| From the time of hatching to the time of death, we are searching for a way to keep living. But if we were not meant to die, wouldn�t we be immortal? -Dragon�s Teachings, pg. 15 Part 6 I arrived in the strangely-marked field and stared after the cargo ship. My thoughts went right to Zidane and though he couldn�t answer (didn�t even know I�d sensed him out), I knew he was on it. I gave chase, spreading my wings to catch an updraft and follow. The ship was moving pretty slowly, so I caught it relatively quickly. On the back deck, Zidane stood alone. Still floating, I tapped his shoulder, watching with delight as he whirled angrily and then became overwhelmingly surprised. � Mother!� He leapt for me and hung from my neck, then swung himself onto my back. � You made it!� � You thought I wouldn�t?� I put a hand over the right side of my chest, where my heart was. � You wound me with your faithlessness!� He laughed. � Is that even a word?� � Who knows? Who cares? Certainly not me!� I cleared my throat. � Anywhere in particular you want to go? That I can reach, of course.� � The deck, please.� I rose into the air. � Oh my. Hello, Mr. Manners. Haven�t seen you around recently.� He slapped the side of my neck hard, then grabbed his hand real fast. � Ow! Damn it! I keep forgetting how tough dragon scale-skin is.� � Your problem, not mine.� I landed on the top deck and he slid off. � Want your clothes?� I asked, wiggling them in front of his face. Teasing him like a poor, starving animal. He snarled and made a grab for them. I easily lifted them out of his reach. � I�ll break your tail!� he snapped. � Have to catch me first.� He was quicker than I�d anticipated and caught my rear left foot. � I�m sure you still want this. Now you have a choice. You can have your leg or my clothes. Not both.� I pouted as I handed over his clothes. � I never understood clothing.� He took them, then released my leg. � Not surprising, from someone who can�t wear them.� I narrowed my eyes at him. � Are you trying to die at such a young age?� He shrugged. � Nah. Just felt like messing with your head.� � Little bastard.� He saluted. � Brought to you by the bitch.� I snorted. � That tongue will get you into a mountain of trouble.� � I�ll be careful.� � Oh? I had no idea you even knew that word.� He humphed and ran around to the back of the cabin. A while later he appeared in his own clothes. I took the ones he had borrowed and dropped them in zero space, where I could recall them if necessary. � I definitely like my clothes best.� � I hope so. If not, you wasted a lot of gil.� I walked across the deck and peered inside the bridge at the black mage. It ignored me. I laid down in the back and waited for Zidane. He came in and nudged the black mage aside, spinning the wheel so the ship would go to Lindblum instead of Alexandria. His tail twitched, proving that he was enjoying being in control. Steiner stepped in just then. � Stop that! We�re going to Alexandria!� � Nah. We�re going to Lindblum.� Zidane turned to smirk at him. � There ain�t nothin� you can do about it.� Steiner tried to grab Zidane, but Zidane leapt out of the way, hanging loosely by his hands from the ceiling. Steiner tried again, but Zidane swung backwards, catching a pipe above the equipment in the back of the cabin and hanging by his tail. He made a face at the knight. � Can�t get me, Rusty.� Steiner fumed, glaring at me. � This is your fault!� � Mine?� � He might�ve turned out to be a decent boy if you hadn�t raised him!� Zidane snarled. � Shut up, Rusty! If you say anything like that again, I�ll---� � Zidane.� He fell silent. � Thank you, but I can take care of myself.� I stood on my rear legs, bending my neck as my crest and horns brushed the ceiling. Intelligently, Steiner backed away. � Listen up, because I will only say this once. I do not lose my temper often. Cheap shots like that, however, quickly kill the giving side of me. Besides, if you were given the choice of dying or being raised by a dragon, which would you choose?� Garnet entered with Vivi as I asked the question, but due to an unwanted visit from Black Waltz No.3 (when did we meet up with No.2?), he never answered me. Zidane dropped from the ceiling as Steiner and Vivi ran out to fight. � May I please hurt him?� he asked quietly. � I don�t care what you do, as long as it doesn�t hurt someone else who�s really not involved,� I replied, nodding at Garnet, who�d taken the wheel and was keeping the ship headed for South Gate. Zidane muttered under his breath. � Okay, fine. Look, you stay here with her just in case we screw up. Don�t let him near her.� � As you say.� He looked about ready to snap at me for acting like he was an army general, but changed his mind and ran out onto the deck. I glanced around, then relaxed and slowed my breathing to almost nothing. My skin changed to the texture and color of the area I was blocking, making the rear of the cabin look normal. If that Black Waltz came in here, I�d kill him. Garnet turned. � Kiti . . . Kiti?� I felt her gaze sweep over me repeatedly and said out of the side of my mouth where she couldn�t see, � I�m here, don�t worry. Just concentrate on steering. If Black Waltz comes, I�ll take care of him.� She nodded and faced forward. After a few minutes, she gasped. � Kiti!� I stood and as I did so, my skin and scales compensated to keep me hidden. The others had fallen momentarily and Black Waltz was coming toward the cabin. I began to tune my vocal cords as I ordered in a progressively higher voice, � Cover your ears, Garnet.� � Why?� � Because you�ll go deaf if you don�t.� <--Part 5 Part 7--> |