’am. We just issued an alert that there was a beastmen attack here, and that there were possible fatalities," he replied in a quite official voice that reminded me of my days in the Ducal Guard.
"Understood, we have one fatality in here. Do you have a member of the Order of the White Robes on hand?" I asked back with my training just starting to kick back in after so long of not being used.
"Yes sir."
With that, I picked my way over to the door and carefully opened it. Beyond it were two male humes, dressed impeccably in shiny new yellow uniforms that stood out perfectly among all the destruction. I noticed that the one who I had been conversing with was shorter than the other, but carried with him both a gun and a medium-sized sword equipped on either side of his belt. The other man standing a bit behind him seemed kinda shrimpy and as delicate as an orange kuchen that had yet to rise from the yeast while it was being synthed. He was slightly nervous, and was perfectly fitting as a member of the order.
My heart started to flood over with hope as I stepped back to allow them into the room.
"She’s our fatality." I said quickly to not waste time as I pointed over at Elayne’s dead body.
The wearer of the white robes strolled over to Elayne’s dead body while his partner took up position at the door. When the mage got to her corpse, he then kneeled down to get a close look at her body. "What is her name?" he asked in a slightly high-pitched voice as he started to examine the woman.
"Sister Elayne." Momiji said before I could reply.
The mage stopped his inspection, and the looked up at us. "A sister of the Church?...Then there is nothing I can do. She has a DNR signed." He stood up, and quickly brushed dust off of his pants before walking back to where his partner was standing.
"A 'DNR'? What’s that?" I asked, very much so confused.
The mage gave a tight-lipped smile and spoke again in that voice that was starting to grate at my nerves. "DNR means ‘Do Not Raise’. If a person has a DNR signed, they are acknowledging that if they die and that there is a chance that a cast of the Raise spell might bring them back to life, they would refuse the Raise." He took in a sharp, slightly shuddering breath before he continued. "All the members of the Church in Bastok have signed a DNR that is on file down at the main office at the top level of Metalworks. Its part of their religion to the Goddess Altana, I believe."
His partner spoke up at that point. "We have to go now, but if you wish to file an insurance claims report with the President of Bastok, you have ninety days to do so. Otherwise, I bid you good day." With that, they both left the room without another word, and could be heard crashing their way back outside.
"I can’t believe it..." I stumbled out, my mind still reeling in shock from the white mage’s cold words.
"Believe it.," Momiji replied in a wistful voice, "she shouldn’t have come here...she came to apologize to me for you being late to work today and was begging her case when the beastmen attacked. And now she’s dead."
I picked up a curtain that had been torn down during the attack, and laid it over Elayne to cover her body.
"Don’t worry about arranging her burial. I’ll contact the Bastokian Cardinal and see if we can arrange for her to have a proper Church burial when you get back." Momiji said, her old self finally starting to come back into being.
I looked up at her from where I was next to Elayne’s body. "Back from where?..." I asked rather warily, knowing damn well what she was going to say.
"Why, back from Jeuno of course. You are going to save Amas, and then try to get to the bottom of WHAT in Altana’s name is HAPPENING here."
-fin Chapter XIX: Restart
***
Aki XX: Baka
***
"I -REALLY- don’t think this disguise is gonna work, Momiji." I said as I struggled to fit the much-too-tight subligar over my muscular legs.
We were back in Elayne’s house, getting me ready to be smuggled back into the Grand Duchy of Jeuno.
"Sure it will, Dimitri. Just have faith." Momiji replied as she supervised my getting dressed with a cold clinical eye.
"And what makes you think that Jeuno is checking identification anyway? Just because a war is happening, does not mean that they are gonna stop every single person entering the town and badger them for a passport." I hastily snapped back as I finally squeezed it on, "And besides, where in Mordion Goal is Caramel? Isn’t he supposed to be here getting my stuff ready to go back to Jeuno?"
Momiji just let a half smile cross her face for a second before it disappeared again. "Caramel is off running an errand for me at the time being. Your things will have to remain here until you come back from Jeuno, I am afraid to say. And besides, you worked for Jeuno a while ago. You and I both know that this is standard protocol for a major war effort, in an effort to prevent spies from entering." With that, she held up a piece of armor for me to put on, and I took it from her with uneasy fingers.
The leather that made up the chest piece felt worn and cracked beneath my fingertips, as if it had deliberately been left out in the rain by some idiot to get ruined. As I tied it onto my body, I couldn’t help but comment "Even if Jeuno is checking IDs, why in the world do I have to dress like this? What are you planning Momiji?"
She said nothing but instead opened a small pillow box. Inside of it, I could see two small brown rings set back in purple plush. She reached in and plucked them both out and then handed them to me to put on.
"What are these?" I asked as I turned them over and over.
"They are called sniper’s rings. Quite handy for what YOU will be doing." she replied.
I sighed inwardly as I slipped them on and then grabbed the weapon that Momiji had synthed for me a few moments earlier and tied it to my waist.
"Oh, and here is the identity you will be using. Go ahead and familiarize yourself with it, while I call a taxi." She then handed me a small piece of folded over leather. I opened it and took one look-
"Oh, HELL NO. I am NOT going to be from Rab-" I shouted at her before she disappeared out the door to the house. Outside through the window, I could then see her calling out for a taxi mage by frantically shouting and waving her arms.
I shut the small wallet, and shoved it away into a pocket on my chest piece.
This subligar itches...
Then surprisingly, I saw a taxi mage show up out of nowhere in front of Momiji. He was dressed much like his brothers in the Order of the White Robes, except his clothes were a lot cleaner and in definitely a lot better shape. It was obvious that even though there was a war going on, the taxi business was still booming.
I quickly exited the house, and stepped up to Momiji. I could see from the taxi’s face that he was rather surprised at the person that he would be teleporting, and I didn’t blame him when he finally spoke after a moment and asked: "Excuse me sir, but do you have a Dem crystal? I am afraid I can’t teleport you to the crag without it."
I smiled a bit, and replied calmly.
"Why yes, I most certainly do." I then pulled one hundred gil out of my pocket, and clamped it into the mage’s hand.
"Um sir...the going rate now is five hundred gil. It’s the union sir, nothing I can do about it." He quickly replied, knowing that I would have to pay him.
I turned to Momiji, and lifted my eyebrows. "Momiji?" I said softly, with a trace of annoyance in my voice.
"Fine Dimitri..." she grumbled as she then deposited four hundred more gil into the taxi’s outstretched hand. The mage counted the gil to make sure that it was all there, then turned back to me.
"Okay, then sir. Get ready for teleportation in fifteen seconds!" He closed his eyes, and dropped his hands down to waist level. The air started to light up around us with a golden shimmer, and I suddenly realized with a sinking realization that there was no turning back now.
____
I got off my chocobo a few yards from Jeuno, and rubbed my lower back right above the subligar for a couple moments. I had picked this enterance into Jeuno, since it was traditionally the most busy, and so the guards whould HOPEFULLY not look too closely at my person and my identification.
Once, I got there, I could see that there was...
No one.
Well, no one but two members of the Jeuno town guard.
Uh-oh.
Trying my best to appear like I had no idea what I was going, I ran up to the gate guard as fast as I could. When I got there, I saw the guard’s tail twitch in response when she saw how I was dressed, and I felt a pang of sympathy flash through me as she got up from her chair and came over to me.
"May I see yourrr ID please?" she asked of me warily, rolling her r’s like most mithras do.
I gave her my biggest grin and handed it to her without saying anything. She flipped it open and studied the small piece of paper tucked in.
"Alrrright Mrrr. Sepirrroth, are you herrre for business or pleasurrre?" she asked me, not bothering to look up from the ID.
I took a deep breath, and readied myself.
"NEITHER LOLZ!11!1 I R HERE FOR GIRLZ!!!11"
With that, I drew my great sword out and swung it in the air, narrowly avoiding the chance to lop the mithra's head off.
"Sirrr, I asked you if you werrre herrre for business or pleasurrre. Which is it?" She asked again, keeping a very careful eye on my great sword.
"GIRLZ!!!111 OMFGWTFBBQ WAT R U STOOPID???!11" I shouted back at her in what I hoped was a decent impression of a stereotypical person from Rabao.
"I’m just gonna put down pleasurrre then..." She grabbed a clipboard from nearby, and started to fill out my information onto it.
"HEY, U R A GIRL!!! WILL U GO OUT WIT MAH?!!1 MITHRA FUN HOLE, YES PLZ!!!111 OMFG LOL" I shouted out at her as I then struck a pose that only served to show off exactly how tight the subligar was on me.
"No thanks", she said with a clear note of irritation in her voice, "I’m dating my sisterrr. But thank you anyway."
"OMFG COL WANA CYBR?! I GOTZ LOTZ OF GILS!!!111oneoneone111 LOLZ" I shouted back at her in response. I then licked my lips, allowing flecks of spit to come out and land themselves in the mithra’s fur.
I hate to admit it, but I am starting to enjoy this. Now I know why its so hard for a n00b to stop being a n00b...
Her tail twitched again, clearly trying to restrain itself from strangling me.
I started to open my mouth again to say something, but she threw my ID back at me.
"Mrrr. Sepirrroth...Just go. You are clearrred for Jeuno." She said, obviously not willing to deal with me any longer.
"STFU!11" I shouted at her as I passed by the station, being careful to not let my disguise slip up now as I was so close to my goal.
I slowly swaggered down the street, swinging my sword around at random, as I slowly worked my way back to my home, that was being kept in order by my moogle and my mule.
If I can just get there...then I can figure out what to do from there...
It was then that a hand reached out from a shadowy ally-way and grabbed my arm. I was then forced into the ally-way...
And right into a kiss.
-fin Aki XX: Baka
***
Chapter XXI: Whore
***
The figure slammed me up against the wall, and then kissed the corner of my lips.
I felt -her?- mouth trailed down my cheek, forcing my neck to arch upwards as -she?- then started to kiss underneath my chin.
To my surprise, the kisses weren’t soft and delicate, like a freshly bloomed rose. Instead...
They were cold, harsh, as if I was a means to an end.
I placed one of my hands behind the person’s back and felt long, somewhat thin hair trailing away from her slender body.
And it was then that I noticed the fragrance of rolanberries.
"Hitomi...please...stop..." I whispered to her as she looped her arms around my waist and then pushed me up against a brick wall.
"Please..." I tried again to no avail.
If we were going to kiss, I would never want it to be like this...
It was then that we heard voices at the alleyway entrance, and I happened to recognize one of them.
Ducal Guard.
I froze in place, praying that they wouldn’t notice us. But Hitomi, instead of freezing in place, simply buried my face in her long hair and then started to run her hands up and down my leather armored chest.
"Hitomi...this isn’t the time..." I said frantically, trying to keep my voice down so the guards wouldn’t hear me.
"Did you check this alleyway?," one of them said to another one.
"No sir." The first one replied in a firm voice.
With a flash of realization, I recognized the first voice as the green who had just signed on with the Ducal Guard right before that Tavnazian assassination attempt a few months ago.
"Then I suggest you check it soldier." The first come snapped back, with a fair amount of authority hidden behind his voice.
Apparently he’s grown a spine since the war began...looks like he would have been able to make the cut after all.
The second soldier’s shoe heels clicked together, and then I heard him start to head down the alley a little bit before freezing.
"Expose the world to me...Flash!" I heard the soldier shout before a blinding light illuminated the alleyway, making everything glow as bright as the midday sun.
My eyes started to water at the blinding light, and I tried to blink away the tears a couple of times, but failed miserably. Hitomi didn’t notice, but seemed too intent on figuring out how to slip her hands inside my subligar.
We’ve been found. We will both be killed almost certainly on the spot...
"Nothing down here sir. Just a whore and her john." The soldier said as he retreated back down the alley as the flash dimmed away.
"Very good, then let us report back to the Archduke, and tell him that the Grand Duchy is safe, for now at least." the former-green said.
"Yes sir!"
Their footfalls quickly faded away, back to what I presumed would be the Archduke’s palace.
And with that, the girl pushed herself away from me and wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand. She then held up her left, and let a yellow lightning spark float out of it, barely illuminating our faces in shadows. Her eyes were cold and hard, as if she was used to living this sort of life.
"Dimitri-chan, sorry. I saw them coming, I not watch you be caught. Acting bad geisha only way I save you." she said in very broken English as she then turned her head to the side, listening for what I presumed to be more troops.
I looked at her, feeling the corners of my mouth slowly tugging upwards into a smile.
"Its okay Hitomi...but lets stop talking now, and get to my mog house. If they are following standard protocol, they will be back in an hour to check again." I replied quickly.
She nodded once, and the light on her finger died out. She then allowed me to take her hand to lead her around Lower Jeuno in the darkness, as we gracefully slipped our way to the alley’s entrance, and then it was a simple trip back to my mog house.
-fin Chapter XXI: Whore
***
Aki XXII: Omokurushii
***
The last rays of light had disappeared, cloaking everything in the darkness.
As Hitomi and I snuck our way to my mog house, I couldn’t help but notice that the lady with the shimmering red vermillion cloak was still there at the guide stone. She didn’t look like she had aged or been affected by the war at all, but was merely content to just lean against the worn marble piece.
When we passed by her, the mysterious woman didn’t look up at us, but simply nodded her head a tiny bit as she spun her hourglass over and over again in her hand.
Some things never change...I suppose...
Hitomi, surprisingly, didn’t pay this woman even an ounce of attention, but simply let me guide her body past the cloaked woman and then into the residential area.
It took only a few minutes for me to locate my door on the sixteenth floor. Out of reflex, I motioned Hitomi to stand back as I gingerly tried to open the door. I knew that it was silly and that most likely no one would be stupid enough to break into a mog house with all those Jeuno troops everywhere, but 'most likely to not ‘be stupid enough' didn’t seem to apply to most of the people that I had arrested over the years.
The door slid open without any problems, and through the crack I had opened, I could see a small figure moving around moving things in the almost complete darkness.
...Great...I just walked in on a robbery...and all I have to stop him or her with is a great sword I don’t know how to use, and a piece of iron subligar...
Oh well...
I drew my sword, and slammed open my mog house door, which ricocheted against the opposite walll with a loud bang. I then lowered my great sword and charged at the intruder with the full intent to skewer him or her, as he or she froze in place from the noise.
"NO ONE BREAKS INTO MY MOG AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" I shouted as I was only a couple feet away from impaling the stranger on my blade.
It was then that I heard Hitomi chant something faintly behind me...
...and I felt, rather than saw, two black tenrils come up from behind and bind me down to the spot where I trying to run.
"Hitomi! Why did you use bind on me?!" I shouted out at her.
"Look who is." she said simply as she then flicked on the lights.
"Satmanda!" I exclaimed, "Why in the name of Altana are you wondering around in the darkness?! I was about to kill you!" I lowered my sword at the sight of my personal home assistant, who was standing there just quivering while holding up a dust rag and what I recognized to be a copy of the Windurst Irregular.
"Sir!" the elvaan squeaked out at me as he dropped the rag, which then floated down to the carpet unnoticed. "Welcome back! I have been keeping things in order for you while your moogle was away."
I felt the tenrils of the bind spell slither away slowly, and I found myself able to move freely around the room again.
"My moogle? Where’s Tebeal?!!" I asked with quite a bit of concern flowing from my voice.
If those Ducal Guards dared to hurt him...
Satmanda just laughed for a moment, then opened the newspaper to an advertisement on the third page. I took the paper from Satmanda and quickly scanned my eyes over the picture as Hitomi came up behind me to look also.
The picture was black and white and a tiny bit blurry, but I could just make out the image of four moogles dressed up in yukatas while doing various things that ranged from throwing fireworks up into the sky to goldfish scooping. Right below the images I could see in big bold print:
'SUMMERFEST 863 C.E.! BE THERE OR RISK BEING COMPARED TO A CHOCOBO!’
And just slightly below that was the caption:
'A Mog House Management Union Event copyright 863 C.E., all rights reserved.'
I looked up from the paper and stared at Satmanda. "The moogles are unioned now? Goddess protect us all..." I said as I shook my head a bit. "I suppose Tebeal is off helping them now?" I said a bit warily, knowing quite well the answer to my question.
Satmanda nodded, not saying anything for once.
I chucked the paper aside onto a nearby couch, which I saw out of the corner of my eye Hitomi then pick up and try to read. "Great, so that means that anything that I had left in my mog safe, I can’t get into before Summerfest is over and Tebeal comes back..." I muttered as I suddenly became even more aware of the fact that this most likely meant I would be stuck wearing this goddessdamn subligar for even longer than I had intended to.
"Yes sir, but Tebeal had pulled all of your clothes and most of you weapons and armor out of the safe before he left, in case you came back." the mule replied quickly.
My eyes lit up at that.
"Oh really? Well, where is it?!" I exclaimed, glad to be able to ditch these iron panties one and for all.
"Your bedroom closet sir." Satmanda stuttered for a moment, "Sir...Tebeal also left a message with me to give to you should you show up. Should I give it to you in private?"
I paused going through my closet for a moment fractionally, before continuing to dig through all my clothes looking for something, anything to wear.
"Read it to me now Satmanda, the girl over there" -I jerked my thumb without looking in Hitomi’s general direction- "can be trusted. Who is the message from?"
"Gilgamesh."
I actually stopped at that name.
"Papa Gilgamesh?..." I said, hoping that maybe there was another Gilgamesh that had came about since I had left for Bastok.
"Yes sir." I heard the sound of paper rustling for a moment as Satmanda pulled the message out from one of his pockets.
"The message says that Papa Gilgamesh knows you left Bastok a few days ago, and that he is looking forward to seeing you again two days after you get back to Jeuno. The message then concludes with him requesting you to meet him at the 'usual' place."
"Usual place?' I heard Hitomi speak up from the couch where she was probably still trying to read the paper.
"Yeah...Hiptaru’s Casino..." I replied, my stomach starting to turn over in itself.
"Hiptalu Kasuino?..." Hitomi tried to say, mispronouncing her 'r' as an 'l', and horribly mangling the word ‘casino’.
"Yeah, Hiptaru’s Casino...Easily the one place in the world where you can win or lose a fortune in a single night."
-fin Aki XXII: Omokurushii
***
I woke up early the next morning.
I don’t know quite why I did, but I had grown to learn such things as the occurrence of Fate dipping her fingers into my life, as she does every so often.
*
Interlude II- Kochou (Butterfly)
***
I got up off the purple plush bed that Dimitri-chan had, regretfully (I think), given to me to sleep on last night. Immediately once my two feet hit the carpet, I felt my back ache with a pain of being stuck in an uncomfortable position for too long at a time. I slowly reached my hands out to the ceiling, and then arched my body backwards in an attempt to loosen the pain and to shake my body awake.
I held that position for a couple of moments, feeling the mana flow back through my veins and flesh, ready to be used at my beckoning for destruction, or protection.
It is then that I yawned, ending it in a tiny squeak that broke the silence of the room. Slightly nervous, I looked over at Dimitri who was on the couch in the corner who luckily was a sound enough sleeper to not have been woken up by my noises.
Trying to keep as quiet as possible, I slipped on a silk kimono that I had bought a month ago (with some spare gil I had found in Bastok) over my nightgown, and slowly headed barefoot over to the mog house door.
“I wish you were awake Dimitri-chan...I would love to see the sun rise with you again...” I said quietly as I turned the doorknob open and then slipped noiselessly outside.
Looking around a bit at the outside world that I had only seen briefly last night, I spotted a white guardrail just a few feet away, that overlooked where I knew the sun would rise in a few minutes.
“Perfect...” I said to myself, still wishing...
I walked over to the guardrail, the cold cermet floor rubbing almost painfully against my feet as I treaded along to my goal. I finally got there, and clasped the edges of the white bars in my hands, as I then closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the sound breeze float over the quiet Grand Duchy and into my ears.
“It all began with a stone, or so the legend says.
In ages past, a sentient jewel, enormous and beautiful, banished the darkness.
Its many-colored light filled the world with life and brought forth mighty gods.
Bathed in that light, the world entered an age of bliss until, after a time, the gods fell into slumber.
That world was called Vana'diel.
Our world, Vana'diel...”
It was a moment before I realized that I had started to sing, and a few seconds beyond that for me to realize what I was actually singing. I shook my head a couple of times, trying to clear the webs of the past from my head and focusing on the day ahead.
Dimitri and I were planning to meet this ‘Papa’ Gilgamesh person tomorrow, but before we could go we had to figure out a way for Dimitri-chan to move around Jeuno without being noticed. The ID that he had used the first time to get into Jeuno was just enough to keep anyone from stopping him from entering, but if a member of the Guard saw him, Dimitri-chan would most likely be executed on the spot.
I opened my eyes, and gazed out over the still black lapping waters.
“I wish...” I started quietly, “I wish you would wake up...and notice immediately that I was gone. Then you would start to worry, and a thousand possibilities would run through your mind about what happened to me...and then you would dash outside and then come over to me in a sigh of relief just as the morning sun was starting to rise...”
I then mentally slapped myself.
I’m just a big fool...stuff like that only happens in the fairy tales, never in real life...
I closed my eyes and started to sing again, as I awaited the morning sun to shine down upon me.
“However, this age will not last. The great bane will devour the fair land of Vana'diel.
The ancient seal will be broken, awakening nightmares of ages past.
A tragic age of darkness will reign.
And yet, the gods will not wake from their slumber...
That world was called Vana'diel...”
As I started to begin to sing the third ode to that song, I felt the morning sun’s glow penetrate my eyelids...
And two arms wrap themselves around my neck and pull me close to someone’s body.
“Good Morning, my little butterfly...” he whispered into my left ear, his warm breath washing over my body and sending chills down my spine.
-fin: Interlude II-Kochou (Butterfly)
***
I pulled the hood of my cloak disguise down a bit more around my head as I stopped at the entrance of Hiptaru’s Casino.
I knew from the moment that I entered into this casino, I would most likely be watched nonstop by ‘Papa’ Gilgamesh’s men.
I looked left, and then looked right,to make sure no one is following me.
I then went forward, and entered.
*
Chapter XXIII: Gilgamesh
***
Earlier that day:
"How are we going to get you into Hip’s Casino sir?" Satmanda said as his slender elvaan fingers started to synth up a cup of warm Windurstian tea from a fire crystal that I had forgotten about awhile ago.
I glanced over at Hitomi at the opposite end of the table, who was slowly turning the pages of some sort of dictionary that she said she used to teach herself English with in order to figure out exactly what I was saying. My eyes followed her progress, and I didn’t respond to Satmanda’s question until Hitomi finally shut the book and then looked up at me.
"A disguise of some sort...it will have to be good enough to fool Hiptaru’s guards in the casino. Hip may have no love for the Grand Duchy, but he has even less love for supposed traitors to Vana’diel as a whole." I finally replied.
"I’ll work on that!" Satmanda replied instantly, "I am a currently a journeyman with the Clothcrafting guild out in Windurst, so all you gotta do is name what you want me to make, and I’ll have it up faster than you can say ‘GameMaster Tapkaara’!"
I grinned at that comment, and then I heard Hitomi speak up softly.
"Ano..." she started out as she flipped through the pages of her dictionary once more, slowly building a coherent sentence out of English fragments, "Why must you go to see him? It dangerous after all for you to go out because of Ducal Guard, right? And why call him ‘Papa’?"
My mind drifted for a moment back to last night, when Hitomi explained to me in halting sentences that she had to teach herself some English because she couldn’t just keep running into me, and not be able to say anything in response to what I said.
I thought about what she said at the time, and I realized that I could never convince myself to learn a whole new language just to be able to communicate with one other person.
It still feels strange... I thought, then shook my head clear of last night and focused on the present.
I spoke slowly, allowing her time to look up a word if she needed to. "Hitomi...there are two people who can bring Jeuno to a grinding halt with but a single word. The first man is the Archduke, and the second is Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh runs the strongest underground organization that currently exists in the world of Vana’diel, and has connections both with all of the other countries and with the beastmen themselves. If I don’t meet him as he requests, he will most likely reveal to the Guard that I am here in response." I smiled as she deciphered my sentence and a look of slight shock spread across her face.
"Connect with beastmen?..." she said slowly.
I nodded a couple of times. “However, the Guard was unable to prove his connections to the beastmen before he became too powerful a force in Vana’diel, mostly through my own fault.” I said, not really wanting to elaborate any further into that statement.
Satmanda finally finished synthing up three cups of tea, and brought them over to us on a silver tray as quickly as he could. I picked up the small porcelain cup, and sipped at its warm fluid with a delicious sigh as it then slid down my throat. It tasted minty, but I could detect just a hint of cinnamon mixed into the concoction. After I finished my cup, I ventured forward again.
"Anyways, it’s a good thing he contact me, I suppose. It means he has a favor he wants to ask of me, and having ‘Papa’ in my debt is always a good thing. I can ask him to return the favor to me by maybe getting me a meeting with Amas, if the Archduke hasn’t had him executed yet. And yes, Gilgamesh is that powerful."
Hitomi and Satmanda at this point had finished their tea also, and Satmanda then gathered up all three cups and carried them over to the sink to be washed in a soapy foam.
"Oh, and that nickname ‘Papa’ was given to him by me because he seems to be the father of all illicit activity in Vana’diel, even if it can’t be traced directly back to him at all. Surprisingly, he took to it rather well and allows me to call him that whenever I am forced to cross paths with him." I added as an afterthought, remembering Hitomi’s last question.
Hitomi ran her fingers through her long black hair, unknotting a couple of tangles as she then grinned at me. "When do we go?" she said.
"You aren’t coming Hitomi. Gilgamesh doesn’t like to meet strangers, and would most certainly not want to meet one during a time where his life is probably in as much danger as the Archduke’s from the beastmen." I replied. She opened her mouth to argue with me, but I held up a hand in a sign that told her plainly that the subject was closed. "I will be sure to tell you what happened between us though when I get back. I promise."
She pouted for a couple minutes after she finished translating what she didn’t know, but I could tell that the reasoning made sense to her.
***
Now:
I entered into the casino, and was immediately overwhelmed by the casino itself. Everywhere were different colored dice tables, with various rules for various games placed above each one. The only thing that all of the tables had in common was a gold sign that said ‘100,000 gil minimum bet only please.’ Looking around, I couldn’t help but notice that Hiptaru had recently renovated the place. The ceiling was much higher than before, and there were frescos depicting the four kingdoms each of the four walls. The carpet underfoot was half an inch deep, and I felt my hair start to stand up slightly on end from the static electricity that walking across it built up as I headed to a small private room in the back. Everywhere were mithras and female humes dressed up in tight outfits who were serving all of the patrons fresh ale while they gambled away a fortune, one dice roll at a time. It was a high-class place, meant obviously to offer those who felt like the war might just kill them tomorrow a place to blow all of their gil in one last fit of fun and excitement.
I finally made my way to the back of the casino, and rapped a couple times on the door. After a couple of moments, the door opened noiselessly, and I slipped into a dark room...
And felt a blade slide across my neck, threatening to break the skin if I so much as moved.
"That’s enough Aoi," a familiar voice said as the lights came on, "Dimitri is not my enemy, but is instead a friend. Both of me...and of the Tenshodo."
-fin Chapter XXIII: Gilgamesh
***
Aki XXIV: Gokunai
***
"'Papa' Gilgamesh." I said, biting every syllable with my teeth as the sword was pulled from my throat.
I looked over quickly at my would-be killer, and saw a strikingly beautiful red-headed girl as she put her sword away in one smooth stroke. She was rather tan, with a rather lean build to her. The thing that drew the most attention to her wasn’t her body, but instead it was her eyes. The left glowed a fiery red color, while the right radiated a deep pool of blue down from its depths. For some reason, I was unable to tear my own eyes away from her for a moment, until Gilgamesh coughed gently.
"You like my new bodyguard Ex-Commander? Her name is Aoi...she comes from the Far East Empire on loan from a couple of my associates." Gilgamesh said, stepping forward to clamp his right hand on his samurai’s immobile shoulder. "Very reliable, and follows the code of the Bushido to the letter. And is also an expert with her sword...what did you name it again?"
Aoi spoke up in a firm voice that spoke volumes about her confidence. "His name is Amanomurakuno, my lord."
Gilgamesh removed his hand from Aoi, and then walked back across the conference room. "Yes...that’s right..." he mumbled in thought for a moment, before turning back to me.
"Anyway, Dimitri my boy! I haven’t seen you since you asked us to help quell the beastmen tribes down in Tavnazia the last time your Archduke visited there. Not that that helped any, with that assassination attempt on his life." He tapped his fingertips together, pulled them apart, and then tapped them together again over and over in an almost amusing way. "I am sorry however to hear about your treason to the Grand Duchy. I hope that the girl you saved in the Necropolis was as good in bed as my dearly departed daughter Elayne was..."
I felt a flash of anger rise up at his comment in my stomach, and felt my fist start to tighten. Incredibly, Aoi noticed this and took a half step that placed her in-between her lord and I, so that if I was going to attack him I would have to go through her first.
"I haven’t slept with Hitomi, and I certainly don’t plan to. We are just friends, nothing more." I replied, letting the fire slip into my voice.
‘Papa’ Gilgamesh threw his head back, and laughed with his deep voice that seemed to shake his whole body.
"Is that so Dimitri?...Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you change your mind someday. Love has that nasty tendency to strike you when you least expect it, after all." His smile then melted into a serious look as he then said, "Anyway, enough pleasantries...let’s just get down to business, shall we?"
He made a motion over to a table with two chairs set up opposite of each other. The table was a rich tapestry of colors and of fine inset jewels, keeping in touch with the theme of the luxurious casino that was bustling just a few feet away. I took a proffered seat and sat down, still keeping a wary eye on Aoi’s sword as she continued to stand at the door.
"Dimitri...I want you to tell me all you saw down in the Necropolis.," Gilgamesh said simply once he had sat down also, "In exchange, I will help you out with whatever goddess-forbidden reason you came back to the Grand Duchy for."
The Tenshodo’s words floored me, and I allowed a shocked expression to overcome my face.
That was too easy...
Gilgamesh smiled at my expression. "What, you honestly think I would believe you would come back to the Grand Duchy without a reason? You -do- have Ducal Guard out for your blood after all, and you know how cunning and ruthless the Archduke’s personal guards can be."
I actually chuckled at that and instantly replied "That, that is true. Tell you what, you help me out first, then I’ll tell you all you need to know."
‘Papa’‘s eyes narrowed at this. "What is it you want?" he said, a little less warmth to his voice.
"I want to see Amas Depotana. Can you arrange for him to meet me?," matching Gilgamesh’s tone.
"Sooner than you think, Dimitri." Gilgamesh motioned to Aoi, and she quickly disappeared from the room for a moment, but then came back through the door...
With Amas. He looked a lot thinner than when I had interrogated him in my former office, but I could tell with just a look it was still him.
"How did you get him out of lockdown?!" I shouted, surprised.
"Gilgamesh freed me", Amas replied hostilely, "He is the ruler of the underworld in Vana’diel...but you should know that already, Commander." With that, he was smashed face-first into the carpet by Aoi. "I already told Gilgamesh I wasn’t going to talk to him about what the beastmen wanted from me, and I sure as hell am not going to talk to you about it Dimitri!" he said, his voice half mumbled by the carpet as he struggled to free himself from Aoi.
"Amas..." I started, ignoring Aoi and Gilgamesh, "There was an attack on Momiji by the beastmen..."
He paused for a moment, then continued to try to free himself again. "Lies! All lies! Momiji is safe, and the beastmen would never attack her! You will have to try harder than that if you want anything from me!"
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose gently between my thumb and index finger. "Amas...Momiji said for you to tell me everything...and that if you doubted her, to remember the nights you two spent together at the fountain in Lower Jeuno."
Amas froze up at that point, and panic flooded him. "Momiji?! She okay?!" he begged of me. Aoi released Amas with a gesture from Gilgamesh’s right hand, and he then fumbled his way from the floor into an almost-comical begging position.
"Yes, yes, she’s fine and safe. But, you have to tell me what’s going on Amas. Her life is in danger if you don’t." I replied in a soothing voice, hoping that I might actually get through to this madman.
"Yes...yes...okay then..." Amas stood up a bit unsteadily, and leaned against a wall for support. "I never thought the beastmen would find out that I knew but..." he started and paused for a moment, looking for the right words to say.
"Knew what?.." I prompted him.
He lowered his voice several decibels as he responded to my prompt "That I knew where one could find what is easily the one thing that can turn the tide of the war in the beastmen’s favor irrevocably..."
"What is it?!" Gilgamesh exclaimed while images of weapons and hidden armies flashed through my mind.
"The Eruntalon Code..." Amas whispered.
-fin Aki XXIV: Gokunai
***
Chapter XXV: Employment
***
"Idiot...the code died out with Eruntalon quite a while ago. The idea that it survived in any form is as real as the lost capital of Al’tieu..." This came from ‘Papa’, who immediately replied to Amas’ assertion with no minor note of disgust and disbelief in his voice. "I can’t believe I sprung you from prison for that...a total waste considering the number of favors I had to call in. You little fu-"
I interrupted Gilgamesh before he became anymore angry and possibly order Aoi to execute Amas on the spot (as it had been rumored that the leader of the Tenshodo has done before). "Eruntalon Code?...I remember -I think it was Momiji or Ellard- saying something about a guy named Eruntalon solving the mystery of the crystals...is this ‘code’ that secret?" I tapped my chin a couple of times with my index finger, ignoring the five o’ clock shadow that was starting to bristle up there.
Amas’ eyes bugged out as a wide, too wide, grin spread across his face. "Yes! Yes! Eruntalon did solve the mystery of the crystals, and how to make the best weapons and armor in the world. Most people think that the secret to the perfect synthesis, called the ‘Eruntalon Code’, was lost when its creator died...but they were wrong. Instead, the master crafter passed his code along to one other person shortly before his demise, and this one person passed it on before he died, and so on and so forth, and it survives to this day!" He exclaimed, small globs of his saliva flying everywhere as he spoke excitedly.
Amas then licked his cracked, pale lips as he took a breath before continuing to speak in a more of a hushed tone of voice. "If the beastmen were to get access to the Code, it would turn the tide of the war in their favor, for EVERYONE knows that what the beastmen have in numbers, they lack in supplies and war materials...and those shortages are the only things that keep them from overrunning the whole world at this very moment. With the secret to the crystals in their possession, the beastmen tribes could easily create all the weapons, armors, and food stuffs they need...and then destroy us all in one easy stroke...yes...easy strokes!"
I shook my head a couple of times, feeling that I knew some important piece of trivia in my head, but I just couldn’t bring it to the forefront of my mind. It was something I had seen awhile ago...
"Okay...and where is the current keeper of this Eruntalon Code, Amas?" I asked instead, deciding to let that piece of trivia remain elusive, at least for now.
Amas frowned slightly, and began to wring his hands back and forth in front of him as he jerked his head violently back and forth. "That, I do not know Dimitri...but I know the person who does. He goes by the name of Isacio...yes...Isacio...who lives in the seaside town of Selbina. Isacio can point you in the right direction, yes..." At this point, Amas’ eyes started to glaze over and by a silent command from Gilgamesh, Aoi moved in to gently grab Amas arm, and drag him away from the room silently.
"What do you think, ‘Papa’?" I inquired as I turned back to Gilgamesh. "Do you think his story is even slightly believable? Personally...I think he is a fool, and rather insane..."
Gilgamesh gave a tight grin and it was obvious to see that despite his earlier dismissal of Amas, he was running the story through his mind. "Dimitri, what did you see when you went down into the Necropolis?" he called out to me suddenly.
I pondered it, and then that bit of elusive trivia finally came to light in my mind. "After I killed that elvaan, I carried Hitomi through several rooms..."-I ignored Gilgamesh’s wink and self-satifying grin at that remark about her- “I remember that there were rooms full of synthesis materials and failed synthesis attempts, one after another. I wasn’t paying much attention at the time, but it seemed like the beastmen were conducting some sort of crafting experiments, possibly running a parser while doing so."
Gilgamesh nodded a fraction, and then spoke out in a joking tone of voice.. "Dimitri, my boy" he said, "how would you feel about being hired by the Tenshodo to find the Eruntalon Code, and to keep it out of the hands of the beastmen? I don’t know what I can promise you in payment because of the war that’s happening, but I am sure we can come to something mutually beneficial."
I rocked on the balls of my feet for a moment, acting like I was considering his purposal seriously...
Because I was.
"Okay."
The reaction on the Tenshodo leader’s face was priceless, as my response had clearly caught him off guard.. "Really?..." he said, disbelief obvious in his voice..
"Really," I said firmly, "But only under three conditions. One, YOU take Amas back to his wife Momiji in Bastok. She misses him terribly, and I know would love to see him again. Two, you provide me with any supplies, equipment, or travel arrangements I may need in order to go after this Eruntalon Code of yours. And three...you never mention Elayne to me again in the same breath as Hitomi, or call her your daughter. Elayne is not your biological daughter, but someone you found while she was merely a child and if I recall correctly, wished to break all ties with you awhile ago. Gilgamesh, do you accept my terms?"
I then outstretched my right hand into the air between the two of us, letting it dangle loosely in space.
Without blinking Gilgamesh reached in and grabbed my hand, shaking it with a firm grip. "What choice do I have? I may deal with the beastmen, but even I know that if they were to win the war, it would most certainly spell the end of me and the Tenshodo. I accept your terms, Dimitri. But...I expect results from ALL my employees, so be sure to deliver."
I broke contact with 'Papa’s' hand, and looked him directly in his eyes. "Count on it," I said simply.
The door opened up at that point, and Aoi slid back in, her feet never seeming to touch the ground at any point for more than a heartbeat. She gave a submissive bow to Gilgamesh, and then spoke.
"My lord, the Ducal Guard has just arrived at the casino, and is checking everyone’s identification, under the premise of looking for ‘aliens’. What would you like me to do?" Aoi spoke briskly in a matter of fact tone of voice, but somehow still kept a tone of subservience in her voice.
Gilgamesh clenched his fists and squinched his eyes as they rolled upwards towards the curved dome ceiling. "Dimitri cannot be found here, because that would spell the end of our plans to obtain the code, not to mention bring down...uncomfortable...questions about why I was in the same room alone as a supposed traitor. Aoi, get Dimitri out of the casino, using any means necessary. For the Ducal Guard to show up here right now...it cannot be coincidence."
Aoi didn’t nod or make any sort of movement to agree or disagree with Gilgamesh’s thought, but instead grabbed the corner of my shirt and started to gently lead me quickly, abiet quietly, out.
As we left the conference room, a thought struck me and I hesitated. "Gilgamesh..." I said quickly, "Can you please make sure that there is a chocobo ready for me to take out of Jeuno and to Selbina tonight? I want to get out of here as soon as possible." ‘Papa’ grunted an affirmative, and I was finally dragged out by Aoi who then shut the door behind her.
Aoi and I then snuck along the back wall of the casino, racing quickly from table to table and down various hallways, attracting as little attention as possible while trying to dodge the Guardsmen who were making the rounds to everyone. Aoi took me what seemed to be deeper and deeper into the casino, making me wonder briefly just HOW large this establishment of Hiptaru’s was. After about ten minutes of sneaking around, we finally got to a small metal door, with the letters ‘E X I T’ blazed in deep red on its shiny surface. It had a small brown handle, and I started to turn it and open the door as quietly as I could before Aoi stopped my hand with a gentle touch and made a gesture with her other hand that indicated I should try to listen to the noise coming from outside. I let go of the handle, cupped my ears, and strained to hear through the door.
Oh shit...voices...
I could make out two voices, just barely, talking about who was going to pull duty on the next public appearance of the Archduke to the people of Jeuno.
They must be guarding the exits to make sure no one leaves...
I glanced over at Aoi’s face looking for any indication of a plan, but her mismatched eyes just glowed their different colors. I felt rather than saw her hands move at her waist, as she drew her sword out of her scabbard with her right hand, and I realized what she was going to do.
"Aoi...that’s probably a bad idea..." I whispered to her, not really wanting to see my one-time allies being slaughtered just to get me out of the casino undetected.
Aoi didn’t reply, but instead grabbed the door handle and yanked the door open as the voices outside suddenly went silent. She then dashed outside, her sword in a classic samurai position with me right behind her, only to find...
Both Guardsmen fast asleep, with Hitomi standing over them both. Aoi didn’t stop her attack, but only changed direction too fast to see, in attempt to take down what she obviously perceived as a new threat to me. Just before Aoi got within striking range of Hitomi, the black mage’s hands glowed as she jerked her fingers around in a slightly jagged pattern downwards and them pointed them at the samurai. A yellow light issued out from Hitomi’s hands and enveloped Aoi, stunning her.
"Aoi! Its okay, she’s a friend of mine. Go back to Gilgamesh, and tell him you completed your mission." I exclaimed, finally able to get a word in edgewise as I moved in between the two of them, while at the same time accidentally stepping into a puddle of blackish-blue sludge that I did my very best to ignore as I then faced Aoi.
Gilgamesh’s bodyguard recovered from the stun spell after a moment, and still eyeing Hitomi, finally nodded as she went back inside the door and sealed it, her red hair spinning around in a brilliant firey circle.
I turned back to Hitomi and I could see a look of plain anxiety of her face. "Dimitri-chan, it not safe. Let’s go back to mog, okay?" she said quickly, her English still heavily stilted and shuddering as she then gestured to the alley’s entrance. I nodded quickly in agreement, before trailing out behind her. We quickly emerged from behind the casino onto the main Jeuno pathway, where there were a lot of civilians who had stopped to gawk at the display that the Ducal Guard had put on to make sure no one would leave the casino.
"How did you?..." I started out to say before Hitomi placed a single finger over my lips to silence me as we casually turned our heads away from the Guardsmen and towards the sea as we bypassed the casino entrance. Once we were safely past, Hitomi then reached into my disguise’s pocket with her right hand, and plucked out a deep purple linkpearl. "You say I may not go, but I still listen." she said, obviously proud of her cleverness.
I actually laughed a bit, and then took the linkpearl away from her and slipped it back away into my pocket.
"Cute, really cute...Hitomi. Okay, I guess this means you are going with me to Selbina tonight, doesn’t it?" I said to her, as we passed by the gushing water fountain that was making its familiar hissing sounds as the liquid shot up into the air and fell down with a splat into the water below.
"Hai." she replied, and it didn't take a dictionary for me to know what she said.
-fin: Chapter XXV: Employment
-fin Part III: Reunion (Saikai)