Little Maid Boy

Little Maid Boy
Chapter Two: Sweet and Unpleasant Dreams

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

VVL 69: Hi, all, I'm back. Believe it or not, writing on my novel helped me get back on track [and I have a feeling it will be vice-versa, if I ever have writer's block again] And now without any more blathering, let's get to the story!
Vivi: [caged] I think I'm gonna be sick . . . @@ . . .

~~~

Vivi was dreaming.

'Where am I?' he wondered, looking down at himself. 'O-oh . . . '

He had turned into a caterpillar.

Instead of finding green stripes on his body, he now found clean white ruffles, each of his sixteen little feet wearing a tiny black shoe.

And instead of his coat, he wore a smart little maid's dress.

'Oh,' he cried out, 'what's happened to me?'

'Hello, my pet,' a silken voice interrupted from behind him, golden plumes of smoke dancing into the air.

'Wh-who . . . ?' Vivi turned around to see an enormous mauve caterpillar behind him, long brushy antennae protruding from his hair and feathery plumes in the center of his head, all waving in the slight breeze as one. Scarlet-painted eyes watched him as their owner laughed, a tinkling sound in the dream's silence.

'Kuja?'

'Why, yes, my little maid boy. Wherever have you been?'

'I've been with my friends,' Vivi called out to his creator. 'But what are you doing in my dream?'

'Vivi, Vivi, Vivi . . . I'm here to take you home.'

'But I don't wanna go,' Vivi protested. 'I like Zidane and the others.' He turned to inch away from Kuja, but his tiny legs remained crossed over each other in an expression of defiance.

'Oh, but you must come home with me. I will take good care of you,' Kuja promised.

'Well . . . ' Vivi considered it for a moment, before shaking his head and turning again. 'I can't go.'

'Vivi . . . ' Kuja said sternly, his voice very commanding, 'come to me.'

'No, I won't!' Vivi cried. He watched in horror as his body turned itself over, all sixteen of his feet lowering to the ground in obedience. 'You can't make me!'

'Oh, but I can,' Kuja cooed. 'Come home, Vivi. Come home to your master now . . . '

A queer coldness enveloped Vivi's body. He tried to speak, to protest, but nothing came out.

'Vivi . . . come home.'

'Yes, Master,' Vivi said in monotone. 'Anything to please my Master . . . '

And Kuja's soft, maniacally tinkling laughter echoed through the dream's end.

"Aaaah!" Vivi screamed. "Nooo!" Sitting bolt-upright in his bed, he began to cry helplessly. "Garnet! Zidane!"

Footsteps rushed through the hall, lights clicking on as a very disheveled Zidane stumbled into the room; he was immediately followed by Garnet, who was only clad in a short chemise. Both looked very worried as Garnet sighed, "Oh, Vivi. What's the matter, darling?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Zidane wondered, his eyes slightly bleary from lack of sleep. "Something bothering you, little man?"

"I had a bad dream," Vivi wailed. "Kuja came to take me away . . . " He pulled his hat down over his eyes and sobbed. "An . . . an' now I'm so scared . . . "

"Oh . . . " Garnet walked over to Vivi's small bed, sitting down on the edge. "You poor darling . . . come here," she encouraged.

Vivi acquiesced and pushed the covers off his legs, crawling over to Garnet and resting his head in her lap. "He's coming to take me back," he whispered fearfully. "He's going to make me his puppet again."

"No, no," Garnet soothed, "he cannot have you. We will fight with all of our resources to keep you here."

"Really?" Vivi inquired.

"Really," Zidane said in assurance . . . and then melted away. So did the rest of the room, the bed Vivi was sitting on, and even Garnet. The little mage found himself in a very, very dark place, his brightly shining eyes the only light to be found.

"Ah, Vivi . . . " a voice said softly. "I have been waiting for you, my pet."

"Oh no," Vivi whimpered, "no . . . please, not that . . . " He watched as a spark struck in the darkness, the tall wick of a candle glowing to life shortly after. "Where am I?"

"You're home," the voice said simply. "Home where you belong." Behind him many glowing yellow eyes shone blankly, each identical to Vivi's own.

And, staring straight ahead into the darkness, Vivi screamed.