UnShaekable (FFXII)

XIII) Seas of Sand

~2 years before~

"Another sweet success," I sigh, sinking back into my seat. The room, once merely a cabin with a rough-cut set of chairs and a wooden table, is decorated with lights, comfortable seating, and yellowed maps framed and hung on the smooth, paneled walls.

"Color me impressed, Sweetheart," Dern laughs, clinking his bottle of madhu to mine. Why use glasses when we'll finish the whole thing anyway? "I honestly couldn't see that deal working out well."

"Yeah," I reply softly, drowning a gulp of my drink. "Well."

~12 hours ago~

I duck behind a crumbled wall, taking a deep breath. All I need is the Dalmascan artifact. I pray the pirate staying here isn't all that aware of his surroundings. I only know he's young, alone, vulnerable. At least, the first two are true. The last... well, we'll see.

Creeping forward, I duck behind a trio of dry, cracked barrels. A fire crackles not too far away. The pirate is nowhere to be seen, which puts me on edge, but I know I'll sense when he's nearby. The golden figurine supposedly worth hundreds of thousands of gil should be in his camp somewhere. According to... sources, buried along the walls of these ruins he's camped in.

All clear. I scramble into the light, watching the sandy ground for inconsistency, kicking at the ground every few feet. I don't have enough time to cover my tracks. This is messy, so, so messy. But we need the money bad. The Castean's falling apart and we can't fly her anywhere but a one-way trip to an aerodrome for fixing. Frustrated, I turn sharply to check the perimeter only to crash into a wall of skin and bones.

"What're you up to?" a voice snarls, dangerously calm. I reach for my sword only for the man to shove me into the wall, bashing my skull against the firm rock and pulling my weapon away in my daze. "You sky pirates are getting sloppy."

"Keep your damn treasure then," I growl, glowering up at him through swimming vision. "I'll leave you alone." My head throbs relentlessly and something warm's trickling down the back of my neck. The young man clicks his tongue, smirking at me through nearly black bangs.

"The treasure was merely a lure, my dear," he replies, flashing a yellowed smile. "Though, I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to get a girl out here." He traces a stinking finger across my face. "Care to stay a bit longer?"

He leans his weight against me, crushing me to the wall. I spit into his face, kneeing his crotch as hard as I can. Grunting, he moves just enough for me to run away in a dizzy frenzy. There's an explosion of pain my back and I suppress a scream, forcing myself to keep running as another burst of heat and pain erupts next to the first bullet he put in my back. I'm choking on blood, listening to him cackle as I drag myself away.

Throwing myself into a rocky alcove, I search desperately for a potion or really anything to staunch the bleeding. That little bastard... I groan, cringing when the bullets buried in my flesh cut deeper with every movement. I can hear the boy calling me in that mocking voice, begging me to come out and play. I shut my eyes, feeling my head loll back and lean against the stone. Gods above...

There's a gunshot nearby and I half expect to feel searing heat tearing me down to the gates of Hades. But there's nothing but pure silence. What the...?

"I'll have you know you both owe me your life and a bullet."

"Who...?" I peel my eyes open to see eyes the color of the deep sea staring back at me, glittering both with rage and excitable energy. Eyes so familiar I find myself choking again. The boy kneels beside me, holding up an x-potion with a teasing smile, still as dazzling and bright as always. Now, though, it almost looks as if he's baring his teeth, holding back the urge to snap his jaws around my throat and tear me to pieces. If I were him, I would've killed the sea pirate just to I peel me apart bit by bit. He has every reason... But I already know what he's doing instead. "Jonan," I breathe, wincing when he presses a hand to a bleeding wound.