No Good Deed

I stood on the dock at Port Windurst, unsure why I was even venturing to Jeuno.
To get out of my house..?  I had been there far too long.  Sarima was becoming angry with my perpetual state of melancholy. 
Everything there reminded me of him.  The twinkling trees from Starlight.  The animated eggs from the egg hunt.  Bonbori with their usually calming glow and beautiful Sprig of Bamboo...  Festival dolls.  Each item told a tale of an adventure we had had together.
The wind blew my hair from my face and kept tears from gathering.  I looked down at where I gripped the edge of the airship.  Even these Warlock's gloves...  The Moldavite and Astral earrings...
Did I have NOTHING that I did not obtain without him?
I could only collapse to my knees.  My stomach twisted in knots.  At least if I retched, it would seem that I had air-sickness.
The hustle and bustle of Jeuno would simply be too much.  What a stupid idea... What if I ran into his brother.
The anger that thought brought on gave me the strength to hobble to the covered area of the ship.
I simply waited there until it made for Windurst once again.

Kup-oh.. Kiamo?  Back so soon..?

I couldn't do it, Sarima...

She sighed and floated to the floor.

Kiamo, it's Summerfest.  Why not try... some events?

I shook my head.
I did want to do the summerfest events.  Whenever I went outside, I saw smiling couples in their new attire.  But, shouldn't I be playing those games and scooping goldfish with him?  I swallowed hard.

Sa.. Sarrrima.  Those are things I would have done with--

Kiamo stop.  Kup-ou are depressing ME!

Well if it wasn't forrr YOU he and I would neverrr have gone out for Valentone's--

So what?!  That spark was there!  You two had fun! KUPOHHHH-- Kiamo!  Don't blame me for falling in love with him!! 

WHAT?!  I did not fall in love with him!  You pushed us together, Sarrrima... I would have been just fine if---

Then why do you insist on moping around like a broken hearted lover.  All his other friends are off adventuring!

Because...  because...

Suddenly there was a knot in my throat so big I could neither finish my thought, nor swallow.  I blinked and fat tears rolled down my cheeks.  If I had been with him that day...  He would still be here.  It would have been me that---

There is nothing you can do.  Kiki…  Just cherish the time you did have.  Not everyone is so blessed to have had someone like him in their lives.

I nodded.  But it was remembering those times that only served to bring about more grief.

He...  He was my best frrriend, Sarrrima.

She nodded.

And nobody can take that away from you.

With that she twirled into a warp and was gone.

Maybe gold fish scooping would get my mind off... things.
I curled up on the cool stone floor, gazing at the glowing egg inside the egg buffet.  Gold shafts of light reached out, like Altana's arms come to embrace me.  Gentle and warm...   Every now and then a tiny prismatic bubble would float out toward me.  Just when I thought it was within reach, it would disappear.













(c) 2002-2010 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Title Design by Yoshitaka Amano. FINAL FANTASY, TETRA MASTER and VANA'DIEL are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. SQUARE ENIX, PLAYONLINE and the PlayOnline logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd.

Shagrath Apathy

I awoke feeling oddly despondent and felt the need to reach for the box of letters that I had from my mother.
Before I was even born, she wrote to me.
Of how she and my father loved me.  How they were so excited to meet me.
How I was growing big and strong within her womb.
They used to be signed by them both, but the last one was only from her.

My little daughter,
Soon you will be in this world. 
May Altana give you great strength, for you will need it. 
I can not lend you mine..   There has been a horrendous tragedy and your father has been taken from us.  I am beside my self with grief so much so that---


She never finished the letter.  There was nothing after that but an ink splatter and partial finger prints.
Did what ever happened cause her to have to flee at just that moment?
It pained me not to know whatever became of her.  Despite that, her words of love always offered comfort.

As I was shuffling through the letters there was a quiet knock at my mog house door.
Not in the mood for random guests, I wrapped myself in an afghan and peered outside.

Oh!  Big brother Wolf.  What brings you here?

Uh…

Is something the matter?  You look anxious.

Yeah…  Sort of…  Yes something is the matter…  You could say…

 Okay…  Do you want to come in? 

Wolfknight nodded and we took a seat on the rug.

Did something happen, are you okay?

Yeah…  It’s ah…  Shagrath.

Something the matter with Sha-chan??

Well we were in AlZahbi….  And uh…

Oh no, was he injured in Besieged??

Ah.. Yes!  Yes he was…

Oh I will go tend to him, is he at home then?

No Kia…  He isn’t.  He won’t be home ever again.

Wha-- I don’t understand.  Wolf..?

He’s GONE Kiamo.  He’s never coming back.

Gone??  To where??   Sha… Sha wouldn’t just-  Leave without-  Without coming to me…

I hugged the afghan close to my face and wiped my cheek.
I knew Wolf was staring at me, but I couldn’t see the look on his face because my vision was blurred with tears.
My chest was so tight that I couldn’t choke out any other questions.  Wolfknight’s silence only added weight to the now heavy air in the room.
My head was ringing so much so that I couldn’t even hear the steady beats of Sarima’s tiny wings as she hovered off in a corner.  Undoubtedly also stunned into silence by this news.
Finally Wolf began to speak…

Kiamo…  During besieged… It was the undead…

Buckbeard..?

Ah…  I don’t think so.  I… Got charmed but … Shagrath he…  Well you see there was…

Lamia..?

Some of those but this was a huge monster.  He was fighting it and it somehow swallowed him whole.

His words drew all breath from my lungs.  I grabbed my abdomen with both arms.
Wolfknight wouldn’t look at me.  He was carefully studying nothing on the floor.

I can’t believe…  That… That’s impossible!!  Where were you?!  Why didn’t you go save him?!!?

How could you get mesmerized by the sway of fish-witch hips and not aid your only brother?! 

Wolfknight drug his hands through his hair, down his neck and then wrung them tightly together.

You don’t understand Kiamo.  I… I have--

Have what… Cowardice?  Apathy?  How is it you shed no tears telling me this horrific news?

Something for you…  Lo--

I DON’T WANT ANYTHING YOU HAVE!!!  I… don’t … I just… just want… just Sha-  Shagrath.

You can’t have that, but you can have--

GET OUT!!  I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE!! JUST GO!! GO!! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU!!

I didn’t see or hear Wolfknight leave.  I was collapsed in a heaving heap on the floor.
Each shallow breath I took in was harder then the last.  Is this what one means when one says “Drowning in sorrow”?
I couldn’t stop shaking.  With each tear I wiped away, two more rolled down my cheeks…  To my chin… To my neck…  Some to the floor.
The corner of my afghan was soaked with them.

Sarima floated over from where she had been silently watching.
I felt her small paws gently stroke my hair.  Then she wrapped her short, fuzzy arms about my shoulders as best she could.

Oh Kiki.  I am so sorry…













(c) 2002-2010 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Title Design by Yoshitaka Amano. FINAL FANTASY, TETRA MASTER and VANA'DIEL are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. SQUARE ENIX, PLAYONLINE and the PlayOnline logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd.

Kup-GO!!

KupOH Kiamo!!!  WAKE UP!!! You have to evacuate!!!


Sarima?!  Evacuate?!  Why?!  What happened??


No time... Kiki... I sent word to Shagrath's moogle!  He'll be here to take you away in just a moment.


Shagrath... What?  No, why did you call him?  What is going on?! 


Sarima was spinning insanely trying to hurry me.  I stumbled out of bed and over to the fountain in my mog house.

Kiki no time!! Get dressed!  Shagrath is going to--


Sarima... You startled me out of dead sleep... You won't even tell me what is going on.


I dipped my hands into the cold water and splashed it up onto my face.

Hurry kupUP Kiamo!!

I sighed and plunged my entire face into the water.  That ought to wake me up faster.
Not my smartest idea of the day, as this caused me to lean my rear end high up into the air...
Just in time for Shagrath to burst into my mog house.
With me in just a simple sleeping shift.
That did happen to cover my bottom.
Barely.
I should really sleep in panties from now on...

I reared up and spun on my heels, sending water droplets out in a wide radius.
Panicked at the thought of Shagrath seeing me in such a state of undress, I could only think to reach one arm across my chest.  The other tugged at the front of my nightie as I drew my knees together.
Was there really an emergency, or was this a new plot of Sarima's?

Kiamo, I came as soon as Sarim---- Uhh...

Eeep!!  I... excu-- excus-- ah... just... woke.. Sarima... she--

With that Sarima threw my Red Mage attire at me.  The impact startled me.
Shagrath had the wits about him to at least turn around while I fumbled at dressing myself.
I first pulled on the tabard, then shimmied into the tights.  I hopped over to where I kept my sword and shield while putting on the boots.

Okay... ::pantpant::  I'm decent.  Do you know what is going on?

Kind of... We have to evacuate all the areas around town.

Exactly! Kup-GO!!

With that, Sarima threw my chapeau at me and shoved both of us out the door.

Where...  Where is safe?

Well, we can go to Aht Urhgan or through the Maw to the past?

Eww...

We don't have much time...

Then... the maw is closer...

Lets go!

Shagrath grabbed my hand and we raced out of Port Windurst.
Apparently Sarima wasn't pulling my tail, as I saw many townspeople doing the same thing.
Everyone was leaving, but no one quite knew why.
I heard whispers about the Mog Tablets and Kupofried's powers.
Could something have gone wrong with the tablet powers?
I was really enjoying them, especially quickening and the free outpost transportation...


















(c) 2002-2010 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Title Design by Yoshitaka Amano. FINAL FANTASY, TETRA MASTER and VANA'DIEL are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. SQUARE ENIX, PLAYONLINE and the PlayOnline logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd.