[EXO] [PD8] Driving Force 1/3
Title: Driving Force 1/3
Fandom: EXO (sort of fused with Final Fantasy VII)
Series: Phoenix Down (#8)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, crossover (sort of)
Word count: 22,666
Disclaimer: Not mine, damnit.
Warnings: A slightly higher level of violence than usual, but this is based on a video game, so...
Summary: No one ever expects much from the new guy, but Jongdae's got a lot more to offer than just transportation across the Corel Desert. (Translated: ROAD TRIP CONTINUES! AND JONGDAE IS AWESOME!)
A/N: 8th in the Phoenix Down series, so please see Sweet as Honey, Sharp as a Sword for explanations. Takes place directly after #6 (#7 is a "sidequest"), and like that fic, is one of those plotty ensemble pieces with background lukai content.
Driving Force 1/3
The Corel Desert is an arid and lonely place, without even a breath of wind to stir the sea of sand. Makes it tantamount to suicide to open a window - thankfully, the van's air-conditioning hasn't given up yet - but it's of immense help in tracking down Professor Suho and his resurrected companion. Yesterday's buggy tracks remain untouched. There's no other sign that the professor's been this way, doing whatever it is he intends to do with the stolen materia. Kris keeps his eyes fixed on the tracks and hopes that Suho knows where he's going.
Not that there appears to be anywhere to go. They've been driving for three hours now and the landscape hasn't changed at all. Sand, sand and more sand. Yixing's dividing his attention between the chocobos and the world outside, while Jongin's dozing in his seat, occasionally stirring to gulp down a mouthful of water. Chen - or Jongdae, as Kris now has to think of him - won't relinquish the wheel, not yet, but they're going to have to stop soon, if only to give his arms a rest.
"I promise not to wreck your van," Kris says after watching Jongdae attempt to work the kinks out of his shoulders while still driving, "so we could swap positions for a bit? I've never crashed a vehicle."
"Neither have I," Yixing pipes up from the back.
Kris snorts, casting half a glance over at him. "That's because you've never driven one."
"That's it." Jongdae brings the van to a halt and turns to face Kris. "No one's driving her but me. And especially not Yixing."
Yixing doesn't seem bothered by the slight. "One day my time will come," he says evenly, and Kris hopes that day's a long way off because he really doesn't want someone who's never driven before at the wheel. Not when they're in the middle of the desert, with four chocobos (one placid, one skittish, one wilful and one unbelievably smug), one sleepy young man who keeps muttering vaguely affectionate nonsense at his Summon (which would be embarrassing if any of them were paying attention), and one near-stranger they only met last night, who can't possibly have the best impression of them.
"Do you have any idea how big this desert is?" Kris asks Jongdae. "Because I don't, and I don't know how far we're going to have to drive until we reach the end of these tracks. I'm the reason we're out here in the first place, so you can at least let me spell you a little."
Jongdae opens his mouth, but his response is cut off by a mumbled "Are we there yet?" from Jongin, who has chosen this particular moment to wake up.
"Don't know where 'there' is," Jongdae says. "You can go back to sleep - after you pass me one of those water bottles."
Jongin does, handing one to Kris as well. "Has anyone seen a sword hilt while we've been driving?"
"Like the one lying next to you?" Kris says.
"Not yours." Jongin looks down the side of the seats, where everyone else is storing their weapons. "I've got a message from Baekhyun. Lu Han says there's a broken sword hilt with one of Baekhyun's materia orbs out here somewhere, and if we happen to see it, can we please pick it up?"
"I understood the second half of that," Jongdae says. "Would someone like to explain the first half?"
Three hours of travelling is long enough to tell a story, even one as disjointed and confusing as the tale they have to share, and Jongdae's borne with it well, even when they haven't been able to answer his questions. Kris had omitted the exact nature of Jongin's relationship with Lu Han, however, figuring that was for Jongin to share, if he wanted to. He doesn't know how much experience Jongdae has had with Summons, even with working in a materia shop back in Rocket Town, but a Summon communicating telepathically with his master has to be a rarity, or he'd have heard about it before. Certainly, Baekhyun's never shown any ability to project himself into Kris's head, for which Kris is extremely grateful.
"Lu Han talks to me in my head," Jongin says. "But I promise I'm not crazy."
"You're not crazy, Kris isn't suicidal..." Jongdae shakes his head, looking between them with such disbelief in his eyes that Kris almost wants to reiterate that he's not planning on ending his life, only restarting it. "So what are you, Yixing, other than a non-driver?"
"A healer." Yixing makes tiny waving motions with his fingers. "So if you accidentally zap yourself with your Bolt materia, I'll fix you up."
Jongdae grins, the cocky chocobo jockey back in the saddle for a moment. "My aim's better than that. I've been practising with it for two years."
"At the Gold Saucer?" Kris asks, surprised that anyone would need weapons in a theme park. Anyone not planning on fighting in the Battle Square, at least. But it's good to know Jongdae has experience. The rest of the party can only fight close-range, aside from their Summons - it'll be useful to have someone with Magic materia if they run into trouble.
"Back in Rocket Town." Jongdae takes a long draught from his water bottle. "I...a friend left me the lance, and the materia with it."
"He didn't need it?" Kris asks. It must've been a good friend. Materia's expensive, and the lance looks pretty pricey too.
"Not where he was going."
Kris doesn't ask him to elaborate. They all have their secrets, and Jongdae's just shut the door on his, good humour faded from sight, eyes sad and the faintest bit resentful. "Break's over," he says, and with that they're on the move again, rolling towards who knows where.
It's easy for Kris to lean his head back against the seat and gaze idly out the window when all the scenery's the same.
Until it isn't. A large, dark blur in the distance has him straining forwards to see. Is it moving? Is it a threat? He starts to reach for his sword as Jongdae slows the van.
"What is that?" Jongin grabs the headrests and peers between the seats, fully awake now, and Kris winces as the mythril studs on Jongin's gauntlets scrape his ear. He's got enough scars there already; he's not looking to acquire another.
"Does anyone else smell burnt meat?" Jongdae asks, wrinkling his nose. "But not like anything you'd want to eat."
It's faint, but the closer they get to the black marks the stronger it becomes. Kris blinks back water as his eyes begin to sting. He hopes the engine's not overheating. That's all they need, to break down in the middle of the Corel Desert. "Yeah. That's not from the van...is it?"
"It's coming through the vents," Yixing says. "From outside. I think it is burnt meat."
And lots of it, they discover when they pull up alongside. Land Worms, judging by the rings of fangs - the only body parts not charred to a crisp. Kris counts a dozen corpses on either side of the buggy tracks, each one a dark, greasy stain against the sand grains. "Looks like they stopped here for a bit," he says. "I see footprints."
"Who'd get out in the middle of the desert?" Jongin says.
"Even former corpses have to take a leak," Jongdae says. "Probably."
"The Land Worms would've come out then," Yixing says. He points to the buggy tracks, which continue beyond the footprints on a slightly different trajectory. "It seems the professor escaped successfully."
"Fire materia, you think?" It's Fire magic of some sort, Kris is certain, though whether it's from Magic materia or an item containing a Fire spell, he can't tell. Whatever it is, it has to be a very high level to do this much damage to so many monsters.
"Let's hope this guy doesn't use it on humans," Jongdae says. "I don't want to end up barbecued because of a stupid tree dream."
None of them do. Kris thinks it's unlikely the professor will attack them, based on Kyungsoo's opinion of the man, but of the mystery guy with the giant shuriken, he can't be sure. They do, at least, have numbers on their side. Not that numbers appear to matter - the dozen Land Worms are not the only corpses they find, following the buggy tracks. There are Cactuars too, scattered across the desert, some at such a distance from each other that Kris doubts they could've been hit by the same spell. The prickly green creatures are fast enough that it's hard to hit even one of them, let alone multiple Cactuars with the same attack.
"I don't like this," Jongin says after the third such batch of corpses. "There weren't even any footprints after those Land Worms. If they were attacked while they were still in the buggy, what's to stop the same thing from happening to us?"
"The professor's probably killed everything in the area," Jongdae says blithely. "Is there even anything left to come after us?"
Of course there is.
Jongdae sends everyone shooting forwards when he suddenly slams on the brakes - a natural response to the tall green and red monster that fills most of the windscreen. Kris's seatbelt is the only thing that keeps him from hitting the dash, pressing him down so forcefully that he struggles for breath. He's not the only one. Jongin's gasping in the back, panicking about a Malboro, and no, that's the last thing Kris wants to hear. He'd rather not spend any more time as a frog.
"It's not a Malboro," Yixing says, rubbing at his neck where the seatbelt's caught him. "Completely different body shape. I think it's a Flower Prong?"
"It is," Jongdae confirms. "They have them in the Battle Square. But they're from the jungle, not the desert!"
Unlike the Malboro, which resembles nothing so much as an extremely toothy bush, the Flower Prong is tall and thin, with a long red stem that morphs into green further up the body, leading to a spiky green head with a pink, murderous tendril on either side. It shrieks: broken nails on a blackboard, a high-pitched serenade of pure venom. Though the mouth is smaller than the Malboro's, it's still easily large enough to bite off their heads, and the sharp fangs inside make Kris very glad they're sitting in a metal cab.
On the other hand, that means the racket is deafening when the Flower Prong begins to beat its tendrils against the van.
"Pass me my sword!" Kris yells over his shoulder.
"Don't go out there," Yixing warns him. "It'll poison you before you even get close enough to slice it up."
They have Antidotes now, but Kris would rather not be poisoned again if he can help it, given how painful it was last time. (And there's the small matter of him turning into a dragon, which would certainly put a crimp in their plans.)
"I'm just going to drive over it," Jongdae says. "I was never very good with plants anyway."
Jongin lets out a quasi-hysterical squawk of laughter. "And the rest of them?"
"The rest...oh." Jongdae smiles tightly, peering out the driver's side door. Kris can't see how many of them there are, but from the look on Jongdae's face it can't be good. "Plan B, anyone?"
"I don't suppose you keep any weedkiller in here?" Kris asks.
"They're weak against Earth magic," Yixing says. "Jongin, can you-"
Before he even finishes asking the question, Jongin's rolled down the window on his side and thrust his right gauntlet outside. "Kyungsoo!"
The shrieks of multiple Flower Prongs are momentarily drowned out by a rumble so enormous it would put a thousand thunderclaps to shame. Beneath the wheels, the ground begins to shake, setting them swaying in their seats. Jongin hurriedly draws his arm back inside the vehicle and rolls the window back up as a stray tendril makes a grab for his wrist. The monster blocking the windscreen sways too, falling back far enough for them to see a slow-growing mound swelling up from the desert - small at first, but spreading rapidly across the sand. The ground shudders under the pressure, rising taller and taller until with an almighty crack it shatters, sending sand and the earth beneath flying in all directions.
In the debris that remains, Kyungsoo stands alone - a small, dark figure, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the shrieking Flower Prongs for all he's worth. For a second Kris wonders if he's using Baekhyun's usual tactic, because if Kyungsoo's looks alone could kill, all those plants would've shrivelled instantly.
But Earth magic is far more violent than Baekhyun's withering gaze.
"Anger of the Land," Kyungsoo spits out before reaching down to sink both hands into the ground - deep, beneath the sand, all the way down to solid rock. Only magic could allow him to stretch so far. The Flower Prongs actually fall silent for a second as the sands begin to drain away, sinking into a wide gorge that emanates outwards from Kyungsoo. The crack in the desert floor expands with lightning speed. If it continues, they'll fall into it too, van and all.
And then it stops, leaving a rough circle of rock that begins where Kyungsoo's hands disappear into the ground. Slowly, he straightens up, and as he does, his end of the rock starts to rise.
"Is he going to...?" Jongin trails off, staring open-mouthed out the window.
"I think he is!" Jongdae then adds, somewhat hypocritically given that he's hardly blessed in the height department himself: "How's a little guy like that going to move all that rock?"
It's an impressive sight, even after the weird and wonderful things they've seen. Still looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else, Kyungsoo flips the entire slab of rock. The resulting crash is colossal. Not a single Flower Prong escapes - including the one that, up until a moment ago, had been hugging their windscreen. The rock misses the van by less than six inches.
They all still have their hands clapped over their ears when Kyungsoo picks his way across to the van, tapping on Jongin's window. Jongin quickly rolls it down. Kyungsoo's expression says he's not in the mood to be kept waiting.
"That was amazing!" Jongin gushes. He's a little loud, Kris thinks, but his own ears are still ringing so it's no wonder Jongin can't hear himself properly.
"Lu Han said you probably wouldn't call me out," Kyungsoo says. "I see he was wrong. Again."
Jongin's face falls. "Sorry," he says, slightly quieter now. "I wouldn't have, but we needed Earth magic, and-"
Kyungsoo sighs, features softening to permit a trace of a smile. "It's a good thing you're cute."
Jongdae cuts through Jongin's embarrassed flustering to say: "Not that I'm not impressed, but you think maybe you could cut it a little less close next time?" He strokes a loving hand over the dashboard. The van appears to have escaped without so much as a scratch, although the giant rock is blocking their path.
Corpses have eyes warmer and friendlier than Kyungsoo's. "You're going to have to back up," he says. "I suggest you hurry."
He vanishes back into his orb, leaving a forlorn Jongin pondering aloud about whether or not Kyungsoo dislikes him.
"You've already got one Summon who adores you," Kris says. "You don't need two."
"Touchy little guy, isn't he?" Jongdae puts the van in reverse, taking them back far enough to drive around the slab and continue their pursuit of the buggy tracks. "But useful."
The next time they stop, less than twenty minutes later, Kris insists on taking a turn behind the wheel. Jongdae offers only a token protest, finally acknowledging that perhaps trying to drive the whole way himself is a tad ambitious, especially after such a disturbed night. Shuffling around each other to switch positions should be more awkward than it turns out to be: there's something about facing death together that seems to mitigate the embarrassment factor of crawling over a near-stranger in the cramped front seat. Kris finds driving soothing, hands and feet moving of their own volition in patterns he hasn't used in a while, letting his mind switch off as he takes them onward. He's never been in control of a vehicle this large before, but Jongdae doesn't need to know that.
They pass another two sets of crispy corpses, burned so badly they can't even identify the species, before Kris spots something sticking out of the sand over to their left. Something relatively narrow, tapering in an oval pommel, shinier than the bodies of the dead monsters...
"Did you say we were looking for a broken sword?" Kris asks. "Because I think I see one." He turns them left, moving slowly towards the object without bothering to indicate because it's not as if there's any other traffic around.
"Yeah!" Jongin presses his nose to the window. "I can't see if it has any materia in it..."
As they draw nearer, it becomes apparent not only that yes, there is a Summon materia just above the cross-guard, but that it's half-buried by sand, and if they're going to pull it out, someone is going to have to leave the van to make the attempt. Volunteers are not immediately forthcoming.
"It's one of Baekhyun's orbs," Jongin says. "So maybe Kris should go?"
"Oh no." Kris shakes his head. "The last thing I need is another Baekhyun. One is more than enough."
"I'm sure he feels differently." Yixing reaches for his seatbelt. "I could do with stretching my legs anyway. Can you get any closer?"
Kris has always been better at driving than parking, but after a few tries he manages to position the van so when Jongdae opens the door on Yixing's side, Yixing will be less than three feet from the sword, and easily close enough to dive back inside if trouble comes. Or rather, when trouble comes, Kris corrects himself.
"Ready?" he asks.
Yixing nods, flexing his fingers in preparation. "Ready."
"Sooner you than me," Jongdae says, and flings open the door.
Both nimble and slender, Yixing slips quickly out of his seat, planting his feet on the ground as close to the van as possible. The rush of heat is immediate, far greater than when Jongin had rolled down his window earlier, and Kris automatically reaches for his water bottle. But the sweat trickling down the back of his neck isn't from the heat. This had better not take long.
Yixing taps the sword with one cautious finger, then recoils, hissing through his teeth. "Pass me a shirt or something? It's too hot for me to touch."
"Here!" Jongin tosses him the towel they've been using in the back.
"Thanks."
The sword's buried too deep for Yixing to loop the towel under the guard. He folds it over a few times, then seizes the grip with the towel for protection. He's facing away from the van, so Kris can't see his face, but from the strain in his arms it looks like the sword's not coming loose without a fight.
"I'll try to brush away some of the sand?" Jongdae offers, but he doesn't get the chance. Before he can even lean out the ground begins to shake, making the van quiver as the sand grains beneath slide to new homes.
Kris looks at the backseat. "Did you call Kyungsoo out again?"
Jongin holds up his hands in protest. "I didn't do anything!"
The ground's swelling again, but given how reluctant Kyungsoo was to emerge last time, Kris reasons it's probably not him now. Which is bad, because that means it's a-
"Land Worm!" Jongdae yells, scrabbling behind him for his lance.
A ring of fangs emerges from the sand two feet in front of Yixing, followed by a long, thick tube of yellow and green that disappears into the ground. Even partially submerged, the Land Worm's a danger to them. Kris needs to get to his sword. He reaches behind the seat to where all the weapons are lying together, but ends up bumping heads with Jongdae, who's doing the same thing, and Jongin, who's trying to get to the door. The Land Worm roars, warming already scorching air with a blast of hot, fetid breath that has them all shutting their eyes against the onslaught. Kris yells to Yixing to hang on and fumbles blindly, hoping not to cut himself on the blade.
There's a muffled thump, and then a squelch, and then another roar. Kris risks a glance back over his shoulder. Yixing's managed to reach his staff and is beating the monster under its chin every time it rears up.
No...not his staff...
Kris forgets all about his sword and watches in amazement as Yixing masterfully beats the Land Worm down, giving it such a hiding that it's forced to retreat back underground, leaving a gaping hole that the sand rushes to fill. He's never seen anything like it. He knew Yixing was good at stick fighting, but even without a proper weapon?
Jongdae scratches his head as Yixing turns around to give them a triumphant smile. "Where did the umbrella come from? I don't keep one in the van."
"A girl gave it to me when I was busking with Minseok at the Gold Saucer, but it was too long to fit in my bag so I put it down the side with the weapons," Yixing explains. He turns it over in his hands, staring at it as though seeing it for the first time. The frilly pink thing must be stronger than it looks - the frame isn't even bent. "I did wonder why my staff seemed shorter than usual..."
Kris idly wonders how much damage Yixing could accomplish with a chopstick, and if he'd even notice until the fight was over.
"We should get moving," Jongdae says. "He might come back with friends."
"Give me a minute," Yixing says. The Land Worm's arrival and subsequent retreat has dislodged so much sand that the ruined sword is almost fully exposed; he reaches down and tugs it free before climbing back into the van. The Summon materia gleams brightly despite so long exposed to the elements. Yixing strips it from the hilt, which he tosses back outside, almost losing the towel in the process.
Jongdae shuts the door, almost suffocating them all until Kris starts the engine and the airconditioning kicks in again.
"You should take this," Yixing says, pushing the newly-acquired Baekhyun materia between the headrests and completely ignoring the fact that Kris is trying to drive.
"I'm not his keeper," Kris says, mildly irritated. It's not like he has a hand free to do anything about it, anyway.
"If you don't want the materia, I'll take it," Jongdae says. "The rest of you all have Summons already, right? I've got a slot free." Jongin slides the lance forward so Jongdae can click the materia into the remaining slot; he makes no claim for it himself, but he's already got two Summons and it seems to Kris that Lu Han alone is more than enough for him to deal with.
There's a marked difference between the way Jongdae refers to Summons and the way the rest of them do it; Kris wonders how long it'll be before Jongdae becomes accustomed to thinking of them as people, not mere tools to be called and traded on a whim. He supposes he could always call Baekhyun out and ask him which one of them he'd prefer to go with, or get Jongin to relay a message via Lu Han. It's not that he objects to having a second Baekhyun materia, per se. He's never been in a position to have spare materia before, and having backups is certainly wise.
But if he has two Baekhyun materia orbs and calls for his Summon, which of them will emerge? Will it even matter? He knows, intellectually, that they'll be the same person. Maybe they'll dress a little differently, maybe one of them will have a different hairstyle, but they'll only be one man. In two bodies.
That's the part Kris can't quite wrap his head around. He'll let Jongdae have this second Baekhyun materia. It's less complicated.
He has no occasion to call Baekhyun out - neither of them do - for the remainder of their drive through the desert. Nothing else tries to attack them, even when they stop by a stray cactus so Jongdae can answer the call of nature. Yixing speculates that possibly, word of his prowess with an umbrella has been making the rounds underground, and none of the Land Worms are willing to risk taking him on. Kris thinks it's more likely that the professor's roasted so many of the Corel Desert's usual denizens that any monsters left alive have decided to wait until all the pesky humans have driven far, far away.
The buggy tracks in the sand eventually become indentations in thick green grass. Kris slows down, trying to gauge how far they go. "I thought the whole point of the professor taking the buggy was to go out in the desert," he says. "So why's he driven straight through?"
"Maybe he's finished whatever he drove into the desert to do?" Jongin suggests.
"Barbecue monsters," Jongdae says. "Yeah, definitely worth the trip, I can see why he'd do that."
"That's all we can see he's done," Yixing points out. "So perhaps it is that."
Kris rolls his eyes and stops the van so Jongdae, who has been dropping hints for the last who-knows-how-many miles, can get back behind the wheel. They switch quickly, because the tracks lead past the trees up ahead and there could be all kinds of monsters lurking in there. At least, Kris reasons, if Suho has been setting fires here as well, his path ought to be incredibly easy to follow.
They have to cross over a small river first; fortunately, the bridge holds their weight, though Jongdae holds his breath during the crossing, clearly none too optimistic. He's even more apprehensive when they do end up driving through the trees, bypassing a small town he identifies as Gongaga, but the rough path is wide enough to keep the van from being scratched - for the most part. He inspects it closely when they take a short break to let the chocobos out.
"How bad is it?" Jongin asks as he tries to keep his chocobo from running away. (There don't appear to be any squirrels in the area, but frogs seem to have the same effect.)
Jongdae runs a hand over the once-black paintwork, now dusty from the desert and in need of a good clean. "She'll live. I hope I can say the same for us."
"You can," Kris says confidently, giving Ace a good ruffle behind the wings, and coos at his chocobo: "Did you miss me, boy? I missed you a lot. Yes, I did. We'll go for a good run later, I promise."
Jongin shakes his head, giggling behind his hand. "Between you and your chocobo and Jongdae and his van..."
Yixing's chocobo is far less attention-seeking, happily eating greens from the hands of his rider while Emperor struts proudly through the trees, head held high, daring anyone to suggest his feathers might be in need of smoothing after his long ride in the back of the van. Jongdae goes over to him with a handful of greens; Kris follows, Ace in tow.
"Do you know what else is around here?" Kris asks. "As long as we're on a dirt path, we've got tracks to follow, but if we hit a paved road..."
Jongdae looks over at the trees. "There's another river to cross, a little further on, and then we head into some mountains. It's pretty isolated out there, but your professor might be headed for Cosmo Canyon."
"I hope so," Kris says fervently. "I hope his buggy breaks down there and he's stuck until we reach him."
"Feeling a little frustrated?" Jongdae teases.
Given how far they've come since Yixing first told them about the mysterious Summon materia at Fort Condor, Kris is long past mere frustration. "You have no idea."
He has to believe it's all worth it, however. If not, what motivation does he have to keep going? He's been set on this path since before he even knew the professor was one of them; that hasn't changed anything. Maybe just his opinion of Suho, or whatever his real name is. Before...maybe he wouldn't have thought twice about using any means necessary to obtain that materia. But now he has to assume that Suho's a good guy, because anyone who was with them before, fighting a losing battle to save the tree, has to be in the right. Right? He's one of them, whether he knows it or not, and that means Kris can at least try to explain what he wants with the materia.
Whether Suho will understand is another matter entirely, but that concern is for later. Much later. With their more pressing physical needs - and those of their chocobos - taken care of, they make to return to the van.
A frog stands in their way. Large, bright green and yellow, and determined to keep them from leaving. Jongin's chocobo balks immediately.
"It's just a frog," Jongin murmurs, trying to soothe him. "It's not dangerous."
"I don't know about that," Yixing says. "Kris was quite violent when he got transformed into a frog."
Kris gives the frog a sidelong glance. That's not a fate he'd wish on his worst enemy. "You think this one's been transformed too?"
"Somebody else can find out," Jongdae says. "I don't speak Frog."
When the frog opens its mouth wide, Kris half expects it to issue a retort to Jongdae's jibe, but what emerges is not speech at all, or even the croaking he'd find more realistic. It's music. Beautiful music. The sound swells large through the trees, far louder and more intense than such a tiny body should be able to produce. Kris stares at the frog, breathing between the notes, and starts to think that perhaps they don't need to go chasing the professor after all. That's far too complicated. Humans are always making things more difficult than they need to be. It's so much easier just to be a frog...
"Don't listen to it!" Kris hears Yixing shout, but he can't see what the problem is. Why shouldn't he listen to the frog? It's only music...
Another voice breaks in, making no attempt to harmonise with the frog - a low, rich melody in warm, clear tones that cut straight through the frog's song. Kris tries to turn to see who it is, but the music has him too disoriented to move properly and he stumbles, crashing gracelessly to the ground. Pain from the impact has him momentarily aware, enough to cast a sheepish look around and discover that the second voice belongs to Jongdae.
The frog's song becomes more frantic, its voice wavering higher as it increases the volume, but Jongdae ignores it. He's not tall or broad, not in the least physically imposing, but his voice gives him the presence of a giant and he holds firm, each note perfectly in its place as it slowly overwhelms the opposing song.
Yixing hooks an arm under Kris's and tries to tug him up. "Quick, while Jongdae keeps it busy!"
Kris can only blink in response, still muzzy from almost becoming a frog again, but Jongin grabs his other arm and helps Yixing manoeuvre him back into the van.
"Cover your ears," Yixing tells him before slipping out to deal with the chocobos.
Closing the door mutes both songs somewhat, offering Kris enough clarity to do as Yixing says. He watches silently as Jongdae looms over the frog, singing sweetly down at it as it tries to hop away. When he sees Jongdae's mouth close, he knows it's over. The frog retreats into the undergrowth and Jongdae grins as he slides back into the driver's seat.
"Thought we were going to lose you for a second there," he says to Kris. "Getting any urges to catch flies with your tongue?"
"Don't." Kris shudders. "One spell as a frog was more than enough for me, thanks."
"And that's probably why you're more susceptible to it now," Yixing says, poking his head between the headrests. "It's a good thing Jongdae was able to cancel out the frog's magic - we're all out of Maiden's Kisses, and I doubt one of mine would have the same effect."
Kris can't tell if Yixing's being serious about the kisses or not, but he thinks it's probably better for both of them not to have to find out. (Kissing a frog cannot possibly be pleasant, no matter what the children's stories say.) "So I should go around wearing earplugs from now on?"
"I wouldn't worry about it," Jongdae says cheerfully. "Once we get away from these trees you can forget about seeing frogs. There are much more dangerous things to look forward to in the Cosmo area, like those weird dragon creatures that can turn you to stone."
Of course that makes Kris feel so much better about it. But he thanks Jongdae anyway. Jongdae responds to all compliments on his singing voice with good grace.
"You're lucky I grew up in Rocket Town," he adds, starting up the van again. "There was always so much noise from engines that I had to sing at the top of my lungs if I wanted anyone to be able to hear me."
"Is that why you left?" Jongin asks. "The Gold Saucer's not exactly a peaceful place to live, either."
"I didn't leave to pursue a quiet life."
Jongdae's tone discourages further questions. That's okay. The important part of the past, as far as Kris is concerned, is the part they're discovering in their dreams. That's what will give them their answers. He knows what he needs to know about Jongdae, for now - anything else is extra. Maybe there's a lost loved one left behind, like Yixing, or a past that, if Kris is any judge of Midgar's Wall Market, has to be some flavour of shady, like Jongin. This isn't the time to ask. Right now Kris is more concerned with finding the professor - hopefully before nightfall.
Part 2
Fandom: EXO (sort of fused with Final Fantasy VII)
Series: Phoenix Down (#8)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, crossover (sort of)
Word count: 22,666
Disclaimer: Not mine, damnit.
Warnings: A slightly higher level of violence than usual, but this is based on a video game, so...
Summary: No one ever expects much from the new guy, but Jongdae's got a lot more to offer than just transportation across the Corel Desert. (Translated: ROAD TRIP CONTINUES! AND JONGDAE IS AWESOME!)
A/N: 8th in the Phoenix Down series, so please see Sweet as Honey, Sharp as a Sword for explanations. Takes place directly after #6 (#7 is a "sidequest"), and like that fic, is one of those plotty ensemble pieces with background lukai content.
Driving Force 1/3
The Corel Desert is an arid and lonely place, without even a breath of wind to stir the sea of sand. Makes it tantamount to suicide to open a window - thankfully, the van's air-conditioning hasn't given up yet - but it's of immense help in tracking down Professor Suho and his resurrected companion. Yesterday's buggy tracks remain untouched. There's no other sign that the professor's been this way, doing whatever it is he intends to do with the stolen materia. Kris keeps his eyes fixed on the tracks and hopes that Suho knows where he's going.
Not that there appears to be anywhere to go. They've been driving for three hours now and the landscape hasn't changed at all. Sand, sand and more sand. Yixing's dividing his attention between the chocobos and the world outside, while Jongin's dozing in his seat, occasionally stirring to gulp down a mouthful of water. Chen - or Jongdae, as Kris now has to think of him - won't relinquish the wheel, not yet, but they're going to have to stop soon, if only to give his arms a rest.
"I promise not to wreck your van," Kris says after watching Jongdae attempt to work the kinks out of his shoulders while still driving, "so we could swap positions for a bit? I've never crashed a vehicle."
"Neither have I," Yixing pipes up from the back.
Kris snorts, casting half a glance over at him. "That's because you've never driven one."
"That's it." Jongdae brings the van to a halt and turns to face Kris. "No one's driving her but me. And especially not Yixing."
Yixing doesn't seem bothered by the slight. "One day my time will come," he says evenly, and Kris hopes that day's a long way off because he really doesn't want someone who's never driven before at the wheel. Not when they're in the middle of the desert, with four chocobos (one placid, one skittish, one wilful and one unbelievably smug), one sleepy young man who keeps muttering vaguely affectionate nonsense at his Summon (which would be embarrassing if any of them were paying attention), and one near-stranger they only met last night, who can't possibly have the best impression of them.
"Do you have any idea how big this desert is?" Kris asks Jongdae. "Because I don't, and I don't know how far we're going to have to drive until we reach the end of these tracks. I'm the reason we're out here in the first place, so you can at least let me spell you a little."
Jongdae opens his mouth, but his response is cut off by a mumbled "Are we there yet?" from Jongin, who has chosen this particular moment to wake up.
"Don't know where 'there' is," Jongdae says. "You can go back to sleep - after you pass me one of those water bottles."
Jongin does, handing one to Kris as well. "Has anyone seen a sword hilt while we've been driving?"
"Like the one lying next to you?" Kris says.
"Not yours." Jongin looks down the side of the seats, where everyone else is storing their weapons. "I've got a message from Baekhyun. Lu Han says there's a broken sword hilt with one of Baekhyun's materia orbs out here somewhere, and if we happen to see it, can we please pick it up?"
"I understood the second half of that," Jongdae says. "Would someone like to explain the first half?"
Three hours of travelling is long enough to tell a story, even one as disjointed and confusing as the tale they have to share, and Jongdae's borne with it well, even when they haven't been able to answer his questions. Kris had omitted the exact nature of Jongin's relationship with Lu Han, however, figuring that was for Jongin to share, if he wanted to. He doesn't know how much experience Jongdae has had with Summons, even with working in a materia shop back in Rocket Town, but a Summon communicating telepathically with his master has to be a rarity, or he'd have heard about it before. Certainly, Baekhyun's never shown any ability to project himself into Kris's head, for which Kris is extremely grateful.
"Lu Han talks to me in my head," Jongin says. "But I promise I'm not crazy."
"You're not crazy, Kris isn't suicidal..." Jongdae shakes his head, looking between them with such disbelief in his eyes that Kris almost wants to reiterate that he's not planning on ending his life, only restarting it. "So what are you, Yixing, other than a non-driver?"
"A healer." Yixing makes tiny waving motions with his fingers. "So if you accidentally zap yourself with your Bolt materia, I'll fix you up."
Jongdae grins, the cocky chocobo jockey back in the saddle for a moment. "My aim's better than that. I've been practising with it for two years."
"At the Gold Saucer?" Kris asks, surprised that anyone would need weapons in a theme park. Anyone not planning on fighting in the Battle Square, at least. But it's good to know Jongdae has experience. The rest of the party can only fight close-range, aside from their Summons - it'll be useful to have someone with Magic materia if they run into trouble.
"Back in Rocket Town." Jongdae takes a long draught from his water bottle. "I...a friend left me the lance, and the materia with it."
"He didn't need it?" Kris asks. It must've been a good friend. Materia's expensive, and the lance looks pretty pricey too.
"Not where he was going."
Kris doesn't ask him to elaborate. They all have their secrets, and Jongdae's just shut the door on his, good humour faded from sight, eyes sad and the faintest bit resentful. "Break's over," he says, and with that they're on the move again, rolling towards who knows where.
It's easy for Kris to lean his head back against the seat and gaze idly out the window when all the scenery's the same.
Until it isn't. A large, dark blur in the distance has him straining forwards to see. Is it moving? Is it a threat? He starts to reach for his sword as Jongdae slows the van.
"What is that?" Jongin grabs the headrests and peers between the seats, fully awake now, and Kris winces as the mythril studs on Jongin's gauntlets scrape his ear. He's got enough scars there already; he's not looking to acquire another.
"Does anyone else smell burnt meat?" Jongdae asks, wrinkling his nose. "But not like anything you'd want to eat."
It's faint, but the closer they get to the black marks the stronger it becomes. Kris blinks back water as his eyes begin to sting. He hopes the engine's not overheating. That's all they need, to break down in the middle of the Corel Desert. "Yeah. That's not from the van...is it?"
"It's coming through the vents," Yixing says. "From outside. I think it is burnt meat."
And lots of it, they discover when they pull up alongside. Land Worms, judging by the rings of fangs - the only body parts not charred to a crisp. Kris counts a dozen corpses on either side of the buggy tracks, each one a dark, greasy stain against the sand grains. "Looks like they stopped here for a bit," he says. "I see footprints."
"Who'd get out in the middle of the desert?" Jongin says.
"Even former corpses have to take a leak," Jongdae says. "Probably."
"The Land Worms would've come out then," Yixing says. He points to the buggy tracks, which continue beyond the footprints on a slightly different trajectory. "It seems the professor escaped successfully."
"Fire materia, you think?" It's Fire magic of some sort, Kris is certain, though whether it's from Magic materia or an item containing a Fire spell, he can't tell. Whatever it is, it has to be a very high level to do this much damage to so many monsters.
"Let's hope this guy doesn't use it on humans," Jongdae says. "I don't want to end up barbecued because of a stupid tree dream."
None of them do. Kris thinks it's unlikely the professor will attack them, based on Kyungsoo's opinion of the man, but of the mystery guy with the giant shuriken, he can't be sure. They do, at least, have numbers on their side. Not that numbers appear to matter - the dozen Land Worms are not the only corpses they find, following the buggy tracks. There are Cactuars too, scattered across the desert, some at such a distance from each other that Kris doubts they could've been hit by the same spell. The prickly green creatures are fast enough that it's hard to hit even one of them, let alone multiple Cactuars with the same attack.
"I don't like this," Jongin says after the third such batch of corpses. "There weren't even any footprints after those Land Worms. If they were attacked while they were still in the buggy, what's to stop the same thing from happening to us?"
"The professor's probably killed everything in the area," Jongdae says blithely. "Is there even anything left to come after us?"
Of course there is.
Jongdae sends everyone shooting forwards when he suddenly slams on the brakes - a natural response to the tall green and red monster that fills most of the windscreen. Kris's seatbelt is the only thing that keeps him from hitting the dash, pressing him down so forcefully that he struggles for breath. He's not the only one. Jongin's gasping in the back, panicking about a Malboro, and no, that's the last thing Kris wants to hear. He'd rather not spend any more time as a frog.
"It's not a Malboro," Yixing says, rubbing at his neck where the seatbelt's caught him. "Completely different body shape. I think it's a Flower Prong?"
"It is," Jongdae confirms. "They have them in the Battle Square. But they're from the jungle, not the desert!"
Unlike the Malboro, which resembles nothing so much as an extremely toothy bush, the Flower Prong is tall and thin, with a long red stem that morphs into green further up the body, leading to a spiky green head with a pink, murderous tendril on either side. It shrieks: broken nails on a blackboard, a high-pitched serenade of pure venom. Though the mouth is smaller than the Malboro's, it's still easily large enough to bite off their heads, and the sharp fangs inside make Kris very glad they're sitting in a metal cab.
On the other hand, that means the racket is deafening when the Flower Prong begins to beat its tendrils against the van.
"Pass me my sword!" Kris yells over his shoulder.
"Don't go out there," Yixing warns him. "It'll poison you before you even get close enough to slice it up."
They have Antidotes now, but Kris would rather not be poisoned again if he can help it, given how painful it was last time. (And there's the small matter of him turning into a dragon, which would certainly put a crimp in their plans.)
"I'm just going to drive over it," Jongdae says. "I was never very good with plants anyway."
Jongin lets out a quasi-hysterical squawk of laughter. "And the rest of them?"
"The rest...oh." Jongdae smiles tightly, peering out the driver's side door. Kris can't see how many of them there are, but from the look on Jongdae's face it can't be good. "Plan B, anyone?"
"I don't suppose you keep any weedkiller in here?" Kris asks.
"They're weak against Earth magic," Yixing says. "Jongin, can you-"
Before he even finishes asking the question, Jongin's rolled down the window on his side and thrust his right gauntlet outside. "Kyungsoo!"
The shrieks of multiple Flower Prongs are momentarily drowned out by a rumble so enormous it would put a thousand thunderclaps to shame. Beneath the wheels, the ground begins to shake, setting them swaying in their seats. Jongin hurriedly draws his arm back inside the vehicle and rolls the window back up as a stray tendril makes a grab for his wrist. The monster blocking the windscreen sways too, falling back far enough for them to see a slow-growing mound swelling up from the desert - small at first, but spreading rapidly across the sand. The ground shudders under the pressure, rising taller and taller until with an almighty crack it shatters, sending sand and the earth beneath flying in all directions.
In the debris that remains, Kyungsoo stands alone - a small, dark figure, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the shrieking Flower Prongs for all he's worth. For a second Kris wonders if he's using Baekhyun's usual tactic, because if Kyungsoo's looks alone could kill, all those plants would've shrivelled instantly.
But Earth magic is far more violent than Baekhyun's withering gaze.
"Anger of the Land," Kyungsoo spits out before reaching down to sink both hands into the ground - deep, beneath the sand, all the way down to solid rock. Only magic could allow him to stretch so far. The Flower Prongs actually fall silent for a second as the sands begin to drain away, sinking into a wide gorge that emanates outwards from Kyungsoo. The crack in the desert floor expands with lightning speed. If it continues, they'll fall into it too, van and all.
And then it stops, leaving a rough circle of rock that begins where Kyungsoo's hands disappear into the ground. Slowly, he straightens up, and as he does, his end of the rock starts to rise.
"Is he going to...?" Jongin trails off, staring open-mouthed out the window.
"I think he is!" Jongdae then adds, somewhat hypocritically given that he's hardly blessed in the height department himself: "How's a little guy like that going to move all that rock?"
It's an impressive sight, even after the weird and wonderful things they've seen. Still looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else, Kyungsoo flips the entire slab of rock. The resulting crash is colossal. Not a single Flower Prong escapes - including the one that, up until a moment ago, had been hugging their windscreen. The rock misses the van by less than six inches.
They all still have their hands clapped over their ears when Kyungsoo picks his way across to the van, tapping on Jongin's window. Jongin quickly rolls it down. Kyungsoo's expression says he's not in the mood to be kept waiting.
"That was amazing!" Jongin gushes. He's a little loud, Kris thinks, but his own ears are still ringing so it's no wonder Jongin can't hear himself properly.
"Lu Han said you probably wouldn't call me out," Kyungsoo says. "I see he was wrong. Again."
Jongin's face falls. "Sorry," he says, slightly quieter now. "I wouldn't have, but we needed Earth magic, and-"
Kyungsoo sighs, features softening to permit a trace of a smile. "It's a good thing you're cute."
Jongdae cuts through Jongin's embarrassed flustering to say: "Not that I'm not impressed, but you think maybe you could cut it a little less close next time?" He strokes a loving hand over the dashboard. The van appears to have escaped without so much as a scratch, although the giant rock is blocking their path.
Corpses have eyes warmer and friendlier than Kyungsoo's. "You're going to have to back up," he says. "I suggest you hurry."
He vanishes back into his orb, leaving a forlorn Jongin pondering aloud about whether or not Kyungsoo dislikes him.
"You've already got one Summon who adores you," Kris says. "You don't need two."
"Touchy little guy, isn't he?" Jongdae puts the van in reverse, taking them back far enough to drive around the slab and continue their pursuit of the buggy tracks. "But useful."
The next time they stop, less than twenty minutes later, Kris insists on taking a turn behind the wheel. Jongdae offers only a token protest, finally acknowledging that perhaps trying to drive the whole way himself is a tad ambitious, especially after such a disturbed night. Shuffling around each other to switch positions should be more awkward than it turns out to be: there's something about facing death together that seems to mitigate the embarrassment factor of crawling over a near-stranger in the cramped front seat. Kris finds driving soothing, hands and feet moving of their own volition in patterns he hasn't used in a while, letting his mind switch off as he takes them onward. He's never been in control of a vehicle this large before, but Jongdae doesn't need to know that.
They pass another two sets of crispy corpses, burned so badly they can't even identify the species, before Kris spots something sticking out of the sand over to their left. Something relatively narrow, tapering in an oval pommel, shinier than the bodies of the dead monsters...
"Did you say we were looking for a broken sword?" Kris asks. "Because I think I see one." He turns them left, moving slowly towards the object without bothering to indicate because it's not as if there's any other traffic around.
"Yeah!" Jongin presses his nose to the window. "I can't see if it has any materia in it..."
As they draw nearer, it becomes apparent not only that yes, there is a Summon materia just above the cross-guard, but that it's half-buried by sand, and if they're going to pull it out, someone is going to have to leave the van to make the attempt. Volunteers are not immediately forthcoming.
"It's one of Baekhyun's orbs," Jongin says. "So maybe Kris should go?"
"Oh no." Kris shakes his head. "The last thing I need is another Baekhyun. One is more than enough."
"I'm sure he feels differently." Yixing reaches for his seatbelt. "I could do with stretching my legs anyway. Can you get any closer?"
Kris has always been better at driving than parking, but after a few tries he manages to position the van so when Jongdae opens the door on Yixing's side, Yixing will be less than three feet from the sword, and easily close enough to dive back inside if trouble comes. Or rather, when trouble comes, Kris corrects himself.
"Ready?" he asks.
Yixing nods, flexing his fingers in preparation. "Ready."
"Sooner you than me," Jongdae says, and flings open the door.
Both nimble and slender, Yixing slips quickly out of his seat, planting his feet on the ground as close to the van as possible. The rush of heat is immediate, far greater than when Jongin had rolled down his window earlier, and Kris automatically reaches for his water bottle. But the sweat trickling down the back of his neck isn't from the heat. This had better not take long.
Yixing taps the sword with one cautious finger, then recoils, hissing through his teeth. "Pass me a shirt or something? It's too hot for me to touch."
"Here!" Jongin tosses him the towel they've been using in the back.
"Thanks."
The sword's buried too deep for Yixing to loop the towel under the guard. He folds it over a few times, then seizes the grip with the towel for protection. He's facing away from the van, so Kris can't see his face, but from the strain in his arms it looks like the sword's not coming loose without a fight.
"I'll try to brush away some of the sand?" Jongdae offers, but he doesn't get the chance. Before he can even lean out the ground begins to shake, making the van quiver as the sand grains beneath slide to new homes.
Kris looks at the backseat. "Did you call Kyungsoo out again?"
Jongin holds up his hands in protest. "I didn't do anything!"
The ground's swelling again, but given how reluctant Kyungsoo was to emerge last time, Kris reasons it's probably not him now. Which is bad, because that means it's a-
"Land Worm!" Jongdae yells, scrabbling behind him for his lance.
A ring of fangs emerges from the sand two feet in front of Yixing, followed by a long, thick tube of yellow and green that disappears into the ground. Even partially submerged, the Land Worm's a danger to them. Kris needs to get to his sword. He reaches behind the seat to where all the weapons are lying together, but ends up bumping heads with Jongdae, who's doing the same thing, and Jongin, who's trying to get to the door. The Land Worm roars, warming already scorching air with a blast of hot, fetid breath that has them all shutting their eyes against the onslaught. Kris yells to Yixing to hang on and fumbles blindly, hoping not to cut himself on the blade.
There's a muffled thump, and then a squelch, and then another roar. Kris risks a glance back over his shoulder. Yixing's managed to reach his staff and is beating the monster under its chin every time it rears up.
No...not his staff...
Kris forgets all about his sword and watches in amazement as Yixing masterfully beats the Land Worm down, giving it such a hiding that it's forced to retreat back underground, leaving a gaping hole that the sand rushes to fill. He's never seen anything like it. He knew Yixing was good at stick fighting, but even without a proper weapon?
Jongdae scratches his head as Yixing turns around to give them a triumphant smile. "Where did the umbrella come from? I don't keep one in the van."
"A girl gave it to me when I was busking with Minseok at the Gold Saucer, but it was too long to fit in my bag so I put it down the side with the weapons," Yixing explains. He turns it over in his hands, staring at it as though seeing it for the first time. The frilly pink thing must be stronger than it looks - the frame isn't even bent. "I did wonder why my staff seemed shorter than usual..."
Kris idly wonders how much damage Yixing could accomplish with a chopstick, and if he'd even notice until the fight was over.
"We should get moving," Jongdae says. "He might come back with friends."
"Give me a minute," Yixing says. The Land Worm's arrival and subsequent retreat has dislodged so much sand that the ruined sword is almost fully exposed; he reaches down and tugs it free before climbing back into the van. The Summon materia gleams brightly despite so long exposed to the elements. Yixing strips it from the hilt, which he tosses back outside, almost losing the towel in the process.
Jongdae shuts the door, almost suffocating them all until Kris starts the engine and the airconditioning kicks in again.
"You should take this," Yixing says, pushing the newly-acquired Baekhyun materia between the headrests and completely ignoring the fact that Kris is trying to drive.
"I'm not his keeper," Kris says, mildly irritated. It's not like he has a hand free to do anything about it, anyway.
"If you don't want the materia, I'll take it," Jongdae says. "The rest of you all have Summons already, right? I've got a slot free." Jongin slides the lance forward so Jongdae can click the materia into the remaining slot; he makes no claim for it himself, but he's already got two Summons and it seems to Kris that Lu Han alone is more than enough for him to deal with.
There's a marked difference between the way Jongdae refers to Summons and the way the rest of them do it; Kris wonders how long it'll be before Jongdae becomes accustomed to thinking of them as people, not mere tools to be called and traded on a whim. He supposes he could always call Baekhyun out and ask him which one of them he'd prefer to go with, or get Jongin to relay a message via Lu Han. It's not that he objects to having a second Baekhyun materia, per se. He's never been in a position to have spare materia before, and having backups is certainly wise.
But if he has two Baekhyun materia orbs and calls for his Summon, which of them will emerge? Will it even matter? He knows, intellectually, that they'll be the same person. Maybe they'll dress a little differently, maybe one of them will have a different hairstyle, but they'll only be one man. In two bodies.
That's the part Kris can't quite wrap his head around. He'll let Jongdae have this second Baekhyun materia. It's less complicated.
He has no occasion to call Baekhyun out - neither of them do - for the remainder of their drive through the desert. Nothing else tries to attack them, even when they stop by a stray cactus so Jongdae can answer the call of nature. Yixing speculates that possibly, word of his prowess with an umbrella has been making the rounds underground, and none of the Land Worms are willing to risk taking him on. Kris thinks it's more likely that the professor's roasted so many of the Corel Desert's usual denizens that any monsters left alive have decided to wait until all the pesky humans have driven far, far away.
The buggy tracks in the sand eventually become indentations in thick green grass. Kris slows down, trying to gauge how far they go. "I thought the whole point of the professor taking the buggy was to go out in the desert," he says. "So why's he driven straight through?"
"Maybe he's finished whatever he drove into the desert to do?" Jongin suggests.
"Barbecue monsters," Jongdae says. "Yeah, definitely worth the trip, I can see why he'd do that."
"That's all we can see he's done," Yixing points out. "So perhaps it is that."
Kris rolls his eyes and stops the van so Jongdae, who has been dropping hints for the last who-knows-how-many miles, can get back behind the wheel. They switch quickly, because the tracks lead past the trees up ahead and there could be all kinds of monsters lurking in there. At least, Kris reasons, if Suho has been setting fires here as well, his path ought to be incredibly easy to follow.
They have to cross over a small river first; fortunately, the bridge holds their weight, though Jongdae holds his breath during the crossing, clearly none too optimistic. He's even more apprehensive when they do end up driving through the trees, bypassing a small town he identifies as Gongaga, but the rough path is wide enough to keep the van from being scratched - for the most part. He inspects it closely when they take a short break to let the chocobos out.
"How bad is it?" Jongin asks as he tries to keep his chocobo from running away. (There don't appear to be any squirrels in the area, but frogs seem to have the same effect.)
Jongdae runs a hand over the once-black paintwork, now dusty from the desert and in need of a good clean. "She'll live. I hope I can say the same for us."
"You can," Kris says confidently, giving Ace a good ruffle behind the wings, and coos at his chocobo: "Did you miss me, boy? I missed you a lot. Yes, I did. We'll go for a good run later, I promise."
Jongin shakes his head, giggling behind his hand. "Between you and your chocobo and Jongdae and his van..."
Yixing's chocobo is far less attention-seeking, happily eating greens from the hands of his rider while Emperor struts proudly through the trees, head held high, daring anyone to suggest his feathers might be in need of smoothing after his long ride in the back of the van. Jongdae goes over to him with a handful of greens; Kris follows, Ace in tow.
"Do you know what else is around here?" Kris asks. "As long as we're on a dirt path, we've got tracks to follow, but if we hit a paved road..."
Jongdae looks over at the trees. "There's another river to cross, a little further on, and then we head into some mountains. It's pretty isolated out there, but your professor might be headed for Cosmo Canyon."
"I hope so," Kris says fervently. "I hope his buggy breaks down there and he's stuck until we reach him."
"Feeling a little frustrated?" Jongdae teases.
Given how far they've come since Yixing first told them about the mysterious Summon materia at Fort Condor, Kris is long past mere frustration. "You have no idea."
He has to believe it's all worth it, however. If not, what motivation does he have to keep going? He's been set on this path since before he even knew the professor was one of them; that hasn't changed anything. Maybe just his opinion of Suho, or whatever his real name is. Before...maybe he wouldn't have thought twice about using any means necessary to obtain that materia. But now he has to assume that Suho's a good guy, because anyone who was with them before, fighting a losing battle to save the tree, has to be in the right. Right? He's one of them, whether he knows it or not, and that means Kris can at least try to explain what he wants with the materia.
Whether Suho will understand is another matter entirely, but that concern is for later. Much later. With their more pressing physical needs - and those of their chocobos - taken care of, they make to return to the van.
A frog stands in their way. Large, bright green and yellow, and determined to keep them from leaving. Jongin's chocobo balks immediately.
"It's just a frog," Jongin murmurs, trying to soothe him. "It's not dangerous."
"I don't know about that," Yixing says. "Kris was quite violent when he got transformed into a frog."
Kris gives the frog a sidelong glance. That's not a fate he'd wish on his worst enemy. "You think this one's been transformed too?"
"Somebody else can find out," Jongdae says. "I don't speak Frog."
When the frog opens its mouth wide, Kris half expects it to issue a retort to Jongdae's jibe, but what emerges is not speech at all, or even the croaking he'd find more realistic. It's music. Beautiful music. The sound swells large through the trees, far louder and more intense than such a tiny body should be able to produce. Kris stares at the frog, breathing between the notes, and starts to think that perhaps they don't need to go chasing the professor after all. That's far too complicated. Humans are always making things more difficult than they need to be. It's so much easier just to be a frog...
"Don't listen to it!" Kris hears Yixing shout, but he can't see what the problem is. Why shouldn't he listen to the frog? It's only music...
Another voice breaks in, making no attempt to harmonise with the frog - a low, rich melody in warm, clear tones that cut straight through the frog's song. Kris tries to turn to see who it is, but the music has him too disoriented to move properly and he stumbles, crashing gracelessly to the ground. Pain from the impact has him momentarily aware, enough to cast a sheepish look around and discover that the second voice belongs to Jongdae.
The frog's song becomes more frantic, its voice wavering higher as it increases the volume, but Jongdae ignores it. He's not tall or broad, not in the least physically imposing, but his voice gives him the presence of a giant and he holds firm, each note perfectly in its place as it slowly overwhelms the opposing song.
Yixing hooks an arm under Kris's and tries to tug him up. "Quick, while Jongdae keeps it busy!"
Kris can only blink in response, still muzzy from almost becoming a frog again, but Jongin grabs his other arm and helps Yixing manoeuvre him back into the van.
"Cover your ears," Yixing tells him before slipping out to deal with the chocobos.
Closing the door mutes both songs somewhat, offering Kris enough clarity to do as Yixing says. He watches silently as Jongdae looms over the frog, singing sweetly down at it as it tries to hop away. When he sees Jongdae's mouth close, he knows it's over. The frog retreats into the undergrowth and Jongdae grins as he slides back into the driver's seat.
"Thought we were going to lose you for a second there," he says to Kris. "Getting any urges to catch flies with your tongue?"
"Don't." Kris shudders. "One spell as a frog was more than enough for me, thanks."
"And that's probably why you're more susceptible to it now," Yixing says, poking his head between the headrests. "It's a good thing Jongdae was able to cancel out the frog's magic - we're all out of Maiden's Kisses, and I doubt one of mine would have the same effect."
Kris can't tell if Yixing's being serious about the kisses or not, but he thinks it's probably better for both of them not to have to find out. (Kissing a frog cannot possibly be pleasant, no matter what the children's stories say.) "So I should go around wearing earplugs from now on?"
"I wouldn't worry about it," Jongdae says cheerfully. "Once we get away from these trees you can forget about seeing frogs. There are much more dangerous things to look forward to in the Cosmo area, like those weird dragon creatures that can turn you to stone."
Of course that makes Kris feel so much better about it. But he thanks Jongdae anyway. Jongdae responds to all compliments on his singing voice with good grace.
"You're lucky I grew up in Rocket Town," he adds, starting up the van again. "There was always so much noise from engines that I had to sing at the top of my lungs if I wanted anyone to be able to hear me."
"Is that why you left?" Jongin asks. "The Gold Saucer's not exactly a peaceful place to live, either."
"I didn't leave to pursue a quiet life."
Jongdae's tone discourages further questions. That's okay. The important part of the past, as far as Kris is concerned, is the part they're discovering in their dreams. That's what will give them their answers. He knows what he needs to know about Jongdae, for now - anything else is extra. Maybe there's a lost loved one left behind, like Yixing, or a past that, if Kris is any judge of Midgar's Wall Market, has to be some flavour of shady, like Jongin. This isn't the time to ask. Right now Kris is more concerned with finding the professor - hopefully before nightfall.
Part 2