Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ By Your Side ❯ Red, White, and Ritz ( Chapter 1 )

Notes: The companion piece to "Desolation," in the sense that it occurs some months after the events there. So read that or be prepared for befuddlement. Again, no proof for any implied pairings, just using my imagination. Beware.

Warning: At least one major plot twist that maybe you weren't expecting. All I can say is I have no problem with interracial relationships. Literally. Heh.

Summary: As Shara nurses Ritz back to health, they both come to a startling realization about their relationship.

By Your Side

A Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fanfic by

Nate Grey (XMAN0123@aol.com)

Prologue: Red, White, and Ritz

The only thing Shara knew for certain was that she'd first noticed because of Marche. He'd walked in one day, nodded in her direction, and then paused on his way to the other side of Ritz's bed.

"Oh," he'd said after a moment of silence. "She changed it back?"

Shara remembered shaking her head and smiling. "Not exactly. Ritz decided that she's going to let her hair change with the months. It will only be this way during Madmoon and Huntmoon. The rest of the time, it will be white again."

"It'll almost be like she's two different people," Marche commented, almost adding "again" to the end, but deciding not to for some reason.

"Not really," Shara replied. "Inside, she's the same, no matter what color her hair is."

"I figured you'd say that," Marche said with a mysterious grin. He turned to go. "Tell her I stopped by?"

"Sure." Shara immediately went back to watching the sleeping Ritz, as if he had never even come in.

Marche smiled in the doorway and left as quietly as he could.

* * * * *

Cast: (jobs based on abilities used in the story)

Shara - Sniper/Archer

Ritz - Red/White Mage

Marche - Paladin

Littlevili - Sniper

Eldena - Red Mage/Summoner

Shanon - Assassin/White Mage

Rosetta - Elementalist

Chapter 1: Carrier

Ritz was still not entirely convinced that she was alive. Dying in St. Ivalice was one thing, but no Viera had ever warned her that she'd still feel like a corpse on the bad days. Reportedly, it had taken all of the clan's healers, from Sages to Blue Mages, to bring her around. Apparently, actually being from St. Ivalice and then dying there had caused some unforeseen effect that left Ritz remarkably weak most of the time. She could barely remember the last time she'd been allowed out of bed, though she clearly recalled it was Marche who had carried her on his back.

Unfortunately, she didn't have too many more recent memories of Marche. According to Shara, he mostly visited while she was asleep, and when she was awake, he was away on clan business. This had greatly upset Ritz at first, but as time passed, she realized that she was the half-dead one, not him. Marche was still responsible for the entire clan, so he could hardly spend all his time with her. He did, however, send regular tokens of his affection to keep Ritz in good spirits. The effect was hardly even dulled by the fact that the gifts were usually brought by Lini and Cheney, two of the clan's most infamous Thieves.

Eventually, as anyone could've predicted, the tokens stopped being enough. As the clan grew larger, Marche had less time to visit, and less gifts to send back to Ritz. Granted, the ones he did send were usually ridiculously expensive, but gradually, even they stopped coming, as if Marche could sense that they no longer mattered to Ritz as much as his actual presence would've.

No one could really say when Marche suddenly had a change of heart or merely mind, but at some point, it apparently occurred to him that Ritz was far more important to him than any clan duties could ever be. There were very few clan members who disagreed with Marche's decision to retire to Muscadet in order to spend more time with Ritz. The few that did were free to leave at any time, and Marche left management of the clan to the most active members.

Through it all, Shara never made one comment about how Marche had been neglecting Ritz, even when Ritz asked for her opinion. Of course, that was only what Ritz saw. Had she thought to ask anyone else, she would have been surprised to learn that Shara had been in constant contact with Marche the whole time, and that many of his gifts (and their hefty price tags) had been sent at her urging. And it was truly not that hard to convince him, since Viera almost never disagreed with one another; and were among the clan's top-ranked fighters.

* * * * *

Ritz awoke one morning feeling much better than usual, but also feeling an intense desire to be outside for a change. She only had to look to the right to find Shara sitting beside her. The young Viera's eyes were closed in silent slumber, but the slightest sound would wake her in an instant. Ritz shifted into a more comfortable position and reached over to wake her friend.

Shara's eyes snapped open just before Ritz could touch her. She automatically took Ritz's hand in her own, squeezing it affectionately. "What is it?" she asked.

"I feel like going outside today," Ritz said. "Could you get Marche for me?"

"Not unless you particularly want him," Shara replied, with just a hint of injured pride. "I'm perfectly capable of carrying you myself."

Ritz stared at her best friend for a long moment. "What?" she finally asked, looking confused. Normally, Shara would've been outside already, calling for Marche without a second thought. This new behavior was not something she'd expected.

"I said-" Shara began to repeat.

"No, I heard you," Ritz explained. "I just…thought I heard wrong for a minute."

"You think I can't carry you?" Shara asked, challenging her to disagree.

Ritz frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I can't ever remember you doing it before. Are you sure?"

"I'm stronger than I look," Shara stated firmly. "At any rate, you're not exactly fat, Ritz."

She smiled hesitantly. "Was that a compliment?"

"No. I'm merely saying that you don't weigh that much, and even if you did, I would still carry you."

"You don't have to prove anything to me," Ritz said quickly. "I mean, you've been here every time I've woken up."

"I am not trying to prove anything. I am simply saying that unless it matters to you who does it, I am going to carry you, Ritz. Do you want to try and stop me?"

That was clearly a challenge, but Ritz didn't feel like arguing. Obviously, Shara was determined to do this, and there was no good reason why she shouldn't have been able to. There was no one Ritz trusted more; it was just that she had never been carried by any one Viera, and she didn't want to burden Shara.

"You couldn't burden me if you tried," Shara said at once, easily reading the concern in her friend's eyes. "But if you're that worried, I'll put a healer on standby before we go."

"You don't have to," Ritz muttered, scooting to the edge of the bed.

Shara got up and waited until she felt Ritz's arms lock around her neck. She stepped away from the bed and hooked her forearms around Ritz's legs, noticing at once how thin the limbs were.

"You're sure I'm not too heavy?" Ritz asked one last time.

"Just keep the bugs out of my hair, and I promise I won't drop you," Shara laughed.

* * * * *

Marche was not exactly worried when he found Ritz wasn't in her room. Shara was gone as well, so that was a good sign. He decided to ask one of the Viera, since they usually knew the most about anything and everything, especially where the comings and goings of clan members were concerned.

It wasn't long before he came across Littlevili, who was in the middle of an archery contest with Cheney the Hunter (for today, anyway).

"Well, didn't actually see them leave," Littlevili reported. "Shanon did, though. They were headed somewhere in Materiawood Forest."

"Did she say which way they went?" Marche asked.

"Nah, don't bother," she replied, waving him off. "Shanon sent Rosetta to keep an eye on them. You know how tight those two are."

Marche's concern lessened somewhat at that. If Ritz and Shara had gone into the forest, an Elementalist was one of the best allies they could have along for the trip. It did bother him that he hadn't been told, but if Ritz and Shara wanted some time alone, well, it was none of his business, anyway.

* * * * *

Next Chapter:

Ritz and Shara have a heart-to-heart, while Marche makes the mistake of comparing love woes with a bunch of chatty Viera.