Land Of Confusion

By: Reppa

folder Final Fantasy Anime › Final Fantasy:Unlimited

Rating: Adult +

Chapters: 4

Views: 1,102

Reviews: 18

Recommended: 0

Currently Reading: 1

Category: Final Fantasy Anime › Final Fantasy:Unlimited

Rating: Adult +

Chapters: 4

Views: 1,102

Reviews: 18

Recommended: 0

Currently Reading: 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: Unlimited, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter 3 : Waking Dreams

Disclaimer : I don’t own Final Fantasy : Unlimited or the characters in it. There may be a few OCs I haul off
and throw in there, but not for a while.

Warnings : Yaoi which means male/male. Come on, what else do I write? Expect violence, mild child
abuse/neglect, language, sexual situations, and anything else especially good. Not for the children. You
don’t like it, don’t read.

Notes : Whoo...In any case, if I make typos, and I’m sure I do as they chase me like rabid terriers, let me
know. But more specific than ‘You made some typos’. Tell me where. So I can fix it. I hate typos, I don’t
want them to stay there. Thanks. O-o; I sat here listening to Barbie Girl in Japanese. XD

Land Of Confusion

Chapter 3 : Waking Dreams

by Reppa

The air was warm and there was a buzz of chatter. He blinked rapidly, not sure where the collective voices
began, a moment ago everything had been perfectly quiet. A fire burned in the fireplace, lamps glowed on
tables...giving off a golden light. The windows were dark, it must have been in the evening. White specks
floated down, it had to be winter time and lightly snowing outside. That or the trees had dander. There was
the smell of liquor and fresh food. Baked bread, roasted meat. It had the atmosphere of a tavern. But he
didn’t remember being in a tavern before.

His body moved of it’s own accord, all Kaze could really do was follow whatever was going on. Everything
had been a blurred black and gold haze at the beginning before coming into focus and letting him take in
the detail. It was definitely a tavern, not exceptionally big from what he could tell. The woodwork of the
building’s structure had a flowing, whimsical design. Dark and light cherry wood, looking as if it had been
shaped, not cut. Resting his hands on the long bar, the wood had a smooth, velvety feel. He blinked,
glancing down at his hands. The bar more like it, but he could easily see his hands. His right was bare,
where was the Magun?

On further inspection, his clothes were completely different as well. The black shirt he had on was a little
big in the neck that it hung over his left shoulder. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, they were
probably so long they could pass his fingers. The pants he wore seemed the same as always, but he had
black boots over them, ending at his knees with a few buckles. The choker around his neck, the clasp
around his thigh, and his silver earring were all still there. But his glasses were missing.

Still staring at his hands, he looked away to glance over the room. Practically every table was full...most of
the occupants were a wide assortment of moogles, the rest being what looked like oddball travelers. His
partner was there, laughing up a storm with a bubbling brew in front of him, surrounded by what Kaze
assumed were friends. His rosy face told the Black Wind the little guy was more than likely drunk. He tried
to will himself over to the table, to demand what was going on, but it was hard to move out of place any
further.

“Hey, partner!” Moogle’s cheery voice called, raising his half filled tankard, “How about another Windy
Whiskey?”

Another what? Even if he didn’t know, his body moved once more, pulling out a bottle from under the bar
counter. It was a new bottle, completely full. The bottom of the bottle was fat and the neck snaked up in
various curves, a purple, slightly foamy liquid swished inside the pink tinted glass. Removing the cork, it
had a strong smell that didn’t require him to sniff anywhere near the lip of the bottle. It reeked of berries
and brew.

The table packed with moogles, all different shapes and sizes, were more content to have the entire bottle
left with them. That was fine, Kaze didn’t care either way. The black robed moogle that tagged along with
him looked up at the gun summoner, “Hey, partner, how’s Snowball upstairs? Let me know when you get
rid of him, okay? I want my room back.”

Snowball? Who the hell was Snowball?

His brows furrowed before he drew himself away from the rambunctious moogles, icy blue eyes glancing
over the rest of the room as he walked to the back. He ahead to the kitchen, which had no one working
inside, and turned to his right where a flight of stairs to the next level waited around the corner. Kaze
briskly jogged up the steps to the upper hall. He frowned, his hair feeling awfully loose as he moved. It
must not have been pulled back into the long ponytail.

The hallway on the second floor was dark. Some of the rooms, three of the total six, had there doors
closed, little signs asking not to be disturbed hung from the handles. Patrons most likely. Two of the rooms
showed no light from the creases, but the door he had his eyes on had a light filtering below from
underneath. He felt his hand move up, flipping a little of his long hair back before he turned the knob to
step in.

The impulse to reach for his holster hit him quickly as he entered the closest room, but there was no
holster to grab and even if there were, he doubted his body would let him do any such thing, let alone fire
it. The anxiety continued to stir inside him, eyeing his...rival.

Shiroi Kumo sat at the foot of the bed, his figure slightly slouched, arms resting on his slightly parted
knees. He looked tired and weary. His shirt, attached cape and all, was slung over the back of a chair,
leaving him bare from the waist up. His white, booted pants looked a little scuffed up. Bright green eyes
shifted to him as he noticed the other’s entrance and the etude gave a weak smile, “If you’re concerned,
I’m fine...thank you.”

He sounded like he’d been to hell and back, and he even looked the part. Kaze felt himself step forward, to
come stand several feet away from the other man, “Go to sleep.”

“I’m not tired...”

“Then lay down.”

“You’re rather bossy...” White Cloud just chuckled, actually looking somewhat cheerful. All the times Kaze
could remember seeing the swordsman, his expression was...sometimes there was a complete lack of
one, and others it looked very somber. But as always, there seemed a pained look in his eyes. “My
thanks, but I don’t want to stay bedridden. Besides...I should find a way to thank you, even if I don’t
believe I deserve the kindness.”

Thank him? For what? While Kaze muddled over what was going on, his voice spoke up regardless, “It’s
not like I could have left you to freeze.”

“Even if I’m not what you’re used to seeing.”

“I’ve seen stranger.” A tavern usually did see some odd sorts from time to time. Despite their peculiar
conversation, Kaze’s eyes moved over the curve of the swordsman back, looking over his torso. He never
figured Makenshi packed much muscle, as if Kaze was one to talk, the etude’s body looking extremely
lean. Where the slender man got the power he exerted behind the large two-handed sword he used, the
gunner couldn’t figure out. It had to be a racial proficiency above anything else, along with the mist breath
and ability to levitate. “Are you hungry?”

His attention refocused as the other moved to stand on his feet. Kaze remained stiff, watching the etude
sway for a moment. He almost figured he would fall to the floor any second. “I don’t think you should...”
The sentiment was cut short as he jerked forward, grabbing Makenshi’s arm as the swordsman almost fell.
Unfortunately, the swordsman had to lean at an awkward angle...

-+-

Have we even exchanged names yet?

Kaze grunted, jerking his head up quickly. What the hell was that? He blinked several times, then his hand
moved to rub between his eyes. There was a dull, sore pain in the back of his head, he hated it. Moving to
sit up, he winced. It was never a good thing to just drift off into sleep and fall over in some awkward
position. And no position could have been more awkward for the gunner then to partially lay on his side on
top of the Magun.

Kneading his now sore abdomen, he wearily looked around the dismal room. It wasn’t bright or full of good
natured cheer. There wasn’t a pleasant smell of fresh food or the sweet smell of liquid intoxication. There
was no Moogle and there was no Makenshi. Though the room was cold, his body felt unusually warm,
especially in his face. He even felt the fading giddiness that had come over him briefly, like something had
excited him. The sensation made the heat in his cheeks rise. Whatever the cause...he shook his head
quickly, striving to ignore it.

“...”

As he made to his feet, the long haired man took a moment to adjust himself. Kaze even felt to see if his
hair was still bound together. Why he made to check himself, his hair and his attire, he had no idea. It was
a dream, not real. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was. The Black Wind made his way to the window, hand
resting on the wall as he looked out. The sky was a brilliant blue and fluffy white clouds drifted by. It wasn’t
night with snow falling, the edges of the window were not frosted at all. That was a little disappointing. He
continued to watch the clouds, judging from how slowly they drifted by, he reasoned the airship was in no
hurry to get to any particular location. Where was there to go in Wonderland anyway?

Abruptly, he shook his head. He had been staring at the clouds. Doing such always made his thoughts
linger on Makenshi. That was bad, he couldn’t let himself do that anymore. Turning from the window, he
faced the room. His eyes adjusted from the bright light of the sky to the gloom of the small space that had
been behind him. “No sunny days ahead...” He paused and hummed, wondering where that came from.
Depressing thoughts on the mind, they felt rather mainstream at this point.

Lisa and the Comodeen, and those children...Kaze was certain he wasn’t much to them. Those
depressing thoughts were the freshest on the list. He knew he wasn’t anyone the organization was really
concerned for. They would have no problem leaving him in the dust, he was probably too destructive for
their taste, for their ideals. All the same, he didn’t care for any ideals.

As for Lisa and the children, he reasoned he was a means to an end and a shield to them. It had...been a
little irritating how they thanked him after he saved them before turning around and taunting him the next
when he could do nothing. A broken Magun couldn’t just fire at will like they expected it to, they had no
reason to ridicule him. Especially that woman.

Hello, you’re alive in there, aren’t you?

Of course he was...it didn’t mean he had to speak to anyone.

Even though that girl wasn’t human, she acted like one more than you, Kaze...

Part of him wanted to wave a red flag in front of her. Maybe he was human, or maybe he wasn’t. Being
human had not been a universal standard last time he checked. He let out a long, drawn out sigh.
Dwelling on those thoughts and more was not healthy. Plus he was experiencing one of his rare bouts of
hunger. His train of thought needed to change tracks.

When he had been on the submarine with the group, he watched in distaste while they ate away at what
he assumed was some mush. Whatever it was, it wasn’t meat or fungi. That meant it was disgusting, he
did not have the stomach for vegetables or whatever the mush had been. He grimaced, wondering how
the pest level was on the current ship as he approached the door. Rats roasted up rather nicely, despite
how stringy they were*...

The automated door swung open and he paused, face to face with a startled Lisa. The woman jumped a
little, looking shocked. Her face reddened considerably. She chuckled her jittered nerves into a calmer
state as she relaxed, “Sorry about that...I was wanting to ask you about something.”

Kaze stood there and stared at her, wondering why she couldn’t wait till he found something reasonable to
eat. “...”

“Can you tell me anything about the rabbit holes all over Wonderland? I’m sure they were how you got
around, as we never saw you on the train...”

Those holes...His brows twitched with slight recognition, they had been his main form of transportation
between each world. Sometimes the trips had proven somewhat painful, especially the one instance when
he fell all the way from the skies. Despite how it looked, that sand had not provided the best cushioning.
Then the wolf girl jumped on him...”I’m busy.”

Lisa looked, once again, shocked. “You’re busy? Busy doing what? You usually just sit around...This is
important, Kaze, I’d really appreciate it if you just gave me a moment or two.”

Irritation resurfaced. If she had an issue with him sitting around before, it wasn’t on his head that she didn’t
say anything. But it wasn’t in his nature to be sarcastic even though it seeped out once in a while, to snap
at anyone, or be verbally abusive however minor or severe it could be. He was just quiet, but still... “I gave
you a moment earlier.”

She made a noise of indignation. He kind of wanted to laugh at the look on her face, a very cross frown,
her bottom lip even in a slight pout. Lisa was, more or less, a pretty woman. She was not the most
beautiful he’d seen, she was just pretty. His sister, Aura, now she had been a beautiful woman. She and
Lisa were even a lot alike, but Kaze felt his sister had more spirit to her than the human woman. More
poise, more strength. But she was dead...and the living woman in front of him didn’t seem pleased his
thoughts were wandering, “Kaze...! You know, it’s really bad when you do that. Just what on Earth were
you daydreaming about?”

“My sister...”

End of Chapter 3

* - I know a lot of people are going ‘EW!’ at the rat thing, but...Personally, I can see Kaze as being a
hunter/predator in nature. Like a cat. And for some reason I can see him eating weird things, like spiders
and wolves. Call it a weird thing for me. I want to kind of give Windarians a sort of cultural background
through this. Misterians too. I’ve seen quite a few Misterian culture bits people have thrown out, but I don’t
think I’ve really seen any sort of cultural ideas thrown behind Windarians, so...Yah!

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